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Arika 24(Guest): Okay… If you want them too.

Lissy(Guest): Thank you! And as you asked for, here's the second chapter of Strike First!

Continuing with the story…

Chapter 2

Blossomkit's POV

I sulked in the reeds for the rest of the day. No matter how much Stormkit and Streamkit tried to comfort me, I wouldn't budge. Yes, I know that I was doing what Dustkit said I was always doing, but right then and there, I didn't care.

Did they really think of me like that? Probably, I had ignored them for moons on. I hated to admit it, but Dustkit was kind-of right. I didn't belong in Riverclan, my mother didn't think so. Maybe I was better off dead. Through the reeds, I watched dully as Dustkit, Heatherkit, and Ivykit played on. They didn't seem to care at all. Once or twice Ivykit glanced at me, but that was it.

"Do you want to go play somewhere else?" Stormkit offered, but I shook my head and buried my nose into my pelt, relishing how soft and un-Riverclan-looking it was, but still kept out some of the water.

Some of the water.

After a few more tries, Stormkit and Streamkit ceased their attempts to comfort me with words, and instead sat beside me, watching the setting sky. I don't get why you try, it's not like I'm going to get any happier.

"You know," Streamkit whispered to me softly, as one final attempt, "You shouldn't take what Dustkit said seriously. Surely he didn't mean it."

"Of course you support him!" I snapped, "Dustkit is your friend. You won't understand!"

I knew I hit my mark, cause Streamkit didn't say anything after that.

Owlkit and Leopardkit woke up right before sun-high and I watched as Leopardkit joined Heatherkit, Ivykit, and Dustkit's game of 'water moss-ball.' Oblivious of what just happened. Of course. Perhaps he saw me sulking, but he probably thought that I was merely doing my 'regular routine'

Owlkit, however, came over to me. "Are you okay?" he mewed softly.

Do I look okay? I wanted to snap, but instead I just stared dully at him. "Why don't you just join your brother in water moss-ball?" I mumbled sullenly at him.

"But—"

"Please." I pleaded.

"Blossomkit—"

"Just leave her alone," Stormkit mewed softly, tiredly, at Owlkit. "It'll make her happier than you can."

Owlkit shot me a hurt look before slowly trotting out of the reeds. I'm sorry, Owlkit, I thought silently at him, but I don't return your feelings. Find some other she-cat who will actually like you back.

It was well past sunset before Whitesong called me in. At least, tried to. It took her three tries to get me back in. I had trouble sleeping all night, mostly just stared at the moss underneath my paws.

Wishing that I had not changed at all.

Wishing that I was a better cat.

I woke up to Streamkit shaking me. "Wake up, it's the apprentice ceremony." he hissed softly.

I turned my back on him. Had he forgotten yesterday's events so quickly? "Why would I care?" I muttered, flicking my tail at him.

I heard Streamkit shuffle his paws. "Okay, Blossomkit. I know you're not on the best terms with Dustkit, but at least be there for Heatherkit and Ivykit." Streamkit mewed softly. "Besides, this is the first apprentice ceremony you've seen before! Stormkit, Owlkit, and Leopardkit are already out there." Streamkit added. "At least do it for me."

I turned back to Streamkit. "Tell me, when did you start taking debate lessons from Stormkit and Leopardkit?" I sighed. I didn't care much about Heatherkit, but I guess I'll go for Ivykit and Streamkit. Besides, Dustkit couldn't have really meant what he said. "Fine. I'll go."

I softly smiled up to him, probably the fakest smile that I had ever smiled, and stood up. "Come on, slowpoke, let's go."

Streamkit grinned. "Hmm, the Blossomkit I know is back!"

Dustkit, no Dustpaw, should be glad that I even came to see his ceremony.

I huffed in annoyance as I watched as he pranced up to his new mentor, Snapfrost, all proud and all "dignified" (I wouldn't call him a 'role-model' for me and the rest of the kits, but he claims so. To Streamkit, of course, not me,) and to be honest, I had no idea why Shimmerstar had paired them two together, after yesterday's 'events'. It's a mystery that Snapfrost accepted.

Hmm.

Anyway, other than oh so gracious Dustpaw, Heatherpaw got Emberbird and Ivypaw got Cloudyflight. I'm glad that at least Ivypaw got a good mentor, I mused. Cloudyflight was one of the best hunters and fishers in the clan, and one of the kindest cats too. I had always hoped to get Cloudyflight as a mentor.

Emberbird, on the other hand, was a strict cat, and followed the warrior code really tightly. I didn't know much about him, he didn't visit the nursery as much as Cloudyflight and Snapfrost, but according to Cloudyflight(she made us promise not, never, to tell), he had a sharp tongue and a bad attitude. Well, actually, her exact words were that "He likes to make apprentices clean the nursery and the elder's den in one day."

Plus the leader's den.

I chuckled quietly to myself. Poor Heatherpaw.

And Snapfrost? Snapfrost was calm, sure, but wasn't exactly fun…

No offense, Snapfrost.

Stormkit nodded to me from his spot beside me. Streamkit, sadly, was not allowed to sit near me — Creekflower doings, "I wished we were becoming apprentices now, right Blossomkit?"

I nodded. "It is in one moon, maybe even half," I said, "I wonder who our mentors are."

Stormkit's left ear twitched. "You bound back quickly," he commented.

I ignored his remark, like I always do, "I hoped for Cloudyflight, but now that she's Ivypaw's mentor, I'm hoping for Fidgetleap." Fidgetleap was a good, balanced, warrior, and he didn't lose his temper quickly, so I thought, why not?

"Briarthorn or Snowpelt, I don't really care about who I get," Stormkit answered.

"Would you rather get Emberbird, like Heatherpaw?"

Stormkit immediately paled and he scrunched up his muzzle, "I take back what I said," he said quickly, with a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

"Knew you would," I said smugly to him.

Behind us, Whitesong hissed. "Be quiet, you two," she commanded.

Stormkit, of course, paid her no mind. "Hey, by the way, have you seen Hawkpaw," he whispered to me, "She promised to teach me the front-paw strike today."

I shrugged. "Don't ask me."

Then, as if on cue, Lakepaw dashed into the camp, his blind blue eyes wide with panic, his steps fast and uneven, his flanks covered in thorns, leaves, and deep wounds so deep that I flinched when I looked at them. He collapsed on the ground in the middle of the camp and screamed, "Hawkpaw has been kidnapped!" before he fainted right there and sent the camp into an agitated frenzy.

Lakepaw's POV

"Come on, Hawkpaw," I complained as a weird, really smelly, smell reached up to my nose, "You know that I'm the worst at hunting at the territory's edge."

"Oh, Lakepaw," I heard her scold, "That's why I took you here." If I could see, I would have sworn that Hawkpaw had rolled her eyes. I could never really, truely, admit it, but I had a crush on her. "You need to hustle up your hunting skills more." She sighed dramatically.

I flattened my ears playfully. "You know I'm blind, Hawkpaw. It's harder for me than you."

"Just use your superb sense of smell," Hawkpaw said dismissively.

"And bump into a tree? My sense of— wait, did I just sense sarcasm in that?"

I heard Hawkpaw snickered, then everything became silent. "Hawkpaw?" I asked cautiously.

"Shh!" Hawkpaw, before I heard a thump and a loud squawk, cut off right in the middle, and smelled pride radiating off her. "See? It's not impossible to hunt here!"

"Technically, I didn't say that it was impossible," I grumbled, "What did you catch?" I asked curiously.

"Lapwing," Hawkpaw said. I could picture her puffing out her chest in pride, "And they're really hard to catch 'round here. Why couldn't you smell it? I thought your sense of smell was so great.

I sniffed indignantly. "Don't you smell that disgusting scent? It's blocking out every single good smell!"

I heard Hawkpaw sniff at the air. "I don't smell anything except for Shadowclan's weird scent. It's probably nothing."

"This smell isn't Shadowclan!" I insisted.

"Don't be such a coward," Hawkpaw mewed teasingly, "Let's go." I followed the rustling sound of Hawkpaw's pattering paws.

"You're really loud for a good hunter," I commented loudly.

Hawkpaw stopped, "I'm giving you the death glare right now." she hissed amusingly.

A rustle came from behind us. I froze, whimpering, "did you hear that, Hawkpaw? Or is it just me? I hope it's just me."

Hawkpaw didn't answer, but I could smell her fear-scent mingling with the getting-stronger disgusting scent. Suddenly, her fear-scent overwhelmed the weird scent. "Lakepaw, watch out!"

I felt a heavy weight pushing me to the ground. Sudden pain exploded from my sides, the immense pain shattering my senses. I yowled, swiping blindly in panic and agony. A hiss beside me showed that Hawkpaw was in the same situation.

The figure kept clawing at my sides, each time making my body wrack with pain. I struggled, trying to get away.

"Come help me, Shadow," A deep voice beside me growled. "The she-cat's more important. The tom seems to be blind, anyway. Won't be useful," The figure above me, most likely a cat, judging by its scent, let me up, leaving me lying on the ground, panting. Hawkpaw's sudden, immediate furious yowl of pain spurred me back onto my feet.

I pinpointed the scents, my senses clearing a little, and was about to leap at the cats with the disgusting scents, but Hawkpaw's pitiful mew intercepted me. "Lakepaw, go back and warn Riverclan!"

"But—"

"Go!" Hawkpaw's voice was pleading, scared.

I hesitated before turning and fleeing. I'm so sorry for abandoning you, Hawkpaw, I thought miserably as I ran. I wasn't as familiar with this part of the territory, so I crashed into trees and tumbled into thorny bushes. Branches whipped at my face as I ran in pure panic.

My wounds were starting to take its real effect as I approached camp. I was starting to feel dizzy. I finally stumbled into camp and collapsed in the middle. "Hawkpaw has been kidnapped!" I screamed, before the pain and dizziness dragged me into the lonely world of unconsciousness.

Blossomkit's POV

"Hawkpaw?"

"Who took her?"

"What happened!?"

What? Hawkpaw? Fear-scent filled the air and scared thoughts whirled inside my mind as the camp grew more fearful each moment. Terror wormed its way in and became embedded into my chest. My fur bristled. My heart picked up its pace. When did cats start disappearing before? Somehow, during the agitation and confusion, Rootsong managed to squeeze in and access Lakepaw's wounds. Shadeflower and Pouncefoot stood fretfully near him, and though I never knew Lakepaw's parents, I assumed that they were his parents.

Stormkit scooted closer to me, his ears flattened, and looked at me with fear in his eyes. "We won't be the next ones to be taken, right Blossomkit?" He whimpered.

I met his gaze with an equally scared gaze of my own. I realized that at this moment, Hawkpaw could have been killed, or injured severely. Another cat could be taken right now. What would happen now? "I don't know, Stormkit," I finally managed to say, my voice barely heardable, "But I hope not. Probably not. I'll protect you. I won't let them take you."

But, deep down, doubt gnawed on me. If I honestly thought about it, that statement that I had mewed might not be really true. Still, I pleaded to Starclan that I wasn't going to be kidnapped like Hawkpaw. That we would find her. That this was never going to happen again.

If only I knew how wrong I was going to be.

A/N: Oh no! What will happen to Hawkpaw? Next chapter will be in Streamkit's point of view.

See you!

Ravenyfrost.