I bounded happily after my mother, yellow eyes excited

A/N:

I had planned to make this chapter longer, but I think I've starved you of updates long enough. Sorry—it's been busy around my house lately, what with school starting and a baby on the way. –flails-

Shadowraining- Nope.

Feigning- Whoa. Thanks. Yeah, that was a somewhat sloppy chapter at parts because I wanted to get done pretty fast. xD "Oh StarClan, I've been waiting FOREVER for this!"—yeah. I realized this after I put the chapter in, but I had accidentally removed the bar thing with bold, italic, etc. and it took me a while to figure out how to get it back. O.o About her being afraid of water, I'll put that in when I make the big, big story that connects to each story... Which I wont tell you about till around chapter 6. xD It will explain why this chapter mentions territories, as well.

StarClan's- Favs and reviews make the world go round. 8D Ohhh, yes, I've been planning for torture. I love writing about torture. I'm demented like that. And illness—something about everyone around a cat dying, and finally they die… dramatic. Yes indeedy. 8D –dances-

Nightclaw- Aren't you the person that like reviewed on every chapter of Unloved by Deceived? I'm Deceived, for the record. xD Re-doing Unloved. Here's your update!

.IV.

I bounded happily after my mother, yellow eyes excited. I was leaving the barn for the first time, for I had just turned three moons. I knew mother was proud of me, and it made me happy.

Then my mother stopped once we were decently far into the tall grass in front of the barn, and flicked her tail—signaling me to scrunch into the grass, my grayish tabby pelt unseen as I huddled close to the earth.

We had gone over all the signals I was to follow, since apparently I was the only kit out of three to have survived to three moons. I guess that was why mother had been so cautious, so eager to keep me alive.

Or maybe it was just love.

My mother remained tensed, tasting the air as her ears flickered around nervously. I stared simply straight of where I was; not daring to move anything. After what seemed like forever, I could smell something odd come near us, but I couldn't quite see it from the grass. My mother let out a ferocious hiss and I could hear something scramble away swiftly.

"Just a fawn." She mewed softly to me as she relaxed herself. "It would have caused us no harm, but we must be careful. Does can and will get nasty if they think their fawns are in danger. Let's go opposite of where the fawn ran and hope that it's mother was in that direction."

Then my mother turned and started to walk in the other direction, but she slunk close to the ground. I mimicked her, hoping I could see her catch some prey.

After a little bit she stopped, and signaled with her tail to stay quiet. Then, with no warning, she pounced forth and caught a rabbit with one swift nip to it's neck. I watched in awe; to me there was nothing more powerful than my mother. She was brave, smart, strong… nothing could defeat her.

But all kits think that way, I s'ppose. Then reality hits you.

It's been three days since I went on my first exploration (with mother) outside of the barn. We had practiced every signal and what to do in every situation.

I guess we just hadn't planned for this one.

It was quite sudden. My mother flicked her tail to stay slow, then moments later pounced and caught a mouse. Next thing I knew was that my mother was pinned to the ground by another she-cat—one with madness in her eyes.

My mother raked the enemy's underbelly with her claws, and she shrieked. I would have imagined that the enemy cat would let go from pain, but I guess the madness drove her on to instead tear at my mother's neck.

I couldn't help but give a whimper.

The white furred cat with orange and gray splotches turned to face me, a cruel gleam in her eyes.

"I knew it." She hissed as she came closer to me, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Then she leapt at me, and in my stark terror I couldn't move my legs. She gave a hard thwack to my head, and consciousness almost left me, but I held on.

"D-don't kill me!" I gasped out as the world began to spin before my eyes, pain stabbing at my head. Her claws had been sheathed but it had hurt terribly—after all, I was only three moons old and she looked to be a fully-grown cat.

"Kill you?" She seemed surprised, and it soon became a mutual feeling.

"You're… you're not going to…?" I tried to look at her but then realized I was sprawled against the ground and it was too painful to move.

"No, no." She snarled, and I tensed for another painful blow, but it never came. "You are my son, I will not kill you."

"But I'm not your—"

Then the other blow came, but this time her paw slammed my head into the ground instead of thwacking me.

"Yes, I am now! That past creature is no longer your mother, I am, I am, I am!" She shrieked. "Say it, say it!"

I whimpered pitifully, and she snarled, picking me up by my scruff and giving me a hard shake.

"M-mother! You're—m-my—mother!" I wailed, fearing my neck would snap. She dropped me, and with her crazed green eyes she purred contentedly.

"Good, my son. What is you're name?"

I looked up at her wide eyed, the world spinning once again as I managed to mew out, "S-Strong! My name—is Strong."

She gazed at me in disbelief.

"Strong? Why is that, pray tell?" She snarled, and I worried that she'd get angry at me lying. Well, I didn't lie, but apparently that's not what she was thinking.

"Because—my siblings died, and I didn't, a-and I look like my father, who mo—" I stopped myself, and continued weakly, "my father's mate said he was strong, and I was like him, so she named me when I was two moons old for my strong traits."

I was breathing heavily as I scrambled to get on all for legs, ears down. I stared at the creature claiming to be my 'new' mother, and she stared back at me.

"All right, Strong. I like that. You're the only survivor, you say? Since your father's not here he must be dead too, so that means you are strong, yes? The only survivor of a whole family!"

She let out a horrid sounding rasp that must've been some form of laughter, then whipped around and began to leave.

"Follow me." She snarled over her shoulder, and I realized that I really had no choice but to follow her.

So I followed her like the scared wimp I was.

It had been three moons since the she-cat—"Furiae", is she called herself—kidnapped me and killed my mother. That is, my real mother. If I wanted to live, I needed to call Furiae my mother, for whenever I slip up she drags one claw down my forehead. I always have to quickly try to stop the bleeding, or else I start to fear I shall go blind.

But that is only one of the many torments she puts me through.

Sometimes I don't do anything "wrong". She just feels like slamming her paw into my head or crashing me against a tree while I'm walking. I would say it depends on her mood of how she acts, but I think she gets a new mood everyday. Sometimes I begin to wonder what happened to her that made her this way.

Furiae gave me new "lessons" on life. If I did not live up to my name, she said I would fade away like the rest of the weak. She stated that you must only care for yourself, and if you were in the company of another, you mustn't trust them completely.

She said other things too, but I just found her words about trust rather funny. I wonder if she held a hidden meaning in there, warning me not to trust her.

As if I'd ever trust that mad old she-cat.

"Strong."

Furiae's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I jerked my head up to look at her. We had been walking for a while and now were amongst territory that I didn't know, and I wondered if she even knew where we were.

"You are six moons old," She continued, and I stared at her cautiously. What was she getting on to?

"Five through seven moons is when a kitten is taught how to hunt and fight, when they start to leave their mother. You are in-between right now."

I opened my mouth to ask what she was going to say, but snapped my jaws shut for fear that interrupting her would made her give me hurt.

"I will not have you leaving me. No, no, no!" She shrieked, unsheathing her claws. I widened my eyes, seeing where this was going. "No, I will kill you before you leave me! You are mine, mine, mine!"

Then she pounced, but I rolled over neatly to dodge her attack. Mother taught me a few basic moves when she was alive, and others I knew from watching Furiae and other rogue cats fight with each other. I had practiced them when she slept, hoping one day I could escape.

I didn't think it would be so soon—was I ready?

She let out a hiss of anger and frustration when I avoided her pounce, and within a heartbeat turned and lashed out with her left paw—claws unsheathed. I dodged to the side and decided that defending wouldn't win this battle. I dove in at her and clawed at her flank. I simply tore at whatever I could find for about a heart beat, then before she could whip around and strike me I jumped off, landing with a thud on my back but I rolled over swiftly to get on my feet once again.

She whipped around and managed to throw me over with her paw, then jumped on me.

I hadn't expected to get this far in the battle.

I hadn't expected I'd even survive through my life this long.

I had expected that I would die in this fight.

But I was not about to go down alone.

Furiae slashed at me and slash at me, leaving no part of my body without long, bleeding claw marks. I struggled to move, but she was standing on my stomach and I couldn't push her wait off—let alone breath. Finally she jumped off of me, starting to bite my stomach, tearing out flesh. By now I didn't have the strength to move. I was going to lose this battle. But I could win as well as lose.

She finally stopped, and took a step back, panting heavily, bloodlust leaving her eyes as she snarled at me.

"I will be watching as you die, you worthless piece of fox-dung. Mommy will be here."

Mother… kind, protecting, loving… you are not her!

With the last of my strength and rage I took her by surprise and managed to lurch forward, and tore out her neck.

"I... will die… alone." I huffed, then collapsed and let darkness take me.