Chapter 1

Blotchkit blinked open his eyes, blinded by the early morning light coming through the nursery wall. His mother, Mosspelt, was sleeping quietly, her tortoiseshell pelt rising and falling peacefully. She was curled around three kits, his siblings. Larkkit and Darkkit were lying next to her muzzle, making Mosspelt's whisker's twitch from their gentle breathes. They looked so sweet in their sleep, so innocent, so how could they be so mean in the day? Taunting Blotchkit for his abnormal markings, how he was so much larger than the rest.

But then there was Songkit, his favorite sister. Though she was shy around warriors and apprentices, Songkit was honest and fair, always comforting Blotchkit when his other siblings broke him. Mosspelt and his father Mintfur never payed attention to him, they named him hastily and left him alone

Blotchkit blinked, jerked from his thoughts by the movement of Larkkit. She yawned, her pink mouth holding thorn sharp teeth. Catching Blotchkit looking at her she hissed and prodded Darkkit awake, her gray-and-white fur sticking out at all angles. Her brother grumbled something and rolled over, trying to get away from whoever was waking him

"Wake up mouse-brain, the freak is watching us" she hissed in his ear, flashing Blotchkit a look full of hate.

Rolling his eyes Blotchkit climbed quietly out of his mini nest he made at the edge of the families nest and made his way to the nursery exit.

Carefully stepping over the other kit, Shellkit, he was about 5 paces away when his mother spoke "Where do you think you're going?" she never said his name; Blotchkit was always 'you' or 'him'.

"I want to see camp. I'm 2 moons old, I think it is time" he meowed, straightening himself up to make him seem older

"I'll decide that" Mosspelt meowed, narrowing her eyes slightly. Blotchkit sighed, he tried being brave, humble, nice, arrogant, but no matter what his mother hated him. Padding back to his nest Blotchkit tried to block out Larkkit and Darkkit openly laughing at him.

"I think it's time we get out too" another voice said, her head poking out from Mosspelt's belly fur

"You're too small" Mosspelt glanced to Blotchkit "Well, too young" she gently said, looking at her last kit, Songkit, with soft eyes.

"I want to go out to!" Darkkit proclaimed, his dark tabby flank still fluffy from kit down

"Yeah Mommy! We don't care what you say! Me and Darkkit are going out no matter what!" Larkkit meowed rudely, and with that she pushed herself out of her mother's grasp and raced to the world outside, Darkkit hot on her heels.

Mosspelt purred, disregarding her daughter's lack of respect. "Mom, can we go out too?" Blotchkit piped up, wanting to show his mother that he was able to follow orders, like all the great warriors.

She flinched, probably at the word 'Mom'. Slowly looking to Blotchkit, he searched her gaze, not surprised to find dislike in them "Of course you can, your beautiful siblings are out there, why can't you? I'm not unfair" she meowed.

Did Blotchkit hear a snarl in her voice? It doesn't matter I get to go out! He thought in his head "Come on Songkit! We get to see camp!" he meowed excitedly, racing out of the nursery.

Not watching where he was going, Blotchkit tripped over Shellkit, who was surprisingly still asleep. "Ow!" she squeaked her eye's leaping open, shock, but no pain, in them.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I was too excited that I finally get to see camp!" he meowed, trailing a little longer than he meant too.

She smiled "I remember my first time out of camp. Would you like me to show you around?" Shellkit was 2 moons older than Blotchkit and his siblings, and often told the litter about the world outside before they went to bed.

Blotchkit was about to answer when Songkit stumbled up, her little legs more unsure than her brother's sturdy ones "No! We want to explore on our own!" she answered, energy shinning in her eyes.

"Ok, but make sure you don't barge into the warrior's den, or your tail might be dinner tonight" she meowed, trying to make a joke, but no amusement was in her voice.

It was true, to a point. An older apprentice now, had once wandered into the warrior's den when she was just a kit. Waking up Mapleshade, the Dark Forest cat gave the little kit a scar, from head to tail. When the kits heard this story, Larkkit and Darkkit loved it, wanting to know every gruesome detail, while Songkit buried herself into Blotchkit.

"We won't" he meowed solemnly, and the prospect of seeing the camp was suddenly scary rather than fun. "Let's go Songkit." He mewed and cautiously padded out of the nursery and to his home.