Chapter 70: Bone's Mistake
Since I was laid up in the medicine den, I decided to test out one of my less draining powers, one that I could use but never tested the extent of. I pulled my perception out of my existing form. From there, I moved, outward, to the reflection pool. It seemed my ability to use the reflection pool remained with my senses because I found myself scrying the world below once again. I briefly pondered who I should watch this time. Then I felt a ping guiding me towards someone. I found myself watching Bone who had his hackles raised in aggression at a queen with two kits barely past weening.
"These are your kits Bone! It's your job to take care of them!" Hissed the queen.
"I never wanted kits! What happened was purely by accident. In fact, you abused my ignorance tricking me into mating you! I was young and you abused that. You left me and now only seek me out since you want something!" Bone raged back.
"They're your family, Bone." The queen responded sharply.
There it was, the 'F' word. Bone was mad. Family was something he did not associate with kindness. It was in fact the exact opposite. Thankfully for that queen, Bone was very skilled at controlling his rage. He suppressed the need to kill them right then and there.
"So you admit you're here to mooch! That's all you've ever been. Let me tell you right now, there isn't a place in Bloodclan for useless cats. I will permit you the mercy of joining Bloodclan with your spawn, but the rules are simple. If you don't work, you don't eat. Luckily for you, being a queen counts as work, but once your kits are old enough to fend for themselves… Well, I hope you can find some way to benefit us." Bone stated.
His fur fell flat after calming himself, but his eyes never lost the hatred directed at that queen.
"These are still your kits." The queen sputtered.
"The bond of kin holds no place in Bloodclan. It is bonds that we find strong. I will not reject the two because I detest you, but I also won't be afraid to cut them off should I find them abusing our relationship. Now, do you have names for these two?" Bone asked.
"The she-kit is Violet. The male doesn't have one yet. I left him without one so you could name him." The queen said, trying to manipulate Bone into establishing an attachment.
"But mom! I…" The little tom yelped before his mother shooshed him with her tail.
I could already tell the truth. The little male already had a name. She was just replacing it to try and force Bone to adopt the kit. Bone seemed to see through the manipulation as well. His eyes narrowed in disgust, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
"Fine. His name will be Thorn. Now follow me back to camp and we'll get you set up. Just remember, no cat can be useless in Bloodclan. I suggest using the time you aren't raising your kits to find what you're willing to do." Bone stated plainly.
With that, Bone guided the three back to the Bloodclan main camp. There, he found Scourge waiting.
"Bone. Who are these three you've brought back? The molly looks unscarred. Is she soft?" Scourge demanded icily.
Bone was far used to Scourge's aggressive persona. He knew Scourge would never actually hurt him. They were partners, but Scourge needed the reputation of a ruthless dictator, so Bone capitulated.
"These three are of relations to me. The queen, Lavender, bore my kits who were these two." Bone said apologetically.
Scourge sized up the queen and Bone briefly before responding. "Aren't you a little young to have kits that old? She's a fair bit older than you." Scourge responded.
"Yes, she is, and I was."
Scourge could easily see the fiery hatred in Bone's eyes. He knew it wasn't worth pushing, but he'd be keeping an eye on that queen. The kits may grow up to be valuable cats if they were fostered correctly, but Scourge already knew that queen would be like a burr in his fur until the day she was removed. There was no doubt in his mind that the queen would be nothing but trouble. He almost wanted to kill her then and there, but that was against what Bloodclan was. He'd have to wait for her to break one of Bloodclan's tenants, don't harm kits or never be useless. Which she'd break was a toss up since she seemed willing to use her kits as pawns to better situate herself.
"Very well. Set them up. Make sure they aren't hungry." Scourge mewed.
The queen seemed excited at her acceptance. "Finally! I am looking forward to being full."
Bone let out a somewhat malicious chuckle. "You weren't paying attention. Scourge said to feed you until you weren't hungry, not full. Bloodclan won't tolerate gluttons."
Lavender's ears sunk in annoyance, but she followed Bone anyways. She wasn't the type to pass up free meals. Just like a parasite, it was obvious she planned to burrow her way into the clan to make her comfortable little nest where she could live in luxury. Unfortunately for her, Bloodclan was prepared for cats like that. She wouldn't be able to feed on their generosity forever.
After Lavender was settled in, I noticed the attention she'd give her kits, or more importantly, the lack there of. Bloodclan had two other queens diligently taking care of their kits, often communally wrangling the kits. Meanwhile, Lavender did nothing. She just laid there, letting others deal with the work she did not want. Apparently, Bone passed the word on how unlikable she really was because she tried to flirt with each passing tom, which usually got a disgusted scoff in return. Of course, this wasn't only Bone's doing. Rogues of the Twoleg Place naturally look for strong mates. Given that Lavender had no scars and was fairly weighty by rogue standards, they held her with the same contempt they had for kittypets. Sure, she was pretty, but pretty doesn't feed mouths and pretty doesn't raise strong kits. There wasn't a reason to care for her.