Chapter One
Morning sunlight filtered through the nursery, alerting Brightkit that it was dawn. Her eyes opened and she found herself curled up in the warm and welcoming nursery. Brightkit turned to see Rosekit curled up away from everyone else. Another wave of pity washed over her when she realized how cold Rosekit must be. After all she did not have the comfort of a mother who would always be there for her.
Brightkit could barely remember that tragic night. Rosekit was born only a couple of days after her. But her mother had died giving birth to her. Rosekit's father, Raintail, had blamed her for what had happened to her mother. Brightkit would never forgive him for the way he treated his own daughter. Now Rosekit was badly scarred on her face because of him. Cats laughed at her appearance and often made fun of her now because of that scar.
Rosekit did nothing to deserve that, she thought angrily. Raintail was just taking his frustration out on her. One day Brightkit would make him pay for what he did to her. For now though she was still just a kit. But that was all going to change soon.
"Good morning my lovelies." Splashfur's warm purr took away Brightkit's thoughts. She turned to look at her mother happily. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept like a badger," Foxkit said through a yawn. "Of course someone's snoring almost woke me up."
He threw a glare towards Rosekit's direction. She was still asleep. Brightkit only glared back at her brother and unsheathed her claws.
"It's not like she can help it," Brightkit snapped. "She's probably suffering from nightmares now."
Brightkit couldn't imagine just what it was like to walk in Rosekit's pawsteps. She was lucky to have a caring mother and father. Sure she fought with her brother sometimes. But even they got along too. Rosekit literally had no one.
She slowly got to her paws and stretched out while Foxkit immediately jumped out of his nest and bounded outside, nearly toppling Rosekit over in the process. Annoyance surged within Brightkit when she saw him do that. Then she held back a knowing smirk.
I'm going to put fire ants in his nest, she thought. That'll show him just how 'strong' he really is.
With that thought in mind, Brightkit padded out of the nursery soon after and started looking for the fire ants in question. Foxkit was in for a nasty shock. Brightkit was ready to start looking outside of camp when she felt her mother's prying eyes on her.
"You're not leaving the camp, not yet anyways," Splashfur warned her.
Brightkit scowled when she realized her mother would constantly be watching her. Then another thought crossed her mind, one more devious than the last. She trotted over to where Foxkit was. He had a tendency to annoy the elder's in the worst way possible. That was how she would get him.
"What is that ugly kit doing in here?" A screech stopped Brightkit in her tracks. She whirled around to see Brookstream shoving Rosekit out of the nursery. The queen was heavily pregnant, and Quailnose had predicted she would have at least three kits, if not four. "I don't want this poor excuse for a runt sleeping nearby, not when my kits are so close."
"I tried convincing Ashstar to change her name," Splashfur added with a glare thrown towards Rosekit. "But he said my idea was mousebrained, and hateful. I was only trying to do the Clan a favor." Brightkit resisted the urge to spit at her mother for that remark. Rosekit could hear them loud and clear. And seeing the hurt look in her one good eye made Brightkit want to claw the queens' ears off.
"Well, whatever the case, I'm not letting that monster sleep in here tonight," Brookstream spat.
...
Rosekit watched with anger and outage as the queens cast her out like some piece of fresh-kill. She was so much more than that, but they would never see it in her. Brightkit was the only friend she really had. But something told her that Brightkit's mother would discourage her from spending time with her.
She sighed and padded away, ears flattened and tail lowered. Her entire life had been spent hiding in the shame of her father. He had once tried to even kill her while the other queens weren't watching. It was only thanks to Brightkit that she was still alive. Now she was beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea. Maybe death would have been a better choice. No one wanted her around. Even the other warriors just ignored her or gasped in shock when they saw her face.
It had only been a few days since her father's attack. Yet Rosekit could still feel the stinging pain of his claws striking down on her. And he just laughed when he saw her wincing in pain. He'd said that her pain was his cure for the loss of her mother.
"Don't listen to what they say," Brightkit murmured. Rosekit whipped around to face her, than her expression softened slightly. "They're just being mousebrained, like Ashstar said."
"Ashstar?" Rosekit's ears pricked forward with interest. Her one ear had been shredded by Raintail when he clawed her face. Now she looked like something a badger had spit out after trying to eat her. She hated her father for what he did to her, but she would never say it out loud.
"Yeah. He stood up for you when Splashfur tried to have your name changed," Brightkit explained.
Hope flared within Rosekit for just a brief moment. But then it was washed away when she saw Alderfern approach them. The light brown she-cat had been spending more time with Foxkit, and Rosekit had a feeling she wanted to train the reddish tom.
"What an ugly little kit," Alderfern sneered. "I'm amazed that the Clan lets you stay with a scar like that." She tossed her muzzle into the air and flicked her tail across Rosekit's face. "I can't wait to see which cat mentors you. I'm sure no one is going to want to."
With that being said, she trotted towards Foxkit and said something else to him. Foxkit only burst out with laughter and threw a hateful look towards Rosekit. Her ears flattened once again in annoyance. Why couldn't they see that she was capable of so much more? She had already tried proving herself to them once, but that had ended in failure.
I'll never be worth anything at this point, not if Raintail keeps treating me this way, she thought bitterly. She sighed and looked towards the camp entrance. No one would miss her if she 'mysteriously' vanished. Maybe Brightkit would, but Rosekit had a feeling that Brightkit would forget her eventually.
She shook her head as she padded across the dusty clearing. Normally pine needles were always falling over them. Rosekit preferred having the soft needles under her paws. But for now she would endure the dry grass that now tickled her paws. Rosekit found herself drawling closer to the tunnel entrance that led further into the forest. There she had no protection from the Clan. She would be a sitting target for foxes or badgers.
Maybe it's better that way, she thought as she remembered how Raintail had wished she was dead instead of her mother. Maybe he'll finally treat me better in StarClan.
"Rosekit, where are you going?" Brightkit's questioning mew stopped her in her tracks. Rosekit whirled around in time to see Brightkit staring at her anxiously. With a sigh Rosekit shook her head and looked at her denmate calmly.
"I'll be fine," she replied. "I just... I just want to go for a walk, nothing too life-threatening."
Brightkit blinked for a moment before pressing forward. Fear suddenly wormed it's way into Rosekit's belly. She was worried Brightkit would attack her like everyone else had. Instead Brightkit gently flicked her tail across Rosekit's one good ear.
"I'll go with you," she meowed reassuringly. "You can't tell me that this isn't just a walk."
Rosekit was ready to argue when she thought better of it. Once her mind was made up, it was difficult to convince Brightkit otherwise. Rosekit had already learned that the hard way. Instead she clamped her jaw shut and nodded towards the camp entrance.
"No one's watching now," she murmured. "Let's go before they notice."
Brightkit nodded and bounded after Rosekit. Excitement churned within her as they entered the forest for the first time. This truly was the best thing she could have asked for. Out here it was warm and inviting. Birds sang in the trees while insects buzzed around them. Rosekit opened her mouth and could already taste fresh-kill in the air. This was the freedom she had asked for.
The two kits charged through the sparse undergrowth. Rosekit had never felt this much happiness before. The warm air felt more refreshing than anything she had ever felt before. She wondered if this was how apprentices always felt during their first trip through the forest. Of course they were given tours on their first day as apprentices. She doubted the same thing would happen to her, especially given no one in the Clan seemed to like her.
"Let's do something a little fun first," Brightkit suddenly mewed. Rosekit looked at her curiously as she turned towards the deeper forest. "I wanted to get revenge on Foxkit for the way he treated you, and I thought fire ants would be the best way to do that."
Curiosity surged through Rosekit when Brightkit had said that. Brightkit always stood up for her, and Rosekit was thankful for that. But something told her this was not a good idea. She didn't want Brightkit to risk getting in trouble. Then again if their plan did fall through, Foxkit would just blame her for what had happened.
A small stream trickled in front of them. Rosekit's nose wrinkled at the thought of getting her fur wet. She hated the rain and the water that touched her fur. Brightkit had always claimed that it must be because of her father's name. After all Raintail was always so abusive to her. She shook her head at the thought and glanced ahead. Brightkit was crouching down and approaching the stream slowly. Rosekit wasn't even sure what to look for when it came to fire ants.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Rosekit asked warily.
"Of course," Brightkit purred. "Fire ants shouldn't be that hard to track, right?"
"I'm not sure... I've never seen them," Rosekit admitted.
Brightkit continued looking until a new voice suddenly spoke up. Rosekit's eye widened when she recognized Mudwhisker's voice. The dark brown tabby was glaring at them, and more specifically he was glaring at her.
"Dad, I just... I just wanted to explore the forest!" Brightkit explained. "And Rosekit only wanted to go with me to make sure nothing happened."
Rosekit's ears flattened when Mudwhisker glared down at her. Clearly he didn't believe Brightkit's story.
"I should have known you were a trouble maker from the start," Mudwhisker spat. "Get back to camp, both of you. And as for you..."
Pain seared through Rosekit when Mudwhisker suddenly swatted his paw across her muzzle. The wound that Raintail had given her had only just started healing. Feeling it now only made Rosekit realize just how much she hated her father, and everyone else who abused her.
"Dad, stop hurting her!" Brightkit yowled. Mudwhisker only glared at her in response.
"You are not to spend time with this rat, do you hear me?" he snapped. "She's nothing but trouble, and one of these days she will hurt you."
"No she won't."
Brightkit met Mudwhisker's glare defiantly. But Rosekit knew this was one battle she couldn't afford to lose. Brightkit was lucky to have a father who cared so much about her. If she lost him now she would never forgive herself.
"Brightkit, please," Rosekit murmured. "I-I know that I'm nothing but a burden to the Clan. I'll just leave you and everyone else alone."
For a moment tension surrounded them. Then Brightkit opened her jaw to say something, but seemed to think better of it. Instead she clamped her mouth shut and continued glaring at her father, only shaking her head in protest.
"I won't hear any of it," Mudwhisker snapped. "Now get back to camp, both of you."
Silence followed as he turned to lead the way. Rosekit exchanged a wary look with Brightkit before following. She knew better than to argue with the bigger cats. They had enough strength that if they wanted to, they would kill her without hesitation.
...
Brightkit was infuriated by her father's sudden order. How dare he tell her who she could or couldn't spend time with? Rosekit was her best friend, and half-sister now that she thought about it. Brightkit never understood why cats were so cruel to the poor kit. But she would do whatever it took to defend her friend. She glanced towards Rosekit's direction and noticed that a solemn look had replaced her once cheerful expression. If this was what they had turned Rosekit into, than they would pay for it.
If I were leader, none of this would be allowed, she reminded herself. She still had a long way to go though if she wanted to be leader. First she had to pass six moons, and that was only a few days away. Until than she was stuck trying to fight a battle she might not win. Rosekit deserved better treatment for what they were doing to her. Brightkit couldn't do everything to keep her safe.
She spotted her mother looking around anxiously when they returned to camp. Brightkit glanced back at Rosekit and noticed how she was quivering with fear. Rosekit was bracing herself for whatever punishment Splashfur would give her. Anger churned within Brightkit's belly at the thought. She wasn't going to let that happen. Not if she could help it. Sure enough Splashfur was already trotting towards them, her tail swishing from side to side as she reached them.
An idea suddenly sprang into her mind. Brightkit jumped in front of Rosekit before Splashfur could even open her mouth. The queen's eyes widened in shock when she saw her daughter standing in front of her, pelt bristling with anger and determination. Splashfur opened her mouth for a moment before closing it again, just like Brightkit had with her father.
"What are you doing?" Splashfur demanded after struggling to find the right thing to say. "Why are you defending this useless runt?"
"That useless runt is my best friend, and I'm not going to let you get away with hurting her again!" Brightkit spat. "If you want to hurt her, you'll have to hurt me first."
She held her ground as Splashfur stood there, too stunned to speak. It wasn't long before a crowd was drawn. Brightkit knew that if she said the wrong thing now, than it was all over. Still, she managed to stop her mother from hurling another insult at Rosekit. Eventually Splashfur just gave up and glared at her before turning away from them. Relief washed over Brightkit's shoulders as she looked back at Rosekit, whose eye widened in disbelief.
"Y-You really meant all of that?" Rosekit asked.
"Of course," Brightkit replied. "I don't care what they think of you. You're still my best friend, no matter what."
By the time she was finished arguing with her mother, the crowd had dispersed. Brightkit's ears were still flattened as she turned to look at a stunned Rosekit. Her expression softened though when she realized how hurt Rosekit must have been by Splashfur's words.
"Thank you," Rosekit whispered.
Brightkit nodded her welcome and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Hopefully for now that would stop her mother from attacking Rosekit. Though something told her that things weren't about to get much better from this point on.
AN: So there's the first chapter :) I really hope you enjoyed it, because I know I did! Also, a huge thank you to Flameheart663 for reviewing, it is appreciated!
