I stared up at the sky, my large blue eyes glowing thoughtfully. For some reason, I felt a strong sorrow, I wonder why. I slowly glanced over at my two bigger siblings who were tumbling around letting out playful yowls. Was it because they didn’t care about me? No, I was used to that now, but why did I feel this?
“You feel it too?” my mother, Russetstream, whispered softly to me. “That is the feeling we get when a young kit has been taken away from his or her Clan and forced to bare a new name.”
“I don’t like it,” I complained. “It’s sad and painful.”
“That’s why we do everything in our power to protect the innocent,” Russetstream meowed.
“How come Blazekit and Lifekit don’t feel it?” I asked, they were as cheerful as always. “Why only me?”
Russetstream remained silent; she wore the same curiosity that I was feeling. Was this not normal, why was I so different? I so badly wanted to ask, but I could find the words to. No, I was never one to speak out unless it was necessary. Russetstream was always telling me that I should act more like a kit my age, to have fun and enjoy myself, even though I just couldn’t. I was too small, that’s what Lifekit always told me. I was too weak, that’s what Blazekit told me. I was just a nuisance that needed to just disappear. “Why don’t you go play with Blazekit and Lifekit, I need to go talk with Yellowlily about something.”
I blinked as Russetstream quietly walked away, my eyes narrowing slightly. So there was something wrong with me, I glanced over at my siblings, she never listened to me. No matter how often I told her that none of the other kits wanted to play with me, she never listened. I glanced over at the medicine cat den, my paws itching to get closer so that I could hear what they were talking about. Slowly and cautiously, I crept closer to the den with each step my interest grew. I paused and crouched down; I was close enough so that if I strained my ears, I could just make out what the two she-cats were talking about.
“Yellowlily, this isn’t normal!” I could hear my mother meow anxiously to the medicine cat. “Normally a cat can’t feel this pain until they receive their warrior name and it only happens to a handful of cats. How could Wispkit get it when she hasn’t even turned a moon yet?”
“Wispkit… she’s special,” was Yellowlily’s hesitant respond.
Special? That was the first time someone referred to me a special, and not as a puny weakling who was always in the way.
“Does that mean she’ll have to go through even more trouble?” Russetstream asked, her voice growing slightly louder. “She’s always excluded, always by herself! I just want her to be a normal kit without any more worries!”
“It’s a gift given by StarClan, a gift only a special few or privileged with!” Yellowlily answered sharply. “She’s going to be a gifted cat, a prodigy!”
Russetstream’s response was too soft for me to hear, forcing me to wriggle forward slightly. I was just starting to tone in on the conversation when two sandy gray paws stopped in front of me. “And what are you doing?”
I nervously glanced up to see Sandpaw; he had been made an apprentice around a couple of sun highs after I was born. I really don’t know him very well, but the time he was around when we were kits had been torture. “N-nothing!” I stammered and slowly backed away.
“Oh really?” Sandpaw questioned and he shoved his muzzle into my face, his narrowed green eyes focusing on mine. “You’re lying.”
“I-I-I’m sorry!” I stammered and continued to back up. “I-I was just curious to see what was wrong with me.”
“Huh?”
“I-I won’t do it again!” I promised hastily before beating a quick retreat into the safety of the nursery. Sandpaw scared me, not only was he always rude towards me he always jerked me around. “If this is such a good Clan, why am I being treated like this?”
“Oh, Wispkit, I didn’t know you were in here too!” a soft greeting came from the entrance and in came a small white she-cat, her name was Petalkit and she was in a situation much like me. She was different too; her eyes were a pinkish-red, different from any other cats’ in this Clan. “Did something happen again?”
“It was Sandpaw…” I whispered and allowed Petalkit to sit down next to me.
“What did he do this time?” she asked her voice cold from the thought of her friend being harmed.
“He didn’t do anything… it’s just, just being around him, it scares me,” I mumbled.
Petalkit gently rubbed her tail soothingly along my back. “You’ll be okay.”
I nodded and allowed Petalkit to comfort me; she had been through things worse than this… I should be the one comforting her. I knew she had nightmares of that place every night, I could always hear her restless wriggling in the nest next to mine. But I could never think of what to say. “Say Petalkit, what was it like?”
“What was what like?” Petalkit asked playing ignorance.
“Um… was it… NightClan or something?” I asked.
I could feel Petalkit stiffen beside me and her soft, caring eyes grew dark. “Y-you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!” I gasped. “It’s just that sharing… it helps.”
“Thanks for your concern, Wispkit,” Petalkit meowed. “It’s too painful to talk about right now…”
“Alright, I’ll wait for when you feel it’s okay to talk about it,” I promised, Petalkit along with many other kits had been rescued a few moons ago, from a thief Clan called NightClan. Russetstream was always talking about how thief Clans were bad, how they took innocent kits from their Clans and raised them to do their bidding.
“Alright, you’ll be the first one I’ll tell!” Petalkit swore as she stood up. “Come on Wispkit, let’s go outside and play.”
I quickly leapt to my paws, a small smile spreading over my face. Petalkit was my best friend and I’ll make sure to help her like she always helps me. “Let’s go!”
YOU ARE READING
Stolen (Book 1 of the Outcast Quartet)
FanfictionEverything was normal, until that night when their world was turned upside down. In one night, their lives changed for the worse. Abandoned.... separated... death... Even among their Clanmates, they are alone as they struggle down their own sorrowfu...
