The Ebony Jury (Warriors, Book 2)

Chapter 2

"Hauntedkit, what in StarClan's name happened to you?" Desertstorm hissed with annoyance rather than concern. Hauntedkit's wound stung. It was deep and still trailing blood, leaving a bright streak from the clearing into the nursery like a red spiderweb. Hauntedkit quickly explained what happened with Parrotkit and Christmaskit, and how he, Mousekit, and Tigerkit were just playing. Desertstorm shook her head and turned to Leafcloud when her foster son had finished, her eyes litting with doubt.

"Leafcloud," Mewed Desertstorm crossly. Leafcloud turned, her gaze bored. "Hm?"

Desertstorm spoke, her mew annoyed and filled with disbelief. "Hauntedkit claims that Parrotkit and Christmaskit attacked and hurt him." She pointed her pale muzzle towards Hauntedkit's side, which had stopped bleeding but still stung.

"No!" Wailed Parrotkit. "We'd never!"

Christmaskit chimed in. "We don't even know how to fight!"

Leafcloud rested her glare onto Hauntedkit. "Yes," She snapped. "My kits aren't mean like you. Stop trying to get them in trouble." Then, with a snort of disgust, the silver queen turned away to see to her wailing kits.

"Come on." Growled Desertstorm. She knelt down, and bit down on Hauntedkit's scruff. With a little squeal, the ground disappeared beneath his paws as his foster mother lifted him. She stepped out of the nursery, Hauntedkit swinging in the frosty air as he swung around. Desertstorm trotted around a corner, walked a few more steps, and before he knew it, she and Hauntedkit were at the medicine cat den.

The medicine den was a wide cave with two rooms; one of the rooms had a big stone pillar in the middle, with tiny ledges sticking out of it. There were piles of leaves on there, and a hole in the pillar where extra herbs were kept. In the other room, there were five nests, mostly used for minor injuries. The den had a sharp, overwhelming smell to it that made Hauntedkit queasy. Desertstorm let out a growl, opened her jaws, and Hauntedkit dropped to the ground, landing half on his back and on his side. He scrambled to his paws as a very confused dark gray she-cat with deep blue eyes padded out of the nest where she was laying. Her gaze rested on Hauntedkit's side, where his scratch was still visible.

"Hauntedkit was playing too hard," Explained Desertstorm with a hint of snarl in her voice. It wasn't my fault... Thought Hauntedkit.

Emberstep nodded, her blue eyes sympathetic yet annoyed. "Alright." She growled. She walked over to the shelf, reached up her muzzle, then snatched a leaf off a deep green plant, connected to a short stem. Then, she chewed it up til it looked wet and sticky, then padded over to Hauntedkit and Desertstorm.

The medicine cat crouched down til her whiskers were brushing Hauntedkit's shoulder. He couldn't exactly see what Emberstep was doing; but before he knew it, she lifted her muzzle. Hauntedkit craned his neck to look at his side and saw a green bandage-thing on the spot where the scratch was supposed to be.

Desertstorm dipped her head to Emberstep. "Sorry, and thanks."

"Thank you!" Squeaked Hauntedkit.

***

As the sun fell slowly from the sky, Hauntedkit darted forward to his, Desertstorm's, and Mousekit's and Treekit's nest. As he scrambled to climb over the edge, he felt a paw brush him away. "No, Hauntedkit." The voice was stern.

He looked up with his slit pupils to see Desertstorm curled around Mousekit and Treekit, the two bundles snoring quietly through their muzzles. "What do you mean?" Mewed Hauntedkit, confused at Desertstorm's words. The queen looked angry and full of disgust. "You're not my kit," She snapped, though her words were quiet, probably so she dind't wake up precious Treekit and Mousekit. "Go sleep somewhere else."

Hauntedkit looked around. "But all the nests are taken!" He pointed out.

Desertstorm snorted impatiently. "SO?" She spat. "Go sleep on the floor! You'll give my real kits nightmares!"

Tucking his tail under his legs, Hauntedkit hung his head and dragged himself to the far corner of the den where nothing but a few whiskers of grass stuck up from the ground. Confused and saddened, he brushed his way through the grass til he found a spot where there were two leaves, and a fallen stalk of grass. Not bothering to try and make it more comfortable, Hauntedkit curled up on top of them, the stalks brushing his fur. I don't understand, He thought, whimpering. What did I do?

He layed there for a few minutes, holding in his tears. It wasn't fair. Just because his parent was an exiled cat, doesn't mean their personality was passed down into them! He wouldn't hurt a fly! He wasn't anything like Ravenshadow.

Eventually, he drifted into a dark sleep.

Blinking open his eyes in the dream, he looked around. Hauntedkit was in a foggy, dark forest. Trees surrounded him, with branches crinkled as if they were struck by lightning, than burned to ashes. The leaves on the trees were ripped and pale, and when he looked up, only one star shone in the sky, casting unease all through the creepy woods.

Hauntedkit gasped. The City of Polaris!

As the tiny kit let out a mew for help, a black and white cat slinked from the shadows, and slithered towards Hauntedkit, as smooth as a snake. The cat stopped, and he realized with a jolt that this cat's eyes were cold like ice, the pupils white like a drop of frost. Then, a more terrifying shock hit Hauntedkit as he saw this was the cat that he- or any other cat- would ever want to meet.

"Ravenshadow!" He gasped.

The cat's fur was bloody and ragged, her pelt scratched and criss-crossed with fresh scratches. The most visible was a long one on her side, stretching from her left back leg to her shoulder. The pink flesh around it made Hauntedkit flinch; this cat was even more terrifying that the nursery tales. And she's looking- well, I think she's looking directly at me! Hauntedkit thought. He took a step back.

"Hush." Murmered Ravenshadow, her voice icy and cold.

***

Hauntedkit woke with a start. Sunlight seeped through the branches of the nursery, laying a warm, bright light over the nursery like an extra pelt. Hauntedkit pirked his ears as he stretched his body from paws to tail tip. The excited squeals of kits told him that Mousekit and Tigerkit were outside already, and a quick glance at the moss nest proved him correct. Oh, He thought, sadness spilling over him. He forgot he couldn't be with them at night anymore. But Desertstorm couldn't keep him from his friends.

Swiftly, Hauntedkit sprang out from his sleeping spot, weaving through the grass stalks, then bounded past the moss nests til he burst out of the nursery entrance. Sunlight warmed his pelt. He was about to run over to Tigerkit and Mousekit, who seemed to be wresting playfully with each other, but a ginger pelt blocked his path.

He looked up to see Desertstorm standing above him, her gaze brisk and serious.

"Did I do something wrong?" Fretted Hauntedkit, crouching as the queen's shadow blocked the sun.

Desertstorm's tail flicked. "I don't want you to play with my kits anymore," Her voice was edged with a snarl. "Me, Emberstep and the rest of the queens have talked. Emberstep doesn't want any pointless injuries, and you seem not to stop looking for trouble." Hauntedkit's ears flattened and his tail brushed his legs. No..!

"But-" He began, but Desertstorm interrupted.

"Thats final!" The queen snapped. "Stay away from us Clanborn cats, rogue!"

Then, she left, leaving Hauntedkit with a hole in his heart like a rabbit hole. Suddenly he felt like he would never, ever be happy again.