Hello! Here is the second chapter for today! Another Fawnkit chapter that I hope will show you more of how she is treated.

~ Tangleflame

Fawnkit ~ Chapter 5

Fawnkit had found out the she-cat's name was Kestrelwing, and she was what the clan called, the medicine cat. Apparently, she took care of the clan, tending to sick and healing them. Kestrelwing visited often, which Fawnkit was thankful for. Somehow, the medicine cat made her mother nicer to her. Maybe Kestrelwing could heal Brownfeather's hate towards for her. Maybe I'll ask if she has an herb for that.

Fawnkit knew that Kestrelwing was the reason that Brownfeather had started giving Fawnkit milk. The small she-kit wasn't sure how long she went without milk, but Brownfeather had been refusing to let Fawnkit feed. It was because of one of the other queens, that had noticed that Fawnkit wasn't suckling, and had told Kestrelwing what was going on. Fawnkit could clearly remember the rage that was ablaze in Kestrelwing's green eyes as the medicine cat had stormed into the nursery. The medicine cat then helped Fawnkit get to Brownfeather's stomach and stayed until she was done suckling.

"Hurry up runt, I want to go share tongues with Stormshadow," Brownfeather's curt voice pulled Fawnkit out of her thoughts and she continued to nurse. Brownfeather was very impatient, and would often get up without waiting for Fawnkit to finish. The small she-kit had figured out what made Brownfeather more willing to let her feed. If she stayed away from Brownfeather and didn't get in her way, she would be able to feed longer. If Fawnkit got under Brownfeather's feet and annoyed her, she was given a short time before Brownfeather got impatient. It saddened Fawnkit that she had to try so hard to get Brownfeather to feed her, and the small kit often daydreamed that she another queen's kit and that she was loved.

Fawnkit had been getting stronger though. She was able to get to her small paws a lot easier and didn't get tired as easy. She didn't play with the other kits because she wasn't sure how Brownfeather would react or if she could handle playing with them. Watching her littermates play is how Fawnkit discovered she was different, she was smaller than they were. All of the kits in the nursery were bigger than her and had seemed to have boundless amount of energy. Fawnkit was different from them. I'm different and Brownfeather hates me for it. I wonder if the other queens don't like me because I'm different.

Does Brownfeather know my name? She only ever calls me runt. She must know my name! Didn't she name me? Fawnkit pulled away just as Brownfeather shifted so she could get to her paws. Without even looking at Fawnkit, Brownfeather stood and slipped out of the nursery. Waiting a few minutes, Fawnkit also headed out of the nursery and stepped into the warm newleaf air. Choosing a shaded spot next to the gorse bush, Fawnkit sat down and curled her tail over her paws. She watched Brownfeather greet her father across the clearing. Stormshadow visited the nursery often, but he had stopped looking around for her. Stormshadow, as well as her littermates, had initially tried to talk to Fawnkit, but Brownfeather always made them stop. Now her father and her siblings just ignored her as Brownfeather did.

A young black tom headed towards Stormshadow and stopped to talk to him. Fawnkit watched curiously as they both glanced in her direction and continued to talk. The apprentice turned in her direction and started padding over to her. Fawnkit's ears flattened against her head as the black apprentice towered over her.

"Hi Fawnkit, Brownfeather told me to get you some gorse so you can have your own nest. I'll be right back!" Shadepaw was about to run off but stopped when he saw the confused look in Fawnkit's green eyes. "She told me, that she was worried she or the other kits would accidentally crush you in their sleep, so she said to make you a new nest, you know because you're a… runt."

With that, the apprentice bounded off towards the camp entrance to find some gorse, leaving Fawnkit with her jaws open in shock. Why would Brownfeather make her a separate nest? She's not worried about me! She just doesn't want me near her!

Fawnkit's shoulders drooped as the realization hit her. She wondered what the other queens would say when they saw her in her own nest. A kit barely older than a moon was going to be sleeping in a nest by herself. Fawnkit anxiously waited for Shadepaw to return. He had also called her a runt and it had upset her. Fawnkit had come to understand that it wasn't a nice word and she was upset that someone other than Brownfeather had called her it. The black apprentice wasn't gone very long and when he came back, he had a small bundle of gorse clamped in his jaws. I guess he thinks I don't need much for a nest since I'm so small.

Fawnkit led Shadepaw into the nursery and pointed out a spot that was close to her old nest, but a good enough distance away that it wouldn't upset Brownfeather. The kit watched as Shadepaw laid down the bundle of gorse and spread it out evenly into a small nest. Satisfied with his work, Shadepaw dipped his head to Fawnkit and left her to stare at her new nest. Growing sad, Fawnkit padded out of the nursery and tried to forget that now she was even more alone than she had been before.

Perking her ears, Fawnkit watched as her littermates played a fox length in front of her. Featherkit, Heatherkit, and Windkit were rolling around on the ground, squealing with laughter. As the kits tumbled apart, Featherkit took notice of Fawnkit watching. Heading over to her sister, there was an unmistakable mischievous glint in Featherkit's eyes.

Wary of this, Fawnkit was shocked when Featherkit asked her, "Hey Fawnkit! Wanna play with us?"

Fawnkit knew she shouldn't say yes, but the urge to play with her littermates was too strong. Jumping to her feet, Fawnkit nodded enthusiastically. With a flick of her tail, Featherkit beckoned me to follow her.

"You'll be the Thunderclan warrior and we're the Windclan warriors trying to take over your territory," Windkit says, his dark gray fur blowing in the new-leaf wind, his black paws kneading the ground in anticipation. With a small flick of one of his black ears, my litter-mates crouched in front of me. Following their movements, Fawnkit slides into a defensive crouch. Fawnkit barely has any time to react before all three of her littermates jump at her. Being much smaller than they are, Fawnkit is instantly flattened by them and she struggles to get out from underneath them. At first panic overwhelms her as air rushes out of her lungs, but determination then floods her. Using her size to her advantage, Fawnkit slides out from under Windkit's belly. With a triumphant yowl, Fawnkit pounces on Featherkit. Featherkit lets out loud wail that catches the attention of all the warriors in the center of camp. Both kits freeze as Brownfeather whips around to see what happened to her kit.

"MOM! Fawnkit is hurting me!" Featherkit lets out another wail from underneath me. In a split second, Brownfeather is towering over the two kits, her hazel eyes blazing with hatred at Fawnkit. With a small swipe of her front paw, Fawnkit is in the air, tumbling head over heels as Brownfeather flings her off Featherkit. The impact knocks the breath out of Fawnkit and she lays stunned on the ground. Brownfeather gently pushes her nose all over Featherkit's body in search of injury. Fawnkit struggles into sitting position, whimpering at a small pain in her shoulder. Featherkit tricked me. I wasn't hurting her, she just wanted Brownfeather to get mad at me.

"YOU!" Brownfeather snarls, turning on the small kit. A rush of fear engulfs Fawnkit and she scrambles to her paws and races to the nursery, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. Brownfeather thrusts her head in the nursery after Fawnkit, every hair on her neck bristling.

"Don't you ever think of doing that again." The other queens in the nursery gasp in surprise as Brownfeather snarls down at her kit. Fawnkit cowers in her nest, her pelt pushing uncomfortably into the den wall. The enraged queen gives Fawnkit one last withering look before retreating out of the nursery.

Once Brownfeather is gone, Skypool rushes over to Fawnkit, her belly swaying with the weight of unborn kits. Fawnkit squeaks in terror and flips onto her back, trying to show she wasn't any harm to the queen.

"Oh! I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay. It's okay Fawnkit," Skypool urgently tries to soothe Fawnkit, her tail brushing over the small kits side as they heave with every small breath Fawnkit takes. Fawnkit lets Skypool comfort her and eventually her heart stops thumping wildly in her chest and she slowly relaxes.

"You poor thing… What happened out there?" Fawnkit shakes her head in response, not wanting to talk about what had just happened. She was still in shock that Featherkit had done that to her. Skypool started to wash Fawnkit's fur, smoothing her pelt and warming her chilled body. Fawnkit closes her eyes with a sigh a relief and hears a soft purr come from the queen's throat. Fawnkit had never been treated with such gentleness and she didn't realize how much she had been craving this kind of attention. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud hiss.

Fawnkit was only able to catch a quick glimpse of blue eyes in the entrance to the nursery before they disappeared. The hiss had come from Cheetahblaze. She was curled protectively around her kits, and she gave Fawnkit an apologetic look.

"It's okay Fawnkit, close your eyes. You're safe," Skypool's mew was soft in her ear and Fawnkit let her eyelids close. The gray-blue queen continued to run he tongue over Fawnkit's small body and the small kit was almost asleep when she heard another cat rush into the nursery.

"I was out on a walk with Swiftstar and when I came back, Streamflower told me that Brownfeather attacked Fawnkit! What happened?" Fawnkit recognized Shiningdawn's frantic mew.

"We're not really sure ourselves Shiningdawn."

"Mistkit only saw Brownfeather sprint towards her kits and shove Fawnkit off Featherkit. Then the poor kit came racing in here with Brownfeather on her heels. I don't think I've ever seen a queen so mad, especially at her own kit."

"She wouldn't even speak to us, poor thing."

Fawnkit didn't hear what was said next as sleep finally washed over her and swept her away from her harsh reality.