Disguise

Chapter 2

      "Sorrelstar, I need to talk with you for a moment." 

   If you looked at Sorrelstar, you wouldn't think he would be a leader. The leaders in the elder's tales talked about massive, battle scarred, magnificent leaders. The said leader's clan would listen to him without question, and the clan would win every battle. Sorrelstar, however, was an average sized cat, maybe even less than average. He didn't have a deep voice like some of the regular warriors, sounding like it did when he was newly made a warrior. His light brown flank only had light scars. All of his limbs were intact, and not everyone liked him as a leader, often calling him a softie.

   Sorrelstar had been laying down in the leader's den when Leafpelt appeared outside. Stretching his front paws out and earning a few quiet cracks, he sat up, shaking loose bedding off.

   "Of course, Leafpelt. Come in," he called, and began to clean himself when Leafpelt walked into his den. She sat down directly across from him, her big amber eyes full of sincerity. When Sorrelstar saw how serious she was, he quickly finished licking his pelt, and straightened up. "Is anything the matter? Are any cats sick?"

   "No, not sick. Everyone's health is how it needs to be." Leafpelt shook her head, wrapping her tail around her paws. She seemed to stiffen. "Starclan visited me in my sleep.. I think it was a prophecy."

   Sorrelstar's amber eyes widened in surprise, not expecting something as big. He was a young leader, and had never encountered a prophecy in his life, or any that he knew about. He was instantly listening, ears erect. "What is the prophecy?"

   Leafpelt seemed puzzled, taking an audible breath before she spoke.

   "The cold will disappear for the worse, as there will be an epidemic without illness."

   Sorrelstar's expression changed to confusion as he processed what the medicine cat had said, trying to break it down. "The cold will disappear for the worse?" He echoed. "The cold has always been an inconvenience, a time where prey is scarce and illness is high. Surely it wouldn't ruin things if it didn't exist."

   "That is what I'm trying to figure out," Leafpelt murmured, scratching her ear with her hind leg. "And an epidemic without illness. How can you cause an epidemic without illness?"

   "You said there's no illness in the camp, right?" The leader asked. Leafpelt shook her head.

   "Everyone's been perfectly fine, and I haven't had anyone come in for anything except small scratches." Leafpelt looked past Sorrelstar, eyes expressing that she was deep in thought. "Maybe things have been too quiet.."

   After she said it, she quickly shook her head as if getting out of a trance. "That is all I wanted to say. Thank you, Sorrelstar."

   She left as quick as she arrived.

   Thrushkit paced around the nursery, mind racing.

   A few days had passed since the hide and seek game. The other kits had stopped trying to get him to play games, but he realized that without them talking to him, he felt more depressed and isolated than he would have liked to feel. Some days, he barely had the energy to lift his tail up more than a few inches. Now, he had finally broken out of his sad trance, and felt the energy he missed out on coursing through him. When he woke up, he got up quickly, trying to find a way to get the others to like him again.

   No one realized how much he cared about what other cats thought of him. They had always seen him as the quiet, sulking cat who didn't care about anything and was too lazy to get his own fresh kill. However, he did try and make a good impression whenever he was spoken to, he just couldn't find out how to do it in the right way.

   Maybe if I tell them I'll do anything with them that they want? Thrushkit shuddered at the thought, but knew he really had no chance. What else am I supposed to do? Say, 'hey, I'm not a cheater, I'm fun, please let me play with you guys? He let out a soft sigh, and bracing himself, he left the nursery.

   In front of the nursery, the other kits were tossing around a moss ball, talking among themselves. Taking a deep breath, Thrushkit padded forward to the group.

   "Uh, hey.." He greeted them awkwardly. Moosekit's eyes widened in surprise, then looked at his paws guiltily. Frostkit and Honeykit turned to each other and rolled their eyes, and Rockkit, who had the moss ball, dropped it from his mouth and it landed at his paws. He shot a glare at Thrushkit, and his head lowered instinctively.

   "Well, if it isn't the dirty cheater!" 

   "Rockkit, I'm not a cheater. Can you just hear me out?" Thrushkit responded quickly, not able to muster the courage to snap at him. "If you guys agree to not hate me anymore, you can make me do anything you want with you all. That way you know I'm not wimpy." Trying to hide his anxiety, he stood back up, puffing his chest out.

   The kits looked at each other, before Moosekit looked back up at Thrushkit. "Come on, guys. He.. He might not have cheated, right?"

   Frostkit snorted. "Cheated or not, he said he would do anything with us. And I have an idea!" Her tail started swishing in excitement, and she looked around the camp, before whispering quietly, "We could go to the river."

   "The ri-" Moosekit exclaimed loudly, but Honeykit flicked her tail in front of his mouth, silencing him. He jerked back, and the sand colored she kit barely had time to move her tail before he sneezed.

   "We could go exploring to the river, out of camp! It'll be the farthest we've ever been, and we'll be like actual warriors!" The light brown kit exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Thrushkit can prove he's not a wimp by finding us a safe route to the river! We'll go there and back, and no one will suspect a thing!"

   This isn't a safe idea at all, Thrushkit's mind said. But he was determined to prove himself. He stepped back, looking around the camp for a safe exit.

   "Follow me."

Hey, I know I literally just posted a chapter earlier, sorry about that. The next chapter will most likely be tomorrow, but it depends on how much time I have. Thank you for the positive feedback so far!