Chapter I
As he watched his two siblings run out of the camp followed by a well trained warrior, Rascal tried ever so desperately to escape from his mother's grip. Lexa wasn't having it however, and quickly worked to tighten her grip over the stubborn kit.
"Stop moving, otherwise you're going to hurt yourself!" Lexa warned.
"It's not fair! Why can't I go?" The young saber whined, going limp as his mother placed him down.
"Because it's too dangerous. You know how fragile you are!" Lexa countered with a sigh. Rascal quickly flipped over on his paws before looking up at his mother with a saddened expression.
"You're just saying that because I'm the smallest of the liter!" Rascal complained. That wasn't entirely true. He was the same size as his other two siblings, however thanks to his skinny posture from a lack of food, Rascal was barely fed. For whatever reason, his mother wanted his other siblings: Cinos and Prague to have more food than he did. Despite this, Rascal always thought this was because there was never enough food to go around, as his mother always put it.
"Rascal, you know I would never put you in harms way. You're just not ready to face the dangers outside the camp." Lexa said, licking Rascal on the head. Rascal let out a high-pitched mewl of protest, causing his mother to let out yet another sigh. She closed her eyes in deep thought, hoping she could come up with a solution to make Rascal happy. Before she could speak out her final thoughts, she'd be approached by Khan. Wary of the leader, she'd stand in front of him and Rascal.
"What do you want, Khan?" Lexa asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"There's no need for that, Lexa. I just came by to see if I could convince this young one to join his siblings." Khan said calmly, smirking as Lexa gave him a sharp glare. To make it worse, Rascal would be quick to support Khan.
"See mom? Even Khan wants me to go!"
"It'll help him in the long run." Khan added with a feral grin that Rascal thankfully didn't notice. Seeing no other option left, Lexa submitted as she'd turn her head towards Rascal.
"If you're quick enough, you can catch up with them." Lexa sighed, as Rascal let out a yelp of joy!
"Go on now. You don't want them to get to far." Khan smiled down at Rascal.
"Thanks mom! You won't regret this!" Rascal giggled, before he'd run out of the camp without waiting for his mother or Khan to say anything else. As soon as he was gone, Lexa quickly shot yet another glare towards Khan.
"You mind explaining what that was all about?!" She yelled. Khan quickly dropped his friendly demeanor, as he'd look back at Lexa.
"It's almost that time, Lexa. I just want to see which one will have the luxury of staying here." Khan said coldly, before he'd slowly trot away. Lexa looked on in realisation. Two of her kits were at risk of being exiled the moment they came back.
Rascal ran as fast as he could straight ahead. After all, he had to be fast if he was ever going to catch up with his siblings. As he ran further away from the camp, Rascal could make out the distant, yet familiar voices of his brother and sister, letting him know he was going the right direction. After running quite the distance, Rascal would finally spot them in a clearing play-fighting with each other. From what it seemed, his brother Cinos was winning over his sister, and was gloating over it. But surely they wouldn't mind a stronger competition.
Running at his top speed, Rascal pounced on the two unsuspecting sabers with a mixed yowl and giggle. Because of this, he'd manage to knock one of them on his back, while the other managed to slip from his grasp and jump back in surprise. Rascals victory was short lived however, as out of nowhere he'd be picked up off his brother by the scruff before being thrown to the side. As he slowly regained his senses, Rascal would find himself looking up at the warrior who had effortlessly thrown him away from Cinos. He instinctively backed away in fear, as the larger saber began to menacingly approach him.
"Torrid, stop! That's Rascal!" Cinos cried out. Torrid would be quick to drop his offensive stance, as realisation hit him in the face like a brick wall.
"Rascal? What are you doing here?!" Torrid asked, wincing in embarrassment as he sheathed his claws and calmed his fur. If he told his mother about this, he'd never hear the end of it.
"M-Mom said I could go w-with you if I managed t-to catch up. E-Even Khan wanted me to come." Rascal whimpered. He wasn't wounded, but being grabbed by a warrior and thrown to the side sure didn't tickle either. Who knew teeth could be that sharp.
"I'll admit Rascal," Cinos huffed, as he got up. "You sure did get the jump on us."
This was enough to calm Rascal down, as he smiled with delight. It was rare for his siblings, let alone one of them to give him a compliment.
"But no one said anything about him joining us! There has to be some sort of mistake!" Prague said sharply. Rascal's enthusiasm quickly vanished as the trio exchanged looks. He didn't take into account how his siblings would react. Prague obviously wasn't taking his presence well.
"Now Prague, if your mother wanted him to join us; including Khan, then perhaps it was for good reason." The large warrior said, looking over at Rascal. "Besides, when was the last time the three of you spend time together?"
Cinos and Prague looked at each other, before looking at Rascal. Cinos let out a sigh, as Prague scoffed out loud.
"So he could whine about losing against us?" Prague scoffed as her eyes met Rascals. Without waiting for a reply from either Rascal, or Torrid, Prague trotted off with a 'Hmph!'. Cinos looked up at the warrior, preparing to say anything that could cover up Prague's dislike towards Rascal, only to be beat by him.
"Just have a word with her. Maybe you could convince her that having her other brother around won't be that bad."
"Thanks Torrid." Cinos sighed, before running off to catch up with his sister. Looking towards Rascal, who stayed in the same spot he had thrown him in, Torrid would trot towards the flat eared tom, sitting down next to him.
"Don't take it too personally, they just don't know how to handle extra company." Torrid said in an effort to comfort him. Lifting his head slightly, Rascal would glance at his siblings for a bit, before dipping his head once more with a sigh.
"It's not that, I'm just scared that I won't have the potential to become an apprentice when the time comes."
"With that attitude, you probably won't get far. Just have a little faith." Torrid winked, before looking over towards Cinos and Prague as he stood up.
"Cinos! Prague! Get over here!" Torrid yelled, his voice sharp enough to even make Rascal flinch. After being summoned by their supervisor, Cinos and Prague would end their private conversation before trotting over toward Torrid. It seemed like Cinos did a somewhat of a good job at calming her down, even though it seemed like she was still skeptical about having Rascal around.
"What is it?" Cinos asked, as Prague skidded to a halt beside him.
"Now that the gangs all here, I've thought of a fun little activity all of you could do." The warrior asked, a grin forming on his face.
"What do you mean?" Prague asked, tilting her head.
"Hunting, of course! Ever since the clan moved to the forest, we have managed to keep our clan somewhat well fed than when we were still living in the gorge." He answered, as the siblings exchanged confused glances at each other. Noticing this, Torrid would groan out loud.
"Oh, come on! Don't be like that. If you manage to catch something this early in your life, it could mean you have potential ready to be exploited." Torrid sighed, after noticing that their expressions didn't falter.
"But we don't know the first thing about hunting!" Rascal cried out, only to be shot down by his sister.
"Oh, speak for yourself! Maybe if you listened to mom, you wouldn't be in this mess!" She'd snap, causing Rascal to lower his head.
"Tell you what. If you manage to catch anything that can be eaten, I'll tell Khan about it. You'll be held in high regard, and will possibly have a chance to be trained by the best warriors!" Torrid said with a smirk. This caught Prague's ear, who unbeknownst to her other siblings, had developed some sort of crush on the battle hardened leader. Rascal didn't share her hidden joy, given this still didn't change the fact that he didn't know how to properly hunt.
"Don't worry Rascal. I'll try to help you out." Cinos said, nudging himself against Rascal who smiled in thanks.
"Try not to go too far. If you can't find anything, then forget about it. Just come back here when you're done; I'll be watching from afar." Torrid added. Nodding in agreement, the trio would trot out of the clearing into the forest beyond. Sticking together however, wasn't going to last long, as Prague was already preparing to ditch the two.
"Prague, where are you going?" Cinos asked, stopping to turn and look at her.
"Obviously I'm not going to find anything hanging around you two; especially him." She replied, sticking her nose in the air.
"But Torrid said we needed to stick together!" Rascal said in fear of something happening to Prague while she was alone.
"He said nothing of the sort!" Prague scoffed. "Besides, if I'm going to catch Khan's attention, then he needs to see me in action when I'm alone!" Prague finished in pure confidence, puffing out her white furry chest with her head held high.
"Good luck." Cinos huffed, nudging Rascal to get his attention. "Come on Rascal, we'll meet her back at the clearing."
Nodding in agreement, Rascal and Cinos would trot deeper into the snow covered forest floor, as Prague went her own way. Thanks to advice from his mother, Cinos had a good idea on how to use his nose and hearing to spot out prey. Rascal on the other hand, had paid no attention to his mother's advice during the time. He didn't think he'd actually need it in future reference. The two had spent a considerable amount of time wandering around, convincing Rascal they wouldn't find anything. This would quickly be shot down however, as a scurrying could be heard nearby - causing Cinos to stop immediately.
"Rascal, keep quiet. I think I hear something." Cinos whispered, his ears flicking back and forth to try and spot out the noise he heard.
"I can't hear anything." Rascal silently whined, earning a quick glare from his more observant brother.
"Just keep quiet, I'll look for it." Cinos ordered, before sneaking off towards whatever had seemingly bothered him. But not even a minute after Cinos had gone of to investigate, curiosity would eventually get the better of Rascal, causing him to quietly follow his brother's pawprints. Besides, if this was prey they were now after, he should probably help out if he wanted to be ask good as his siblings. After spotting his brother, Rascal would take careful note of the position he was in: Cinos's body was low to the ground, as he slowly worked his way toward an unsuspecting saber-toothed squirrel.
After getting close enough, Cinos would pounce forward, unsheathing his claws before swiping violently at the saber-toothed squirrel. Despite hitting it, the little vermin quickly scurried away before Cinos could deliver the finishing blow. Noticing that it was close enough, Rascal would attempt to copy his brother's move by pouncing on it, but instead of using his claws to kill it, he'd attempt to grab it with his teeth. However, as he momentarily pinned the squirrel and bit down, he'd immediately reel back and spit out a patch of fur that he had torn out from the squirrel. As the squirrel began to make a break for it, Cinos: being close enough, would take this chance to finish the squirrel off by pinning it under his weight, and sinking his teeth into its neck to kill it instantly. Letting go of his new and first kill, Cinos quickly looked over towards Rascal with a smile, only for it to turn into a frown after discovering he still didn't have anything except for the patch of fur in front of his paws.
"Come on. There's probably something around." Cinos said, in an attempt to boost his brothers confidence.
"I sure do hope so." Rascal sighed, his head held low in shame. That squirrel was right there! If Prague ever found out about his failure, she'd completely destroy his self-esteem. Rascal needed to prove her wrong before she even had a chance. He could prove that he was just as good as his siblings, maybe even better! Without warning, Rascal would immediately run off in a random direction, causing his brother to be left confused for a split moment.
"R-Rascal, wait!" He yelled after his brother, picking up his kill before running after him.
Torrid sat patiently in the same clearing as before. Prague had made it back with a kill of her own. It wasn't that impressive, but given a mouse was hard to catch, it was worth noting. For a while, the two had to wait for Cinos and Rascal to come back, and while Torrid managed to keep himself occupied by grooming his sandy pelt, Prague was slowly starting to lose her mind.
"Ugh, how long do we have to wait here?" She whined. It was starting to get rather late, and she wanted to return back to the comforts of the camp.
"Until your siblings come back, unless you want to leave them?" Torrid asked, shifting his gaze towards Prague. Wincing at his suggestion, Prague decided not to answer. Even if she said yes, he wouldn't actually go through with it, would she? Fortunately, she wouldn't have a say in the matter, as both Cinos and Rascal trotted into the clearing much to their delight.
"Finally! Where were you?" Prague yelped out in joy, immediately rushing over to Cinos and nudging her head against his chest.
"Sorry, I was trying to find a catch for myself. Rascal beat me to it." Cinos replied, looking over at Rascal. Despite the evidence of a catch being made by Rascal, Prague was a bit skeptical of the sight.
"Seriously? The runt actually caught something?" She asked, looking at the saber-toothed squirrel in Rascal's mouth. Furrowing his brows, Rascal immediately placed down his catch in order to make a retort.
"Mom always said I'd be a good hunter! Who knows, I might even be a strong fighter!" Prague nearly choked in laughter thanks to his ridiculous claim. He wasn't being serious was he? Maybe it was time she put him in his place.
"How about we find out?" Prague asked threateningly, taking a paw step forward. Before she could act on her threat, Torrid would be quick to step between the two. However, he didn't do that to defend Rascal from a possible fight, as he was also a bit suspicious of his supposed catch. After all, aside from his siblings, Rascal never did anything worth noticing. Looking towards Cinos, he'd lean his head down uncomfortably close to his muzzle before sniffing. Once, then twice. Squinting his eyes, he'd lift his head back up again.
"His catch, huh?" Torrid asked. Cinos dipped his head in shame after realising that they had been found out. Prague looked at Rascal for a split moment, before glancing back towards Cinos. Before she could say anything about this as well, Torrid stopped her.
"That'll be enough for now, let's return to camp." Torrid said, before turning tail back towards the direction of the camp. Right before he took a few pawsteps forward, he'd stop in order to shift his gaze towards Cinos.
"I suggest you take back your catch." Torrid said in a threatening tone, before he'd continue to lead the walk. With a small huff, Rascal would drop the saber-toothed squirrel in front of Cinos.
"Sorry brother, I tried." Cinos sighed, as he picked up his kill.
"It's alright. Maybe we'll have another chance." Rascal replied with a worried smile.
After making it back to camp, Torrid would make his way towards Khan's den as the three siblings rushed towards their mother, who waited patiently by the fresh kill pile.
"Mom, look at what I caught!" Prague said, dropping a mouse in front of her mother.
"Oh, that's wonderful! These are a rare to come by in these times!" Lexa praised, licking her daughter on the head in order to congratulate her.
"That's nothing when you compare it to this!" Cinos scoffed, presenting the saber-toothed squirrel. Although she was quite surprised by the catch, worry soon flashed across Lexa's muzzle.
"Oh dear, you didn't catch this by yourself did you?" Lexa asked, trotting around Cinos as if she was looking for something.
"No, Rascal helped me find it." Cinos replied, not wanting all the credit to go over to him. Rascal immediately lowered his gaze to the ground after noticing his mother snap her gaze towards him. She prepared to give him a painfully long speech about how kits his age shouldn't be hunting for saber-toothed squirrels, but thought against it. She'd simply make it short.
"Although this is quite impressive, you could've gotten hurt catching this. Saber-toothed squirrels shouldn't be underestimated, especially when they decide to fight back." Lexa sighed, licking Rascal on the head.
"But you both did good. All you you." She finished with a smile. Before the three could respond to her compliment, a yowl emitting from Khan's den would catch their attention.
"Members of the White Forest Clan old enough to slaughter their enemies, gather around the high rock for a clan meeting!" Khan yowled out loud. Sabers would quickly pour out of their dens to attend the meeting, as Lexa nudged her children towards the high rock. They were old enough to attend, after all.
After making it back to camp, Torrid would make his way towards Khan's den as the three siblings rushed towards their mother. Upon entering the den, Torrid would come face to face with Khan.
"I was just about to leave," Khan informed. "I hope you bring me good news?"
"About the trio of kits you oddly despise, yes." Torrid replied. After receiving a glare from Khan, he continued.
"After gaining permission from Lexa, I took them out on a little hunting trip. Before that happened, Rascal ended up surprise attacking his siblings. It would've been an entertaining thought, had I not thought he was an intruder trespassing in our territory. Anyways, after a few apologies, I was quick to tell them that they had to go hunting. It went well, for the most part: Prague was the first one to come back with a mouse. Cinos and Rascal came back moments later, but only one of them came back with a catch." Although small in importance, this had peaked interest in Khan.
"Who?" He'd ask.
"Cinos. He did however, try to make it seem as if his brother was the one who made the catch. I quickly discovered the truth however." Torrid answered, as Khan chuckled to himself.
"Time and time again, two of Lexa's kin have showed such potential. It will be most interesting to how they do in training." Khan said, his chuckling spree dying down.
"And what of the other one?" Torrid asked.
"I made a promise to myself long before he had to move the clan to the forest, Torrid. Although that promise has changed on my end, I still intend on keeping my own word." Khan said. With that, he'd dismiss Torrid with a flick of his ear before making his way outside to jump on top of his den.
"Members of the White Forest Clan, who are strong enough to to slaughter their enemies, gather around the high rock for a clan meeting!" Khan yowled out loud, his mighty voice causing almost every saber-toothed cat to pour out of their dens towards the high rock, including Lexa and her young.
"It has been far too long, since we have bestowed the honor of becoming an apprentice upon a kit. But today, we break that cycle in the hopes of bringing forth yet another generation! To restore what we once had! Rascal, Cinos, Prague, step forward!" Khan's voice boomed. Eagerly, Cinos and Prague stepped in front of the rock, and although it took a while for Rascal to join them, a little nudge from his mother was all he needed to take his place beside his siblings.
"Unbeknownst to you, all of you have been put through many tests under the supervision of many of my most trusted warriors. Prague, you have shown outstanding a lot of potential when it comes to both hunting and combat. Let us hope, that with proper training you become become the strongest warrior of the next generation!" Khan praised. Prague closed her eyes and puffed out her chest, allowing the pride to wash over her like a wave.
"Cinos, you have been known for being oddly brave during situations other kits your age wouldn't. With how the times are changing, we'll need more sabers with your bravery, especially ones who will be respected. Let us hope this trait will not fade as you grow older." Cinos smiled giddly at the praise. He was going to make a fine warrior, he just knew it!
"As is tradition, you two shall no longer be known as the weak willed kits you once were. From here on out, you shall become the first apprentices appointed in our new territory! Scar shall have the honors of mentoring Prague, while Blackweb will have the honors of mentoring Cinos. We will all watch your progress with great interest." Khan finished. Immediately, the clan cheered the names of the two new apprentices. Although delighted to finally become apprentices, no one would forget about Rascal, who was still waiting patiently to be made an apprentice.
"As for you Rascal, despite having the opportunity like your other siblings, you have barely shown any potential unlike your siblings. You failed to follow in their footsteps, failed to catch a meal for your clan, and failed your clan. You have been a massive disappointment." Khan snarled, as a few snickers and whispers could be heard from the crowd. Lexa lowered her head in defeat. She knew what was coming, but couldn't bear to see it happen. Slipping away unnoticed, Lexa would trot head low towards the warriors den as Khan continued.
"Without a use for the clan, there is no future when you remain a member here. I hereby exile you from White Forest Clan. Torrid shall see that you leave safely without problem. Clan dismissed." With that, Khan jumped down from the high rock, as the other sabers began to disperse one by one. Rascal would quickly attempt to spot out his mother from the dispersing crowd, only to be stopped by Torrid.
"Your mother isn't the exit." Torrid chuckled. Rascal tried to get around the large tom, only to be picked up by the scruff.
"Cinos! Prague! Mom! Help me, please! I don't want to go!" Rascal cried out loud. Prague however, wasn't interested. She had already made her way towards her new mentor. It did seem like Cinos was considering the idea, but one glare from Torrid told him that it wasn't a good idea. Instead, he padded towards his own mentor. For one last time, Rascal tried desperately to find his mother - even calling out for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
As soon as Rascal was taken out of the camp, Khan would trot out of his den before making his way towards the warriors den where he'd find Lexa curled up in a ball. She'd quickly lift her head as soon as she heard him enter.
"I hope you're happy with yourself!" She spat in despair, getting up before backing away from Khan who had a smirk on his face.
"At least it was only one of them, Lexa. Unless you want me to kill one of the other two, I'd say that this was more than fair." Khan said, before trotting out of the den without waiting for a reply. Lexa would once again collapse against the rough bedding. She had obviously been expecting this, yes. But even so, there was no force in the world, that could prepare you for losing your child.
End of Chapter I
Well, here we are. The first (reworked) chapter to the fic.
This surprisingly took a long time for me to write, as I didn't know how I wanted to start it. Because of this, I ended up having to scrap a lot of rough drafts, given I wasn't satisfied with how they began. Nevertheless, after many attempts I ended up with this. Now I'm going to ponder on if I should make the next chapter focus on Rascal, or the other two: Cinos and Prague. Hopefully it won't take me too long to work on.