Author's note: Hi! It's me! Whoo! This is based on Spitslover's Fanfic "Betrayal of Two Clans". It's the story of what might have happened if Moonstar's third kit had not been murdered.
-Chapter One-
"Stop it brother!" cried the grey kit, lurching forward. "You're hurting him!"
An evil glint resided in the amber eyes of the second kit. "What, dear sister, do you think I intended?"
Shardflake stared in horror as the darker kit bit the neck of the third one, and she flinched at the sight of blood. "Moonstar!" she screamed, stumbling in to help.
IceClan's leader immediately appeared, hissing when she saw the scene. She batted the dark kit off and clutched the bleeding scruff of fluff. Moonstar walked swiftly to the medicine cat's den, yowling until Cinderwing came to help.
Hours later, news of this incident had reached all Clans, and Moonstar knew it would be talk for everything- Gatherings, legends, whatever. Her deputy, Yellowsnow, had tried to comfort her. But the leader wouldn't be calmed. She spat at anyone that came near her.
Cinderwing was doing the best she could, but the kit had been the weakest of the three in the first place. Even after she had fixed the wounds--and there were many of them,--the kit didn't respond completely. Only the faintest of squeaks escaped its lips.
"It was her!" screamed the accused kit, amber eyes flicking towards his sister. His ears were pinned back. It was all going wrong…
The female didn't leave her scarred brother for days.
But eventually, he made a recovery. And soon after that, he could walk.
Moonstar had finally become confident of herself again. She leaped onto HighGlacier, taking a deep breath and calling out her formal greeting.
Her Clan gathered around. They had been keeping track, and Moonstar had delayed this moment for a moon. The kits' naming…
First, it was the female's turn.
"This she-kit" here she paused for effect, "shall be named Betrayalkit!"
The newly named Betrayalkit looked up in horror at her mother as shouts of, "Betrayalkit! Betrayalkit!" crashed around her.
Yellowsnow narrowed his eyes. What was Moonstar thinking?!
After the first kit had left, the amber-eyed one sat beside his mother.
The leader could not hide the flicker of disgust that crossed her face as she looked down at him. What to name him… "And this tom-kit shall be named Cruelkit!" she decided.
The named kits sat off to the side, staring intently at Moonstar. Again, the confused Clan had obediently cried the name. What horrid name would she give to her last kit?
"This tom-kit shall be named Abhorrentkit!" she squalled without hesitation.
Now the Clan paused. Yellowsnow wrinkled his nose and was the first to say, "Abhorrentkit!"
At least the name fit. The black kit had been brutally marred by his brother, one olive eye permanently closed. He walked with a limp, as a leg was twisted at an odd angle, and if he wanted to look at something to his right, he'd have to go over to it; his neck couldn't handle much stress.
Moonstar jumped off her ice sculpture and trotted purposefully across the camp, smirking at her deputy as she passed.
After a long silence, Betrayalkit giggled, "A-B-C!"
Her two brothers looked at her, and the she-kit felt sorry she had made Abhorrentkit stand and turn. And Cruelkit's glare… Betrayalkit shuddered, pale eyes instead watching a heated discussion between Moonstar and Yellowsnow.
Many moons after, the three kits were apprentices. But now, Betrayalpaw lived in CityClan with her father, and Abhorrentpaw traveled between the two Clans. Cruelpaw stayed with Moonstar, ambition forcing him to be patient.
The dark tom watched with disdain as his brother limped over to him. "Abhorrentpaw. I see you've crossed the river okay."
"As usual," growled the other apprentice. No thanks to you, grumbled his mind.
Cruelpaw curled his lips, showing large canines. He hissed and went to help a queen with rebuilding.
"Damn foxes," spat Ravenpelt through tears.
Abhorrentpaw sighed. He would have to mourn Ravenpelt's dead kit, Snowkit, later, when there was less of a crowd.
The darker of Moonstar's sons nodded in fake sympathy. "And she would have been made an apprentice soon, too…" he muttered, amber eyes flashing quickly.
The leader nodded absently, glaring at her eldest son, who quickly had the nursery back in tact. "Abhorrentpaw," she said suddenly, turning her gaze to the scarred tom.
Her son jumped, wincing as his neck sent a spasm down his spine. "Yes, Moonstar?"
"I want you to go back to CityClan."
Both apprentices stiffened.
"Mother," Abhorrentpaw stated carefully, "I just got here."
Cruelpaw's back twitched, and he glared spitefully at his mother.
Moonstar flicked her tail in a careless gesture. "I need a message taken to your father."
The twisted tom paused, then nodded and followed the leader to her cold den. He rested his injured leg against the icy walls, feeling numb relief instantaneously taking place.
"I want," Moonstar mewed, "Cruelpaw dead."
There was a long silence. Abhorrentpaw was about to respond when Moonstar continued.
"He's trying to take over. But…I trained him too well in fighting. What the Clans need," the grey ex-kittypet murmured, a glint in her icy eyes, "is a war."