Okay, here is Thunderkit! I am seriously in love with her character! Go Thunderkit!
Thunderkit wasn't sure what was worse- losing her name or not having anyone to play with. The storm outside crackled, and she decided that not having anyone to play with was the worst thing that a kit could go through.
She wasn't supposed to be alone. She had been born with two other littermates, a tom, and a she-kit just like her. She had never seen them. Once, Thunderkit had overheard Riversong talking to herself about throwing kits into the Forever-Water. Thunderkit had never been to the Forever-Water before, but she still had nightmares about standing on the shore of some type of endless puddle with thousands of kittens being tossed around like moss balls. Riversong always appeared and would grab her by her scruff.
She would wake up panting and had to get some herbs from Rosepetal to be able to breathe normally. It was the same feeling she would get after running or swimming. Her entire chest would tighten suddenly and she would gasp for breath until some herbs would be placed by her nose and overtime she would be fine.
Thunderkit peaked her head out of the small hollow log and darted back in. Overhead, clouds swirled and the wind was roaring. Rain fell like rocks and hit the forest floor with small pops. One such raindrop rolled into the log. Thunderkit pushed it and felt that it was solid. It was a rock. But this rock was white and cold. As suddenly as it had been there, it turned to a puddle in the afternoon heat. The air around her turned static and her fur raised.
Lightning struck a tree nearby. Her entire body was shaking, quivering like the scared kit she was. She supposed that storms were supposed to be her thing, being named Thunderkit and all, but that wasn't her real name.
Well, everyone called her that except her mother, Riversong. Even her grandma, Willowstar, didn't know about her secret name, which she was never supposed to tell anyone because it was a secret. Well, that was what Riversong had told her to do. And if anyone ever asked, she was supposed to say that Thunderkit was her only name.
Her secret name was Nightkit. She loved the name Nightkit. It sounded so nice and rolled off of her tongue easier that Thunderkit. She liked to say it slowly at night, rolling out the 't' sounds. Her father had been named Nightkit when he was her age. She wasn't sure if she like that though, being named after her traitor father.
Everyone believed she had a terrible father who should never be spoken of unless to criticize his choices. She didn't believe that a cat with such an awesome name could do that, but her mother never spoke of him. He was never acknowledged to even have been alive. She didn't even know what he had done.
Maybe he had stolen prey when it wasn't his turn to eat? Or had he gone against the routine? Hunted after dark? Left camp when he should have been picking the fleas off of Willowstar?
Sometimes, Thunderkit could switch between her two names. Thunderkit was weak. She was always going to be a second class because of her father. People stopped talking when she entered the area. No one shared prey with her or talked with her while they ate. She was the only proof that Nightclaw had ever lived and breathed in Waveclan. And that wasn't a good thing.
But when she was Nightkit she was brave. She didn't care what the other cats said about her father- she was going to prove herself to be a rule-abiding cat and maybe one day become the leader of all the island. Nightstar! She was the only proof that Nightclaw had ever lived and breathed in Waveclan. And she was not ashamed.
Another pelt of Ice-Drops fell against the log. The roof split slightly and she pressed herself against the farthest wall of the log. Where was Nightkit now? She had slipped away in Thunderkit's time of need.
"Thunderkit?" A voice yelled over the wailing storm.
"Rosepetal! I am over here in the nursery!" She yowled back. The reddish she-cat tumbled into the den, her fur battered and shaken into disarray. It was strange to see her look so disorganized. She was always looking at her best, always groomed and sleek.
"Thank Starclan, you're still alive." Rosepetal touches noses with her briefly and jumped into a long speech before Thunderkit could ask what she meant by 'still alive'. "A fire has caught above us. We need to abandon camp- but we couldn't find you. Some cats were ready to move on, but I had to go back."
"Oh." Was all she could make out. As if the storm could hear Rosepetal, a blast of heat went through the log. Sharp red tones leaked from outside the cracks in the outer bark. With one glance out of the log, Rosepetal swept up Thunderkit and carried her out of the burning fury. Suddenly, Thunderkit had never felt so scared- even for the weak and sick kit she was. Large pillars of white-heat rose like giants around her, and the once black sky seemed almost green. Small hot embers scattered like the popping plant they were used for amusement in the old elder's tales that Dawnwind used to tell her.
She turned on the memory to avoid the searing pain of everything happening around her.]
"Hello, Thunderkit." Dawnwind looked up from her soft moss bed. She had a beautiful snow-white muzzle and paws, her ears whitening also. Otherwise, she was a reddish-pink color with long stripes around her entire body.
"Dawnwind!" Thunderkit cried out with joy. "Riversong had to go out to find some far, far, far, far, far, far, away herbs and she told me," Thunderkit took in another breath and continued in a mock Riversong voice, "'Go away Thunderkit I need to concentrate and this really isn't your business so why don't you go see to Dawnwind because Rosepetal is going to be medicine cat if I can't prove that I can take care of you and my duties and you aren't helping right now, Thunderkit!'"
"Oh, well then." Dawnwind chuckled happily. She settled and rolled around in her nest before starting her story. "It was many moons ago. My brother-"
"May Starclan protect him." Thunderkit chorused right on time.
"Had found this strange plant growing on the Invaders land. It was like grass, but when one would peel back the leaves, a curious sun-colored plant was there. It had no medicinal properties and was not good to eat. We wondered and wondered over what it could be for. One day, our deputy-"
"May Starclan protect her."
"Was caught by the kit of an Invader. She was held captive for many nights and days before she could escape from these terrible Invaders. When she returned, she brought some knowledge on the Sun-Plant, as we had begun to call it.
"When placed over an Invader's fire, this plant would explode into a multitude of some pieces of some type of Invader treat. She explained how it was quite a festival, a time of happiness and dancing. Of course, she attempted to show us how to dance and do their weird customers, but we never understood. Sadly, she was so captivated by this new way of life that she eventually left the clan behind in the name of these Invaders. Not long after, they disappeared on large floating logs and were never seen again. They left behind a collection of fires in their haste, which we decided to see the exploding corn for ourselves." Dawnwind laughed like they were the silliest cats in the world back then, but Thunderkit was bowled over at the strange ways of the old cats. And what were the Invaders?
"And we did! The popping plant, as it was now dubbed, popped and popped! We must have looked like crazy shadows in the middle of the night, yowling and howling and hopping around." She shook her head and yawned. "But it is my time to nap, so go on and hang out with your Grandmother."
Thunderkit hopped up and raced towards Willowstar's den. She was so excited to have an excuse to bother her. She just loved studying every move the Willowstar made. One day, she hoped that she was just as great at leading Waveclan.
Her claws skidding, she flew through the vine-door and entered the⦠empty room. "Hello? Willowstar?"
Redblaze appeared from deep inside the den, his fur ruffled and dripping wet with something the same color as his fur. He nudged Thunderkit out of the den with a sharp blow with his sheathed paw. She squealed and raced out of the den, her heart wildly pumping.
But she was Nightkit now, and she wasn't having any trouble breathing. But later, long after Riversong had returned and tucked her into bed, Thunderkit came back at the sound of a long, mournful howl that rose between the still night breeze.
"NO! Fawnshade is dead!"
Well, here is Chapter One of Blood Moon! Again, poor cats in this book, already two cats have died! I promise that every chapter will NOT have a death in them, so I am not completely a morbid writer. I am trying to make Thunderkit's character and backstory right now, but she needs to grow too! Cross your fingers that I can pull this off! Review, please!
