Ottercreek's rival: EDITING

Prologue

Pain shot up Otterkit's leg as she pushed herself to run faster. She could hear the quick footsteps of another cat trailing closely behind her in pursuit. Otterkit knew that the other cat would catch up to her quickly because of her shorter legs, but she pushed forward, her breaths growing quicker and quicker. Quickly, Otterkit took a left and continued to dart forward, hoping that the other cat wouldn't be able to make the turn as quickly. She began to slow into a walk as she heard the sound of pounding footsteps fade away.

That was close, Otterkit thought, a growl working it's way into her throat.

Otterkit closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn't worth getting angry about. As she settled down beside a large rock she held up one of her front paws and hissed in pain.

"I'll have to get that checked out," she murmured crossly.

Lowering her muzzle to her injured paw, she started to lick the mud from her fur. She felt the need to run again, but ignored it, refusing to deny that she was finally safe. As she continued to groom her fur pebbles from the rock above her started to shower down on her pelt. When a pebble hit her head she turned her head to see what was causing the shower of pebbles. She expected a rabbit or something of that sort, but instead all she saw was a blur of dark brown fur. When the blur pinned her to the ground, it suddenly hit her.

"Snailkit!" She hissed his name in hatred.

"Otterkit, still haven't learned your lesson yet?"

Otterkit turned her head away from the slightly older kit. She wouldn't show him that she was scared.

"What do you want," she snarled, looking back towards him. She hoped that her eyes showed confidence, instead of fear.

The rain thundered down harder upon the two kits, plastering their furs against their tiny bodies. Snailkit tightened his grip, unsheathing his claws and letting them sink into Otterkit's legs. She let out a loud screech of pain and kicked her legs up at the tom's belly, hoping that it would be enough to get him off of her. Sending Snailkit sprawling away, Otterkit sat up and tried to calm her heavy breathing.

"You'll regret that," Snailkit growled, lashing his tail as he recovered quickly.

Instincts were screaming for Otterkit to run, but her paws were frozen to the ground. A second too late Otterkit managed to scramble a bit farther away, but not before the tom lunged at her, muscles bunching beneath his pelt. His claws caught onto her shoulder and she let out another screech of pain before making another attempt to run away. Snailkit grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her the opposite direction, flinging her onto the ground. She gasped for breath, opening her mouth to take in as much air as possible. While she was laying on the ground, the other kit pinned her to the ground again.

Please stop, she tried to meow, but all that came out was a whimper.

Whiskers trembling, Otterkit kicked up her back legs and slid out from the older kits grasp, but not before the tom dug his claws into her skin. She gritted her teeth and unsheathed her claws as Snailkit turned around to face her. He aimed and landed a heavy blow to her face that knocked her off balance. Growling, Otterkit knocked Snailkit over onto his back and pinned him to the ground as Snailkit let out a yelp of surprise.

Just as was starting to hold her own ground a small group of older cats leapt over the rock and gasped in horror at the two kits. Otterkit flattened her ears and sheathed her claws, letting go of Snailkit. He stood up shaking out his ruffled, wet fur leaving a spiky looking coat that Otterkit thought suited his personality very well. The she-cat at the head of the group rushed to his side, licking his shallow scratch on his leg furiously. Meanwhile, the other two cats in the group, a dark gray tom and a brown tabby tom, gazed at her through narrowed eyes. Otterkit let her tail droop, knowing that she was going to be in trouble again.

He would never tell the truth, she meowed to herself in her head.

"Let's go back to camp, my dearest son. Oh, and bring the disrespectful kit along too, Bramblethorn," she gestured with her tail towards Otterkit, who was crouched in a little ball with her eyes focused on the ground.

Otterkit closed her eyes as the tabby approached her and grabbed her by her scruff. She let herself be carried back to camp, too weak to struggle against the tom's grip. Her mind whirled, thoughts of what her punishment would be when she and the other reached camp. Her injured leg tingled whenever Bramblethorn took a step and she could feel blood trickling down her body from her wounds. Perking her ears, Otterkit listened into Snailkit's conversation with his mother.

"And she attacked me. At first I thought we were just playing, but then she unsheathed her claws. I fought back with all of my might and even used some of the battle moves you showed me earlier. Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?" Snailkit rambled on with his made up story, making himself the victim.

What a creative mind he has, Otterkit thought spitefully.

As the search party approached camp, Otterkit opened her eyes slowly. Cats gathered around the entrance staring with wide eyes at the two kits, but she ignored them, her thoughts only on getting into the medicine cat den and to get treated. As soon as Bramblethorn sat her down, Otterkit limped into the herbal smelling den as quickly as she could.

"Otterkit! What happened?" Gingerpaw gasped and ran over to her as she sat down with a loud sigh.

Thymetail turned his head from his herbs and padded towards her, his mouth full of herbs. He started to chew them up in his mouth, mixing them to dress her wounds.

"Gingerpaw, grab some moss and soak it with water to wipe off as much blood and mud as possible. Then when you see I have finished dressing her wounds fetch me a wad of cobwebs to stop the bleeding," Thymetail meowed instructions with his mouth full.

Otterkit watched as the ginger and white she-cat nodded and took off towards the opposite end of the den, rushing to retrieve the moss. Gingerpaw dunked a small wad of moss into the small puddle of water at the farthest end of the den and rushed back to her so she could clean Otterkit off. She squirmed under the moss, it tickled her nose and she sneezed.

Otterkit looked at Thymetail. "Snailkit," she meowed and Thymetail rolled his eyes.

"Of course it was," he meowed, licking the herbs into her now clean wounds.

She flinched as her wounds absorbed the herbs and stung her skin. Flicking her tail back and forth, she attempted to concentrate on the tingling in her leg.

"I'm d- ," Thymetail began, but Gingerpaw cut him off as she darted forward and started to apply the cobwebs.

He chuckled a bit and then lowered his head down close to her leg to examine it. Otterkit twitched her whiskers in amusement at the sight, since the tom's head was nearly on the ground due to how tiny she was. He moved her paw around in a circular movement and waited for a response. When he moved her leg to the left, Otterkit let out a yelp.

"Just what I thought. It's just a bad sprain. At least three to four days rest," Thymetail meowed, nosing her towards a poppy seed he had layed on the ground. 

"Can I sleep here tonight?" Otterkit blurted out.

Thymetail smiled. "Of course little one. Stay as long as you would like," he purred, walking back over to his herb store.

Otterkit smiled back and lapped up the poppy seed, resisting the urge to spit it out. Then she curled up in one of the spare moss nests, tucking her nose under her tail.

"Thymetail?" Otterkit lifted her head up drowsily.

"Yes Otterkit?" Thymetail padded back over towards her.

"One day I'll have everything I've ever wanted and I will always remember the kindness you have shared with me," she purred, blinking her eyes slowly.

"Yes you will Otterkit. You'll get everything that you deserve," he purred back, licking her head soothingly as the poppy seed took over Otterkit's consciousness.