The next morning I was awoken by an attack.
I was jolted awake by the sharp pain of claws tearing into my pelt. I jumped up, immediately awake, and turned to see the grinning muzzle of Blackfur.
Without thinking, I lept at him, hissing and unsheathing my claws.
Luckily, my father wasn't expecting my attack, and was not able to dodge in time, because I slashed viciously at him and felt my claws sink into something soft and squishy.
Blackfur let out a yowl of anger and pain, swinging his head, making me fly off of him and land a few tail-lengths away.
Slowly I stood and looked towards him. He stood there for a second, panting, before he looked up and I gasped.
My father's face was fine except for the fact that his right eye was torn and bloody. I immediately knew that I had just permanently half-blinded my own kin.
He bared his teeth at me and glared at me with his one yellow eye slitted in anger and hatred.
I immediately ran.
At this point, I did not know where I was going. I didn't even care. All I knew was that I had to get away from this murderous black cat.
The smells around me were slowly becoming more unfamiliar as I ran. I knew that I was running into new territory. I was going into Rubyclan's territory.
I looked behind me and saw that my dad was gaining ground on me, and fast. I willed myself to go faster. If I valued my life, I had to escape.
I weaved through the trees, the forest passing me in a blur. At this point, I had to have been running faster than a twoleg monster.
I pelted through the forest, my fear both feeling my sprint, and distracting me from watching where I was running. Because of this, I did not see the badger set in front of me, and I stumbled over it, breaking my right hind leg.
I fell, tumbling over myself and rolling until I hit a tree.
By time I finally got myself back together, I was cornered. Blackfur loomed above me, his large muscular form looking very menacing against the light of the rising sun.
"Finally" He mewed smoothly. ,"I've finally caught up to my little kit. You've grown faster, but why are you running from your father?"
He raised his paw, ready to strike when a brown blur suddenly barreled into him, knocking him down.
The brown cat stood, holding Blackfur down.
"Blackfur! What are you doing in Rubyclan territories!" Hissed the brown cat angrily.
"Hunting." Blackfur purred simply with an innocent grin. ,"And I was just about to finish off my prey."
"A kit is not prey." Growled the she-cat bluntly.
"My kit, my rul-" Blackfur began before he was interrupted.
"Blackfur, leave my territory. Now. Before I kill you like I said I would last time I caught you on our territory."
Blackfur chuckled.
"My dear Wickerstar. You wouldn't kill me. You're too weak and cowardly for that." He meowed tauntingly.
"I am not weak! Unlike you and your disgraceful leader I don't just kill for no reason. I would never kill unless I have to." Wickerstar spat.
"Exactly. That's why your clan is weak. Because you're weak." He purred.
Growling angrily, she takes her hind claws along his belly, causing Blackfur to yowl in agony.
Wickerstar stepped up off of Blackfur, and with one last contempt look at me, he turned and retreated back to Onyxclan.
With a growl of good riddance to the fleeing black furred cat, Wickerstar turned to me and leaned down.
I cowered from her, my fur bristling. She may have just saved my life, but I was still a cat from another clan that was on her territory.
The light brown she-cat chuckled slightly at my defensive reaction.
"Don't worry kit" She purred gently. "I wouldn't hurt you. Not in the state that you're in. You need some help. Here, let me take you to Rubyclan so that my medicine cat can heal your leg. Can you walk at all?"
In response, I tried to stand, but felt my broken leg buckle under my weight. I Hissed in pain as I flopped back onto the leaf-strewn ground.
Letting out a gentle mrrow of laughter, Wickerstar picked me up by my scruff and walked through the forest, deeper into Rubyclan territory.
As we walked, the trees and undergrowth grew thicker, and soon the plants were so thick, it was impossible to get through without losing a bit of fur. Despite this, I smelled cats, and lots of them, all reeking of the scent of Rubyclan.
Wickerstar walked around the border until she came to a stream made tunnel in the side of the mountain that was part of the territory that was just big enough for two cats side by side.
She went through, and pushing through the curtain of moss on the other side, we entered Rubyclan camp.
The camp was bustling with life. Cats were walking around and talking to other cats. Many of them were eating fresh kill or sharing tongues.
I looked around the camp in amazement. I'd never been inside Rubyclan territory before. The camp looked a bit more than a half circle. The border was made up of the oak trees that surrounded most of the camp, and the mountainside where we came into the camp from.
To the left of the entrance, there was a small tunnel where a large grey furred cat with a black head and yellow eyes just emerged from. The cat stretched, its strong muscles rippling under its coat. From the way he looked, he was probably a warrior.
On the other side of the warriors den there was another tunnel bordered by thorny bracken that I, at first, thought might have been the apprentices den, until two kits who looked no older than 3 moons tumbled out of the tunnel while they were play fighting. Their possible mother, a fluffy white queen, poked her head out of the tunnel and called to them, ushering them back inside.
I looked to my other side at a large bush that had grown just inside the camp. The inside seemed to have been cut away to make space for the apprentices that stayed in there. As I looked over there, a young black cat with a wide white stripe going from its head to its tail came out next to a cat with light golden fur. They both stopped when they saw Wickerstar and then looked at me.
Embarrassed, I looked away at the other side of the clearing. On the other side was a circle of large boulders with a small bush and some moss growing across the top of them. There was a large gap in between the two rocks in the front and I could see some cats in there and hear their arguments. That had to be the elders den.
In front of me, I could see a giant Boulder which was obviously this clan's meeting area. Under it, I could see another little den carved out that was clearly the leader's den. To the right of the leader's den, next to the apprentices den, there was a bush in front of a boulder. The bush was hollowed out in the same way that the apprentices den was, and I could only guess that the boulder had a den carved out of it as well for the medicine cat and their herbs.
Soon enough, we got to the other end of the clearing. As we approached the medicine cats den, I noticed that there was a large reddish-brown cat who was staring at me, his green eyes suspicious.
My fur instinctively fluffed up slightly in defense, as if that cat would yank me out of Wickerstar's jaws and kill me.
Wickerstar entered the medicine cat's den and gently placed me down on a soft bed of leaves.
"Greenmane!" Wickerstar meowed into the large crack in the boulder. ,"I've got a kit with a broken leg for you to deal with."
For a few heartbeats, there was no answer, until a large black and grey cat who smelled of catmint padded out from inside the boulder.
The elderly tom looked at Wickerstar.
"A kit with a broken leg eh? Was 'e playing with one of those roughhousing apprentices?"
Wickerstar shook her head. ,"No, This kit was being chased by Blackfur."
The Medicine cat tilted his head slightly in confusion.
"Wha, Blackfur? You mean, Foxstar's deputy? Why was 'e traumatizing a kit?" He meowed inquisitively. It was then that The cat looked at me.
He took a long look at me then leaned down and sniffed me.
"Well i'll be." He meowed in surprise. ,"I know you. Why, you were just a wee kit when I first met ya. Your Tigerstripe's kit, 'aint ya."
I said nothing, too startled by the things that were happening at the moment to answer.
"Well kit? Ya 'aint mute, Ah, ya know what? I'll leave ya be for now. Let's see that leg, shall we?" He chuckled as he leaned down to inspect my leg.
As he did, Wickerstar turned around and walked towards her den, where the cat from earlier joined her and whispered something in her ear with a glance back at me.
I sat in the nest slightly uncomfortable because of the fact that I was in an enemy camp. I looked to my left and saw that there was a pretty calico who had cobwebs pressed onto multiple bite and claw marks on her back.
"That's Rosetail. She was attacked by a savage loner down by the lake." The medicine cat aid suddenly.
I jumped slightly and looked at him. He must have seen me looking at rosetail.
"A timid thing she is. Shame that a loner would just out and attack an elder like that." He sighed.
He suddenly stood and looked around. ,"Where's that good-for-nothing apprentice gone off to? The mouse-brain probably went off with his friends even though he knows that there are sick cats who need his help." He grumbled as he padded out of the den.
I watched as the cat trotted lazily through the tunnel that lead out of the camp.
As soon as he left, Wickerstar padded in once more and looked at me.
"What's your name kit?" She asked gently.
I just stared up at her without speaking.
"Don't worry kit. I won't hurt you. I just want to know what to call you while you are here.
I gulped. ,"Before I left Onyxclan, I was Darkkit. After that, my mom called me Nights."
Wickerstar looked at me for a second before meowing gently ,"Nights. Well, then nights. Seems like you will be staying here for awhile while you heal."
I nodded, and watched as she turned to walk away.
"Wickerstar?" I said as she stepped out of the den.
She turned her head to look back at me. ,"Yes Nights?"
"Can you keep it a secret that I'm an Onyxclan cat? I don't think that any cat would like it if they knew that you were helping an
Onyxclan cat."
She nodded, then turned away once more, and walked away.
I put my head back down to wait for the medicine cat, but I immediately jumped up when I heard a slight hiss from my left.
Rosetail was staring at me angrily. ,"I knew I smelled that clan. Why are you here? Why did Wickerstar bring you here? You're a spy for them, aren't you? You're here to kill us all!" She growled accusingly, tilting her ears back and baring her fangs.
The slender calico slowly stood, her claws unsheathing.
"Your clan took my kit! He was going to be a warrior, and Foxstar stole him!" She hissed.
Suddenly, she launched at me, flying towards me with sharp claws, and ruthless hostility in her eyes.
I scrambled away with a cry of fear, using my three usable legs to drag myself away from the attacking she-cat.
I felt her claws rake the fur of my flank violently. She'd missed.
I struggled to get out of the den, but I couldn't make it in time. Rosetail was on top of me, pinning me down just like how blackfur did.
My heart racing, I did the only thing I could think of. I unsheathed my own claws and attacked the elder, raking my claws across her snout.
She paused, surprised that I'd retaliated, and I used that to push my tiny kitten hind claws across her belly.
She flinched slightly, but didn't move away. Her eyes blazing, she leaned down to sink her teeth into my throat, but before she could, a Grey-black blur barreled into her side, knocking her off of me.
The medicine cat had come back and was holding Rosetail down, hissing angrily. ,"What do you think you're doing? Attacking a kit? And a wounded one at that! Get back over there and rest! Now!"
"But Greenmane, that is a shadowclan kit! Why is it here? We need to get-"
"Mouse-Brain!" Greenmane interrupted. ,"This kit needs help, and by starclan I will help her! Now go!"
He let Rosetail up, and, obviously unwilling to continue arguing, walked back over to her nest without another word.
Greenmane turned back to me.
"Now...uhh, what's your name?" He asked me.
"N-Nights." I meowed shakily.
"Nights, eh? Well, I am Greenmane. And this," He flicked his almost non existent tail to bring forward a sandy brown cat who looked like he was an apprentice. ,"Is Wolfpaw."
"I'm training to become a medicine cat!" Wolfpaw Meweled excitedly.
Greenmane rounded on him. ,"Not if you keep going off with your friends when there's work to be done you're not!" He softened slightly. ,"Now go get some sticks, a broom poultice, and some bindweed for this poor kit's leg."
"Sticks, Broom poultice, and Bindweed. Got it!" He echoed before darting into the dark rock.
Greenmane bent down and gently began licking my broken leg. After a minute, he noticed some thin scratches on my flank from Rosetail's attack, and began licking those too.
Soon, wolfpaw came back with all of the materials, and he bound my leg up then walked away.
Greenmane told me that I should get some sleep, and left some poppy seeds for me just in case I needed them, then walked into his den.
I looked up through the bracken, and saw that it was just between moondown and sunhigh. I sucked up some of Greenmane's poppy seeds, and laid down, allowing myself to gently fall asleep.