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Arika 24(Guest):Well, I hate Creekflower too, but kind of pity her too, if you knew her backstory. You could say that she has mental issues, I guess. Her mate isn't in the clan, and isn't really nice either. You'll find out about him later in the story.
Continuing with the story—
Chapter One
Blossomkit's POV
I bolted awake, panting hard, mind pounding. Streamkit stirred from Creekflower's nest, now farthest away from me, but didn't wake. Stormkit, though, did wake up. He blearily looked up at me. "That nightmare again?" He asked groggily.
"I guess," I mumbled, turning my head toward the rising sun. The sunrise's colors looked so beautiful together. Didn't match my mood.
Stormkit sighed. "You know, you should just forget about Creekflower. She abandoned you, Blossomkit. Why do you still care about her so much? Why do you still cling on to her like moss to a tree trunk?" He asked, concern flickering in his eyes, his voice sharp.
"She's my mother. She loved me once, and probably still does, deep inside. I probably just did something wrong to displease her." I said. I glanced over to Creekflower, curled around Streamkit, then at the deep scar on my belly.
Stormkit glanced at the scar on my belly too. "A queen doesn't almost kill her kits because of one puny, silly, mistake, and I doubt that you have done anything wrong," He snorted, "She doesn't deserve a kit like you, Blossomkit. Besides, you have Whitesong to please now."
"Whitesong doesn't need pleasing. She's already pleased with us."
"So?"
I was starting to get uncomfortable with this subject, so I ignored him, sat up, and started to groom myself. The dawn patrol walked, still half-asleep, out of the camp. I pushed Creekflower out of my mind and focused on the patrol. Oh, how I wish I could go! New places, new smells, new everything! Maybe if I sneak out, I could even impress my future mentor by knowing the territory! "Hey Stormkit, have you ever thought about sneaking out of the camp?" I asked, changing the topic abruptly.
"Don't you even dare thinking about that." Stormkit hissed. "Think of how much trouble we could get into!"
"But it would be so much fun! Wouldn't that cancel out the trouble?" I objected.
Stormkit stood up. "You're not sneaking out and that's final." He shook out his pelt and feathers and moss went flying out of it.
"Who made you clan leader overnight?" I mewed, spitting out a feather. "And have you been living under a nest for twelve moons?"
"Shimmerstar wouldn't want you to sneak out either," Stormkit said.
"Wimp." I teased. I stood up and started padding out of the nursery. "Even Owlkit would agree to sneaking out of camp, and he is known as the clan's scaredy-cat."
Stormkit flattened his ears. "That's because he has a crush on you, and don't call my brother a wimp." Stormkit suddenly smirked. "Oops, I told you that he has a crush on you! He'll be so angry at me. And I suppose you have something for him, too?"
I stopped and turned red. "What are you implying? What does this have to do with sneaking out of camp?" I hissed at him. I didn't like Owlkit, out of all cats! Why would Owlkit want to like me! I ignored him all the time these days!
These days. I glanced again sorrowfully at Creekflower.
Stormkit took my glance as an advantage. "And Creekflower would be disappointed in you."
I immediately sat back down. "You win." I mewed quickly, pushing Owlkit out of my mind, but still I stared longingly outside our boundaries. Boundaries! Cats shouldn't have, need, boundaries. One day I'll show them!
Stormkit let out a high-pitched laugh that could have rivaled Creekflower's. "I'm using that every time we have an argument now." I hissed again in frustration, "but seriously, how many times do I need to tell you? Ignore Creekflower." He said, gaze turning hard.
"You don't understand." I said quietly, turning my head away from him. Streamkit had woken up, in result to Stormkit's laugh. He blinked, confused. "Did I miss something?"
I glared at Stormkit. "Way for waking up Streamkit. Now Creekflower will be angry at us."
"Did Creekflower do something bad again?" Streamkit mewed, his eyes suddenly wide. I shot Stormkit a deadly glare. I swear I will KILL you, Stormkit. Just wait till I get my claws on you.
And then, as if on cue, Creekflower woke up. Her eyes narrowed, as it always did, when she saw me. "Blossomkit, you naughty kit! You woke up Streamkit!" she hissed.
As usual. I lowered my head in shame.
"No." Streamkit said quickly. "I woke up naturally. And saying that, can I leave the nursery to play?" He looked up hopefully.
Creekflower hesitated. "I guess." She glared at me pointedly. Great. "But stay away from her." She finally settled back down to sleep.
Streamkit beckoned me and Stormkit as he quickly trotted out of the den. Of course, I didn't really want to stay in the nursery, and the look on Streamkit's face was nervous enough, so I followed him. Stormkit trailed behind me.
As soon as we got out, Streamkit pressed against me, completely ignoring Creekflower's request for him to avoid me. "I.." He didn't get to finish though, for we bumped into Heatherkit.
"Hi Stormkit, Streamkit!" she mewed cheerfully. Wow, I thought, suppressing a pang of annoyance, how pleasant it is to be forgotten. "Do you want to play in the small pool with Dustkit, Ivykit, and me? Snapfrost will be watching over us."
Streamkit hesitated. "Can Blossomkit join too?"
Heatherkit blinked, her gaze shifting over to me, as if she just noticed I was there. "Well… If she wants to, I guess…" she said slowly. As if she didn't want me to join. Reluctance hung in the air.
"She does want to join. Right, Blossomkit?" Stormkit mewed, glancing at me. I felt a temptation to refuse, but there was a pleading gleam in Stormkit's eyes that pushed me to join. "Fine." I grumbled.
"Okay! Let's go!" Heatherkit mewed. I could tell her cheerfulness was forced now. Streamkit looked apologetically at me. "I'll talk to you later, I promise, Blossomkit." He whispered to me.
I gave him a brisk nod before slowly, reluctantly, trotting after Heatherkit. Stormkit and Streamkit followed close behind. I could tell that they were way more excited than me.
"What are we going to play?" I heard Streamkit ask.
"Water moss-ball." Heatherkit mewed back, a little bit of her cheerfulness returning until her voice.
I blinked. "What in the world is water moss-ball?"
Heatherkit didn't answer me.
Stormkit answered instead. "It's a game we made while you were spreading, um, time, in the nursery." He said, "You try to keep the moss-ball above the water. When it touches the water, the game's over."
"And then we have to beg the elders or medicine cats for more moss." Heatherkit finally said, scrunching up her nose. "Trust me, they really don't like that."
Snapfrost met us before we reached the pool. "Hi, Streamkit, Stormkit, Blossomkit. Blossomkit, it's nice to see you playing with the other kits after so much time." He said, dipping his head respectfully. "Dustkit and Ivykit are already in the pool." Snapfrost led us to the glittering water.
The pool was a beautiful area, maybe the prettiest in camp, one the other kits and I found, before the incident. Two ancient trees provided shade for us, and it was hidden by long, shining, reeds.
Perhaps it would have been prettier if Dustkit hadn't been there.
As soon as Dustkit saw me, he wrinkled his nose and hissed at Heatherkit. "I told you not to invite Blossomkit!"
"Well, it would have been rude not to!" Heatherkit retorted, defending herself. You are totally forgetting the fact that you didn't want me to, I grumbled inwardly, leaping into the pool with Stormkit, Streamkit, and Heatherkit. The warm new-leaf water reached up to my belly fur.
Ivykit bristled. "She can join whenever she wants." She snapped at Dustkit. "You should be glad she's playing with us."
"Why?" Dustkit groaned.
"Now kits," Snapfrost soothed, "What about we just play peacefully?" He tossed us the moss-ball. I caught it and threw it up into the air before it touched the water. At least I know why Snapfrost's called the 'calmest warrior of the clan'.
Dustkit caught it in his paws and glared at me. "You're playing it wrong!" He hissed, "You're not supposed to hold it for so long!"
I met his arrogant glare with a glare of my own. "You're holding it." I snapped back.
"You've changed, Blossomkit. That's why I don't like you anymore. Now you're just a snobby grouch who sulks around." Dustkit growled.
Anger bubbled up in me. I was about to give a stinging retort when Stormkit intercepted me. "Don't speak to Blossomkit like that! She lost her mother!" he spat.
"Kits, now kits," Snapfrost said frantically, trying desperately to keep the peace. "Now—"
"I don't care that she lost her mother!" Dustkit snapped, "She's just a spoiled brat these days. She doesn't deserve to be in Riverclan! I'm glad I'm going to be an apprentice tomorrow, so I don't have to see her again!"
Silence met his statement.
Dustkit's POV
How I HATE Blossomkit! She acts so different from the Blossomkit I once knew, once I was friends with! All because of that stupid incident that Blossomkit sulks over! She reminds me exactly of Creekflower!
"I don't care that she lost her mother!" I snapped, anger boiling in me, "She's just a spoiled brat these days. She doesn't deserve to be in Riverclan! I'm glad I'm going to be an apprentice tomorrow, so I don't have to see her again!"
Snapfrost's eyes burned with anger right after I finished my retort, so unlike him. Blossomkit's head was lowered and she refused to look at me, but I was so furious that I didn't care. All the other kit's eyes widened in shock.
It took me a few moments to evaluate what I just said.
Shame washed over the fury that I had been so consumed in, but my pride refused to let me apologize. "Well?" I demanded.
Blossomkit's head shot up and she glared at me, right in the eye. Tears were streaming down her face. "Leave me alone!" she spat, before leaping out of the pool and sliding into the reeds.
Stormkit and Streamkit glared at me. "We're leaving," Stormkit hissed at me, before they too left.
Snapfrost growled at me. "You're apologizing to her, young mister. And I'll ask your mother to watch you, cause I'm not putting up with your rude behavior." He left and after a while, Twigblossom slid in, silent disappointment in her eyes.
No one said a word during the game.
A/N: As you can see, I switched to first person for the chapters. I originally planned to post this on Friday, but was down.
See you!
Ravenyfrost.