OMG, I am SO sorry for not writing! Life has just become really busy for me and I've had a writer's block so I couldn't get working on this story. But now I'm back and I'm hoping to be posting on a more regular schedule (Though there will still be quite a few breaks in between, just hopefully not so long ones). Anyways, thanks to those of you who reviewed:
Songmistle: I love the kits you're suggesting! The personalities are very interesting and I really want to include them. The descriptions were also a perfect substitute for another kit I was thinking about but decided not to do. So I'm including my favorite one, but hints of the other one will be hidden in there.
cupidphilia: Thanks so much for supporting this fic, and I'm sorry to keep you waiting so long. Likewise, I love all the names you gave me, and I might not be able to use them all, but there will definitely be one or two that you'll see popping up…
Now, onto the long overdue story:
"Hello, Glowingpaw. Hello, Robinpaw." A light-brown and tabby tom kit, who looked just like his father, spoke.
Glowingpaw must have visited before, for the kits to know her so well, Rowanpaw realized. After all, she was the medicine cat apprentice, and had probably helped at their birth. She should've realized that sooner.
Glowingpaw tipped her head in slight confusion. "But this isn't Robinpaw-'' she started softly, before another one of the young kits cut her off.
"She isn't Robinpaw, you daft furball!" Squeaked the she-kit. "Robinpaw has brown dots all over her. This is Rowanpaw!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know," the tabby tom argued. "It's not like she's ever come here before!"
Another kit came forward toward the front of the nursery. He was another tabby tom, though he was a handsome golden brown, and his blue eyes sparkled, quite different from his sister's, that were pale and icy. He had such an adult expression on his face as he walked up to his siblings that Rowanpaw had to smother a laugh.
"Where are your manors?" the new kit declared. "Sorry, Rowanpaw," he said, now directing it towards the two of them. "My name is Ryekit, the snappy monster she-cat is my sister Volekit, and this brown, dithering fluff-brained thing is my brother Forestkit."
Volekit shot him a withering look. "And where are your manors for not helping Lilackit here?" Finally the last kit arrived, a beautiful tortoiseshell she-kit with haughty amber eyes. Rowanpaw couldn't hold back her amusement for seeing all the four little kits crammed and arguing with each other. Were she and her siblings this ridiculous when they were kits?
Glowingpaw drew the kits away with the promise to teach how to play moss-ball, leaving Rowanpaw alone with Volekit, the only one who opted not to play. The tiny kit seemed impatient for something, though Rowanpaw did not know what. Ugh, she wasn't the one to deal with this type of situation.
"Don't you want to join them?" she asked finally. The silver-white kit shook her head.
"No, it's a childish game, and anyways, I don't like them very much. As you've seen, Forestkit is far from the brightest, and Ryekit always acts polite but he's really a big jerk. Lilackit is ok, but she worships cats like Flowerpool, even though she only came in once, whereas Glowingpaw has visited many times. Oh, and she listens to everything Robinpaw says."
"What does Robinpaw say?" Rowanpaw asked out of curiosity and slight horror.
Volekit screwed up her face in a disgusted expression. "A lot of things, none of them pretty. Now that I think about it, most of them were about you. No wonder Lilackit acted so rude."
Rowanpaw sighed, not surprised by this result. Robinpaw, it was always Robinpaw who did this. Robinpaw really was the one who was causing all the trouble in her family. Though, she was sure her sister would blame it on her imperfectness.
The little she-kit instantly picked up on Rowanpaw's displeasure. "Why?" She asked, her eyes narrowed. "You weren't surprised, you expected it. Tell me why." Rowanpaw tensed, wondering how she could tell a kitten this, no less than Lavenderstripe's kit. If the queen ever found out, Rowanpaw would be dead. Lavenderstripe really didn't like the 'imperfect' Rowanpaw talking to the other young cats. Finally she settled for a response.
"Robinpaw doesn't like me because she's always felt she's better than me," Rowanpaw started before Volekit cut in.
"You mean more perfect?" She asked.
Rowanpaw snorted. "Yes," she said, her yellow eyes narrowed a bit. "Then I got apprenticed to Flowerpool, and Robinpaw really didn't like that." The silvery she-kit was silent for a few beats, letting Rowanpaw hear the wind in the trees and take in the sound of a mossball game, happening not too far away.
Volekit was still thinking, so the apprentice let her gaze wander around. It was fairly empty nearby, the elder's seemed to have gone back to their den, and both the queens had joined Flowerpool's and Amberstorm's discussion. Glowingpaw was still playing with the other kits, and now Echokit and Moonkit were wandering over, looking hopefully at the game before them.
"Flowerpool's all a lie." The young kit said, jerking Rowanpaw's gaze back to her. "She lies and lies and everyone believes her. We're all a brainwashed Clan."
Rowanpaw nodded her head solemnly. "I know." She watched the snappish, silver kit padded away back into the nursery.
Then the realization hit her of what she just said. Had she really just acknowledged Volekit's words? Saying those horrendous things about her mentor? No wonder the whole Clan considered her imperfect. If Flashstar knew about this, she would be dead. Thankfully, Volekit didn't seem like the type to go back to the leader, especially since she had said some nasty things too.
Rowanpaw trodden over to a fern bush and started licking herself methodically, all from the useless training Flowerpool had wasted days and days on. The idea that keeping yourself clean was more important than hunting, that being pretty was more important than protecting your family baffled her. No matter how much a betrayal it was, Rowanpaw knew that Volekit was right. They were a brainwashed Clan.
What would happen if they changed that? She thought suddenly. If we stopped acting like this, stopped acting so perfect? If we were okay with being just normal?
Like that'll ever happen, the voice inside her head smirked. Rowanpaw outwardly sighed.
She knew that the voice was right, and that it could never happen, but some part of her kept hoping.
Over a quarter moon had passed, and Rowanpaw was up bright and early, constantly searching the horizon to make out any shape of Glowingpaw's little body back, returning from the Star Rock, the sacred place medicine cat's went to share dreams with StarClan.
Since her talk with Volekit, she had done a wonderful job of putting all the betraying thoughts in the back of her mind, and focusing extra on her 'perfection' training with Flowerpool, however much it made her want to kill herself. The upside was that it stopped all the awful thoughts from creeping into her mind. It also helped that she hadn't talked with the rebellious kit since.
Finally, she saw two figures making their way towards her and jumped up to go greet them. She saw the older, pale ginger medicine cat leading her pale golden sister into the camp entrance, and saw Glowingpaw's expression light up as she noticed Rowanpaw was standing there.
"How was it!" Rowanpaw asked, after Glowingpaw had finished greeting her.
Glowingpaw opened her mouth to speak, but then the older medicine cat shot her a glare, and she closed it again. "I'm not really supposed to tell…" she started.
"Oh, that's fine," Rowanpaw said quickly, partially to avoid the wrath of Bristlefern and partially because she felt bad for her sister's uncertainty. "I'm just glad that it was good."
"Yeah," Her sister said, clearly relaxing. Rowanpaw smiled.
"So how about you grab a leftover piece of freshkill and head into the den. I'm sure the others will be excited to see you," she suggested.
Seeing Glowingpaw so happy made all of Rowanpaw's worries completely dissolve from her mind. She led the pale she-cat into the Apprentice Den, but while doing so, an idea formed in the russet apprentice's mind. An idea that would either be marvelous, or completely fail.
That was how she was going to stop the family problems. She was going to use the Glowingpaw approach, the kind and caring one that encouraged you to talk. She was going to talk to Robinpaw.
Dun dun duh! How do you think talking to Robinpaw will work? Will it be disastrous? Will it finally be a solution to the problems Rowanpaw is having? Please review with what you think, and also what you think of the vibrant personalities of Lavenderstripe's kits!
I'm not sure when the next post will be, but it shouldn't be too long from now, and I'll try to work on it as quickly as I can!