Sound Is My Enemy

Chapter One-Concerns

"Alright. Good, good. We're almost there, okay? Bite down on the tendril; It'll help, I promise." a female voice calms a kitting warrior, located in the attention center of the nursery, where the queens have encircled the two and watch with wide eyes. "Okay!" gasps the almost-mother's voice, muffled by the tendril. The mother gave a sharp screech that had her breathing hard, her breaths now shallow and quick. The medicine cat smiles and removes the twig that was recently enclosed in the mother's jaws, tossing it aside and nuzzling at the newborn. "Congratulations, Gingerpool. A litter of five. Four tomcats, one she-cat."

Silencekit sat outside the nursery, watching the sky. It was a peaceful little hobby for him now, seeing how the flock of birds stretched across the sky ever now and then, the clouds whisping across the light blue background, leaving skid marks of white behind. The sun beams across this foreign landscape, hidden by puffs of cloud every now and then. North is up there, somewhere. The cats of Spadeclan aren't supposed to believe in the North or South Horizons, they're supposed to set their beliefs to Starclan. What nonsense. Nobody's told him about the double of South or the South Horizon, so does that mean cats who've died just automatically go to the beautiful paradise of Starclan, rather then be punished for their sins? It's stupid to think about, but Silencekit has a wonderful imagination. Not about all this 'battle-training' nonsense, or about this 'warrior code and loyalty is key' laws. No, no. He often thought about religion, where cats go after death, or the wonders of the world. "Silencekit." Acestar interrupts, looking down at the kit with a concerned expression. "Why don't you go play with your fellow kits? I'm sure they'd like you to join a game of mossball." he purred, sitting at the kit's side and curling a long tail around his broad, well-built figure. "I like to think better." the kit responded blandly, keeping to himself and setting his gaze forward. "I see.. Well, maybe we can think together. What do you like to think about?" Acestar asked, smiling and flicking his ears. "Where do sinners go after death, Acestar? They can't be immediately accepted into Starclan after all their crimes, right?" he questioned quickly, almost spitting the words because of how excited he was. "Oh my. Err.. 'sinners'?" Acestar was puzzled, of course. Silencekit often confused others with his thoughts, so this was extremely common. "Sinners, cats who have committed crimes against their humanity. Gingerpool taught me that word. She told me, she said, 'Now Silencekit, you believe whatever you want to believe. Don't let your surroundings decide your beliefs and values.' That's what she said." The kitten's eyes were lazily half-closed, but his expression was firm. "I see." Acestar replied. "Well, I'll leave you to your thinking, then." And with that, the leader vanished, into the nursery. The.. nursery? What was Acestar doing in there?

"He can believe whatever he wants! Hear me? It's his choice, not his leader's! You will never be able to set his beliefs or his destiny for him!" Gingerpool was shouting, most likely at Acestar. "This Clan is not a Clan for rebels, Gingerpool! He is taught the basics of Starclan. He should know nothing more! Your teachings are wrong! I can and will always be able to tell him what he is! Without me he's nothing!" The leader yelled. "From now on you will only be permitted to see Silencekit when I allow it. You will ask if you are allowed to see your kit. Alright? Good. No more of this 'sins, North and South' nonsense!" The mother shrieked, and Silencekit cringed away from the entrance at the sound of a choked cry. Gingerpool was coughing, but when he looked inside the nursery, his mother was pinned with a swollen belly, a second litter, and blood spilled heavily from her chest, the horrifying substance also drizzling down from her gaping mouth and shocked gaze. "You've always been a pitiful excuse for a Clan cat." Acestar hissed, turning to the kit outside the den with a hungry expression. Silencekit, who was wide-eyed and paralyzed, winced and broke into a sprint, away from the nursery and to the medicine cats den where his father had been ever since his birth. 

"Hello, Silencekit." Mossfeather-the medicine cat-greeted, flicking her tail in the direction of the kit's ill father. "Ah, what brings you here?" Ashfall rasped, smiling and spluttering a few coughs. "Gingerpool.. Acestar accused her of teaching me things that I wasn't supposed to learn and he hurt her." Silencekit gasped, his eyes still wide and horrified. Every moment he closed his eyes, he could still see a faint scene of his mother's injury. Although she wasn't dead, yet. "Acestar. Yes, I always knew he was jealous of our relationship." his father croaked, narrowing his eyes and staring off into the distance. "Come on, sit down and I'll explain." Obeying obediently, the kitten did as he was told, allowing Ashfall to fold his thick, bushy tail around his small figure and draw in a breath. "Alright. A long time ago, when we had a different leader, both me and Acestar had feelings for your mother as apprentices. Now Acestar was admired by another apprentice-Skypaw, and your mother and I decided to become mates because we had no idea how jealous Acestar was. Skypaw died before her warrior ceremony, so Acestar lived the rest of his life in grief for her, and longing for your mother. He's trying to get back at us, and your one of the reasons he has to do that." Ashfall muttered, sighing and shouting to Mossfeather. "Gingerpool is injured in the Nursery! Do you think you could help her? Silencekit says that she took quite a beating!" he called. "Of course! That's what medics are for!" she replied, a calmed expression across her features as she fetched a few herbs-leaves and flowers mostly, and padded out of the den.