Warriors: Falling Petals [Discontinued]

Chapter One - Seeds of Hate

Chapter One
Seeds of Hate

"Flowerkit! Flowerkit! Fragile as a flower-kit!"

"Cut it out!" Flowerkit snapped to the brown tabby cat that faced him, jeering. The tom, Spikekit, was only older than Flowerkit by half a moon, but took every possible opportunity to tease and bully him. Not that he was the only one.

"Why? Can't take a bit of pressure, little flower?" the tabby sneered.

"I am not a flower!" Flowerkit screamed. He pushed off his back paws and launched himself at Spikekit, grabbing the tom by the shoulders and bowling him over. Spikekit hissed and caught Flowerkit's chest with a hind paw, then flung him away with a powerful kick of his legs.

Flowerkit tumbled onto the ground, rolling to avoid injury. He pushed himself to his paws, turning to fight, but Spikekit was already on him. The larger tabby pinned Flowerkit to the ground and dug his claws into his shoulders. Flowerkit stifled a cry of pain.

"Beg, Flowerkit," Spikekit sneered into Flowerkit's ear. "Plead for mercy."

"Never!" Flowerkit yowled, managing to get his paws under him. He couldn't rise under Spikekit's weight, but with a growl he tossed himself sideways, then used the momentum to roll over, squishing Spikekit under him. The bullying tom let out a furious snarl as the air was pressed out of him. Flowerkit felt the claws in his fur relax their grip and wasted no time in ripping himself away.

"What is going on here?" a loud, shrilly voice demanded. Flowerkit flattened his ears and looked up to see Aspenfall striding towards them. He groaned inwardly.

"Were you two fighting with your claws again? How many times do I have to tell you to keep them sheathed while playing? Sooner or later one of you is going to get hurt!" the queen shrieked. Flowerkit glowered sideways at Spikekit, blaming him for the queen's fury that was now directed at them. The stupid tabby kit always had to goad him on! And he noticed with irritation the tufts of his own black fur hooked on Spikekit's claws, who hadn't even bothered getting to his feet and lay there on his back like the cowering kitten he was.

"Spikekit, I can't believe you. I haven't raised you to be like this. And Flowerkit! I'm disappointed. I'm sure your mother is too."

Flowerkit bit back an angry retort. No good ever came from arguing with Aspenfall. The tabby queen eyed them for a long moment, evidently deliberating whether to reprimand them more. But Flowerkit was spared further humiliation by the arrival of a older dark gray she-cat.

"Ashenbird! I'm glad you're here. These two have been fighting with their claws again!" Aspenfall's voice was filled with indignation and disdain.

Ashenbird gazed at the two kits, then gestured to Flowerkit with her tail. "Come, Flowerkit," she mewed gently, and turned away to walk towards the bramble wall of the nursery. Flowerkit sighed and trailed after his mother, looking back to shoot Spikekit one last glare.

Alone inside the dim nursery, Ashenbird turned to Flowerkit with a slight frown. "I don't understand, Flowerkit," she meowed quietly. "Why must you always fight with the other kits?"

"It's them, not me!" Flowerkit insisted. "They tease me all the time. Why did you have to name me Flowerkit? I'm not a she-cat!"

Ashenbird lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Flowerkit. I know it's hard for you. But you must learn to ignore the others. They do it only to make you angry, to get you to attack them. Simple minds are satisfied by simple means, my dear kit."

Flowerkit shuffled his paws. He knew this. Ashenbird had told him many times already. But it was so annoying! Hot anger rushed through him at the thought of the jeers and taunts the other kits threw at him. "It's not fair!" he cried.

Ashenbird drew her fluffy tail around her son, pulling him close. "I know, dear one. I know. But you are strong. Stronger than them."

Stronger than them, Flowerkit thought. He smiled a little. He knew that, too. He wasn't a simple mind. He was worth more than all the other kits put together!

"Are you alright now, little one? You should go find someone to play with." She thought for a moment. "Sagepaw is always kind to you."

Flowerkit snorted. "I don't need her sympathy."

Ashenbird smiled slightly. "Perhaps not, but everyone needs a friend. Go on."

"Alright," Flowerkit sighed. He shook out his pure black fur, then slipped out of the nursery. He braced himself to ignore Spikekit if the tom was still there, waiting for him.

As he emerged into the clearing, blinking in the renewed light of the sun, Flowerkit scowled. Of course Spikekit was still there, with two other kits besides. One of them noticed him immediately.

"Hey Flowerkit! I hear you got rescued by Ashenbird again! What are you, a newborn? Still need your mother, little flower?"

Flowerkit steeled himself against their words, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of his paws as he stalked past them. But there was no easy way out.

"Come on, Flowerkit!" Mosskit cut in front of him. "Why so quiet?"

Mosskit was currently the only she-kit in the Thunderclan nursery, and she was five moons old to Flowerkit's three. The dark ginger tabby stared down at him with piercing green eyes and a smirk on her face.

Flowerkit flattened his ears and sidestepped to walk around her, but Mosskit moved to block him again.

"Get out of my way, Mosskit," Flowerkit growled softly, his ears flattened.

"Why? Are you going to make me?"

By now the other two kits, Spikekit and a golden tom named Acornkit, had wandered over and the three had him surrounded.

"Yeah, Flowerkit," Acornkit meowed. "Make us."

Flowerkit growled under his breath. "I don't have to. I'm worth more than all of you put together!"

"Right," Mosskit laughed. "And what makes you think that? You're just a kitten. A weak, fragile little flower."

"Am not!" Flowerkit snarled, sliding out his claws. They dug into the soft earth under him.

"Really?" Mosskit meowed, the annoying smug look on her face spreading into a leer. "Prove it."

Flowerkit tensed his muscles. If a fight was what she wanted, a fight was what she would get! But his attention was drawn by the slight movements of the toms on either side of him as they, too, unsheathed their claws. There was no way Flowerkit could fight all three of them.

The black kit lifted his chin and looked Mosskit squarely in the eye. "Prove it how? You act like you want me to fight you, but three against one isn't fair at all. That just proves how much of a coward you are."

Mosskit's eyes flashed. Her tail lashed. She looked like she was about to claw him anyway, but then she relaxed a little, the smirk returning.

"Of course not by fighting," Mosskit purred. "That wouldn't work for you anyway, since you're so small. I could crush you with a paw. But why don't we give you a little test, something that would really prove your bravery, little flower?"

Flowerkit glared. "Like what?"

Mosskit purred silkily. "Like stealing prey from Shadowclan's camp."

He heard muted gasps from Spikekit and Acornkit, and Flowerkit's own amber eyes widened with shock. Steal from another Clan? There was no way.

"Or are you too scared?" Mosskit asked with a snicker.

Rage swept over Flowerkit, and he said the words without thinking.

"No. I'll do it."