ˁᴵᴳᴴᵀᴸᴱˁˁ ᴱʸᴱˁ
Chapter One
"He certainly is a handsome little thing, isn't he?" one of the queens crooned over the small, mottled black kit.
"Indeed," another concurred, letting out a small purr. "He will serve us well! You should be proud, Berryfur! You've brought quite a little warrior into this Clan!"
Spiderkit listened to the praise of the queens with a feeling of satisfaction. His ears had opened just recently and he absorbed everything they said like a sponge. He wanted to know as much as he could about his new world and he had discovered that their chatter was a great way of doing so. They talked constantly about the Clan's health, the amount of prey the hunters brought in, what the other Clans were up to across the border, and even the antics that were going on within the Clan itself.
"I heard that Vineflower is expecting," one of the queens mewed. Apparently this was the most scandalous news that nursery had heard in a long time, for all the queens made disapproving huffs and Spiderkit could imagine them shaking their heads indignantly.
"When will that she-cat learn?" his own mother inquired. "She's so promiscuous, and that is not a way to be!" There was a sharp edge to her voice that frightened Spiderkit. In an effort to get her to stop this unusual austerity, he nudged her belly once with his tiny head. Her body rumbled with delight as she let out a small purr. A few moments later, her tongue rasped over his back lovingly as she nudged him toward her teats, urging him to nurse. Spiderkit did as his mother suggested and began to suckle, savoring the warm, nutritious milk that slid down his throat.
"I don't know, but apparently she was getting very friendly with both Stormwind and Whitefeather," the she-cat who had revealed the news mewed in a hushed voice.
Spiderkit didn't listen with such eagerness anymore—it was usually like this when he nursed. He just enjoyed the taste of his mother's milk and the reassuring beat of her heart. That was all he needed, really. He couldn't see his mother, but he could hear her reassuring voice, and he knew that she was alright. She was his protector, his caregiver… She was his mother.
The gossiping of the queens came to a sudden halt as paw-steps sounded nearby. Spiderkit ceased nursing as his ears rotated wildly about as he struggled to pick up all the sounds. The steps became louder until they came to a standstill in the middle of the nursery. "I hate to interrupt you all," a quiet, but authoritative voice sounded from just a cat-length away. The stranger's voice sounded soft, like feathers, but it was hardly welcoming or soothing. It was also sly, almost slippery in a way. He didn't like it at all. It was nothing like the inviting, reassuring purr of his mother, or the loud but harmless chatter of the other queens.
"Oh it's not a problem, Nettlestar," one of the queens replied swiftly. Spiderkit's pelt prickled with unease. He could sense the tension rising in the air and didn't like where things were going. "How is everything with the Clan? Prey running well?"
"Yes," the tom responded. Spiderkit crept further into his mother's belly when he heard and felt the stranger's paws step closer to him. "How is your kit, Berryfur?"
"He is well," Spiderkit's mother replied.
Spiderkit knew that they were talking about him. Why else would the cat address his mother? Suddenly, a bizarre, overpowering feeling came over the small black kit. It was a longing that he was not familiar with; it was something he had never experienced before, but many kits before his time had. It was the desire to see. He wanted to look at the world, but he didn't know this at the time. His tiny brain could hardly comprehend it. Nevertheless, Spiderkit opened his eyes, in an almost desperate attempt to look at this new cat, but nothing changed.
The young kit knew that something was different. His body had just changed: his eyes were open now. Despite this, he still saw the never-ending abysmal blackness. What world had he been born into? Everything was so dark! He couldn't understand it. Something was telling him that this change he had just gone under should have some sort of effect, but there was nothing in its wake. With disappointment, Spiderkit closed his eyes again. What he thought would be a massive change in his life turned out to be a very uneventful, boring aspect of life.
"Berryfur, did you see that?" one of the queens chirped, breaking the ominous mood.
Spiderkit felt his mother shift, almost restlessly. "What do you mean, Dovefeather?"
"Spiderkit opened his eyes! Didn't you see it?!" the queen demanded. She seemed rather aggravated that Berryfur hadn't noticed, and Spiderkit couldn't blame her. Didn't his mother care about him opening his eyes? The way Dovefeather spoke of it, it seemed to be rather important.
His mother's rough tongue lapped at his forehead. "Can you do it again for me, Spiderkit?" she asked in her soft, rumbling voice. "I'm so sorry I didn't see it, love."
Determined to please his mother, Spiderkit did the same thing he had done before, concentrating hard. Perhaps it would be different this time! Maybe the wonderful product he had been hoping for would finally come. To his displeasure, opening his eyes had the same result as previously; he was doomed to this shadowy world.
"Great StarClan," Spiderkit heard his mother breathe.
"What is wrong with his eyes?!" one of the other kits squeaked. Spiderkit could hear an unknown emotion in his peer's voice. Was it fear? Was the kit afraid of him?
A new thought suddenly came to Spiderkit's head: Why can they seem to see me but I can't see them? Is something wrong with me? Or does everyone live in this dark place? If the other cats were like him, then how would they know what he looked like? How could they see his eyes if he couldn't see theirs? Something must be wrong! He let out a tiny, distressful wail and was immediately showered with affectionate licks from his mother. However, this did little to soothe him.
"I should have known this kit was bad news!" the stranger snarled in disgust. "The useless bone-bag is blind!"
Blind? Is that what I am? Spiderkit thought inconsolably. He had no clue what any of it meant, but "blind" did not sound like a reassuring word. He cuddled closer to his mother, mewling in fear and pain. Spiderkit's pelt was bristling from the tom's voice and his mere presence. He wanted him to leave. He wanted to be alone with his mother. Why wouldn't she chase him off?
"He can still be taught!" Berryfur nearly yowled. She sounded to be on the verge of panic. "He can still serve the Clan!"
The tomcat let out a low, guttural growl. "Are you completely mouse-brained? You know the law, Berryfur. Those who cannot serve this Clan must be eliminated."
Spiderkit's hackles began to rise at the tomcat's words. Eliminated? He snuggled closer still to his mother's belly, looking for warmth and comfort. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him, right? She was his mother. She would protect him. Always. She'd promised.
"Please, Nettlestar," Berryfur pleaded. "Just give him a chance! I've lost all my other kits… please."
"Do you realize what this thing will do to us?" he demanded, scraping his claws across the stone floor. The sound made Spiderkit shudder and shift farther away from him. "He is a waste of space. He'll do nothing but eat our food and sleep in our camp! He is like a black pit that we will just throw food into! Other cats that work hard to protect this Clan, and will grow up to defend it deserve it more than he will! And they will go hungry while this abomination lounges around doing nothing!"
Spiderkit waited for his mother to protest again, but there was no sound that he could detect. He felt the tom's paws hit the ground as he came closer, and the next thing Spiderkit knew, he was dangling from the jaws of an unknown transporter. Silence was all that greeted his ears as he was brought up a small pathway. The farther along he and his carrier went, Spiderkit heard the echoes of various voices; it sounded as if all these new sounds were coming from a large, open area.
As they entered the main cavern, most of the voices he had heard before quieted. Spiderkit was unnerved by this eerie stillness that he had come rather familiar with as of late. They quickly passed through the open space and then entered another tunnel-like structure. All of Spiderkit's senses were alert as they traveled; he didn't understand where he was, what was going on, or where they were going. He wanted to know, and he wanted to know now. In an effort to voice this, he began mewling loudly, trying to get his transferor to understand, but the only thing he received in return was a brusque shake that hushed him.
When the tunnel came to an end, an icy wind slapped young Spiderkit in the face, making him cry out. Memories flooded back to him; memories of the day of his birth. He remembered the violent action of exiting the warmth of his mother's body and sliding into the frigid air of the world. He remembered being carried for what seemed like ages in the blistering cold, and then finally reaching their destination. Now, he was being torn away from the only home he'd ever known, and he had no idea where he was being taken.
Spiderkit didn't know how long he had been apprehended by this unknown force, but it all came to an abrupt conclusion when the cat's grip on his scruff disappeared. He let out a loud squeak as he fell through the air and landed on the rocky ground with a small thud. The earth under his body was not smooth like that of his home, but it was hard and very cold. He began to yowl, praying that the cat that had brought him here would pick him up and take him home.
Where is Mother? he wondered with misery. Why did she let this happen to me?! His cries were in vain; no one came to his rescue. Nettlestar, who had brought the kit to the edge of the territory to either succumb to predators or the freezing cold, had turned back and was on his way back to camp. Never did he look over his shoulder at the helpless kit he had left to die on the mountainside.
That weakling is not my problem anymore, the Clan leader thought simply, as the kit's frightened wails died away.
A/N: Did you like this chapter? Leave a review and let me know! If you've liked what you've seen here and you wanna see more, click on my username to see more! Don't forget that if you want to find out what happens to Spiderkit next, you should follow and/or favorite this! :)