Disclaimer: The Warriors series does not belong to me and never will. Please do not sue me, for you won't get very much…
Chapter Notes: Since Crimsonkit has no name right now, I am not going to label her with one. Read carefully to determine when I'm speaking about her, since she has the POV of the chapter.
The herbs that Poppystripe was using were dock and marigold, just for your knowledge.
Polydactyl is when a deformation happens (normally in the hands or feet) with the addition of another finger or toe. Sometimes you see cats like that, and Crimsonkit is that sort of cat. (Random trivia, Blackblade is what I called a cat with TWO polydactyl paws, both forepaws. I then made him into a non-polydactyl cat for this fic.)
Chapter 3
It was too dark… A strong metallic scent filled the air as strangers surrounded her. She opened her mouth to cry, but no sound came out, just as always. Now the rhythmic bounce to one of the stranger's steps was all that kept her awake. Again and again she twisted her head weakly, trying to see what had become of her mother, but a large, well-muscled tom's body blocked her view as well as a ginger she-cat from time to time. She blinked the sleep away once more as it threatened to take hold of her and swivelled her head upwards, attempting to get a better view of the cat that held onto her scruff.
She was more slender than the other cats, a dark red tabby with lighter ginger stripes. The moon's faint glow cast a ghostly reflection in her amber eyes as she starred forward blindly, as if she didn't notice the burden between her jaws. Her eyes seemed pained, and every few steps faltered as if she just realized the ground was beneath her paws. Finally, her loping steps slowed to a trot as the other strangers around them also slowed their pace behind a pale she-cat, her true colour impossible to determine in the vague amount of light. She held her tail up and flicked it, before pushing her way between some thorn-riddled bushes, followed by the ginger she-cat, then finally the tabby.
She couldn't help it; as soon as she was pushed towards the bushes she squirmed wildly, or as wildly as she could manage... Her paws scratched at the thorns relentlessly, only to receive more damage than she dealt to the bush. She pinched her eyes shut tightly and let out a silent whimper from her torn and spiked paws, going still when the red she-cat began to purr soothingly to calm her. Her chest raised and fell slowly as she allowed the stranger's voice to lull her into sleepy trans as the tabby pushed her way through the bushes carefully, shielding her from most of the thorns.
New scents flooded into her nose when they finally moved passed the bushes and into a clearing, waking her from the blissful trans. Her eyes opened lazily, revealing a large clearing of stone; a large, impossibly old pine tree lying across the stone sides and ground at an angle, shielding the majority of the hollow with its expansive branches; and even more strange cats than before. Her body tensed once more as a number of them stepped towards her curiously, only to make a face in disgust and turn away, eyeing the pale she-cat that led the strangers wearily.
What was going on? Where was she? Who were these cats? Before any of her questions could be answered, the tabby made a brisk trot towards a bracken-covered wall, ducking under one of the pine's many branches on the way. Readying her bloodied paws to fight off the thorns once more, the tabby paused at the wall, showing her a small entrance; a cave, bathed in a strong scent of herbs, rested behind the wall of thorns.
The scent was a soothing one, soothing enough for the kit to allow herself to be pushed through the wall of bracken and into the den. The tabby then pawed at some moss on the ground, moving it into a small nest before placing her in it. Before the tiny she-cat had any idea what had happened, the tabby had vanished and returned with a number of strange-smelling herbs, pushing some towards her.
"Here, eat these." She mewed quietly, though seemed to hold a thin line of doubt as to whether or not she could truly understand her. She nudged a number of small black seeds forward and began to chew up a few strange green leaves and bright flower petals. As the kit sniffed at the black seeds, the tabby spat out the mashed up herbs and gently sniffed her, rubbing it onto any of the scratches she could find.
The strange mixture made some of the pain disappear, the kit noticed, as she finally found the courage to lap up the seeds. They had little taste, surprising her as she licked to jaws slowly, hungrily. It was then that she felt the tabby she-cat pause as she inspected her left forepaw. Her ears twitched curiously as she looked to her strange crimson paw. It was larger than her right forepaw, slightly deformed with an extra toe on it. She found it hard to walk because of it…though she didn't mind it; it rarely hurt.
The tabby gently lifted the paw, nearly pulling the kit off balance as she inspected it. After a brief look, she finally placed it back down and left the cave at a brisk trot. The crimson she-kit watched her leave helplessly as a strange calming sensation filled her body, forcing her to lie down. What was happening? Why did she suddenly feel so tired? Where was her mother?! The world slowly began to fade to black as she closed her eyes, her jaws stretched into a large yawn. Maybe some rest would be for the best…
"Hey, you awake?" Something jabbed her hard in the side. If she wasn't already awake from the loud voices and pathetic excuse for 'sneaking in' before, she certainly was now… The crimson kit opened her eyes groggily, noticing the gentle light of the moon to be replaced with the bright unforgiving shine of the sun; she must have slept in well past dawn…though she hardly felt like it. Her paws to tail ached, and her stomach felt shrunken, it was so empty…
"Ugh, she wreaks Bluekit!" Another voice came, making the kit look up. Two kits, both gargantuan in comparison to her, loomed over her, eyes wide with wonder.
"She's so small! Oh! She moved Granitekit! Look!" The black kit mewed, her tail waving and blue eyes sparkling. A blue-grey streak of fur stretched diagonally down her face from the right ear to the left of her jaw, similar to a long scar. She bunched her muscles as if about to pounce, and then thought better of it as the larger kit pushed her aside.
He was grey tabby, already quite muscular for his age and size. He drew his whiskers back threateningly as he spoke.
"What're you doing in our camp? Are you from ShadowClan or something?!" He demanded, batting her roughly when she tried to stand. "You stink enough to be one…my mom said that all ShadowClan cats stink as much as you do."
"Granitekit, don't be a stupid furball!" The smaller kit purred, batting his ears playfully. "Why would Dawnstar bring back a ShadowClan cat with her? They were looking for badgers, not cats!" She flopped down next to the confused she-kit, tail thrashing. "So where're you from? Was that your mom the Elders took away this morning? She smelled like you. Why're you so small? How many moons are you? Are you an apprentice yet?!"
"That's enough, Bluekit." The red tabby from before had finally returned, rescuing the crimson kit from the onslaught of questions. She placed a few more black seeds in front of her, then turned her attention to the two mischievous kits. "Why are you two in here? I thought you were with your mothers listening when Dawnstar ordered everyone to stay away from this kit to let her rest."
"Sorry Poppystripe…" Both kits mewed, tails drooping. "I just wanted know what Clan she was from…" Bluekit explained, earning herself a small cuff from the older she-cat.
"She isn't from a Clan, Bluekit. She is a rogue, one from outside of the Clans, like her mother was." Poppystripe explained.
Granitekit's hackles rose at the sound of 'rogue' and he glared at the she-kit, his fur on end, making him look twice as big as before.
"That's worse than a ShadowClan cat then!" He exclaimed, claws unsheathing. "We should chase her out of our camp before she does anything—!" He was cut off by Poppystripe as she expertly slipped a paw under him and pulled to the side, making him trip and fall onto his side in a tangled bunch.
"There is no need for that, Granitekit." Poppystripe meowed, though a hint of strictness was at the tip of her tongue. "Her mother helped save ThunderClan from the badgers before she died of her wounds, and she is considered one of our guests because of Blaze's brave sacrifice. I do not want to see you fighting with her, nor does Dawnstar, understood?"
The grey tom looked down as he mumbled a 'yes,' before turning and fleeing the Medicine Den all together. Bluekit watched him leave, looking back at Poppystripe and the she-kit, torn between staying and leaving.
"Go on, Bluekit. You may speak with her when she is stronger." Poppystripe assured, nudging the poppy seeds towards the dark red kit, but she was far from interested in them now.
Her mother was dead? How…why? The badgers killed her? Took her away from her? Why? What did she do to deserve this?! Just as the black kit turned to leave she forced herself up, regardless of the pain coursing all throughout her tiny body and took a brave step forward, only for her paw to falter and collapse, bringing her down with it. The tabby gasped and set a paw between her and her goal, gaining Bluekit's attention, but now was not the time to give up. She wanted to see her mother… She forced herself to stand again, glaring at Poppystripe with her gold and blue eyes as her polydactyl paw stepped forward again, this time firmly in place. She hissed inwardly in pain and forced her other paws to inch forward, only to be paused as Poppystripe pushed a paw against her chest, blocking her way once more.
She mewed something, trying to calm her as she did the night before, but the kit would have none of it. Where was her mother?!
Bunching her muscles tightly as her mother had done so many times before, she forced herself into the air and over the paw, only to land awkwardly on her cursed paw again and tumble towards the bramble exit, smashing through the thorns and into something on the other side, stopping her completely. She blinked dizzily as two shapes loomed over her, turning into four as two more appeared seconds later.
"That was awesome." Bluekit's voice mewed in delight, only to be cuffed again by one of the three larger shapes.
"This pathetic little scrap?" An unfamiliar voice sniffed, the she-cat glaring down at her as her eyes focused. She was a brown and white tortoiseshell, her dazzlingly green eyes focused on her with utter displeasure. "There is no way that I will look after such a thing, Dawnstar."
"But Thornwhisker, please! Her mother gave her life for ThunderClan! We can't just abandon her kit like this now! What will our warrior ancestors think?!" The pale ginger she-cat demanded, looking from the poor scrap in front of her to the testy tortoiseshell. "You are our oldest queen, and you know best how to care for kits…"
"And I also know when it's a lost cause, Dawnstar!" Thornwhisker snapped, making the clan leader flinch. "Look at her! She'll barely last another week, let alone survive Leafbare. She can hardly walk now, and even if she did survive Leafbare, what then? She will never be strong enough to become a warrior!"
Dawnstar looked at her paws like a scolded kit, unable to mew a word.
"I have lost two kits already this season, Dawnstar. I will not get attached to one more only for it to die." With that, Thornwhisker turned only to pause, looking at something.
The she-kit weakly forced herself onto her paws, though had no strength to go on searching for her mother. She tiredly blinked, noticing the cat Thornwhisker was looking at. She was young she-cat, completely grey save for one white forepaw. Her eyes were blue like Bluekit's, and a milky scent ran off of her. She must have been another queen.
"I will care for her, if Thornwhisker will not." She mewed softly, approaching the kit. She looked up at the grey she-cat curiously before resting her head on the ground, exhausted.
"Are you sure, Whiteleaf?" Dawnstar asked, "you lost all but one kit from your first litter…are you sure you want to take her in as your own?"
The queen was quiet for a moment, her tail brushing over the kit softly as she thought.
"I am sure, Dawnstar. I may have lost Briarkit and Stonekit, but that is no reason for me to let her die without trying. Besides," She looked to her mischievous little kit, "I think that Bluekit will welcome another denmate, don't you?"
Thornwhisker sniffed and headed into the nursery, pointedly ignoring Whiteleaf and Dawnstar.
"I am glad you feel that way, Whiteleaf." Dawnstar mewed, relieved. "I will speak of her and her mother at the next gathering…what is her name?"
Whiteleaf looked up in thought. "She will be named…Crimsonkit, after her crimson fur."
"Very well…and thank you again, Whiteleaf. No matter what Thornwhisker thinks, I believe that this kit will live on under your care."
"I believe so too, Dawnstar." Whiteleaf mewed, pulling Crimsonkit closer with a paw. "I will do my very best to do so…"
Short chapter, I know, but at least I feel that it was written quite well. So I hope that you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading it!