Dawnsky's Hope

Chapter 1

       Dawnkit sat beside her mother at her first clan meeting, wiggling with apprehension. Apparently Smokeclan had just been attacked by Tornadoclan right inside the border. Cats were hissing, bristling their fur and flexing their claws as the leaders and deputies discussed what to do. Tornadoclan was fierce, known for their skill in battle and expert tree climbing skills.

       "Perhaps we could extent out territory, little by little, bit by bit, each day. They would hardly notice." One deputy, Thrushflight, suggested.

      Greystar lashed her tail and hissed. "Or we could show them what Smokeclan is truly made of! I say we fight to keep our land and home, no matter the cost!" She stared down at the cats below, who let's out yowled of agreement. Dawnkit shuddered. 

      Nightbreeze glanced down at her, her gaze that of concern. "Are you alright, dear?" She stood, nuzzling her kit.

      Dawnkit looked from her mother to the leaders on the Hill. She noticed a small scar peeking out of her mother's fur near her chest. "I'm okay, but why do we have to fight all the time? It sounds pretty pointless, plus I heard Daisyflower and Spidertail saying that a cat called Sleetrain or something died in the last fight." 

       Nightbreeze's gaze clouded in a look of greif. "Yes, Sleetrain was one of our Branch warriors who was on that patrol. He was your uncle. And yes, battles can end in death sometimes. Cats do it for food and space, each clan is different."

      Dawnkit nodded slowly, understanding beggining to seep in. So, cats just fight for food, because that's how we live. I guess I understand. She looked back to the meeting. Cats were arguing over wether to fight, talk, or take, whatever all that meant. 

      "Can we go back to the den now? I wanna play with Duskkit and Dewkit. We're playing queens." 

      Nightbreeze purred, "okay, let's go. I have to talk to Hawkclaw anyways." The two cats went down the tunnel leading back to the nursery. Outside of them was a medium-sized rock in a small clearing, where the kits could play together.

      "Dawnkit!" Duskkit and Dewkit bounded towards her and all three of them landed in a heap by the rock. "What took so long?" Duskkit asked.

      Dawnkit flicked her tail. "We got attacked by Tornadoclan, but we'll get them back. Did you know Sleetrain was our uncle?" She bounced to the to of the rock, ready to continue their game, when their mother called them into the den for bed.

     They all groaned, padding to their nests, where their three brothers already lay. "Ha! We claimed the best spots tonight, huh Goosekit?" Eaglekit laughed.

     "Yup! You girls were late again!" Goosekit exclaimed.

    Nightbreeze chuckled. "Oh quit boasting you two. It's time for bed now." Nightbreeze put moss over the firefly that lit the den, making it almost pitch black. The kits squealed, bolting to the nest. The other queens grunted.

       Dawnkit couldn't wait for the next day, she was going to listen to elder stories and spy on the medicine cats with Duskkit. She wondered when her apprentice ceremy would be, they were almost six moons old already. She drifted into sleep, thinking about training in the forest and catching birds.

                                                                          *****

        Dawnkit couldn't believe he ears. The elder, Horsetail, had just told her that when her mother was just a kit, she had at first wanted to be a medicine cat, and had spent half her kithood pacing from the medicine den to the nursery.

      Horsetail rested his head on his paws. "Oh yes, I remember it quite clearly. You'd see that kit always with such a look of frustration, we were afraid it would be that way forever." He chuckled.

      Dawnkit found that surprising. Could he mother, the coolest warrior she knew, really have wanted to sit in a stuffy herb den all day? "Why did she change her mind?" She pressed. 

      "She fell in love. With young and clumsy Hawkpaw, Hawkclaw now, right? So yes, she quit her dream to be with him. The two were made for each other, I swear."

      Dawnkit looked down, puzzled, mind filled with questions. "Did you ever have a mate?" She asked. Horsetail stared at her, a strange expression clouding his eyes. He quickly limped out of the den and into the forest.

      Later that day, Dawnkit was shuffling through the freshkill pile, looking for a mouse, when she heard her name being called. She looked up to see Duststar summoning her to his den. She practically choked. He was calling her. This was rare.

      She padded up to him nervously. "Yes, D-Duststar?" He gazed down at her and flicked his tail for her to follow him into his den. In the dark, musky den, she found him siting with Thrushflight. Both of them stared into her.

      "We have decided that you will be an apprentice tomorrow. To do that you must pass a test. Are we clear?" Duststar asked.

      Dawnkit nodded, excited at the thought of being an apprentice. "Okay! What test?"

      Thrushflight hissed, "keep it down will you?" He padded over and blocked the entrance, making the den even darker and soundproof. Duststar walked up to her. "Are you ready?"

      Dawnkit nodded, becoming a bit more nervous. Suddenly, claws raked across her cheek, sending her flying, and hitting the wall. She wimpered as blood oozed out of the wound. Duststar set his paw on her, flipping her over onto her stomach.

    He stood over her, holding up an unsheathed paw. The look in his eyes was enough to make Dawnkit want to run far away. Suddenly, he began taking her stomach with his claws, cutting her skin. She howled with pain, but that just earned her a hit to the head.

      When he was done clawing her, she found herself flying threw the air, before hitting the rock wall and landing with a groan. Duststar stalked over to her before she could recover. He he picked her up, then threw her to Thrushflight. The other tom caught her and threw her back.

      They were doing all this with claws unsheathed, and Dawnkit was barely conscious. Eventually, they dropped her and she hit the ground, she couldn't even move. Dawnkit could hear the two toms talking.

     "This will be enough to get her to the dark forest. She'll fall for Tigerstripe right away. Soon, we shall take over the clans, Dawnkit will begin her training as a dark forest warrior, and we will have all of the dark forest on our side!"

      Thrushflight chuckled. "No one can stop us now. Smokeclan will fall!"

      When the toms were finally done, they cleaned her and made her swear to never speak a word of this to anyone, ever, or else. She now walked wobbly back to the nursery. It was already the middle of the night.

      Why would they do that to me? What did they do that hurt so much? She laid gently in her nest and let out one last silent wimper before falling into a sleep full of new nightmares.