Originally, this was going to be a suicide story, but by the time I got to working on this today, I was in a better mood as you can see in the middle of the story. I tried to darken it again, but happiness wouldn't leave me alone. This is SecretClan's challenge that I accepted.
A she-cat and tom walked side by side together as they talked about their families.
"I'm so excited for you Robinpelt! You're going to be a big brother!" the young she-cat exclaimed.
"Yeah it would be great…" the young tom, named Robinpelt, said as he looked down. "But I'm not alive, aren't I?"
"W-what?!" The she-cat exclaimed, looking worriedly at Robinpelt as the scene around them changed to an area near the Thunderpath, with the tom lying in the middle of the Thunderpath, his musky brown pelt turning the color of blood and his scent smelling strongly of death.
"We loved each other… We were going to have kits together… But I died saving you… It shouldn't have been me; it was your time to die." Robinpelt's amber eyes hardened as he glared at her, the gaze one filled with love and warmth was now filled with cold hatred. Next to him, a kit laid, as is announcing what could have been will never happen. The bloodied kit rose and glared at the young she-cat with eyes that mirrored her's. Claws outstretched, the kit ran to what could have been its mother, aiming for her throat.
Bolting into a sitting position, the she-cat looked around, breathing hard. Sighing hopelessly, she buried her nose into what was left of Robinpelt's moss. The moss faintly carried his scent, but it was fading as time went on, his warmth vanished from it. Letting tears fall softly, she pads out of the den, slipping into the night's cold embrace.
The she-cat stared at her reflection inside the lake. As leaf-bare's wind distorts the image, it slowly settles as the cold wind dies down. Even then, however, the she-cat cannot recognize who is staring back at her. What once was a beautiful she-cat was now a complete mess. Black fur, which had once shined in the moonlight's glow, was now dull beyond comparison. Emerald eyes that had once shined with youth-like happiness and curiosity, was now bitter with an understanding of how the cruel world worked.
Flexing her claws, she slashed at her reflection, further distorting it. A twig snapped far away. The way the twig sounded when it snapped hinted that it was not a piece of prey. Angling her ears, she pinpointed the noise to be dawn patrol. Cursing silently, she moved away from the lake, towards the dirt place. As she moved, she could see visions of her younger life. A lone kit, pawing at a falling leaf while older kits were made into apprentices. An apprentice, ridiculed for bringing in next to no prey for the third sunrise.
Then, she saw the happy moments of her life. An apprentice, bringing a thrush to share with her. A training exercise in fighting where she won. A squirrel, about as big as the average apprentice, being plopped into the fresh-kill pile. A warrior ceremony, with one cat cheering the loudest, for her and only for her, which she would do for him in but one moon. Sighing, she opened her eyes to see she was in front of the nursery.
? POV
Quickly grabbing two voles, I walked inside the nursery. Two cats laid there, one with kits and the other close to kitting. Plopping the two voles down for the queens I turned around to leave when a kit, barely three mouse-lengths long, plops himself onto my paw and stares at me. The kit is four to five moons old, but still extremely small for his age. But that isn't what stopped me. No, it was his amber eyes that stared at me with a determination that was familiar beyond belief. His next words startled me out of my thoughts. "You are the greatest cat in the clan. And the greatest cat deserves the greatest apprentice, right?" The kit said confidently. Deciding to tease him a bit, I played along, slightly curious to where this is headed.
"Yes, I guess the greatest cat does deserve the greatest apprentice. Are you may be talking about one of your sisters?" I asked, cocking my head for extra effect.
"No! My sisters are a bunch of flea-brains. I-I…" The kit slowly lost his confidence, turning his self-confidence into extreme shyness. "C-can you be my mentor?"
At that moment, I almost freaked out. He is asking me to be his mentor? "Why me?" I accidentally thought aloud.
"Because you are so cool! You always keep your calm, even if something really, really bad happens!" You haven't been in my mind lately then, kit. "And, and what about that time with the fox? If you hadn't lured it away, I would have been crow-food!" And remind me again why our leader didn't postpone your ceremony again? "All in all, you're just a really, really, really great cat! The bestest, greatest cat ever! So, that's why you just have to be my mentor!" The kit, finished with his little speech, jumped onto my shoulders, knocking me down on the ground. I hadn't noticed, but we had somehow gotten into the middle of the camp, and everyone was looking at us. The clan's leader looked at us amused, but the deputy had a thoughtful expression on his face, and then nodded at us.
It has been two moons since the incident, and my heart once again was comforted by the being I named The Lonely. No longer do I feel Robinpelt's warm embrace. But for some reason, The Lonely isn't as cold as it used to be. Every time I see that kit again, it brings a small smile to my face. It was always a sub-conscious thing, but it was always hard to wipe off afterwards. Returning from my lone hunt patrol, I see our leader doing an apprentice ceremony. And that kit is the only one left.
"Smallkit, now that you have reached six moons old, it is time for you to be apprenticed. And I believe I know just the right mentor for you, as well." At this, our leader winked at his deputy, with Smallkit's eyes ever hopeful. "Darksong, may you come here?"
The clan was quiet as no cat rose to meet our leader. I was frozen in shock. Why did he have to call that name? Why? By the time my little episode was done, I had someone stood in front of Smallkit and our leader. My body was once again do what I told it not to do.
"I, Stormstar, call upon StarClan to witness and accept Smallkit's new name, Smallpaw, and his mentor, Darksong. I trust Darksong to teach Smallpaw what is to be expected from him." Lowering his head, I watched as Smallpaw, trembling from excitement, stick out his nose. Slowly, I touch his nose as well, and I hear Smallpaw's and his sisters' new names being called out repeatedly. As I looked up, I caught sight of a familiar brown with a lighter patch on the chest looking at us with proud amber eyes.
And do you know what? The Lonely never came again.
Yeah told you so. Happiness is a curse. Anyways, that's it. BYE!