Chapter 32 "The Incident"
Four moons had passed since the kits were born and now, Deerkit, Mudkit, Blossomkit, and Blightkit were four moons old. Lightclaw had been watching the kits these past few moons, out of concern that Blossomkit and Blightkit would hurt Deerkit and Mudkit, but recently, he noticed that Blightkit was a bit different from her family. Whenever she was outside with her sister, they would play warrior, but when Deerkit and Mudkit were outside, there was a hint of longing in her eyes, and when Snaketooth or Feathershine talk about the slave law and the pros of it, Blightkit would flinch uncomfortably. To be honest, Lightclaw favored Blightkit more than Blossomkit, as she was becoming her parents. Lightclaw knew there was hope for Blightkit, but he worried and scared that one day, he would have to kill Blossomkit, when she was a warrior. Lightclaw hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was what the next generation will become; the cycle would repeat and there would be no change. Lightclaw was in the middle of the clearing, laying in the sunlight and just having a peaceful morning. He could hear Blossomkit and Blightkit coming out of the nursery and were playing mossball, Deerkit and Mudkit left the slave nursery and were playing warrior. Blossomkit noticed this and was annoyed by the sight. She stopped the mossball and stomped over to the two slave kits. The slave kits stopped playing and looked over at Blossomkit.
"You two play something else, why are you two playing warrior anyway, you two will never be warriors." Blossomkit sneered.
Lightclaw opened his eyes and perked up a bit, Blightkit ran over to her sister, panic stretched on her face. She placed her paw on Blossomkit's shoulder.
"Blossomkit, it's fine, just leave them alone, please." Blightkit pleaded.
"No Blightkit, someone has to keep these slaves tamed." She snapped.
"We don't have to listen to you, you're not the boss of us!" Mudkit snapped.
Blossomkit scratched Mudkit's cheek and Mudkit was on the verge of tears.
"Yes I am. One day, one of you scum will become my slave and will do all that I said and if any you slip up, I'll beat you half to death and there will be nothing you can do about it." Blossomkit laughed.
Lightclaw got up and he was furious. Deerkit was comforting Mudkit while Blightkit stared at Blossomkit, horrified. Lightclaw had enough of Blossomkit's snide comments and approached the two kits to knock some sense into them. Deerkit and Mudkit saw Lightclaw approach them and cowered in fear, Blightkit looked over her shoulder and was alarmed. Blossomkit looked at Blightkit, than behind her. Lightclaw stared at Blossomkit with daggers and his teeth was barred. Mudkit and Deerkit had never seen Lightclaw so angry, Blightkit and Blossomkit had never met him, but they had heard of his reputation and that he hated their father. Blossomkit smirked at the angry warrior.
"Well, Well, Well, it's our favorite scum-lover, Lightclaw. You know, my father was right about you, you are just a weak, worthless scum-lover, who protects the slaves when they really should be beaten and killed. Your best friend deserved to die." She mocked.
In a blind rage, Lightclaw smacked Blossomkit with his claws unsheathed and he hit her so hard that she flew a few feet away from the other kits and hit the ground hard. Blightkit, Mudkit, and Deerkit were horrified, Lightclaw stomped over to Blossomkit as she moaned in pain and her cheek was bleeding. As Blossomkit tried to get up, Lightclaw pinned her down with one paw and his claws were unsheathed. Blossomkit looked at Lightclaw with terror as Lightclaw glared at her with daggers and his teeth was barred.
"Listen here and listen well, Blossomkit. I can handle being insulted like that, but if you ever talk to me or anyone like that ever again, then I will shred you to bits until there is nothing left of you, do you understand? DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Lightclaw yowled.
"Y-Yes, Lightclaw." Blossomkit whimpered.
Lightclaw got off of Blossomkit and Blossomkit was getting up.
"Good, now GET OUT OF HERE!" Lightclaw yowled.
Blightkit ran over to her sister and got her on her paws, than they walked away with Blightkit's tail on Blossomkit's shoulder for comfort. Lightclaw watched on, than looked at Deerkit and Mudkit. Both kits stared at Lightclaw with shock. Lightclaw didn't care and walked away. Later, Lightclaw returned to camp from a hunting patrol and approached the fresh kill pile. He dropped the blackbird and squirrel he caught and was about to walk away, but stopped.
"LIGHTCLAW!" a voice yowled.
Lightclaw looked and saw Feathershine approach him and she was furious.
"How dare you hit my own kit, Lightclaw. She's been crying nonstop, all day. When she finally told me what happened, she told me it was you. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Feathershine confronted.
"Yeah, tell your kit to never talk the way she did to me or any other cat in the clan. What she said was not only horrible, but disrespectful. Tell your kit to not act like a foxheart!" Lightclaw hissed.
"Don't you dare criticize my parenting, Lightclaw. You're the one who hit my daughter!" Feathershine snapped.
Lightclaw stood over Feathershine and unsheathed his claws and barred his teeth. Feathershine felt threatened and was about to start a fight.
"What's going on?" a voice asked.
Lightclaw and Feathershine looked and saw Snaketooth approaching them and was confused.
"Lightclaw hit our daughter, Snaketooth." Feathershine meowed.
"WHAT!" he yowled horrified.
Cats came out of their dens to see what was going on. Many were confused, but those that were out were horrified and were worried that there was going to be a fight. Snaketooth and Feathershine were both staring at Lightclaw with daggers and Snaketooth got in front of Feathershine and was nearly touching noses with Lightclaw.
"Listen here, Lightclaw. If you think I'll let you get away with this, think again! If you have a problem with me, fine, but don't you ever take it out on my family, Lightclaw!" Snaketooth hissed.
"Let me be clear on this, Snaketooth. I didn't hit Blossomkit because she was your daughter, I hit her because she was being horrible and disrespectful. Your daughter was acting like a foxheart!" Lightclaw yowled.
"Oh please, Lightclaw. Whatever our daughter said or did, she was speaking her truth." Feathershine retorted.
"That's right. Our daughter said her truth, you've always been a weakling." Snaketooth taunted.
Lightclaw had enough, he was this close to ripping these two cats apart and got into a battle stance; not caring that he was taking on two cats at once.
"What's going on here?" another voice asked.
Snaketooth, Feathershine, and Lightclaw looked and saw Cloudberry approaching them and looked stern. Feathershine, Snaketooth, and Lightclaw looked back at each other and Whitestar and Daisypetal approached the trio.
"Lightclaw hit Blossomkit, Cloudberry." Feathershine spoke.
"I know, Blightkit brought her to me." Cloudberry meowed.
"Is this true, Lightclaw?" Whitestar asked.
"Blossomkit was acting like a foxheart, I was only teaching her…" he meowed.
"That doesn't mean you hit her, I did not raise you to act like this." Whitestar scolded.
"You didn't raise me at all." Lightclaw thought bitterly.
"But I also can't have kits disrespecting warriors either. Feathershine, get Blossomkit and Blightkit, Cloudberry, get Mudkit and Deerkit, and Snaketooth and Lightclaw, I want to see all of you in my den." Whitestar ordered.
Lightclaw started to head towards his father's den as Feathershine left to get Blossomkit and Blightkit, Cloudberry headed towards the slave nursery, and Snaketooth followed Lightclaw to Whitestar's den. Lightclaw knew he was in trouble, he shouldn't have hit Blossomkit like that, but he knew that she shouldn't be talking to cats like that either. However, Lightclaw knew he had to own up to his actions and accept whatever punishment his father would give him.