This is Challenge #1 for CreateClan!

Title: Taunted

Summary: Dustin, a small black kittypet was found on the border by an EchoClan patrol. They take him into their Clan, and Dustin, whose name was changed to Jaykit, is welcomed with open paws, by some cats. Jaykit is taunted because of his kittypet roots. On the outside, Jaykit is perfectly fine but on the inside, he is torn and broken. He doesn't want to be taunted forever, he wants to prove that he can be as good as a warrior as everyone else.

"Please don't hurt me!" I squealed as a group of cats surrounded me. I covered my face with my small black paws, I was shaking in fear.

"We won't hurt you." A she-cat's soft voice soothed. I opened my left eyes to see a gray she-cat. She smiled warmly towards me. I think I can trust her.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Dustin." I mewed.

"He smells like a kittypet." A black tom scoffed.

"What are you doing here?" The she-cat asked, ignoring the tom.

"I don't know." I frowned. What am I doing here? I don't even remember how I got here.

"I'm going to take him back to the Clan. Blackstar will let me keep him, I know it." The she-cat announced, picking me up. I flinched at first but soon I just let her carry me.

"Mistflower, what have you got?" Blackstar asked.

"We found this kittypet on the border. He doesn't remember how he got there, or who his family is. I brought him to the Clan." The she-cat, Mistflower mewed.

"Bring him into the nursery. Perhaps your sister will care for him." He mewed. She nodded and carried me into a weird-looking den.

"Blackriver, will you take this kit and care for it?" Mistflower asked, dropping me in front of a black she-cat.

"Where did you find him?" Blackriver narrowed her eyes.

"I found him on the border, he's a kittypet. I couldn't leave him there, will you please take him?" Mistflower asked.

"What's his name?" Blackriver asked.

"Dustin." I told her.

"That's no Clan name, we'll have to change that." Blackriver frowned.

"You can name his whatever you want. Will you take him?" Mistflower repeated.

"Alright, I'm sure Shadekit will love to have a brother." Blackriver sighed.

"Thank you." Mistflower purred, leaving alone in the den with her and the black tom beside her.

"At least you look me." Blackriver mumbled.

"Acornkit, pass the moss-ball here!" I called out.

"No Acornkit, pass it here! Don't pass it to Jaykit, he's just a dumb kittypet." Bramblekit scoffed.

"He shouldn't be in the Clan, he won't ever be a good warriors like we'll be." Ashkit laughed.

"He couldn't even be a medicine cat, no way StarClan will send dreams to a kittypet!" Acornkit retorted.

"I bet he couldn't even catch a squirrel, kittypet's can't catch anything." Bramblekit laughed.

"I can catch a squirrel!" I scoffed.

"Than go catch one!" Ashkit challenged.

"I will!" I hissed.

"Jaykit, are you sure about this?" Shadekit whispered.

"I'll catch a squirrel and you'll all be sorry for making fun of me!" I growled, stomping out of the camp, ignoring my brother. I could hear the other kits stumbling after me but I ignored them. I jumped up at a tree and unsheathed my tiny claws, I tried to climb the tree but I fell into a pile of leaves.

"Ha! You can't even climb a tree." Ashkit snickered. Angrily, I got back onto my paws and tried to climb to tree once more. I managed to climb to the first branch. I sat and waited silently. I could hear a squirrel scurrying among the branches. It was on the branch directly above me, I could reach it. I'll show them. Then they won't tease me anymore!

"Jaykit, be careful!" Shadekit mewed. I ignored my brother and leapt at the squirrel, it darted away before I could catch it. I tried to grab hold of the branch but I was already falling. Luckily, I wasn't too high and I landed in a pile of leaves. I shook the leaves from my black pelt.

"See? The dumb kittypet couldn't even catch a squirrel." Bramblekit laughed as Acornkit, Ashkit and him raced back to the camp.

"Don't listen to them, Jaykit." Shadekit mewed. Maybe they're right, Maybe I am just a dumb kittypet.

"Jaypaw come on!" Shadepaw called. I followed my brother to the top of the ravine, our mentors close behind. I could see Lilypaw and Dawnpaw behind us, they padded with their mentors as well.

"Hey Shadepaw, I'll race you to the bottom!" I challenged.

"You're on little brother!" Shadepaw laughed, bolting forward. I ran after him, I turned to see how close I was to him when I bumped into Tallstrike, one of the senior warriors.

"Mouse-brained kittypet! Watch where your going!" He snapped.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Don't worry about it Jaypaw, he's always being mean. Just ignore him." Shadepaw scoffed. I nodded, but I couldn't ignore him, or the rest of the Clan. Everyone was always taunting me about being a kittypet. On the outside I was ignoring it but on the inside I was torn and broken. Will anyone ever trust me?

"Look! We're at four trees!" Shadepaw sighed.

"I don't know why the kittypet gets to come to the gathering and Bramblepaw doesn't." Ashpaw muttered.

"Lay off it will you?" Shadepaw growled at them.

"What's wrong? The dumb kittypet can't speak up for himself? He has to get his big brother to do it for him." Acornpaw laughed.

"Shadepaw isn't his brother, Shadepaw is a Clan cat, not a kittypet." Ashpaw scoffed.

"Shadepaw, are you soft like a kittypet now?" Acornpaw gasped.

"No! Just stop being jerks to my brother." Shadepaw growled, unsheathing his claws.

"Son, keep your claws sheathed. The gathering is a time for peace." Stormstrike scoffed.

"Sorry Stormstrike." Shadepaw sighed, sheathing his claws as our father padded away.

"Come on Jaypaw, let's leave these two jerks alone." Shadepaw mewed. They're right, Who am I trying to fool? Shadepaw isn't my brother, I don't have a family. I'm just a stupid kittypet who can't do anything right.

"Jaypaw, do you want to be Clan leader someday?" Shadepaw asked. We were sitting in the training hollow, waiting for our mentors.

"No." I told him truthfully.

"Why not? You get to lead your Clan, and sometimes get dreams from StarClan." Shadepaw asked.

"Because StarClan won't send dreams to a kittypet. All I want is for my Clan mates to accept me." I sighed,

"Don't do that." Shadepaw scoffed.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Start feeling sorry yourself. Don't believe anything those mangy-flea pelts Ashpaw, Acornpaw and Bramblepaw tell you." Shadepaw hissed.

"But everything they say is true! I'm nothing but a dumb kittypet." I scoffed, resting my head in the warm sand of the hollow.

"No it isn't! They just say that stuff because they know it gets to you. Just ignore them." Shadepaw mewed. That's easy for you to say, you were born into the Clan. Everyone accepts you for you, you aren't the one getting taunted everyday. You don't know what it's like to be an outcast.

"Shadepaw, from this day forward you will be known as Shadeflight!" Blackstar purred. I watched proudly as my brother received his warrior name. We had trained long and hard for this, I wasn't going to let anything bring me down, not even Acornflame, Bramblescar and Ashfire's taunts.

"Jaypaw, from this day forward you will be known as Jaysong!" Blackstar purred. I licked his shoulder respectfully and padded over to Blackriver, Shadeflight and Mistflower.

"I can't believe you're the tiny kit I found on the border all those moons ago, you've grown into a strong warrior, Dustin." She purred. I smiled, remembering my kittypet name. It had been a long time since I had heard it, just thinking about it made me happy. But I'm not Dustin, not anymore. Now, I am Jaysong of EchoClan!

"It is a terrible loss, Blazeleap will be missed. I will announce the name new deputy at moon high!" Blackstar announced. The EchoClan deputy had died trying to drive out a fox. I turned to my apprentice, Bumblepaw. He sat, his gaze on the ground, his tail wrapped around his paws. Blazeleap was his father. He was all he had left, his mother had died when was just a kit and he had no littermates. Now he was alone.

"I know I'm going to be the new deputy." Ashfire boasted.

"It might be Shadeflight, he would make a good deputy." Acornflame shrugged.

"Well, there's one cat who defiantly won't deputy." Bramblescar mewed.

"Who?" Ashfire frowned.

"As if you have to ask!" Bramblescar laughed.

"Jaysong you mouse-brain! There's no way Blackstar would choose a kittypet for the deputy when there are so many cats here with EchoClan blood." Acornflame scoffed. I lashed my tail angrily. Can't they just come off it? They don't need to tease me anymore! I'm a warrior!

"Jaysong just ignore them." Shadeflight mewed.

"You always tell me that." I scoffed.

"And I'm going to keep telling you that until you actually do!" Shadeflight retorted. I can't ignore it. It hurts, like someone's clawing at my heart everyday. It's been like that ever since Mistflower found me, just some cat repeatedly clawing at my heart for moons and now one cares.

"I have thought long and hard as to who the new deputy should be," Blackstar started. The camp was dead silent, I could hear a mouse scurry by.

"Who is it?" One of the warriors called out.

"The new EchoClan deputy will be Jaysong! Many of you doubted Jaysong when he first came but he was worked hard to earn your trust. He will be the new EchoClan deputy!" Blackstar purred. My eyes widened. Me? But there are plenty of other cats with EchoClan blood! Theres Shadeflight, Acornflame, Ashfire even Bramblescar! There are lots of other cats, why me?

"Jaysong?" someone called out.

"The kittypet?" someone else called out.

"We can't have a kittypet as a deputy!" Ashfire hissed.

"We'll be the laughing-stock of the whole forest!" Bramblescar added.

"EchoClan won't be taken seriously." Said one of the senior warriors.

"Jaysong can't be deputy!" A she-cat hissed.

"Enough! That is my decision, Jaysong will be EchoClan's new deputy!" Blackstar growled, disappearing into his den without another word. I glanced over at Shadeflight who turned away. I've taken his dream without even trying. He won't forgive me easily for this.

Eight times. Only one more to go.

Blackstar had died from green cough, I had gone to the moonstone to receive my nine lives from StarClan. I had already been visited by eight cats, Blackriver, Mistflower, Blackstar, Blazeleap and four other StarClan cats. What if no one will listen to a kittypet? I thought anxiously. I let the idea slip and focused on StarClan. Who will be the ninth? I thought. A black she-cat approached me.

"With this life, I give you Strength. For you to ignore the other cats taunting you." She purred.

"Who are you?" I asked, she seemed so familiar but I couldn't figure out where I had seen her before.

"Dustin it is me, you're mother." She purred.

"You aren't Blackriver." I frowned.

"No, your real mother." She mewed.

"Why did you leave me on the border?" I asked her.

"Because I had to. My twolegs would have given you away, I didn't want that. I wouldn't know where you were. So I left you on the border, knowing an EchoClan patrol would find you. I knew my brother would take you into his Clan." She purred.

"Blackstar is your brother?" I asked.

"Yes. Blackstar joined the Clan long ago, he used to meet up with me on the border. He told me wonderful things about his Clan, so I knew it would be a great place for you." She mewed.

"Than Blackstar was a kittypet?" I asked. She nodded.

"I must go now my son, I always loved you." She purred, fading away. I awoke, my nosed pressed against the glowing stone.

"How did it go?" Stonefall, the medicine cat asked.

"It went great." I purred.

"Wonderful, let's go back to camp then, Jaystar." He purred. If the Clan listened to Blackstar, maybe they'll listen to me. Blackstar was a great leader, and he was a kittypet. Who says I can't be great like him?