Shadowclan warriors pushed past her, making her almost stumble over. They were all gathering by the shadowclan deputy, Tornleaf, as he was assigning hunting patrols. The deputy's dark brown fur was bristling with annoyance. He is probably tired, she thought to herself.
"Poisontail, lead a hunting patrol. Pick a few cats to go with you, and try not to scare prey away like last time you were on a patrol," Tornleaf said coolly. His words seemed rude but, he didn't seem to be actually bothered by Poisontail's accident of stepping on a twig when trying to hunt a sparrow.. The pale brown She-cat nodded curtly to the deputy and set off to gather 2 other warriors and an apprentice, who she recognized as Leapfoot, Farsight, and Birdpaw. Tornleaf assigned a few more patrols to the Shadowclan cats. He got to her last.
"I don't even know why you bother coming over here. You already know the routine. Go by yourself, scrap," the dark brown tabby grunted with annoyance, flicking his tail towards the camp entrance.
She nodded and headed towards the exit of the camp. She slightly looked down. He's right! I should know that by now? She thought guiltily. Why can't I just be smarter? She was often just called 'scrap,' or 'kit,' since she didn't have a name. Shadowclan hadn't ever given her a name, and she never stayed anywhere long enough to receive a name. Mostly because she escaped several twolegs trying to take her, and as a loner, the kit never thought of a name. Poppynose, the former medicine cat of Shadowclan, tried thinking of a name for her. She never got to hear his decision, as he died before he got the opportunity to think it completely through. According to Ravenstar, she's lucky to even be living with them, so she just goes with it, not bothered too much about the ignorance anymore. She almost tripped over a bramble on her way out, but quickly avoided it once she had noticed. She went to hunt near the burnt sycamore, when she heard a blackbird. She stalked towards it and caught it swifly, killing it with a quick bite. The kit felt a bit proud of herself, considering last time she tried to catch a blackbird, she failed. Her moment of pride ended when she heard a hiss from behind her, and she whipped around.
"Hey! I was stalking that!" Another Shadowclan cat, who she recognized as Birdpaw, hissed accusingly.
"You must be good at stalking then. I didn't hear or see you, and I was focused too much on the bird to scent you. You can take the prey if you want, I don't mind," She mewed, her fluffy white fur bristling as she hid her very slight annoyance. She didn't do anything against a rule. She caught the bird fairly, and she didn't scent the tom.
"I don't want prey caught by a kittypet!" Birdpaw sneered, making the kit's tail fluff up.
"I've already told you that I never was a kittypet. Twolegs took me, I ran away again," She squeaked angrily. She was small compared to Birdpaw, considering technically she is still a kit, while Birdpaw is close to being a warrior. Shadowclan trains kits at four moons. She has never been sure if that's normal for every clan, but she was sure it wasn't normal that she started at three moons.
"Just wait till I tell Ravenstar about this!" Birdpaw growled, seeming delighted as he thought of her getting a punishment, his eyes glittering at the thought.
"I have done nothing wrong though! I even offered you the blackbird!" She objected, her blue eyes filled with annoyance, and a slight bit of fear. She knows that she isn't a cat anyone in the clan really likes, aside from Farsight— Ravenstar will probably make her hunt for the entire clan tomorrow! She opened her jaws to protest again but Birdpaw had already been heading back to camp, snickering. She watched him go off, and she saw as he tripped on something, though she wasn't close enough to tell what he tripped over. He carried the blackbird with him too! The audacity!
She dropped into a hunters crouch when she heard scuffling by a pile of pine needles, by a bramble thicket. She scented mouse. She stalked forward. When she got close enough, she spotted the mouse. When she got close enough, she leaped for the mouse. She gave a swift killing bite.
"Thank you starclan, for this prey," she meowed quietly. She makes sure to thank Starclan for any prey she catches, as the clans are lucky to have a forest full of prey. Atleast now she would still have something to bring back to camp. She decided on going back now, to get whatever punishment she is given by Ravenstar over with.
When she got back, she put her mouse into the fresh-kill pile. Ravenstar glanced at her with a sly look and leaped onto the clan rock, and called a meeting.
"May all cats old enough to hide in the shadows to catch prey join beneath the rock for a clan meeting," Ravenstar called. The warriors, apprentices, queens, medicine cat, and the elder of the clan all gathered in the clearing, looking up at Ravenstar expectantly. She spotted Birdpaw and Flamepaw, the other apprentice, sitting by eachother in the front of the crowd. Flamepaw's orange pelt prickled with interest. Her black tail tip flicked nervously as Ravenstar locked her gaze down on her.
"As you all know, we have taken in a kittypet—"
"I was never a kittypet! I was a loner that was taken by twolegs! I ran away from them as soon as I had the chance!" She squeaked, nervous as she realized she interrupted. She can't stand when she is called a kittypet. It annoys her so much. She is a good hunter, and has proven to have good fighting qualities. Surely I'm not soft like a kittypet! She thought.
"Do you really think it was a good idea to interrupt? You are already in trouble," Ravenstar glared at her, annoyance clouding her eyes, continued, not giving her a chance to continue. "This 'loner' as she claims to have been, was brought here by our former medicine cat, Poppynose. While Poppynose was alive, it was impossible to try to get this 'loner' to leave the clan. Now that Poppynose is dead, which I grieve to this day, there isn't anyone stopping her from leaving. This young apprentice-" He beckoned Birdpaw with his tail. "Has informed me that the 'loner' has tried to steal prey that he was rightfully hunting, and even tried to fight him over it. With all the trouble you have caused, it leaves me a decision that I must make, that I wish I could change. Loner, I exile you permanently from shadowclan. If we find you in our territory, you will be chased off, left with some scars to remember us. Leave. Now."
"Do you really think that's the best-" Pinefur, the medicine cat began, but quickly went silent as Ravenstar stared at her.
"Are you questioning my orders?" Ravenstar asked, her jet black fur bristling.
Pinefur shook his head, and shot the she-cat being exiled a regretful look.
"Thank you for letting me stay here for this amount of time. I am sorry I couldn't be useful enough to you and I will live my life remembering the shelter you gave to me, and I will remain thankful. I wish this goodbye would be on better terms," The fluffy She cat apologized formally, feeling sad that she was being exiled. I did my best, she thought to herself. Why wasn't it enough? She turned to the exit and ran out, tripping on the same bramble she avoided earlier. She quickly got back up and raced out, not wanting to be seen by shadowclan any longer. She had to get out of their territory as quick as she could, so she can avoid any fights. She took one last regretful look at the shadowclan camp, then went further into the territory, not sure where she's going. What will I do now?
YOU ARE READING
WARRIORS - The outcast | Book 1/6 of : The Starlit Path begins | SERIES #1
Adventure"Embrace what you find cast out of the shadows, as the clouded shadow of the moon will save the clans" An unnamed kit, later known as cloudedkit, is in shadowclan after a warrior had picked her up when she was 2 moons old. She had been all over the...
