WARNING! This story contains many spoilers through the Warriors series, read at you own risk. That's all.

Chapter 6

Brackenfur stared at the white kit. He noticed the small kit walking around, attacking stray leaves and playing with Bramblekit and Tawnykit. The tom knew something wasn't right about Snowkit.

"Hey, kits, wanna hear a secret." Brackenfur asked them.

Bramblekit and Tawnykit raced over, Snowkit seemed confused. Slowly but surely he followed the two other kits.

Brackenfur was trying to think up of something exciting to tell them. "I wanted to tell you…" he paused for a moment. "That um- that you'll be great warriors!"

"That's not a surprise. I know I'm going to be the best warrior around." Bragged Tawnykit.

The two disappointed kits walked back to the nursery. "Some secret." Bramblekit shrugged. Brackenfur didn't care about what they said, he was focusing on Snowkit. The kit seemed absolutely clueless.

"It's s'all cools." The young kit meowed. It was very distorted and hard to understand. Then the kit trotted off back to his mother.

"Something's wrong. Maybe he can't talk correctly." Brackenfur mumbled to himself.

Suddenly he heard a squeal. Bramblekit had him pinned to the ground. Fireheart dashed up and began to yell at Fireheart. After the large brown kit got off Snowkit sat up. He seemed confused and scared, Speckletail came up to comfort him.

Fireheart and Speckletail were talking for a few moments, then the young tom turned. He noticed Brackenfur pacing back and forth.

"Is there a problem?" he asked Brackenfur.

"I don't know." The golden-brown tom replied. "It's just I saw what happened there, with Speckletail's kit, and--"

"You're not going to tell me I was too hard on Bramblekit, are you?"

"No, Fireheart, of course not. But…well, I think there might be something wrong with Snowkit."

"Go on." Fireheart urged.

"I've been keeping and eye on him," Brackenfur explained, he had an embarrassed look on his face, feeling a bit nervous. "I…I sort of hoped Bluestar might choose me to mentor him, and I wanted to get to know him. And I think there's something the matter with him. He doesn't ever play like the others. He doesn't seem to respond when any cat talks to him. You know kits, Fireheart—noses into everything—but Snowkit's not like that. I think Cinderpelt ought to have a look at him."

"I suggest that to Speckletail and practically got my ears clawed."

Brackenfur shrugged. "Maybe Speckletailwon't admit there could be anything wrong with her kit."

"Leave it with me," the young ginger tom meowed. "I'll have a word with Cinderpelt. She'll find a way of taking a look at the kit without upsetting Speckletail."

"Thanks, Fireheart." Brackenfur was relieved.

"Meanwhile," Fireheart meowed. "can you lead the evening patrol? Ask Mousefur and Brindleface to go with you."

Brackenfur straightened up. "Sure, Fireheart," he replied. "I'll go and look for them now." Brackenfur trotted off with his tail high, but before he could go far he heard Fireheart speak to him again.

"Oh, and Brackenfur, when Snowkit is ready, I'll speak to Bluestar about letting you mentor him."

Brackenfur nodded and trotted off.

It had been a few days. Brackenfur was just returning from Sunhigh patrol. He saw Cinderpelt speaking with Fireheart, the two were staring at the nursery. Cinderpelt walked off towards her den, Brackenfur followed.

"Hey, Cinderpelt." He greeted.

"Hey there, Brackenfur. How was patrol?" she mewed.

"Good, nothing new." He quickly responded. "Hey, were you and Fireheart talking about Snowkit?"

"Yeah." She seemed to be disappointed.

"Can I be his mentor?" Brackenfur asked excitedly.

"Well, you see, SNowkit is deaf. We did a few tests and he doesn't respond to voices. I'm afraid he'll never become a warrior."

Brackenfur wasn't that surprised. But he was disappointed. He was looking forward to having an apprentice and he though Snowkit was the right one. He sighed.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry. Maybe Bramblekit or Tawnykit will be your apprentice." Cinderpelt nudged her brother's shoulder lightly with her nose.

She signaled a good-bye with her tail and trotted off to her den. Brackenfur was quite disappointed. He went to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a mouse, he gnawed on it trying to keep his mind off of Snowkit.

Then next day, Brackenfur was making his way towards the fresh-kill pile when suddenly he saw a hawk overhead. Snowkit was playing around in the center of camp.

"Hawk!" Whitestorm yelled.

Bramblekit and Tawnykit scurried towards their mother. Speckletail meowed and mewoed for her son but he did not respond.

"Run Snowkit!" Brackenfur yelled at the top of his lungs but the kit did not respond. He was prepared to launch himself towards the kit when suddenly the hawk swooped down and grabbed the young kit by its talons.

"My kit! My kit! My kit!" Speckletail yelled.

Snowkit screamed for help. Speckletail jumped up and clawed the hawk's leg, but he scratched her face with its talons and made Speckletail lose her grip. Fireheart was trying to get the hawk but the bird was too high.

The hawk disappeared behind the trees. Brackenfur dashed across camp, he chased after the hawk. He ran through the forest with all his strength, but he was losing sight of the hawk.

"This is pointless, we all he's a goner." A voice meowed from behind him. Brackenfur glanced back. It was Swiftpaw.

"We can still try to catch him." Brackenfur meowed with a hopeful tone.

"The hawk probably already crushed that weakling with its massive talons."

Brackenfur shrugged. "Just try to be positive." And with that, he darted out of the forest. The hawk was heading towards Snakerocks. It perched itself on a rock, laying Snowkit next to it.

"Come on!" Brackenfur yelled. Seiftpaw wasn't far behind. The two cats darted for the bird, Seiftpaw tackled it but the bird squawked and used its large wings to fly away. Snowkit laid there motionless.

"He's dead. This was a waste of him, let's go." Suwiftpaw mewed.

"We should at least bring his body back to camp." Just as Brackenfur was about to grab the kit's body, the mad hawk swooped down, injuring Brackenfur's leg. The golden-brown tom fell off the rock. Swiftpaw lunged at the bird but it got away and it took Snowkit's body.

"You feather-brain!" Swiftpaw spat. "You okay?" he looked over at Brackenfur.

"Yeah." He sighed. If only he was faster, maybe he could've saved Snowkit's life. The two cats made there was back to camp. They saw Fireheart, Brackenfur told him that the hawk got away.

After that, Brackenfur went over to Cinderpelt's den.

"The hawk got him." He mumbled to Cinderpelt.

The dark gray she-cat walked out of the den. She felt a pang of sympathy for Brackenfur. He tried so hard yet he was unsuccessful.

Cinderpelt tended to his wounds. After that he went to go curl up in the warriors' den and took a nap.

After that, Tawnypaw was his apprentice. That didn't last too long. She decided to go off to Shadowclan. Brackenfur didn't seem to have much luck with apprentices.

Poor Brackenfur, luck just doesn't seem to be on his side. Next chapter: Bloodclan...intense...lolz.