Warriors || Tainted Blood: Book 1

Chapter 1

Rowankit sat at the nursery entrance and watched Crowkit and Wrenkit play with the other kits. They were his adopted littermates, but they acted towards him as if he were a stranger. Crowkit especially would bully him and play too roughly. They were about the same age, but Crowkit was bigger and therefore stronger. Wrenkit followed her brother's lead and although she was too small to really bully him, her tongue was sharp as claws.

Everyday, Rowankit did his best to avoid their attention. He'd eat away from them, sleep on the opposite side of the nursery, and stay out of their way. His adopted mother, Olivenose, didn't seem to notice. That, or she didn't care. Rowankit imagined it was the latter.

The clan seemed to like to pretend that he didn't exist. Unless absolutely necessary, no one spoke to him. When he was younger, he used to hear whispers about him, but now his clanmates were more careful around him. They tip-toed around him every single day either with disgust or fear.

Over time, Rowankit learned to ignore the dirty looks they gave him and to pretend that they didn't talk about him behind his back. He grew accustomed to the loneliness and separation. In his dreams, he imagined a different world, one where his mother and dead littermate were alive. He'd often pretend that his mother was secretly alive somewhere and that one day she'd return to him.

Crowkit batted the mossball in his direction and it hit him in the face. Rowankit flinched and scowled at the stupid ball of moss that laid at his paws. He lifted his green gaze to Crowkit. His foster brother sauntered over, a malicious gleam in his eyes.

"Toss it back, Deathkit." Crowkit sneered, drawing out the despised nickname. Rowankit winced as he was reminded once again of how his clanmates viewed them.

Rowankit looked down at the mossball between his paws. It was only slightly smaller than his head. His claws appeared and he dug them into the dirt. Why must his foster brother torment him? It wasn't his fault!

Taking the mossball between his teeth, Rowankit hurled it back at his brother as hard as he could. The mossball hit him alongside the head. Lucky for Crowkit, it was soft. Rowankit pinned his ears and bared his fangs at him.

Wrenkit appeared at her brother's side, a scowl pulling at her lips. "You're so sensitive, Deathkit. Crowkit was just joking around!"

Rowankit turned his back on them and slunk into the shadows. He would not show how upset he was, not in front of them. They didn't deserve the satisfaction. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?!

He slipped inside the nursery and sighed with relief when he saw that it was empty. Rowankit staggered over to his lonely nest in the very back corner of the nursery. His paws made a circle in his nest before he curled up and attempted to let his dreams carry him away.

~

"Rowankit! Pass the mossball!" A spunky white she-kit called. Her giggles filled his head and it was musical to his ears.

In the haze of his dream, Rowankit laughed and pounced on the mossball, pinning it beneath his claws. He threw the mossball back towards the white she-kit and their laughter filled the clearing. She caught it and they took turns passing the mossball to the other.

When they bored of the mossball, they wrestled playfully. Rowankit was gentle with her, keeping his claws sheathed and letting her land a few hits. All around them, the camp clearing was empty and covered in bright light. Above their heads, the stars shone brightly.

"Who are you?" Rowankit asked the little she-kit when they took a break from their games. They laid on their backs, looking up at Silverpelt.

She was about to answer when the dream started to fade. The edges of his vision started to blur and fade into darkness. Her face was the last thing he saw before everything fell away.

~

"Wake up!" Someone prodded his side harshly with a claw. Rowankit started and nearly jumped out of his fur.

Crowkit stood over him with a look of utter disgust on his face. "Skystar called a meeting, although I don't know why anyone wants you there." He slunk out of the nursery, leaving Rowankit on his own.

Pushing himself to his paws, Rowankit emerged from the nursery and had to squint his eyes until they adjusted to the bright sunlight. The clan was gathered around the Tallrock, a tall boulder that jutted out of the sand. It was where the clan leader called meetings.

Rowankit spotted Crowkit and Wrenkit sitting together next to Olivenose. Deep down, he longed to join them, but he knew that would be asking for trouble. The most Olivenose has ever done for him was nurse him when no one else would. He supposed that he should feel grateful to her, but for a she-cat to nurse a newborn kit and not grow attached? He didn't trust her character.

Instead, Rowankit sat on his own near the back. He kept his distance from the warriors and stayed quiet. What was going on? Then he noticed Goldenheart sitting beside her three kits: Wolfkit, Sablekit, and Hollowkit. They were probably being named apprentices.

There was only one cat in the clan that Rowankit hated worse than Crowkit and that was Wolfkit. He's the one that started the bullying, the example that Crowkit followed. Wherever Wolfkit was, Crowkit was right behind him. They were inseparable and seemed to bond over his suffering.

Skystar leaped onto the Tallrock, his blue-gray pelt gleamed in the sunlight. "Cats of HiddenClan, today we make three kits into apprentices." Skystar jumped down from the Tallrock to stand in front of the three kits.

"Wolfkit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Wolfpaw," Skystar announced. "Nightfang, you are a skilled fighter and very loyal. I trust that you will train Wolfpaw in your image." Skystar touched his nose to Wolfpaw's forehead.

"Hollowkit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Hollowpaw." Skystar's amber eyes searched the clan for one face in particular. "Birchleap, you are an excellent hunter and an even better tracker. I know that you'll train Hollowpaw well." Skystar repeated the same action with Hollowpaw.

Next, Skystar moved his attention to Wolfpaw and Hollowpaw's sister. "Sablekit, until you earn your warrior name, you'll be known as Sablepaw." Skystar nodded to Briarfrost, one of the most beautiful she-cats in the clan. "Briarfrost, you are intelligent and fierce, I hope that you pass on these traits to Sablepaw." Skystar touched Sablepaw's forehead with his nose as the clan began to cheer.

"Wolfpaw! Hollowpaw! Sablepaw!"

Rowankit didn't join in with the cheering. He felt alienated within his own clan all because of something that he couldn't control. At his apprentice ceremony, would even one cat cheer his name?