Warriors: Bloodshed

Chapter 2

A few weeks passed, Rusty had grown up quite a bit and he still couldn't get the image of his sister Small being attacked by his brother Duke. Duke, Princess, and Small still lived in the nest, Rusty was the oldest so he could go out, and the first day he went out of the den he met and became friends with Smudge, his neighbor. They were both still kits and young and they stayed friends ever since. He became more interested in the forest beyond the fence more than ever now that he was able to get closer to it. Rusty sat on the fence, his ginger pelt gleamed a flame color in the sunlight as he stared out at the forest beyond his Twoleg's fence. As he stared out, a voice sounded from his left and he turned to see his friend Smudge. "Oh, hi Smudge." He meowed as the black-and-white cat sat beside him, his green collar looked like the forest's lush grass itself as he glanced back at his Twoleg's nest. Rusty spotted Duke and Princess near the window, they were probably talking down to Small again, but he couldn't do anything about because the last time he tried to Nutmeg interrupted. "I'll handle this, you go and play outside." She had told him the last time and so he felt as if he was confined to the outside now, although he had to go inside when nightfall came but he could never go one day in the Twoleg den with his siblings and mother because Nutmeg always encouraged him to stay outside while she would handle the other three kits. "Hey, Rusty." Smudge's voice brought him back to his senses as he noticed he had flattened his ears and puffed up his fur. "Oh, sorry Smudge. What were you saying?" Rusty cleared his throat as he turned his attention back to his neighbor. "I was saying are you interested in the forest?" Smudge asked as Rusty felt the nice breeze go through his fur, his green eyes glittered like stars. "Yes, I want to see what it's like in there." Rusty admitted as he leaped down onto the other side of the fence, the rough grass pricked his pads. As he landed, the bell on his collar rang out through the quiet dawn. "Where are you off to, Rusty?" Smudge said as he let his tail dangle off the edge of the fence post. "You're not going into the woods, are you?" He meowed when Rusty only stared at the trees and didn't reply. "Just for a look." Rusty promised, shifting uncomfortably as his tail swished once and he looked up to his friend. "You wouldn't get me in there. It's dangerous!" Smudge wrinkled his black nose with distaste. "Henry said he went into the woods once." The cat lifted his head and gestured with his noes over the rows of fences toward the garden where Henry lived. "That fat old tabby never went into the woods!" Rusty scoffed. "He's hardly been beyond his own garden ever since his trip to the vet. All he wants to do is eat and sleep." He lashed his tail as he spoke, there was aggressiveness in his tone as he turned back to the forest. "No, really. He caught a robin in there!" Smudge insisted. "Well, if he did, then it was before the vet. Now he complains about birds because they disturb his dozing." Rusty snorted in irritation as he closed his eyes and opened them back up as Smudge spoke once more, his green eyes seemed to hold the forest itself. "Well, anyway," Smudge went on, ignoring the scorn in Rusty's mew. "Henry told me there are all sorts of dangerous animals out there. Huge wildcats who eat live rabbits for breakfast and sharpen their claws on old bones!" Smudge mewed as his fur bristled, Rusty tasted the air and smelled fear emitting from him, he wrinkled his nose as a cold breeze came from the forest again, making him shiver. "I'm only going for a look around," Rusty meowed. "I won't stay long." The flame colored tom mewed as he flicked his tail and rose to his paws which ached to run through the forest. "Well, don't say I didn't want you!" Pulling to his paws, the black-and-white cat turned and plunged off the fence back down to his own garden. Rusty sat down in the coarse grass beyond the garden den. He gave his shoulder a nervous lick and wondered how much of Smudge's gossip was true.

"Ha!" Duke's voice sounded as Small struggled to get a good grip as she tried to climb one of the huge toys for them. It seemed to be covered in fur and was easy to cling to but for Small's dull and small claws it was difficult. "Almost there!" She gasped for air as she put another paw in front of the other as she was almost to where she could get a better grip and climb up easier until Duke smacked his paws down on her paws and she squealed with pain as she felt his claws dig into her fur and flesh. She lost her grip and plunged to the wooden floor of the Twoleg den, she struggled to flip around and before she knew it, she hit the ground with a loud thud. The wind was knocked out of her as Duke and Princess stared down at her, laughing in a way to taunt her as she couldn't feel her body anymore. Her whole body went limp and she felt paralyzed for a moment before Princess came to her side and Duke too. She heard Duke gasped as Princess pawed her side, she felt herself regain her strength from the recoil and shakily rose to her wobbly paws. "Are you okay Small?" Duke mewed, faking his worriedness as Nutmeg came dashing over. "What did you-" Princess interrupted her mother. "Small fell from the top of the furred toy." She lied as Small shook her head as she noticed Princess and Duke glance at each other, hatred and filth filled their eyes as Nutmeg licked Small over her head. "We tried to save her but she wouldn't listen to us and she clawed me on my cheek." Duke lied again as he showed Nutmeg a small pinch of missing light brown fur, Small knew he must've ripped it out when he climbed the furred toy but he blamed her for it instead. "Small!" Nutmeg'so mew was harsh as Duke and Princess had smirks on their faces behind Nutmeg's back, their eyes glowed evilly. "I expected more from you to hurt your brother." Her mother scolded as the two behind her glared at her with triumph and darkness in their eyes, she could tell just by the look of them that something bad will happen to them one day. "But mama! I didn't do anything!" Small protested as Nutmeg swept her towards the corner. "Your punishment is to sit in this corner until Rusty comes back in." The tortoiseshell cat scolded as she padded away after leaving her kit in the corner.  Small faced the corner while she strained her ears to listen to what Nutmeg was saying to Duke and Princess. "I knew you two weren't bad." Nutmeg mewed to them as she licked them both on their heads, they purred as if they were innocent. "Sorry for Small trying to hurt you Duke, are you alright?" Nutmeg sniffed her son as he licked her nose in a playful way, she grunted then laughed, the two kits giggled as they started to play with each other. "I hope Small doesn't do that again. I don't know what's gotten into her." Their mother said before following her other two kits to play on the furred toy again. Small sat in the corner with her back facing the Twoleg's room, she felt more hollow than ever and yet, something stirred in her stomach, something that wasn't good, but dark. The small flame colored kit seemed like a broken down kit when she suddenly felt something snap in her mind and her heart, her eyes were blazing with unimaginable rage and the coldest darkness than ever. She liked this darkness, this evilness, she felt as if she could do anything she wanted, she felt power surge through her soul as she remembered the three scars that had been reopened by Duke the other day, it was larger than before and it seemed to cover her entire right side face. She knew it was a sign, a dark and blood filled sign. She just stared at the wall of the Twoleg den, her scar was much deeper as well and seemed to reach into her skull, she felt power and darkness sweep over her soul.