Chapter Three


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Rainkit was running, paws moving so fast, it felt as if she were flying. She was hungry, more hungry than she had been in her life. If she didn't eat, she would die.

The scent of mouse filled her nose, her mouth already salivating at the prospect of fresh-kill. She stopped short, seeing the furry brown creature a few tail-lengths up ahead of her, nibbling on a seed and completely unaware of her presence.

Rainkit crouched down, eyes narrowed, watching as the mouse vanished beneath the tall grass. She sunk into the hunter's crouch, stepping lightly across the forest floor, being careful not to tread on anything that could make a noise.

Upon reaching the grass, Rainkit pinpointed the mouse's location and leapt, only to skid to a halt with a horrified cry.

The mouse lay dead on the ground in front of her. It was sliced open, entrails steaming out of it. Its head was connected to its body only by a few strands of tendons, eyes bloodshot and glassy. Its bottom jaw was ripped off completely with blood gushing out of its mouth, and its brain was visible thanks to a gaping gash in its head.

Bile rising in her throat, Rainkit staggered away from the mutilated corpse, thinking she was going to be sick.

The warrior code says we have to respect our prey; who would have done this?

Just as Rainkit's belly finally settled down again, something happened, making her gasp in revulsion and shock, and the contents of her stomach threatened to re-emerge for the second time. The mouse slowly lifted up its gruesome head, training its dead eyes on Rainkit, and spoke.

"You wanted me once," the mouse rasped in a gravelly voice. Rainkit blinked in confusion.

"You wanted me," the mouse repeated. "You desired me as a tasty meal. Your greatest hope was to catch me. But, alas, your dream was shattered, thrown in your face. You have nothing to eat now. You have nothing. Rainkit, one day you will have your hope shattered again, and you will have nothing again. Someone will take it from you, and you will not see it coming. Take it back, Rainkit. Reclaim what is yours. But you must have the patience of a true hunter to chase it. It will not be easy. But you must, or there will be many others who will suffer my fate."

The mouse's mouth opened, and a wave of blood gushed out of its mouth. But before Rainkit could run to safety, the blood washed over her, filling the clearing and rising rapidly into a raging whirlpool of bright scarlet. Rainkit gave a shriek of terror and tried to swim desperately, but the sticky blood washed over her, getting in her eyes, its stench clogging her nose.

"Help me!" Rainkit yowled desperately. "Anyone, please! I-" she gagged and spluttered as blood got in her mouth. Its acidic salty taste of death burned her mouth and throat, and Rainkit coughed it up only to receive another mouthful.

Prepare yourself, young kit. Blood is dangerous. Do not forget it. The mouse's voice rasped in Rainkit's ears as the swirling red submerged her head, throwing her into darkness.

"Blood! Blood!" Rainkit bolted awake, the reek of blood and death still in her glands. Gulping in air desperately, chest heaving, Rainkit looked around wildly.

She was in the nursery, a warm breeze whispering through the entrance, ruffling Rainkit's fur. Soft moonlight filtered through, touching the sleeping pelts of Squirrelfoot and her kits and turning them silver. Rainkit forced herself to breathe normally, gradually calming herself down.

It was just a dream! Rainkit gave a sigh of relief. Thank StarClan.

"Do you mind? I swear, I'll make you sleep outside if you kick me again!" A groggy mew edged with annoyance sounded next to Rainkit. She turned and saw Lilykit blinking golden eyes sleepily up at her in the nest the sisters shared.

"And what's with all the yowling? Don't tell me you're scared of the dark." Lilykit got up and stretched, yawning as she turned to face her sister.

Rainkit ignored Lilykit's jibe, shaking her head as she meowed "It's nothing. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

Lilykit brightened, suddenly wide-awake.

"Ooh, a bad dream! That must mean something!"

Rainkit narrowed her eyes in suspicion, trying to detect a trace of nastiness or mockery in her sister's voice. But Lilykit seemed genuinely interested, an expression of curiosity on her face.

Figures, Rainkit thought to herself. She gets pleasure out of my nightmares. Well maybe it's time I taught her a lesson. That dream nearly scared the fur right off me; maybe I can frighten Lilykit!

Rainkit spilled the entire contents of her dream out, embellishing on the gory details, and repeating the mouse's eerie words in her spookiest voice. But at the end, Rainkit was disappointed to see that instead of freaking out like she had hoped, Lilykit only had a look of pity on her face.

"Poor Rainkit, you really must have done something horrible. I mean seriously, why would StarClan curse you like that? And to think," she added, pouting at Rainkit in sympathy. "You don't even know what it means."

Rainkit's insides twisted in fear.

Relax, mousebrain! She scolded herself. Lilykit's just trying to mess with you; it's what she does. A shiver traveled down Rainkit's spine. But what if Lilykit wasn't joking?

Rainkit stammered, "Of course I know what it means! Someone's going to take something from me, and I have to take it back from them, that's all. Stop teasing me, this is serious!" Lilykit just shook her head,

"Oh, sister no. What's going to be taken from you is your life. Remember the whole 'you'll lose everything' part? When you take it back is by being tortured for eternity to make up for the awful thing you've done or are going to do."

Lilykit paused, and gasped, her eyes widening in excitement. "Oooohhhh, the 'beware blood' bit must be a hint to how long and excruciatingly painful and slow your death will be!" She gave a short mrrow of laughter, as if she had been watching something particularly amusing.

Rainkit tried to hide her trembling, panic coursing through her like a raging flood.

"Just be quiet! You're messed up!" Rainkit spat at her sister, rising shakily to her paws. "I'm going outside to think about it by myself." Lilykit snickered.

"A cat who's about to be brutally murdered shouldn't be wandering around alone in the dark!"

Rainkit growled, turning to leave. As she passed through the nursery entrance, she heard a voice drawl,

"Hey, if you die while we're apprentices and I don't like my mentor, can I have yours?"

"Shut up!" Rainkit spat through the entrance. When no retort appeared, Rainkit sighed and settled down outside the nursery, surveying the camp. It looked so peaceful, so quiet. Then all of a sudden, the scent of blood filled her nose.

Watch out. Watch out for the blood.

Rainkit sprung up, but just as quickly the scent and voice were gone. She moaned, flopping to the ground, tired of trying to calm herself.

Am I really going to die?


Hi, sorry it took so long for me to update. Also sorry for a really cheesy/overly gory or just-plain-bad nightmare scene. I'm not that good so I went with what I thought would scare the crap out of an average young kit. (Excluding Lilykit, of course; she's got issues) Speaking of Lilykit, for those that are wondering what Lilykit's deal is, GOOD! You're supposed to wonder... I'm not that good at making mean characters, so I based Lilykit off another nasty sister from a show I like. Don't worry, I come up with everything myself, it's just when I need Lilykit to act extra b****y, I just think "Hmmmm, what would this character do?" Sooooo, ya, expect another post when I come up with something; I'm playing this whole "author" thing by ear. Sorry for the long chapter and extra-long author's note. Byyyyeee.