Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while, life gets in the way...heh. Huge thanks to Artdirector 123 and Nyachu-chan for reviewing! 'preciate it...your reward is the new chapter C: Enjoy~
Smallkit awoke and stretched each leg in turn with a yawn. Beetlekit, still lying beside him, murmured and flipped onto his back.
The air was crisp and cold. A light breeze drifted around the camp, stirring the reeds that overgrew to the nursery. Smallkit quietly padded out of the nest and looked around.
He looked to his left at the river. It was calmer today, flowing slowly around the stepping-stones instead of gushing over them. Slatenose and Daisybelly were standing on the banks; at the edge of where the reeds and other bushes stopped growing, creating a wall around the camp.
Smallkit padded up to the water's edge. Before anyone could say anything, he mewed, "I won't go in."
Peering down, he saw the water had all but stopped. Maybe I can find out why everybody ignores me. But just as he focused on his reflection, a droplet disrupted it. Then another one. Smallkit looked up just as a raindrop landed on his nose. Rain! He loved rain.
So he bunched his muscles and focused on the apprentice's den across from him. Then, with narrowed eyes, he jumped and started to run across. The water rolled off his back and soaked him to his skin. With a shake of his ears, Smallkit skidded to a halt in front of the apprentice's den.
Three slept inside. Smallkit remembered their names: Fishpaw, Falconpaw, and Hawkpaw. Siblings. Who were their parents? He frowned in thought. Then it came to him: Dovefeather and Troutfur.
He squeaked and ran up to Hawkpaw. The brown she-cat was certainly larger than he was, but smaller than a warrior. Smallkit prodded her shoulder with a paw. Nothing. Soft snores emitted from the apprentice.
Smallkit huffed. Just then, a strict mew came from outside. "Smallkit, what are you doing?"
The white kit tensed and turned around slowly. "Saying hello to the apprentices," he stammered.
Quickfoot lifted her head. "They're sleeping. Don't pester them. If their mentors wanted them up, they'd be up."
Smallkit forced himself to not roll his eyes. Instead, he peered through the rain and falsely shivered. "Sorry," he mumbled, starting to pad away towards her.
Quickfoot shook out her brown tabby fur. "Beetlekit is eating in the nursery. Why don't you join him?"
Smallkit nodded. "All right."
Tail low and belly dirty from the mud, Smallkit scampered across the camp and arrived at his den. Sitting beside his brother, he folded his tail neatly over his paws and stood up straight, waiting for Quickfoot.
"Hey, mousebrain." Beetlekit flung a chunk of wet fish in front of Smallkit's paws. "Saved some for you just 'cause she told me to."
Smallkit stared at the flesh. "We're going to eat… this?"
Beetlekit sighed. "Why not? Food is food."
Reluctantly, Smallkit leaned down and licked it. The scales were rough against his tongue and he retaliated with disgust.
Beetlekit sighed again. "Take it in your mouth, shortstuff. Just chew on it."
Smallkit glanced at his brother without moving his head. Some days he was nice, and some days he wasn't. With a silent shrug, he looked at the fish piece again and gobbled it up. It tasted gamy and felt weird to eat, but yet it was… satisfying.
With a swallow, he looked at Beetlekit. "Thanks."
The black kit flicked his tail. "Whatever."
They sat in silence for a few heartbeats. The rain outside fell steadily, but light. Shuffling his paws, Smallkit spoke up. "So. What do you wanna do?"
"Nothing with you," Beetlekit retorted.
Smallkit looked at him thoughtfully. "Beetlekit, why did Troutfur tell me I had a defect?"
For the first time in his life, Beetlekit looked at Smallkit with sympathy. "You know. Your, er. Your face."
Smallkit shook his head. "I can't see that," he pointed out.
Beetlekit sighed yet again, but with something else. "Come on."
Smallkit followed his brother into the muck. The muddy ground had formed puddles of water from the relentless rain. Beetlekit's black fur was slicked to his pelt as he led Smallkit to one of these puddles.
"Look," he whispered.
Smallkit stood over the puddle so no rain fell on it. As the water settled, he saw himself for the first time.
The fur on his face was a mixture of orange tabby and white. His eyes, bright and blue, shone in the dimness of the sky above. But one of his eyes was clouded over. Curious, Smallkit closed it. Nothing happened to his vision. He opened it again. Nothing happened.
Then he cocked his head to the side. A scratch went from the top of his head to the bridge of his nose. The fur on his face was ruffled. Smallkit licked a forepaw and drew it over his whiskers. Yet again, nothing happened. His fur continued to look messy and out of place. His jaw was twisted slightly, some teeth showing.
Smallkit backed up and looked at Beetlekit. "I don't see anything really wrong," he squeaked.
Beetlekit shook his head. "You don't get it. Quickfoot doesn't think you'll be a good warrior." The black kit shuffled his paws. "It's like… you're imperfect somehow. The runt. I-I don't know…" He looked away. "Sometimes it's not really fun to be the favorite."
Smallkit stared at him sympathetically. "I can't change my looks," he mewed. "But we can change her mind."
Beetlekit glanced up. He opened his mouth to speak when a pelt brushed into his, bowling him and Smallkit over. It was Breezefall.
Smallkit leaped to his paws. "What's going on?" he asked the black pelt of the medicine cat.
"Kits!" came the muffled reply, and Breezefall disappeared into the nursery.
The two brothers looked at each other in confusion. Smallkit stared after the medicine cat. "Olivecloud?" he reasoned out loud to himself.
Beetlekit found his voice. "Come on! We'll have new denmates!"
With a spring in his step, Smallkit bounced over to the nursery. His paws squished in the mud on the floor of camp. The rain had lessened, but a fine mist still engulfed the Clans.
Olivecloud was lying in her nest. Her mate, Slatenose, stood over her and was licking her ears.
Smallkit started to pad towards the tortoiseshell queen. Just then he was hauled off his paws by his scruff. "Hey!" he squeaked.
"Hush!" Quickfoot dropped him from her shoulder-height. "She's kitting. You can see her kits when she's done."
Smallkit, hurting from the fall, licked a forepaw as he sat by Beetlekit in front of Quickfoot. He tried not to pay much attention to Olivecloud, turning his head to the ground to focus on a caterpillar. But just as he squished it beneath his paws, small mewls, unfamiliar to his ears, sounded.
Smallkit warily walked forwards. Laying by Olivecloud's white belly were four kits. Smallkit cocked his head and looked up at Slatenose. "What'll you name them?" he whispered.
Beetlekit came up on his other side and propped his forepaws on the edge of the feather-lined nest.
Breezefall let out a purr and patted the two kits on the head. "I think she might be tired, little ones. You can ask in the morning, huh?" The black tom nodded once to Quickfoot, then whisked out of the den into the rain.
Smallkit huffed and turned around. "I'm so bored."
Beetlekit nodded. "Yeah." He looked up. "Quickfoot, can we go play with the apprentices now?"
The brown tabby she-cat shrugged. "As long as you don't get into trouble."
"All right!" Smallkit gave a little jump and dashed out into the rain, which seemed to subside just as his paws hit the wet ground. He could hear the pawsteps of Beetlekit behind him.
He looked to his left. Troutfur emerged from the river holding a silver-scaled fish. Water ran off his fur and dripped down his whiskers as he tossed the prey in a pile around the edge of the clearing.
Smallkit scanned the clearing for the brown-furred she-cat known as Hawkpaw. But there was no sign of her short pelt. With another huff, he sat back on his haunches and looked at Beetlekit.
The black tom was licking a forepaw. "Beetlekit, what now?"
The kit looked up. "I dunno."
Smallkit sighed. The day wasn't fun without playmates. Usually, he wouldn't play with anybody. But his paws itched to have fun with Olivecloud's kits.
Determined, he stood up and started to walk back towards the nursery. Mud squished beneath his paws and he bounded instead of padding, deciding this was better. Quickfoot was nowhere to be found again. But Olivecloud's amber eyes were open as she licked one of her kits.
Smallkit leaped up to her and peered over the edge of the nest. The kits were small, he thought. One was a tortoiseshell with a white belly just like her mother. There was a dark gray tom with a white muzzle and paws, obvious signs of Slatenose. The other tom was dark brown with a cream tail-tip. But one, very odd, was a light brown with distinct-shaped markings, almost like dark brown swirls.
"Do you have names now?" Smallkit asked politely.
Olivecloud purred and stopped her licking. "This one is Streamkit," she mewed, touching her pink nose to the dark tom. She then pointed her tail to the brown she-cat. "Driftkit." She nuzzled the dark brown tom on the ear. "Otterkit." Then she swiftly licked the tortoiseshell on the head. "Splashkit."
Smallkit nodded at each name. "They're wonderful," he whispered. Suddenly he wondered if this would happen to him to one day, if he would get to lick his mate on the ears when she had kits.
Olivecloud rested her head on the edge of the nest so her nose touched Smallkit's chest. "They'll be big enough to play with you one day, little one. I promise."
"Yeah." Smallkit shrugged. "I can wait."
Olivecloud purred once again. "Alright. Run along." She nudged his shoulder.
Smallkit scampered out into the muck of camp once again. He sat down in the middle and started washing his ears, watching the river and the water. He hoped Olivecloud's kits would grow up fast.
When will Smallkit finally have potential playmates? Will Beetlekit realize that his brother isn't a pushover? And what's the origin of Smallkit's scars? Find out soon!
Lemme get seven reviews before I submit the next chapter.
woof
