Chapter 3- Nutkit

A small, dark shape crawled out of a grey blob. Serveral larger dark shapes were dotted on a small peak, their odd cat noises barely heard over the roaring wind. To the owl flying above, all this was irrelevant.

But to Mintkit, it was everything.

Enough that she would risk her life, just for her horrid mother Bluepetal.

Up in the sky, flying at the very boundaries of StarClan itself, the owl did not battle the CaveClan warriors, but the elements of sky and wind. Like a hurricane, the wind barreled into the battered mountains at great speed, sending tiny pebbles raining down the craggy cliffs below. It was merciless, knocking over any object in it's path. In the far distance, illuminated by an eerie blue clap of thunder, a gigantic tree fell onto the ground. A dozen starlings screeched, attempted to fly away, and immediately found themselves blown into the fallen tree trunks. Their chicks chirped in bewilderment and confusion.

The rain lashed like whips at any creature out there, stinging them like a thousand arrows. On and on the storm raged, full of rain, floods, hurricanes and thunder.

A pair of round, stunning amber eyes stood out against the foggy sky, tawny feathers waterlogged and ruffled. If the weather continued like this, it would not be able to fly for much longer, since the water added great weight to it's wings. The desperate bird dived down, it's path swayed greatly by the wind again, and finally found shelter among a few lone trees that were still standing.

However, the MountainClan and CaveClan cats were still fighting, in a place not too far away.

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Mintkit took a deep breath, then took her first step out of the nursery and into battle.

She felt the smooth, icy stone underneath her soft, tender paw pads, and it felt like winter had just burst out unexpectedly during summer. She had grown used to the lovely warmth of the nursery, and had never seen a storm in her short life. Although Bluepetal probably wouldn't care if her kit was left out in the cold, Cliffstar forebode kits and apprentices being outside whenever the weather was extremely severe.

The temperature of the freezing stone stung her, frost seeping into her paw and draining the feeling and heat. A sudden realisation struck her- her entire leg was now numb. How would she put up with this if she was going to find her family? One numb paw was quite enough, let alone all four. Fear entered her mind at the thought of collapsing in the heavy rain, and some warrior finding her motionless dead body laying on a rock somewhere. Or even worse, a CaveClan warrior would find her, and make her suffer before she died, as punishment for just being born in MountainClan.

Mintkit remembered what had happened to Nutkit.

The clap of lightning struck hard against the grassy plains. It jolted many of the sleeping cats awake, the ones that slept in caves and rocks. The sleeping cats of MountainClan.

A youngling, or kit, yawned and stretched, oblivious to the panick forming among her Clanmates. Her name was Nutkit.

She had the richest cinnamon- coloured fur, groomed immaculately by her mother, who was quite a beauty herself. Beauty was a thing that ran in the family, from the oldest family member they could remember, Oatsong, a golden tortoiseshell described as 'a wonder sent down by StarClan' to Nutkit's grandmother, a pretty white thing that glowed with the sky, and Nutkit's mother, Cloudspeckle, not quite as high in the looks as her ancestors, but just as enchanting with her charming, friendly nature. She was nearly an elder herself, and so any beauty she did possess had long since faded away, replaced by greying, matted fur that dulled the gleaming white colour, heavy eyes that no longer sung with the freedom of a warrior, and a rude mouth that scolded one for the littlest of mistakes.

Despite the wondrous gift of beauty and the blessing of appealing personalities from the ancestors, jealously always blooms where greatness sparks. That seed of jealously that poisoned the perfection with toxic emotion was Robinkit, another she- kit from another family line that always waged war on Nutkit's family. It was just tradition, the mistaken tales and lies passed down to Robinkit from older cats related to her, all about how these beautiful cats were really curses sent by Dark from DarkClan to lure toms in and then break their hearts when they were denied as mates, all of them. And so Robinkit was no different. Just as all the cats before her, she was pampered like a kittypet in a hopeless effort to match the prettiness of their enemies, taught the weaknesses, insults and cruel jokes specifically designed to hurt Nutkit's family. None of it was her fault, of course.

Besides, Nutkit wasn't to live much longer, and she was the last of the beauty- blessed kits in her line, the only remaining heir, so Robinkit would never have to continue the long cycle of hatred anyway.

The innocent kit licked her fur happily, seeming not to hear the commotion outside. However, she did hear a long, pain- filled scream which bounced off the walls of her cozy cave, echoing through the entire nursery. As she scampered away to the direction of the voice, sleep forgotten, she bumped hard into another kit, finding herself in a heap on the cold stone floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Nutkit!" The other kit said. They sounded rather upset, their fluffy white tail drooping between their legs. Nutkit grunted and ungracefully heaved herself off the floor, to inspect who she had crashed into.

"Nah, it's fine, Mintkit," she responded with a smile to the younger kit. Mintkit was a good friend of hers, a moon younger but they still got up to all sorts of mischievous activities. Like that time they put bird droppings in Quartzfoot's nest, not just to annoy her, but to get revenge on her when she had yelled at Mintkit when she accidentally tripped over her, not being able to see such a tiny cat when walking. The pair had no idea why Quartzfoot and a few other cats of MountainClan despised her friend, but despite Cloudspeckle ranting on to her that the 'filthy blooded monster' was nothing more than a 'rotten pile of cursed bones and crowfood' and worst of all, 'my precious kit can't be touched by such a disgusting fleabag,' she continued to defend Mintkit no matter what insults were thrown her way.

Mintkit watched Nutkit, who was sitting there thoughtfully, occasionally twitching her tail. "Uhhh... Nutkit?" she asked awkwardly, startling her. "Yeah, sorry, just thinking..." the cinnamon kit replied. "You know how Quartzfoot cuffed your ear super hard this morning? Well, I don't want her to get away with that."

"Of course I remember that..." the silver kit frowned, her ears flattening in fear. "Quartzfoot is super scary when she's angry. I don't think that queens are even allowed to cuff kits that hard! You'd have thought that the bird dropping trick was enough."

Nutkit gave her a friendly lick. "Hey, exactly! So, I had an idea. We sneak out to the Ring of Boulders, but instead of bird droppings, we can get those owl pellets. They're even worse, since they reek and those bones inside them will give her a good scratch when she sits down!"

The two troublesome kits grinned, their eyes lighting up as they always did when they formulated these plans to get long- awaited revenges on the most loathsome of cats. But before any more excitement could take place, a shrill, furious voice rang through the cave.

Bluepetal burst into the space they were in, panting heavily, eyes narrowed into slits. "Goodness, there you are, you mousebrained kit!" she grumbled, then she spotted Nutkit and softened her gaze. "Now, now, Nutkit, I don't blame you of course. Mintkit has been filling your head with all sorts of schemes, hasn't she? I'll just sort my daughter out, then we'll get you back to Cloudspeckle, alright sweetie?" the quuen simpered, giving her a brief lick on the head. Nutkit flinched away from the touch, infuriated that this horrible she- cat dare fawn over her like this, while she treated her own kit like dirt.

"No, it's fine, Bluepetal," she gave a fake smile, putting on an innocent, charming face. "I'll find Cloudspeckle myself, I wouldn't want to waste any of your precious time!" she spat out the last part. Bluepetal only ever spent her time scolding Mintkit and grooming the others.

Although the queen looked slightly confused at such a high- born kit's behaviour, she let it go with a small smile and a nod, and the moment Nutkit had left the cave, she turned her attention back to her daughter, who was now quietly whimpering against the dark wall, dreading what was to come.

As Nutkit reached the entrance tunnel of the nursery, she let her smile drop into a deep frown. She wasn't going to her mother at all. What she was going to do was find those owl pellets, and when she got back, she wasn't going to put them in Quartzfoot's nest, she would put them in Bluepetal's nest, a nasty surprise for a nasty cat.

She was about to place her paw outside when another scream, this one sounding young and terrified, a kit's scream, pierced her ears. Only one thought filled her mind as she sprinted as fast as she could towards the room she had just left. Mintkit.

"You horrible kit!" Nutkit managed to slow herself down by the entrance to Mintkit's cave just in time, as Bluepetal yelled accusations at her. "I needed your help when Quartzfoot was kitting, but you didn't come! What kind of kit are you, thinking you can lazily take the day off and skip work?"

"W- well, then, how come Nutkit and the other kits don't have to do work?" Mintkit dared to stutter, glaring defiantly at her mother.

This statement was met by a hard slap to the forehead, causing the kit to yelp in shock and pain. "How dare you say such things! A kit with only one moon of age should not even think about such insults and rudeness!"

Nutkit just managed to refrain herself from hissing. Bluepetal... she wished she had the confidence to stride up to the queen and give her as many slaps as she had ever given Mintkit, and put an end to her reign of terror. But Cloudspeckle would punish her, and who would listen to a young kit like her?

So, as much as she wanted to confront her there and then, she forced herself to turn away from Mintkit's loud sobbing, followed by the sound of slapping and fearful yowls. It would all be over soon, if Nutkit's plan went well.

When she poked her glossy head out of the nursery entrance, she was surprised by the amount of chaos going on, since she hadn't heard the lightning or commotion. The young kit stared in bewilderment as the warriors scurried restlessly around camp, some pacing in circles and others worriedly looking at the sky.

What in StarClan was going on? Careful not to be seen, she stalked over to a group of gossiping warriors, all of them looking extremely concerned. Maybe she could gather useful information from them. She concealed herself behind a jagged rock, ears pricked up eagerly.

"I'm telling you, Wingflight, that was no ordinary lighting! Besides, Rosebloom thinks it's a sign from StarClan," a small light brown she- cat insisted.

Wingflight raised her head in disdain, tucking her white tail neatly under her paws. "Pah! Rosebloom is only an apprentice, she hasn't even completed her training yet!" This response was met by many growls and snorts of disbelief.

"Rosebloom is a fine member of MountainClan, and she'll make a perfect medicine cat!" A pretty silver she- cat snapped back. "Be careful what you say now, Wingflight."

"You know what I think about medicine cats," Wingflight glared back. "Stupid creatures, spending their days lazing around, sorting useless plants while the rest of us warriors risk our lives out in the wilderness fighting and hunting. The title of medicine cat is only for low- born cats, not respected warriors like us."

What did she mean? Nutkit was now even more confused by this she- cat gossip. Why would Wingflight hate Rosebloom? The young medicine cat was kind to everyone, and was talented at healing. It was only a matter of time before Skyflower passed away, and there couldn't have been a better cat to take her place.

"Watch your tongue, you could be exiled for insulting such a high ranking cat!" the small light brown she snarled.

Wingflight, who Nutkit was beginning to dislike almost as much as Quartzfoot, ignored this threat and began licking her light grey fur. "Never mind, idiotic cats like you would never understand. I'd love to keep chatting to all you mousebrains, but I can't afford to damage my reputation now, especially since I'm so close to getting an apprentice. Oh, and did I mention that Cliffstar is also considering making me deputy?" she gave a high- pitched laugh, a wide smirk on her face. "Sorry, gotta go- I've been invited to spend some time with the senior warriors."

With that, the rude cat promptly left the group of warriors and strutted over to a cluster of muscular toms, all of whom were reputable warriors in the Clan. Nutkit looked appalled by what she had just heard, but stayed nestled in her hiding spot to see if the remaining cats had anything more to say.

"Well, I've never seen such a cat in my life!" One remarked, looking thoroughly surprised.

"Enough talk about that foxdung," a pretty silver she- cat snarled. "We should be more concerned about Skyflower! She's the one who was struck by lightning!"

The light brown cat shifted slightly, a troubled expression on her face. "Silverstone is right. Our medicine cat is old, and it was a good deal of bad luck that she was struck by lightning. At her age, I doubt she can live to see the sunrise."

"What if it's a sign?" Another cat asked, eyes wide.

Silverstone stared thoughtfully at the sky, where the bolt of lightning had struck Skyflower just an hour ago. "It could be. After all, we've never had a cat been struck by lightning in all of MountainClan's history. Maybe StarClan are trying to tell us something."

The cat opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment a shocked yell came from the medicine cat's den. "Skyflower is awake!"

Murmurs and whispers formed in the group as they watched many warriors pushing and shoving, trying to view what was going on. "Argh! Stop pushing me!" Several shouts and yelps of annoyance were heard from the crowd.

"Silence!"

The crowd immediately fell quiet, and any sound ceased to exist. Cliffstar himself had come to sort the problem, standing tall upon the Highboulder and staring with clear disapproval in his eyes. "Silence, all of you," he rasped. Every cat gazed up at him in suspense, wondering what he would say next.

Their leader glanced uneasily at the medicine cat den. "As you may have heard," he began, "Skyflower is indeed awake." A few warriors began shuffling towards the den, but were quickly stopped by a glare from Cliffstar. "This simple fact does not require any form of disorder, fighting or desperation from my Clan. Odd events may have taken place, but it is a matter for the leaders, medicine cats and senior warriors to discuss. Please continue with the patrols as usual." With that, he slid smoothly down from the boulder and headed towards Skyflower's den. Huffing with annoyance, the other warriors retreated back to their dens or the few sunny spots in the camp.

The storm clouds were fading, to be replaced with warm golden light that leaked through the grey sky. For a moment, Nutkit allowed herself to bathe in the warmth, then quickly zipped through the rocks to follow Cliffstar. This sign was bound to be interesting, and when she returned home from her trip to the Ring of Boulders, she could tell Mintkit everything she had discovered.

Breathing in the cool, sweet air, she slipped through the small crack into the den, golden- brown eyes scanning intently for Skyflower. There she was, laying limp in a nest of moss, the only signs of life being her twitching white tailtip and eyelids that fluttered open to reveal pain- filled blue eyes.

When Cliffstar entered, Rosebloom looked up from where she was gently nosing her mentor's patchy white fur. "I don't think I can save her, Cliffstar," she murmered sadly, her glittering golden gaze shining with grief. "I'm sorry. I know you were very close."

"I don't blame you, Rosebloom," The old leader sighed, waving his paw in the air. "Like Wingflight said earlier, she only had about a moon left to live anyway. Even so, she will be a great loss to our Clan." He bent down to share tongues with the dying she- cat, who purred in her croaky voice with appreciation.

Rosebloom's eyes darted around nervously, almost as if she were in trouble. Nutkit watched her curiously, absent- mindedly wrinkling her nose at an unusual scent that wafted through the air. Cliffstar hadn't noticed, too busy accompanying Skyflower in her last moments.

Cautiously, the medicine cat apprentice backed out of the den, not through the entrance that lead to camp, but through a tiny gap in the cave that lead to the small patch of woodland where she collected herbs. Without a second thought, Nutkit sprang after her, excited for some action.

The red cat walked all the way to a grasssy clearing, surrounded by pretty roses and willowy trees. Nutkit gasped as she saw a second cat enter the clearing, a black tom who carried an unfamiliar scent. Purring with happiness, Rosebloom leaned forward to nuzzle the tom, who gave her a quick lick between her ears. "Shadowstalker!" she mewed in a scolding tone, though she had a teasing look in her eyes. "You were lucky I was the only cat to scent you. Cliffstar was distracted with Skyflower. If you want to see me, you shouldn't come so close to camp!"

"I know, Rosebloom," the tom grinned. "But I just couldn't resist." Nutkit watched on in horror and disbelief as they continued to groom each other. A medicine cat, sharing tongues with an enemy warrior! But what Shadowstalker said next was even worse.

"How are the kits doing?" he asked, gazing fondly at Rosebloom's belly. She smiled in response. "Oh, quite well, though they won't be born for a good few moons. Honestly, I'm surprised no cat has noticed yet."

Now that Nutkit thought about it, Rosebloom had been looking quite plump recently. However, no one would dare accuse such a high ranking cat of breaking the warrior code like this.

"StarClan must favor us," he murmured. "We have been blessed with kits, and our relationship remains a secret."

Nutkit felt slightly sick now. So, they were mates. It seemed impossible. Her mind reeling with all of this newfound knowledge, she stumbled slightly, tripping over a flat stone. And to her horror, she came tumbling right into the clearing, directly under the shocked gaze of this couple.

Shadowstalker was the first to react, unsheathing his long, sharpened claws. "Who is this kit?" he snarled, baring his fangs ferociously at the quivering heap of cinnamon fur. He then whirled on Rosebloom in a flurry of black fur. "Did you bring it here?" he questioned her angrily.

Nutkit shivered in terror under the hateful gaze of these two cats, wondering what was to happen to her. Rosebloom would surely let her go, since she was a nice cat, from what she had heard. But that Shadowstalker looked absolutely vicious. She wouldn't be surprised if he killed her there and then, despite the fact that killing kits was against the warrior code.

Rosebloom nervously groomed her mate's ruffled fur. "No, Shadow," she whispered soothingly. "None of us brought this kit here. Calm down."

"But she could tell the Clans!" he exclaimed. "Our future would be ruined!"

At this, the medicine cat glanced regretfully at Nutkit. "I suppose that's true. But it isn't her fault that she stumbled upon us. Technically, we are the ones breaking the warrior code."

A flicker of hope leapt in Nutkit's eyes, which were pleading golden pools at this point. Shadowstalker seemed to consider her words, before brushing past her and leaning threateningly over Nutkit.

"Listen here, kit," he hissed into her face. "I don't know who you are and how you found us, but tell anyone about this, and I'll rip your fur off. Understand?"

Nutkit nodded fearfully, as his claw was placed carefully on her throat. "Sh- Shadowstalker, what are you doing?" Rosebloom stuttered, afraid of what might happen to the kit.

"I'm doing what I should have done when this piece of foxdung first interfered with me," he replied, though his gaze still remained on the kit. The anger on his face faded away, to be replaced by a sickeningly disturbing grin, full of menacing fangs. "It's time to meet StarClan, kit!" he laughed, as he slashed his claw through Nutkit's throat. She screamed in agony, as Rosebloom cried out for her mate to stop.

The concept of death had never really occurred to her before. Of course, she knew how it happened, who was capable of doing it, but her own death had always seemed unimaginable. Yet now, she was not in the fantasy daydream she had been in as a younger kit, warmed by sunshine and giggling away with friends. She was exposed to the true hardships, the cruelty, the harshness of Clan rivalry. Her body convulsed violently, as more and more blood spurted from her throat wound.

"Shadowstalker, no! She's just a kit!" she barely managed to hear Rosebloom cry out. However, he didn't seem to hear her, stuck in the terrible act of murdering a kit.

He mercilessly slashed long gashes through her beatly groomed fur, and the look in his eyes showed he was enjoying every bit of it. The mess he had made of the beautiful kit was astonishing, as she was now no more than a pile of bloody fur. If she has been in a better state, she might have been able to scent the incoming MountainClan cats, but she was in too much pain.

"Shadowstalker, we need to leave, now!" Rosebloom shook his shoulder urgently, but he simply didn't care. Faced with the choice to either stay with her bloodthirsty mate or flee, she dived into the bushes, scampering away out of sight.

Nutkit didn't hear the patrol screaming insults at her killer, she didn't hear the slashing of claws or snarls of battle. She didn't hear the terrible cries of her clanmates when they came across her battered body, or the wails of grief of her mother, who helplessly licked her bloodstained fur.

She didn't hear Mintkit, who screamed out her despair as she went to nose at her best friend's fur. Nutkit was forever dead, and on her way to join StarClan.

Mintkit remembered her best friend so vividly, her best friend who had always supported her, always played with her, always there for her. She remembered the horrible shock she felt when the patrol returned with her mangled body. But the truth was that she was gone, dead, and if Mintkit wasn't careful tonight, she would be next.

Of course, she didn't know that Nutkit had stumbled on a few secrets during her little escape, only that the CaveClan cat was found brutally killing her. It was a lesson to all the kits in the nursery, who came out to gape at her corpse that fateful day.

She did her best to ignore the lashing rain and biting wind, the frosty cold that dulled her senses. A trail of fresh blood was drying on the smooth rocks, and she gave an inward shudder at the thought of what might have happened to the poor cat.

She entered the central part of the camp, horrified at the strong stench of blood and fear- scent. MountainClan cats ruthlessly tore at the fur of the CaveClan cats, who one by one began to scamper away and retreat from the camp. Her Clan was winning, that was for sure. But that did not mean that her family was safe.

A familiar yelp cut through the damp, stormy air, almost lost to all the other screams and yowls of other cats. Mintkit recognised it instantly. It was the voice that always scolded her, yelled at her, mistreated her as she grew up. It was Bluepetal.

She was struggling furiously under the paws of a lean black tom, who ripped out huge chunks of her soaked fur, and went in for a killing bite. Mintkit jumped onto the back of her enemy, ignoring the fact that she was a tiny, untrained kit and this was a fully- fledged warrior.

The warrior hissed, irritated by the tiny kit attatched to his back. Distracted, he loosened his grip slightly on Bluepetal, who twisted free and sprinted away to the safety of the nursery, not even bothering to care for the safety of her own kit.

Mintkit yowled as the warrior pulled her sharply away, flinging her towards the jagged rocks. She landed painfully, scratching her white fur in several places.

Her enemy had shadowy, abyss- like eyes, she realised. He reminded her slightly of Dark, the terrible killer that haunted kits forever. But then she remembered where she had seen those eyes before.

"Y- you!" she choked out. "You were the one who killed Nutkit!"

He twisted his head, staring daggers at Mintkit. "Oh, that little scrap. She died a long time ago. What of her, anyway?"

His careless, casual tone angered her even further. Nutkit had been the most loyal friend any cat could ask for. "She was my friend!" she yowled, louder than the storm. "She was my friend, and she was a far better cat than you could ever be!"

She watched him through grief- filled eyes, the memory still fresh in her mind. The CaveClan cat snarled, and leapt straight at her, but she nimbly dodged, fleeing back to the nursery. It was not time for her to join Nutkit yet.

Her attacker had clearly ran off to put misery into another cat's life, since he was nowhere to be seen. Sadly, Mintkit padded with low spirits into the warm nursery cave. At least she had saved her mother's life, but she had failed to save Nutkit, and possibly many more casualties that were to come in this battle.