So this is "Goodbye"! I hope you enjoy!
Prologue
A cry cut through the dark night. A ginger tom paced the entrance to a bramble den.
"Is she okay?" he fretted, peering into the nursery.
"Yes, Flamewhisker, the second kit is almost here." A silver tabby replied.
The ginger tom returned to his pacing, his white-tipped tail lashing anxiously. A few moments later, a gasp came from inside the den. The ginger tom quickly returned to the entrance.
"Feathershade, are you alright? Did something happen?"
"N-no, I'm fine, Flamewhisker. But you need to see something…"
Flamewhisker entered the den, relief apparent in his green eyes. But the relief faded when he saw his second kit.
"It's a girl." Moondapple whispered.
"I don't care! Get it out of here; get it away from my kit!" Flamewhisker growled. "That thing is messed up!"
"That thing is your kit too." The silver medicine cat glared at Flamewhisker.
"It's leg though." Feathershade whispered, staring in undisguised horror and disgust at the kit's shrunken, bent-backwards hind leg.
Moondapple flicked her tail. "Well, what will you name them?"
"Let's name this one Aspenkit." Feathershade flicked her tail at the pale gray kit curled beside her belly.
"Yes, that's a good name." Flamewhisker agreed.
"And the she-kit?" Moondapple pressed.
The nursery silenced.
"Twistedkit." Flamewhisker growled.
"No!" Moondapple objected, before Feathershade got a chance to agree. "That's a terribly cruel name and I will not allow you to name this kit Twistedkit!"
"Fine." Flamewhisker glared at the medicine cat. "What do you suggest?"
Moondapple glanced at Flamewhisker before turning to the small brown kit.
"Sagekit."
"Fine, Sagekit it is." Feathershade let out a disgusted snort as she drew Aspenkit closer to her belly.
Chapter 1
"Mommy!" Aspenkit cried as he dashed into the nursery. "Sagekit's hurting me!"
Sagekit shrunk away. She had only tried to play. But Feathershade would take any excuse. The queen stormed out of the nursery, her long gray tail lashing.
"Sagekit! Don't touch my son!" The dark gray she-cat slashed the kit's face with long, sharp claws.
Sagekit flinched as pain seared her ear. Many times before Sagekit had attempted an apology but by now she had learned speaking only deserved another scratch. She looked at her paws in shame. Blood dripped onto the dusty earth by her small brown paws, staining it crimson.
"Feathershade, how could you talk to your own kit that way? She is your kit too!" Relief washed over Sagekit as Moondapple, Dewclan's medicine cat stepped between Sagekit and her mother.
Moondapple turned to Sagekit. "Come on, let's get you fixed up." The silver tabby began to gently usher Sagekit towards the medicine den.
"She is not my kit!" Feathershade called after them. "I do not take responsibility for that pathetic scrap of fur!"
"Ignore her." Moondapple murmured as they entered the cool, damp medicine den. The medicine den lay beneath a large rock that lay propped against the trunk of Leader's Oak. Leader's Oak was a huge oak tree that towered over the camp. Tanglestar's den was among the roots and he addressed the clan from the lower branches.
Moondapple plucked a clump of moss from her store and soaked it in one of the many puddles that had gathered on the hard-packed ground of the medicine den. She gently pressed it to Sagekit's ear.
"Goodness." She shook her head. "I might expect this kind of injury during a battle of rogues. But definitely not on a kit, especially not given to her from her own mother."
The silver medicine cat dropped the scarlet-stained moss beside the entrance before grabbing some herbs from her supply. She chewed up one, what looked like some kind of root, and trickled the juice onto Sagekit's ear. The herb eased the agonizing pain that had been shooting through Sagekit's ear and the small brown kit let out a gasp of air she didn't even know she was holding. The next herb Sagekit recognized as horsetail. Moondapple chewed this one too, and plastered it onto the small, injured ear.
"That should be good." Moondapple shook out her herb-dusted pelt. "Just don't lick that, and you should be fine."
"Okay." Sagekit mumbled and began to leave.
"Oh and, Sagekit?"
Sagekit turned.
"You're almost six moons, right?"
She nodded.
"How would you… er… Would you like to be my apprentice?" the medicine cat asked awkwardly.
Sagekit stared at the medicine cat. No! She wanted to say. I want to be a warrior and hunt and fight like my clanmates!
But she knew that wasn't want Moondapple didn't want to hear. And she knew that wasn't going to happen. Not just because no one would want her as an apprentice except Moondapple, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hunt or fight like the others. Her twisted, bent hind leg would be heard brushing against bushes or leaves if she tried to stalk a mouse. Or it would unbalance her if she tried to do that cool move she had seen Frogpaw and Seedpaw practice many times.
"I'll think about it." She said instead as she turned and headed out into the camp.
The elders, Applepelt, Dapplefoot, and Troutspot were sunning in the late morning sun.
"Hi!" she bounded over to them. At least they were always happy to see her.
"Hey, Sagekit." Troutspot glanced up from where he lay beside Dapplefoot.
"Want to hear a story?" Applepelt offered, sitting up slowly.
Sagekit nodded enthusiastically.
"How about that time when Tanglestar was still an apprentice and he went into Cederclan territory?
"Yeah!" Sagekit settled down beside the brown tom, her eyes gleaming excitedly.
"Well, you see, Tanglestar- Tanglepaw at the time- was quite the curious apprentice; he was quite a pawful, always getting into trouble. So one day, he decided to check out Cederclan territory. He just strolled right across the border. But then, out of nowhere came a patrol! And guess who was in that patrol?"
"Who?" Sagekit breathed.
"The deputy of Cederclan himself! He walked Tanglepaw right to camp, he was so mad! We thought he would be there all day, yowling to us about how we should watch our apprentices and teach them not to cross borders and things. Oh we were all quite relieved when he finally left. And don't you think Tanglepaw got away with nothing but a huge speech from the deputy of Cederclan, he was also stuck cleaning out the elder's den and collecting moss for half a moon!"
Sagekit purred in amusement.
"Sagekit!"
Sagekit turned to see Feathershade padding towards her.
"I think it's time you and Aspenkit got to see some of the forest." Feathershade purred.
"Okay! Bye, Applepelt! Thanks for the story!" Sagekit bounced up happily.
She's actually being nice to me for once!
"Of course, anytime!" Applepelt smiled as he watched Sagekit bounce after Feathershade.
"Where's Aspenkit?" she asked as they reached the fern tunnel that led to the forest.
"Your father is already outside with him." Feathershade responded as she ducked beneath the arching fern fronds.
Once outside the camp, Sagekit's excitement faded and was replaced with unease that crawled through her pelt. She was suddenly aware of the sly smile on Feathershade's face. Of the undisguised relief flooding from her pelt as they padded on.
"M-mother?" she squeaked.
"Yes?"
Yes? No clawing. No growling. She's acting too nice.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh, don't worry; I am sure you'll like it."
The two kept walking, and walking until Sagekit felt as if her legs would fall off. Sagekit realized that the Dewclan scents had begun to fade, until she could hardly smell the familiar scents. Eventually, Feathershade stopped beside a tall pine tree.
"Now," Feathershade purred her voice as smooth as honey. "We are going to play a game. You are going to wait, while I hide, then you have to follow my scent and come find me."
"Mother, I don't want to play this game-
"I don't care." Feathershade suddenly lashed out, ripping Sagekit's already injured ear.
Sagekit cried out in pain as the blood ran down her face, warm and sticky. She blinked it out of her eyes to see her mother had already disappeared. Sagekit crawled towards the trail they had followed to reach this place, deep in unfamiliar, unclaimed forest. She followed the scent-trail for a while, leaving her own trail of blood as she went. Then, suddenly, the scent of her mother faded, replaced by a new scent. One much worse. A scent that Flamewhisker had once carried into the nursery after he had been on patrol. Fox!
Sagekit spun around to find the large, orange pelted creature ambling towards her, its black nose smeared with mud. It had followed the scent of blood to find her here, injured and alone. Sagekit unsheathed her small claws as the fox circled her, its white teeth gleaming menacingly.
Suddenly a yowl sounded through the trees and a black she-cat leapt at the fox's shoulders. The fox's small eyes widened in surprise and shook off its attacker. The she-cat landed on her paws, her claws digging into the soft earth. The fox must've decided this meal was too hard to come by, as it turned and fled. The black she-cat turned back to Sagekit.
"Are you okay?" she asked, shaking out her pelt.
Sagekit nodded.
The she-cat didn't look convinced as she looked at Sagekit's torn ear and blood-matted fur.
"Come with me." she mewed, beckoning the kit with her tail.
Sagekit watched her warily. What more harm could she be than Feathershade… With that thought Sagekit followed the strange cat.
"I am Shadow." The cat flicked an ear. "Where are you from?"
"Dewclan." Sagekit mumbled.
"Are you lost?" Shadow queried.
Sagekit shook her head. "They… didn't want me." she told Shadow awkwardly.
"What do you mean?" Shadow paused, looking at her curiously. "Why wouldn't they want such a capable kit?"
Capable? I am hardly worth a mouse-tail.
Sagekit stopped and looked up at Shadow.
"My leg."
Shadow looked at the twisted, bent hind leg.
"So?"
"So I can't hunt. I can't fight. I can't do anything right! My mother hates me, my father hates me, they always have, most of Dewclan has! They've always adored Aspenkit but hated me, always!" Sagekit found herself pouring all of this out to Shadow, a rogue she had only just met but was seemingly so easy to talk to, unlike anyone she had met in Dewclan.
A silence fell between the two cats. Sagekit's eyes widened in surprise at what she had done. She never had spoken that much to anyone. Not even to the elders or Moondapple.
"It's okay." Shadow murmured, sympathy shining in her amber eyes.
Shadow began to walk again and Sagekit scrambled after her. Eventually they reached a small, sun-dappled clearing.
"Well, we're here."
A big gray tom was stretched out on a rock; while nearby a tortoiseshell she-cat was eating a sparrow.
"Hey guys." Shadow greeted the cats.
The tom looked up, his eyes widening in surprise to see Sagekit. The tortoiseshell looked up from her prey and stood up.
"Mouse, Leaf, get over here!" the tortoiseshell called. Two more cats appeared, a small pale brown tom and a ginger tabby tom.
Shadow greeted them with a wave of her tail before telling the cats what Sagekit had told her.
"Well," the gray tom purred. "Welcome to our group of imperfect cats."
Sagekit smiled. She could live here.
"What is your name?" the tortoiseshell questioned.
A moment of silence overcame the cats.
"Sage, just Sage." Sage answered eventually.
Goodbye old name. Goodbye old life.
So please review and tell me what you thought of this! Whether its good or bad, I would LOVE some constructive criticism, always looking to improve my writing :D Well, thanks for reading!