What If...
What If One of Brokenkit's Sisters Survived?
Warrior What-Ifs:
Prologue:
A dark gray she-cat lay in the hollow of a dead tree on a nest of dead leaves. Three small bundles lined the curve of her belly. Two little bundles were squirming, but the third one lay still. The mother prodded the kit with one paw, as if trying to hide the truth from herself. That kit had been stillborn.
The mother dragged the other two kits, a tom and a she-kit, towards her, and began to lick them. The tom let out an angry wail as she touched him, yet the other merely let out a faint mewl.
"He's going to be a fighter," the she-cat mewed, gazing at the tom kit with his dark tabby pelt and broad, flat face, with tiny tail that had a bend in the middle like a broken branch. He battered his sister with his paws every time he moved, but the she-cat barely squealed in response.
Licking the she-kit's forehead, the dark gray she-cat's eyes filled with dread and uncertainty. Yet as she sniffed the kit, it batted her nose with her forepaw. The tiny little she-kit scrambled forwards slowly and began to suckle, leaving the mother to sigh in relief. Her second kit was alive, just like the first.
As the mother's eyes travelled over the tom kit again, she shivered, as if something frightened her. But she softened as the little kit squirmed over to her and pressed it's tiny face into her fur.
The mother stood up, leaving the two kits to let out cries of protest, and grabbed their stillborn sister by her scruff. She padded outside the log and scraped at the ground, digging a hole to bury the little kit in.
After she was finished with burial, she headed back inside the hollow log and licked the top of the tom kit's head. "Silverflame told me to trust my own instincts," she whispered to her two kits. "And I choose that you will grow up in the Clan as warriors, without knowing who your mother truly is." Heaving a deep sigh, the new mother added, "That will be the best for all three of us, little ones."
Giving the kits both a last lick, she slunk back into the undergrowth, holding them both by the scruff. They squirmed faintly letting out faint cries, but the mother didn't stop, just kept on going with narrowed eyes.
The dark gray she-cat stopped to clean herself after a long period of walking, then picked up the kits again and continued following her path.
Onto the story:
Hawkkit squirmed, opening her eyes. Lizardstripe was gone from the nest, and so was Deerkit, Tanglekit, and Brokenkit. Runningkit was still sleeping on her other side, however, and so she carefully slid out of the next, trying not to wake her foster littermate. She could hear the sounds of Brokenkit and the others playing outside, and she straightened, licking her ruffled chest fur before darting out of the den.
She tripped on a stone and stumbled, but quickly regained her balanced, padding over to where Deerkit and Tanglekit tumbled in a play fight, Brokenkit watching from the side. As she approached, Deerkit pushed her brother away, however, and sat up. "Hey look," she snarled. "The two losers."
Brokenkit's fur fluffed up, and Hawkkit cringed. She didn't like the insults, but she and her brother, Brokenkit's, foster mother, Lizardstripe, never stopped it. "Let me guess who your mother is, orphans!" Deerkit continued. "A stinky badger!"
Hawkkit pressed against Brokenkit, hanging her head and staring at the ground. She could see the medicine cat, Yellowfang, watching the four of them with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, and guess what that makes you!" Tanglekit added, eyes lighting up. "Badger-stinky!"
She turned around as she heard a noise, trying to ignore Deerkit and Tanglekit's jeers. Runningkit was tumbling out of the nursery. His eyes lit up as he saw them, but then the timid kit frowned as he heard what his littermates were saying. "Hey, come over here, Runningkit! We were just talking to the badger-stinky little kitties!" Tanglepaw called to his brother.
After a moment of hesitation, Runningkit trotted over and joined in.
"Badger-stinky!"
"Badger-stinky!"
"Badger-stinky!"
"Badger-stinky!"
"Badger-stinky!"
"Badger-stinky!"
"Stop it!" Yellowfang mewed. Hawkkit cowered beneath the medicine cat's shadow as the dark gray she-cat darted over. Yellowfang's narrowed eyes scorched Deerkit, Tanglekit, and Runningkit's pelts, and Hawkkit took a step back, still pressing herself against Brokenkit. For a moment she stumbled, and Brokenkit grabbed her scruff, holding her steady.
She glanced at him. "Thanks," she mouthed, then glanced back out to watch Yellowfang.
...
"From this moment on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Hawkpaw," Cedarstar mewed. She quivered with excitement, gazing up at the mighty ShadowClan leader. "Raggedpelt, you are a strong and skilled warrior. Though it is not usually the way of a warrior to give a kit their father or mother as a mentor, I trust that you will pass on your talents to young Hawkpaw."
"Deerpaw! Tanglepaw! Brokenpaw! Runningpaw! Hawkpaw!" Cheered the clan. Hawkpaw's heart soared, and she stepped forwards to touch noses with a proud, yet slightly flustered looking, Raggedpelt.
For a moment she stood there, basking in the calls of her clan mates. Then, Raggedpelt gave her a gentle nudge. "Come on," he mewed softly. "Let's get Nightpelt and Brokenpaw and go explore the territory."
Hawkpaw caught a sorrowful glanced from Yellowfang and tilted her head, wondering why the medicine would seem so... sad and guilty and full of grief.
...
"I am proud of my clan," Raggedstar mewed. Hawkpaw watched her father with narrowed eyes, sitting next to Brokenpaw. "You are all I could have hoped for as leader. With warriors like you, I could fight any battle! And there will be two new warriors today. Brokenpaw, Hawkpaw, step forwards."
Hawkpaw gasped along with the rest of the clan, but quickly stepped forwards alongside her brother, mind racing. She had only been training for five moons!
She turned her head as Nightpelt stepped forwards. "But, Raggedstar, Brokenpaw hasn't completed his final assessments yet and neither has Hawkpaw, and she's your apprentice!"
Brokenpaw shot a furious look at Nightpelt, and Hawkpaw felt a flash of unease. She pressed against Brokenpaw and purred as Raggedstar responded to her brother's mentor.
"I know a ready cat when I see one!" Raggedstar mewed, flicking his tail dismissively. "Leaping down from the Clanrock, he faced the two of them with pride filling his eyes. "I, Raggedstar, call upon my warrior anncestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and for that I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Brokenpaw, Hawkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Hawkpaw shivered, excited. "I do!" she called out solemnly, and Brokenpaw followed her more calmly.
"I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Brokenpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Brokentail- but let no cat see that as a sign of weakness. You are one of the strongest cats I have ever seen, and I look forward to fighting alongside you! StarClan honors your courage and your fighting skills, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Hawkpaw watched proudly as Raggedstar rested his muzzle on Brokentail's head; then her brother licked their father's shoulder and stepped back.
Raggedstar turned to her. "Hawkpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Hawkfire, for the internal fire that always blazes inside of you. StarClan honors your loyalty and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." She licked her father's shoulder respectively as he rested his muzzle on her forehead. Then she stepped back and joined her brother in the crowd of warriors, eyes shining.
"Brokentail! Hawkfire! Brokentail! Hawkfire!" she basked in her clan mate's praise, standing next to Brokentail with her head and tail head high.
...
"Elders, I know you want provide for this clan," Brokenstar mewed from the Clanrock. Hawkfire watched her brother, uncertain, from her place amongst the warriors. "Therefore I ask you, with the need for more space in the clan, that you move out of camp and live somewhere else inside the territory, and fend for yourself. The younger cats need to be strong so that they may be able to fight and hunt for us."
Hawkfire's heart skipped a beat. What was her brother doing?
"No!" she shouted, stepping forwards.
Startled and wondering what was going to happen, the other warriors scuttled away from her, leaving her alone under Brokenstar's gaze fur of fury. "What did you say?" he demanded.
"I said no! You won't move the elders out of camp!" Hawkfire's fur bristled.
Brokenstar leapt off the Clanrock and crouched, glaring at her. "I challenge you, then," he mewed confidently yet angrily. "A fight to the death. If I win, the elders move. If you win, then-"
Hawkfire nodded and leapt for Brokenstar, sweeping him off his paws. Surprised, he yowled, biting down on her forepaw.
She struggled free and raked her claws down his face with a swift blow that her mighty brother failed to avoid, slicing over his eyes and blinding him. He froze and let out a wail. "I'm blind!" he cried, furious. He staggered forwards, swiping at her and catching Hawkfire unawares.
Tumbling to the ground, she staggered back to her paws and leapt at Brokenstar, sinking her teeth into her neck and holding on, ignoring the raking claws that scorched over her pelt. She had to win this fight, if not for the elders, then for her own life!
After a few more seconds, Brokenstar sunk to the ground. Taking her opportunity, Hawkfire raked her claws over his now exposed belly. Now he couldn't ever come back and do something to ShadowClan ever again.
The clan stood there in silence, until the clan deputy, Blackfoot, let out a cheer. "Hawkstar! Hawkstar! Hawkstar!"
And the rest of the clan joined in.