Darkness. Cold silence.
A draft of warm air that brought scents of salt and milk. The silence faded into a low hum, and then as if one flipped a switch, there was sound.
"She should of opened her eyes by now. There wasn't a chance she lasted through the night." The voice, spoke by a male, brought forth even more sounds. A soft, steady swish. Deep breathing. Pawsteps. More scents that carried deep emotions in her. She was tired. Exhausted. Like she'd fought a furious battle.
"Maybe that's a good thing. Not like she would be useful anyway." A soft voice, filled with the same fatigue that plagued her. It sounded all too familiar, yet she'd never heard it before. There was a silence, followed by a soft tut-tutting. More Pawsteps. And silence again.
Feeling a sudden ability to move, Dapplekit squirmed. Her movement was immediately answered with a gasp, and something began to push at her neck and back. The movement warmed her, flooding her with a sense of relief. She let out a soft mewl, trying to find her paws. That was when she pried open her eyes, and was flooded with light.
As the white faded away, it was replaced with soft colours. Dark brown. Gray and silver. Green. It was all wrong, too dark. Wouldn't it of been lighter? The blobs of colour slowly morphed, turning into objects that she could name, but never knew of. A gray cave wall. Sprouts of moss here and there. Nests made of leaves and bracken. Dapplekit peered over her shoulder, and was shocked to see a pair of eyes looking back down at her. She tumbled backwards, only to be stopped by a prickly barrier. The edge of the nest?
"You opened your eyes?" The voice came as yet another shock to her. The soft, sweet voice of what she presumed her mother had changed. Harsh, and instead of the relief that she figured her mother would feel, it was filled with cold dread. Dapplekit's focus had blurred, but suddenly it sharped, and she stared at her mother.
She was a beautiful queen, no doubt about that. Her silver coat was striped with wavy, dark lines and her eyes burned with a soft green light. Yet it wasn't what Dapplekit noticed. No, the completely horrified expression her mother wore sent one more dull shock through her. She wasn't happy? Wouldn't she be? Her kitten wasn't dead! Dapplekit just stared up in confusion at her mother, waiting for something to happen to indicate for her how to react.
Her mother barred her teeth.
"I… I opened my eyes." Dapplekit blurted out. "You aren't going to eat me, right?" She added fearfully. To this, her mother fell silent, then drew in a soft breath. She leant her head down, and Dapplekit scrambled against the rough bracken of the nest. Surely her mother meant to eat her? Instead, her mother nudged at a soft white bundle that was pressed against her belly. It stirred for a long moment, and then a kit appeared. Sitting up and rubbing at her muzzle. She took one look at Dapplekit, and bounded forward.
"Oh, wow! You opened your eyes!" This one had a squeaky voice, so much so that it practically killed Dapplekit's ears. "I can't believe it!" And suddenly, some heavy weight collapsed on top of her. The white mass. Her sister wriggled on Dapplekit's back, nibbling playfully at her ears and growling.
Dapplekit uttered a cry, acting suddenly. She shook her sister off violently, watching the white kit tumble onto the nest. Her mother reacted quickly, scooping up her sister and nuzzling her. She caught Dapplekit's eye and gave her such a deep glare that Dapplekit shivered.
"Dapplekit! Be more kind to your sister-" Before her mother could continue her scolding, Dapplekit caught the sound of pawsteps again. This time heading towards her nest. She turned around, dangling her paws over the bracken of the nest.
A blur of brown caught her eye, padding too fast for her weak eyes to focus. When he finally stopped, Dapplekit stared at the tom. A massive cat made of brown and white fur, tall and gangly yet somehow menacing. The only thing that looked kind about him was the look in his eyes. It held a certain light, gentle and wise.
He sounded about a million moons old when he spoke. "Dapplekit! You've opened your eyes! See, Greywish, I told you she was a fighter. She has to be, what with her leg ." Confusion wracked the little kit. She craned her head down, staring at her legs. They looked fine, right? They were normal… oh..
Her left hind leg lay twisted, her paw completely bent upwards and flattened against her leg. tu
She gave a soft gasp, turning away. She hauled herself over the edge of the nest and hit the cold stone floor. Lifting herself up on her paws, she tried to pad towards the tom. She took a single step and found herself flattened against the ground. Mewling, she reached forward, barely touching the soft paw of the tom.
"See, Pinetail! I told you, she can't even walk. How can she survive out here?" Pinetail stared at her for a long moment, then leant down and grasped the soft fur of Dapplekit's neck. He lifted her from the unforgiving stone ground, and replaced her in the mossy nest. Bending down, he peered Dapplekit in the eyes.
"Now, my dear, welcome to SharkClan." He murmured, ignoring Greywish's protests. As did Dapplekit. Instead, she lay, fixated on those intense eyes of her father. "It's going to be hard for you. But Greywish and Frostkit and I are here for you. Your entire clan is."
At these words, Dapplekit felt unsure. Her entire clan? They cared for one small kit? How could they, when not even her own mother seemed to. Her father didn't seem to notice her wary expression. Instead, he nuzzled her softly. "I know you're a fighter though. You got that look in your eyes. Now, my little kit, go rest." He touched his nose as gently as he could to her head. She was practically squished by it regardless. He turned away from the nest, and she felt a sudden pang of fear.
"Wait!" She called, yet her tiny voice was wasted on deaf ears. Her father's brown pelt disappeared from the cave in a blur. She peered over her shoulder, and Greywish glared down at her. Dapplekit caught her sister's eye as well, and Frostkit rubbed her paw resentfully and glared at her. Dapplekit opened her maw, then closed it again. Opened it once more.
"Can… can I go exploring?" The question popped out of her before she could stop it. To which her mother responded with a firm shake of her head. Her tail whacked into Dapplekit, sweeping her close to her belly.
"No. You're much too weak. For now, you can sleep, little kit." She muttered. Dapplekit could tell her mother was trying hard to make her tone normal. There was silence, then shuffling as Frostkit curled up to Dapplekit.
Dapplekit felt the warmth and sighed. Her eyes closed, and she listened to the sounds of the den. She could tell there were other cats… perhaps other queens and their kits. She hadn't thought to look around. Making a promise to herself, she decided that the first thing she would do when she woke up was explore. And after that, just be the best she could be.