Chapter Three
Hawkkit watched Owlkit scamper out of the nursery, trying not to hiss in disgust. Why did her sister need to be a medicine cat? I need to show her what she will be missing out on.
Hawkkit prowled behind her sister, fluffing out her fur and looking innocent every time a warrior turned their gaze to her.
Coming closer, Hawkkit saw Owlkit, and nearly gagged at where she was going. The medicine den! Hawkkit tried not to let out an irritated growl. She can't… I'm losing her…
"Can I help you, Blossomwing?" The warrior-like she-kit struggled not to claw her own ears when she heard her sister's pleading voice. Suddenly, a sneering voice echoed behind her.
"Well, hello, Smallkit." Hawkkit turned and confronted the ever nasty gang of littermates. Pondpaw, Crowpaw, and Foxpaw prowled towards her, smirks plastered on their faces. Hawkkit narrowed her eyes. She was the runt of the litter, smaller than everybody else. The warriors tried to keep it from her, but she wasn't mousebrained.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite little kit," Pondpaw meowed, sneers laced in her voice. Playing it cool, Hawkkit decided to reply.
"Oh," she smirked, "I wasn't surprised it was you guys. I could have heard you from the other side of the forest. And you're… apprentices, so you should have mastered that by now, am I right?" The three bullies growled in unison.
"We're almost warriors, kit, and you just seem to shrink every day," Crowpaw hissed. The tiny kit forced a mrrow of laughter.
"Ooh, warriors! Let me guess your full names… hm, I'm thinking Crowfood, Pondscum, and Foxdung, don't you think that's good?"
Crowpaw lashed out with a paw, and Hawkkit ducked. It wasn't that hard, she was short anyway, without ducking the paw would have still gone over her head.
"Kit, if you become an apprentice in time before we become warriors, we're going to ruin your life!" Foxpaw growled.
"You guys just have to be in my life for it to be ruined," the cheeky kit called after them as the three whipped around and stalked away. A new voice entered the picture. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"
Hawkkit mentally chided herself, calling her a mousebrain. She had totally forgot about her littermate, and now Owlkit's yellow gaze was staring right at her face.
"Did you follow me?" Owlkit questioned again, her tone soft. Hawkkit groaned inwardly. Her sister's voice had already taken a soft tone like Blossomwing when she was coaxing a little kit to eat something.
"No, I didn't follow you!" Hawkkit lied, and frustration crept into her voice.
"You don't like the medicine den. Why else would you come?" Hawkkit growled, raking the earth with her tiny claws. Owlkit looked at her with pity.
"I know you don't want me to-"
"You can't!" Hawkkit burst out. "Blossomwing's still alive!"
"So? There can be three medicine cats, that's even better!"
"B-but," Hawkkit stuttered as she thought of what to say.
"But what?" Her sister's gentle voice didn't soothe her, it just drove Hawkkit crazy.
"Well, how do you know you'll even be a good medicine cat anyway?" Hawkkit hissed, and Owlkit reeled back, hurt sharpening in her light honey eyes. Owlkit turned around, and walked into the putrid den without saying another word.
Hawkkit didn't feel any remorse for what she had said to her sister. In fact, when she played the scene in her head again, it didn't even seem bad. She had just asked a question, hadn't she? It's not fair. I don't want her to be a medicine cat.
"Sweet? What's wrong?" Hawkkit turned and gazed at a broad-shouldered tom, his pelt swirling with the colors gray, brown, and white. He looked familiar, and Hawkkit had to go with her heart.
"Father?" She whispered, and Eaglefeather nuzzled her cheek.
"Yes, sweet, what is wrong?" He echoed, licking the top of her head. She gazed up at him, and sighed.
"Owlkit wants to be medicine cat." She watched her father's gaze light up with joy, and she knew he wouldn't understand what she felt.
"That's great! Now, you think you won't be as important as your sister, yes?" Hawkkit tried to deny it but her father cut her off.
"You will always be important, Hawkkit, don't you worry about that!" He gave her one last lick on the cheek, then bounded off to perform his deputy duties. A sigh of disappointment slipped from the kit's mouth, and she drifted into her own mind. Why do I feel like this? Is it wrong to begrudge Owlkit because of the role she chooses to play?
"Now, Owlkit, I'm just going to be going to get some catmint, don't worry. It grows at the border between us and WindClan. Don't follow me, you're still not allowed out of camp." She watched Owlkit wave goodbye with her tail to her future mentor, and Hawkkit turned, not wanting to look any further.
I have my brothers. But they didn't really seem to understand her like Owlkit did in their fleeting moments where they weren't so distant. I'm only a kit… I can't snap bonds so quick with my sister. I just… can't.
Hawkkit tried to shake herself out of such deep thoughts, but she couldn't stop her own mind from flowing like the creek behind the nursery. That also flows behind the medicine den.
Hawkkit closed her eyes, trying to focus on the cool breeze that combed through her pelt, and the fresh taste of pines in the wind. Out of nowhere, a piercing shriek shattered the peace of the clearing. A cluster ofcats ran out of the dens to meet some cats that scampered out of the woods. Hawkkit tried to push her way through, but the way was barred.
Wails of dismay echoed through the cats, and Hawkkit took advantage of her size and slid through the gaps between the tightly packed cats. She raced forward, and saw her sister break free of the ranks at the same exact time, her paws barely grazing the ground as she let out an upset yowl. Owlkit's nose buried into the once beautiful dappled pelt of cream. Now, long claw marks were scattered all over the she-cat's body.
Blossomwing was dead.