Prologue
The falling red-green leaves shone in the weak sunlight that fell from a nearby oak tree. The grass was green with little bald spots of dirt in between. Juniper bushes lined up at my right side, and soft light wind carried the red streaked leaves to my paws. I happily batted at them softly, and crushed them. They were so fragile that the sound of the bright, dry leaves crunching gave me a satisfying feeling.
"Whisper! Stop daydreaming and pay attention to training, or you'll never learn how to fight!" snapped my mother, Ginger, as she shoved my muzzle hard in the brown, damp dirt. She turned to my brothers, and started ordering them around.
Why did she treat me like that? Is it just because I'm the runt of the litter? I glanced at my brothers, Forest, and Fiery. They were both at least two times larger than me, with brown pelts and amber eyes. Just like our mother, except she had a fiery ginger pelt. Me? I slowly got up, and glanced at my paws. They were all white. My pelt was gray and I had a white-tipped tail. Was I even related to them? I looked nothing like them.
"You two, practice the move I just taught you. Paws are sheathed!" Ginger glared intensely at Forest when he loudly unsheathed claws. Her glare sent him flinching, and the brown tom hesitantly sheathed his claws. Fiery narrowed his gaze at his brother, and crouched on the grass, ready to pounce. Forest imitated him, and they both waited for their mother's yowl for them to begin.
"Go!"
Immediately they launched themselves onto each other, clawing viciously. They looked like a dark brown blur with claws. Mother was watching every movement of it, and I was glad that it wasn't a real battle with blood lust.
I turned away, but my mother seized my neck, and pressed it down on the grass, forcing me to watch. Beside me, a prickly juniper bush dug deep into my flank. I was in a very uncomfortable position, but Mother gave no sign of realization. I closed my eyes instead.
SHHHHHISH! The horrible sound startled me, and I blinked open my eyes just in time to see Forest slashing his sharp silver claws on Fiery's neck. Crimson colored blood spurted out onto the grass, and I felt the weight of Mother's paw being lifted from my neck. I frozen, sprawled next to the thorny juniper bush, and stared in horror. Fiery's paws were barely twitching, and the blood continued to gush out.
"Fiery, no! Hang in there for me! Please!" Ginger cried, her paws frantically shoving the dried red leaves to her. She tried to wrap them around Fiery's neck to stop the bleeding, but they broke into tiny pieces.
Fiery's amber eyes flared, then dimmed. He gasped for air, but his lungs didn't seem to work. The grass around him grew red and sticky, but Mother didn't happen to notice it. My brother gave a last attempt to breathe, and froze. His whole body went still, his once bright amber orbs darkened, and his body didn't move again.
Forest backed away, horror in his eyes.
"I'm sorry..." He whispered, "I didn't..."
I finally crawled up, shaking thorns off my pelt, legs trembling. Forest stood next to Mother, and the look on this face was guilty. His brown paws were covered in Fiery's blood which he tried to wipe on the forest floor. Everyone was silent, even my mother, her once lively, fierce spirit depleted.
Forest padded away from the bloody mess. He sat down next to me, and curled his tail over his paws.
"Fiery..." My mother whisper hoarsely, tears falling from her golden orbs. She turned to my brother and I slowly.
"Go away. No kits of mine kills by cold blood, nor refuses to learn," her gaze rested on me, then on Forest.
Was she disowning us? I was too angry at her, that I couldn't utter a word. We were only five moons old and she didn't teach us how to hunt yet! All her lessons were fight, fight, and fight. I could tell that Forest was thinking the same thing.
"Please, go," Mother whispered hoarsely. I turned to depart, tears in my eyes. Forest narrowed his amber eyes at her, and flicked his brown tail at me to follow.
"Goodbye, Ginger."
AN: So, how did you like it? Please review! CC is welcome, but be specific! Just saying the story is horrible is considered as a flame.
