Briarthorn's Torment

Chapter One

Briarkit emerged from the woven den where the apprentices reside, her white paws placed clumsily on the dusty dirt ground. She took a quivering deep breath, her whiskers twitched happily as she scanned her yellow eyes around the clearing. Where in the name of StarClan was that little weasel Leopardkit? She laughed to herself, her sister wasn't a weasel! But enough about what she wasn't, where was she?
     "Leopardkit!" Briarkit called for her sister, she stood on her back legs, waving around unbalanced with her higher view. She could see for a few moments... then she fell backwards, ack! How clumsy of her.
     "Have you found her?" A small, raspy voice asked from behind the she~kit, Briarkit whipped around to see her dear friend Blackkit. Defeated, she shook her head with a heaving sigh. Her small tail sunk to the floor, Blackkit still wore a determined look despite Briarkit's somber attitude.
     "You stubborn kit! Out of my nest!" A grumpy elder shrieked, the gray tail of Grayfever could be seen pushing a kit from the elders den. Briarkit's dull yellow eyes sparked as she ran over, incredibly clumsily, to touch her sister's nose with her tail.
     "Found ya'!" Briarkit murmured as she whipped her tail back behind her, turning she perked her small ears up. Now to find Dreamkit and Starrykit!
     "Not fair," Leopardkit grumbled, her ears falling flat on her head as she looked around through wide green eyes. Leopardkit didn't seem as down anymore, she was just overreacting. Briarkit had already checked the nursery and apprentices den, the elders den was obviously not a good place to go currently.
     "I saw a bit of ruffling in the back of the warrior den," Blackkit commented helpfully, Briarkit nodded with a focused look. She stumbled over to the warriors den, trailing behind it as Blackkit had said. As he reported, there was indeed the subtle movement of the grown bushes.
     "Show yourself, we caught you!" Leopardkit asked anxiously, her green eyes were wide and terror-filled. Briarkit was convinced that her sister was thinking of the worst outcomes possible. As commanded, a gray she~kit with darker gray stripes emerged from the greenery. Her ears were flat with defeat, Briarkit wore a proud grin as she bounced around her friend.
"Gotcha, Starrykit!" Briarkit smiled, giving her friend a lick on the cheek. At the small, simple action, Starrykit seemed to brighten a bit. "Now... to find that slippery Dreamkit!"
"Hm... maybe she's in the medicine cat den?" Blackkit suggested, the small tomkit seemed to be bursting with ideas. Briarkit admired his witty thinking and fast problem solving! Leopardkit trailed behind the cluster of kits, Briarkit turned and looked at her sister with sympathy in her wide eyes.
She bounded back on clumsy, unstable paws and nudged her sister with a goofy laugh. "You alright?"
"Hm? Oh— yeah... just not in the mood for hide-and-seek anymore." Leopardkit shrugged, she turned around and walked to the nursery. Briarkit watched her sister disappear into the nice, milk-smelling den. Furrowing her brow, she shrugged and stumbled to the front of the kit-pack again.
As they walked down the pathway of ferns to the medicine clearing, Briarkit examined the tall stalks of bracken in awe. Her tiny pink mouth opened wide, she almost slipped into a stream that would carry her off to whoever knows. Shaking her small pelt, she smiled and ran into the medicine den. She searched for a brown pelt, nothing...
"Briarkit!" A voice called, the calico kit turned around and ran from the den. The voice repeated her name once again.
As Briarkit came to the back of the medicine cat den, she found Starrykit who was pointing a gray paw at a dusky brown bundle of warm fur, she smiled mischievously and sprinted over on clumsy legs. "Found you!" Briarkit announced, the body didn't move. She tilted her small head in confusion, what was up with Dreamkit? She pawed at the kit, the body rolled over to appear as a dead squirrel. Starrykit gasped, Briarkit whimpered in surprise and ran from the carcass.
The two she~kit's clumsy, aimless running lead them to crash straight into Lennypaw. The medicine cat had appeared from the main clearing with bundles of herbs in his mouth. He let out a hiss and looked down at the two kits, his surprised reaction turned into an angry glare swiftly.
"How many times have I told you not to play here?! You stubborn kits!" Lennypaw hissed, his half-tail wiggled back and forth angrily. Briarkit was breathing heavily, she murmured a sorry and ran away. Blackkit was staring into the apprentices den, he looked to Briarkit and Starrykit and motioned them over with his small, thin white tail.
"Dreamkit?" Starrykit exclaimed in surprise, but it couldn't be! Briarkit had checked every corner there was of the apprentices den, how did Dreamkit manage her way around that? Growling with a deep frustration, Briarkit stomped off to the nursery.
"Briarkit?" Dreamkit called, the kit was tilting her head in surprise, but why should she stop? Obviously she wasn't meant to find her! Dreamkit probably just want to boast about how amazing she was at hiding! As she slunk into the nursery, Leopardkit and Sparrowheart were talking. Briarkit walked over and sat down in their nest, she told Leopardkit and her mother what had happened with their 'fun' game of hide-and-seek. Curling up, Briarkit gave a large yawn and pressed her small body against Leopardkit and Sparrowheart. She was tired... just wanted a small nap, maybe she could sleep through the whole night? Briarkit slowly slipped away from the present, her hopeless grasp on consciousness was proven a fail as she slept soundly.

Briarkit looked around, Leopardkit was much bigger now... she looked like a warrior! There was a small kit in between her paws, did Briarkit's sister have a mate and a litter of small bodies? Who was it? Shaking her head, a large black and white creature lumbered into the camp, cats were shrieking and calling for others. They all ran into the sturdiest dens for safety, but what was Leopardkit doing? Why wasn't she moving? Briarkit tried to step towards her, but her paws wouldn't work! What was happening? The creature walked straight to Leopardkit, Briarkit screamed as she tried to reach her sister and lend her help. Not even a single word came from her body, what was this? Briarkit yowled again, watching Leopardkit's fate unfold horrifically... she was torn apart by the badger, lying on the ground in pain as the kit she had guarded stood over her. Begging and pleading for her to stay, she watched her sister's eyes close for the last time... Briarkit didn't want this! She wanted it to stop! Tears flooded down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and hopelessly asked to be sent back. Eventually, the world seemed to slip from her...

Briarkit gasped, her eyes fluttered open as she looked from Leopardkit to her mother, the were both safe... good.