Cursed (Book 2 of the Outcast Quartet) Is Cancelled

Chapter 5 (Whisppaw)

This is all my fault… I stared down at the sandy-gray cat that lay limp by my paws. None of this should have happened, but of course it did. “Sandpaw, wake up,” I reached out and gently shook my denmate, he didn’t stir. “Come on Sandpaw, wake up!” I knew I sounded desperate and, even though he wasn’t exactly my favorite cat in the world, I didn’t want to be alone. The spinning of the world around me seemed to pick up, and a ringing picked up in my ears. My legs buckled under my weight and I collapsed to the ground. That’s right… I hit my head earlier… It hurts… some rest doesn’t sound too bad…

            I opened my wide eyes and looked around the nursery, I was alone… like always. Standing up I padded out of the den, the loneliness weighing heavily inside me. They all feared me, all because I was different. Why couldn’t I have been born normal? I stepped into the sun-high light and blinked as one of my nearby Clanmates froze to glare sharply at me. I was different… and they ostracized me because of it. Freak. The nearby golden tabby’s thoughts penetrated my barrier, striking deep into my core.

            My gaze fell down to the ground as I meekly made my way across the clearing, wanting to reach Russetstream’s side without any trouble. She was the only one who accepted me, despite my obvious quirk, and I desperately needed her to shield me from everything. I couldn’t remember how everyone found out I was different, but once they did… nothing was like it was before. But even after she learned about me, my mother always loved me and would never leave my side.

            “Oops,” one of my denmates stuck out his paw and, not capable of noticing in time, I tripped and collapsed to the ground. “My bad,” I looked up to stare up at the face of the much older ginger kit that sneered down at me.

            I scrambled to my paws and quickly scampered towards Russetstream. Yeah that’s right, hurry up and run to mommy… you freak! I risked a glance back at the older kit and my eyes narrowed in sorrow as she glared coldly back at me. I held her gaze for a second or two before quickly looking away, why did they hate me?

            Maybe it would have been better if Whispkit had never been born. I froze, my eyes widening. That had been Russetstream’s voice… my mother had gotten up and joined Gingerleg, my father. Soon after the thought came to me she spoke and, while I was too far away to hear her, I knew that she had repeated her feelings word for word.

            Without thought I swiftly turned away and barreled out of the camp. No one loved me… no one cares for me! I ran blindly through our territory, not caring about the brambles ripping away my fur or of my small paws stubbing painfully against much larger tree roots. All I cared about was getting away and the next thing I knew… I was plummeting through the air. I let out a startled yowl as I shot off of solid ground and started to tumble over a raging river below.

            When I opened my eyes again, I was in the medicine cat’s den with healing leaves wrapped around my head. My memories were gone, and with them my power. I was normal, like I always wanted, and all those bad things I had experienced vanished.

            I remember it all now, the moon that had disappear from my memories, it came back. But I guess that should be the least of my worries…