I will now be putting a song lyric that goes with the chapter at the beginning of every chapter! Also i will be responding to reviews at the beginning of every chapter as well. Now Introducing Shallowkit! Enjoy!
Review Responses:
Ivyleap: Thankyou so much for your review! i definitely do plan on posting the detailed bios of all the main characters after ive introduced them all! I will admit Moonkit is one of my favorites to write but she definitely has her flaws! I have a whole storyline prepared for her! And there is definitely a lot in store for Ivypools and Dovewings kits relationship!
_
"Can see it from the way you looking at me, you dont I'm worth your time. Dont care about the person I might be. Offended that I walk the line." Like That by Bea Miller
Chapter 3: Shallowkit
Raindrops splashed against the ground. All of Thunderclan was sheltering from the rain so Shallowkit was cooped up in the nursery with all the other queens and kits. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for Ivypools kits who loved to torment Shallowkit and his sister, Fernkit. Ivypool ofcourse did nothing about it, she thought her kits were angels. She also had a personal vendetta against their mother, Dovewing. Dovewing ofcourse protected her precious kits but there was only so much she could do. It wasn't like she could hurt Ivypools kits although Shallowkit sometimes wished she could. Dovewing was fiercely protective of her kits since they had no father. Their father was Tigerstar which was the reason Ivypool no longer had a relationship with their mother but from what Shallowkit had heard, they had once been close. Tigerstar was the leader of Shadowclan. Dovewing had always been honest with her kits and had explained how their father couldn't be here with them but they would meet him when they were old enough. Dovewing didn't talk about their father much especially since the clan still gave her mistrusting looks from her affair with the handsome Shadowclan tom. Although Shallowkit did not know much about his father, he admired his father for being a leader. He one day wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps. An indignant squeak drew Shallowkits attention away from his thoughts. He saw Flarepaw and Dewpaw cornering his sister. Although they were apprentices their mother had insisted that they shelter with her in the nursery since they had just been apprenticed and the nursery was more sheltered than the apprentice den. She wanted to keep her little angels safe from the storm. Flarepaw and Dewpaw were only two moons older than Shallowkit and his sister so it wouldn't be long until they were apprentices too. Shallowkit at once bounded forward pushing through the two older toms. His sister Fernkit was smaller than him, much more shy and mostly kept close to Shallowkit. Shallowkit has always taken it upon himself to be her protector. After all she had almost died at birth and had been sick for a good moon until she got better. Because of this Shallowkit and Fernkit were closer than regular siblings.
"Leave her alone." Shallowkit growled, puffing up his fur to look bigger.
"Oh look who came to play." Dewpaw sneered.
"Why should we listen to you?" Flarepaw laughed, stepping forward. "We just wanted to play fight with her."
Fernkit trembled beside him as he pressed comfortingly against her.
"Nothing with you is just playing. You were bullying her. You're much bigger than her and it wouldn't be a fair fight." Shallowkit snapped, lashing his tail angrily.
He looked up and caught Ivypools eye but she did nothing and only sat observing them through narrowed eyes.
"Come play." Flarepaw mewed, his voice soft and threatening.
Suddenly he swiped a paw towards Fernkit. Shallowkit immediately jumped in front of her as Flamepaws claws connected with his ear, knocking him off his paws. Shallowkit let out a gasp of pain as the smell of blood hit him.
"Shallowkit!" Dovewing bolted over to her kits side, licking him fiercely."What happened?!"
"Flarepaw hit Shallowkit!" Fernkit piped up, her eyes wide and scared.
Dovewing raised her eyes to glare at the two toms.
"He's just a kit! How could you hurt him? I'm going to make sure Bramblestar knows of this. Apprentices should know better than to bully kits with their claws out." Dovewing spat.
At the mention of Bramblestar, the toms eyes widened and they looked scared at the threat of being told on to their clan leader.
"I hardly think that necessary. My boys were just playing." Ivypool mewed calmly as she padded up to her toms side, giving them an affectionate look.
"Playing? Having your claws out against smaller clan mates is not just playing. Look at my poor baby's ear!" Dovewing exclaimed.
Shallowkit felt his ear for the first time, feeling sick as he felt a tear in it and the sticky feeling of blood.
"They need to learn to defend themselves some day. They were just teaching Shallowkit a lesson." Ivypool mewed silkily as she stared coldly at her sister.
The two toms looked smugly at Shallowkit and his sister.
"We'll let Bramblestar decide if this is just playing." Dovewing hissed, grabbing Shallowkit by the scruff and walking out into the rain.
The rain stung Shallowkits ear as he held back a whimper, refusing to show his pain to the two bullies who had followed them outside along with their mother. Dovewing marched up to Bramblestars den where he was sheltering from the storm with his mate, Squirrelflight.
"Bramblestar!" Dovewing called, her voice muffled by her sons scruff as she barged into the den without being invited in.
Ivypool quickly followed her along with her two sons. Fernkit had stayed behind in the nursery, unable to keep up with the bigger cats in the rain.
"What is it?" Bramblestar mewed sitting up while Squirrelflight who had been dozing, popped her head up looking confused as Bramblestar nudged her to her paws. Dovewing finally put Shallowkit down and the small Tom stood up straight trying to look bigger in front of his clan leader. He had never been in the leaders den before and had certainly never been this close to the clan leader. Part of him almost forgot why he was there until his mother spoke up.
"Two of your apprentices decided it was okay to bully their smaller clan mates. Flarepaw struck Shallowkit and made his ear tear and bleed!" Dovewing hissed with barely contained anger.
Bramblestar looked surprised and lowered his head to look at Shallowkits torn ear. The rain had removed some of the blood but his ear continued to bleed. Shallowkit trembled under his leaders gaze and dipped his head respectfully.
"Is this true Flarepaw?" Bramblestar mewed, his gaze serious as he looked at the young Tom.
"The boys were just playing!" Ivypool protested.
"I'm speaking to Flarepaw. Or is he a kit that needs his mother to speak for him?" Bramblestar said cooly.
"I'm no kit!" Flarepaw mewed indignantly.
"Then answer my question." Bramblestar rumbled.
"I did do that to Shallowkit but we were just playing!" Flarepaw muttered.
"Just playing? Even the youngest kit knows you don't ever play fight with your claws out against a clan mate." Bramblestar mewed sharply.
Shallowkit swallowed back a purr of amusement at how flustered Flarepaw looked.
"Flarepaw you will be cleaning out the elders den for the next moon. Tend to their ticks and keep up with their bedding. Make sure they are well fed. You may continue your warrior training but this means you'll have to wake up extra early to care for the elders as well. Maybe caring for your clan mates will teach you to respect those in your clan. No matter how young or old they are." Bramblestar mewed with a decisive flick of his tail, the sharp look in his eye left no room for argument. "You may go tend to the elders now for ticks. And when the storm is over and it is dry enough I would like you to go fetch them fresh moss."
Flarepaw lowered his head, his tail lashing angrily as he marched out of the den with his brother close on his tail, getting away in case Bramblestar decided to punish him too.
"I hardly think that's fair. You're only taking Dovewings side because she was in that stupid prophecy. Are her kits going to be treated better than mine because they have the mighty Dovewing as their mother?" Ivypool spat and went on before anyone could say anything. "I was treated like less than Dovewing which is how I got mixed up in the Dark Forest. I won't let my kits be treated as less like I was!"
Ivypool stalked out of the den with an angry flick of her tail. Shallowkit gazed up at his mother. He had heard many stories of how Dovewing was part of the prophecy that had helped the clans win the Great Battle. Dovewings eyes betrayed sadness as she wrapped her tail protectively over Shallowkit. Shallowkit didn't excuse Flarepaws behavior but did he act like that because of how bitter his mother was against Dovewing and her kits?
"Thankyou Bramblestar. I'm going to take Shallowkit to the medicine den to have his ear looked at." Dovewing dipped her head respectively before picking Shallowkit up by the scruff and heading towards the medicine den.
Dovewing places Shallowkit gently down in the medicine den where Jayfeather was curled up in his nest, Moonkit curled into his belly. The small kit woke first, her eyes blinking sleepily at them.
"Daddy! We have visitors!" Moonkit squeaked, nudging Jayfeather who sat up looking slightly irritated at being woken up.
"What is it?" Jayfeather grumbled.
"Shallowkit hurt his ear." Dovewing mewed, unfazed by Jayfeather usual grumpiness.
"Well tell him to be more careful." Jayfeather snapped, getting up and gathering herbs, making a poultice with them and smearing it onto the young toms ear.
Shallowkit flinched at the slight sting but relaxed as the poultice soothes his injury.
Jayfeather then wrapped it in cobwebs and sat back down in his nest, pointedly turning his back on them, signalling that he was done with them. Moonkit once again curled up with her father, squeaking her farewell. Dovewing muttered her thanks and grabbed Shallowkit, carrying her son back to the nursery. Ivypools was curled up in her nest, Dewpaw was curled up beside her, gazing bitterly at Shallowkit and his mother. Shallowkit chose to ignore him as he curled up beside Fernkit, who anxiously pressed against him and their mother warming Shallowkits damp fur. Shallowkits eyes drifted closed, exhausted from the whole ordeal, a moment later they fluttered open but he was no longer in the nursery. Shallowkit jumped to his paws in alarm. There was an orange Tom in front of him with fur that seemed to glow like the stars.
"Wh-where am I?" Shallowkit stuttered.
"StarClan." The time replied calmly.
"Am I dead?" Shallowkit blurted out.
"No ofcourse not. I'm Flametail. I used to be Shadowclans medicine cat. I have a message for you." Flametail chuckled.
"For me? Why would a Shadowclan cat have a message for me?" Shallowkit uttered in disbelief.
"Don't you know? I'm your fathers brother." Flametail replied while Shadowkit gawked at him. "From the kin of the four, there will be born six. Darkness will rise and all will be lost when the shadows swallow the light. The six hold the gate of the clans in their paws." Flametail began to fade, his words echoing in Shallowkits ears.
"What do you mean?!" Shallowkit called out and then woke with a jolt.
"Are you okay?" Fernkit murmured sleepily, startled awake by Shallowkit crying out in his sleep.
"Just a bad dream." Shallowkit mumbled, burying his nose into his mother's fur, hoping that was what all his dream was.