Time for the next story! This was one of the main ones I wanted to rewrite because I knew I could do better.
The AuraHunter: It's great to be back with these stories.
Stagpelt
creamy brown she-cat with big paws and light green eyes
The Stag Who Wanted To Be A Doe
So the queens let you back for another story? Very well.
Outside the cold winds of leafbare howled as a creamy brown she-cat buried her face in her paws, trying to sleep, trying to escape her reality. With her eyes forced shut, she tried to think about anything. Anything that could keep her mind off of the storm.
"Stagkit? Stagkit, why won't you answer to your name?" Wheatfur asked, approaching his kit. The two bore the same creamy brown fur. However, he had a white underbelly and white paws, where his daughter was of solid colour.
"'Cause Stagkit is a tom's name!" She wailed, her heart heavy with the thought. "And Lizardkit and Bravekit tease me about it all the time!"
There was sympathy in his amber eyes. He carefully nudged her and gave her a lick between her ears.
"Yes, it's a tom name, but," Wheatfur was trying to find his words. Even though his daughter decided she'd rather not be their son, he still loved her, just glad that she was healthy and happy. Sadly, his sons and his own mate had a hard time accepting her change. "It was the best name we could think of. It's a strong name and we wanted you to grow up strong. Leopardkit, Lionkit, and Tigerkit were out of the question, since there are cats with those names already. Besides, it doesn't matter if it's a tom's name or not. No matter what, you're my little girl."
It makes sense... I guess... Stagkit figured if the name was meant to make sure she stayed strong, than she would accept it. She quietly followed her father back to the nursery, where Lizardkit and Bravekit were pretending to be warriors from separate Clans. The moment the brown tabbies spotted her, they bristled slightly. Stagkit took a shy step back.
"Let's go," Lizardkit whispered quietly to his brother. Bravekit nodded. It was like their bright amber eyes were staring holes into her pelt. "I don't wanna play here, anymore."
Stagkit's ears were flat against her head. Why didn't like her? She was their sister! Wheatfur nuzzled her.
"Go play with Cindernose's kits," He mewed softly to her before more sternly saying: "I'll go have a talk with your brothers."
As her father padded away, it was as if the solid, smokey gray kits had heard him. Nettlekit padded up, his blue eyes shining kindly.
"I'll play with you." Stagkit looked past him to see his sister, Dawnkit, was avoiding eye contact with her. Instead, her golden-eyed gaze was fixed on the outside.
She doesn't like me either...
"Okay."
Stagpelt flinched as she recalled her moons as a kit. Lizardfur and Bravewhisker never once treated her like their sister. She wished Nettlewing and Dawnfeather, who came to accept Stagpelt for who she was, had stayed in ShadowClan. Sadly, Cindernose ran off with her kits to WindClan so that they could live with their father. It would have made her moons as an apprentice so much more easier... Or, that's what she's always told herself.
"Ow!" Stagpaw squeak, jumping out of her nest, her pelt puffed up as she tried to find what pricked in the side. That's when she spotted a large thorn wrapped up with moss. She shot a dark look at her snickering brothers.
"Oops, wonder how that got there." Bravepaw's glinted in amusement while Stagpaw pulled the thorn out of her nest. Though she tried her best to be calm and polite, she so badly was to shred Bravepaw's white ears to mousemeat.
"You should be more careful with your moss, sister." Lizardpaw teased coldly. That's when his mentor stepped into the apprentices' den. Sandtail.
"Lizardpaw, I told you last time you'd be stuck caring for the elders if I heard you were messing with your sister again." The light ginger tom's tone was sharp. The brown tabby flinched pathetically as he looked up at his mentor.
"But-"
"Webpaw said he and Nightpaw saw you putting the thorn in her nest," Behind the young warrior stood the two black toms, their matching yellow eyes adverted from the scolding that Lizardpaw was getting. Bravepaw, behind Sandtail's back, shot the brothers a dark look and mouthed something Stagpaw couldn't see.
"Webpaw doesn't know anything!"
"And you can say goodbye to going to the gathering since you're going to keep that up," Sandtail nudged his apprentice out the door. "And you better make sure your mentor doesn't want you to do anything else before you rest, Bravepaw."
The dark tabby stormed past Sandtail, shoving himself between Webpaw and Nightpaw to get out. After a brief pause, Sandtail glances back to Stagpaw and passed her a small smile.
"Take care, Stagpaw." With that, he turned and left. Webpaw and Nightpaw quietly left, leaving Stagpaw to watch Sandtail in awe. Never before had someone look out for her like that since her father. Laying back down in her nest, she couldn't help but smile.
The warrior felt the ghost of that smile reappear. Sandtail was everything a warrior should be in her eyes; proud, powerful, kind, loyal, and understanding. He treated her like a she-cat and a friend, not a tom and an outcast. He cared for her. He actually cared. Never before had anyone been as kind to her as he was, save for Nettlewing and Dawnfeather. And because of that she couldn't help but fall in love.
But, for all Sandtail's caring, his heart wasn't hers.
"Hey, Stagpelt," He greeted, his light ginger tabby pelt clinging to his lithe form. Outside, a loud crack of thunder shook the air as the rain fell so heavy that cats were constantly fixing the top of the warriors den. Stagpelt couldn't help but laugh.
"You look like a drenched rat." She joked as he began to groom himself. Sandtail rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. The two moved to a quieter part of the den.
"Hey, you try to sit vigil when it starts storming. You'll look like a drowned rat, too," He purred. The two sat in silence for a bit, listening as the rain slowly calmed down and bits of morning light broke through the clouds. As warriors started to leave the den, Sandtail stayed back with Stagpelt. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what is it?" She asked. She couldn't remember the last time Sandtail needed help, but she was more than willing to be there for him.
"There's this she-cat I like. She's beautiful, smart, wise, but..." He shuffled his paws awkwardly. Stagpelt never saw him look so venerable. "We're close, but I'm not sure if she'll feel the same."
Stagpelt felt herself burning beneath her pelt. She-cat. Close. There were only two cats who fit that. Her, of course, and Echostorm. However, Sandtail had insisted to one of his tom friends that they were only close friends, even after Echostorm had risked her life saving his, so it couldn't be her so... Stagpelt bit back everything, telling herself not to react first.
"I think you should tell her. You're strong, handsome, and one of ShadowClan's best warriors. The worst she could say is no. But... I don't think you have to worry about that."
Stagpelt fought hard not to cry, not wanting to wake up any of her fellow warriors. She still remembered, how in the same day, he had asked Echostorm to be his mate. She had said yes. Now, two moons after that horrible day, Echostorm was now resting in the nursery, expecting Sandtail's kits. Deep down, a sick part of her would rather die than ever see the day those kits were born, knowing she herself could never bare him kits... Because she was different.
If she had been born a she-cat, things would be different, she told herself. He would have chosen her, they would have their own kits, start a family. They would actually be happy.
But that would never come to be. She lived in a tom's body. She cursed her broad shoulders, her handsome muzzle, her large paws; she cursed every part of her body. She was a freak of a she-cat. She wasn't beautiful.
"Who could ever love a cat like me?"
I hope you enjoyed this story, now written much better with, what I feel like, less errors.
It's not super long, but all I wanted to do was fix all the errors that were there.
