The Elements of the Unwanted

Chapter 1 :: Sentenced

With my power, I grant Dark the power of the sky.

The voice echoed through his ears, startling him awake. As if an unseen force had pushed him, Dark's body fell right into a deep ditch full of water. The coldness of it caused him to thrash in panic.

With my power, I grant Dark the power of the sky.

Dark screamed at the voice and at a newfound feeling of illness throughout his body. It was a burning in his stomach, a numbness in his legs. Dark knew the flailing wasn't working, so he pushed himself out of the ditch and onto dry land, rubbing against the hard stones upon the edge.

"Found too many fleas in your fur, loner?" spat red and white furred tom with a tail just as fluffy as his coat. The other cats never commented or laughed about this aspect of the cat, for underneath the fur were sharp teeth and sharper claws one would never forget.

Dark, still shaking from the previous ordeal, growled as loud as he could, "I was cleaning off, dimwit. Wouldn't want me to show up at camp smelling like a dead fox, would you?"

"Watch your attitude, kit," the tom snapped. He bared his teeth and lashed his tail. "A loner like you shouldn't speak like that to me, your mentor and superior." Dark stiffened, but said nothing further.

"Shadow wants you to have his food at his cave by sunset," the tom said. "You better listen to him if you want to keep your face clean from any more scars." Dark nodded with respect. The tom scoffed and spat, "If only you were truly that obedient." The tom left, and Dark released a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

Dawn was almost over, he realized. It was late in the morning. Not that the time much mattered to him. It was still bitterly cold and frustratingly windy. It was just sunnier than normal, which he guessed would at least allow him an easier amount of prey to catch for Shadow.

For a young, small kit like Dark, walking upon the rocky terrain was difficult. The forest looked ten times more inviting, but it was where the clans had taken refuge. Their territory stretched to any sort of mild land the valley could produce.

Those kits have it easy, Dark thought, though he was only repeating what others had said around him.

Hunting was easy for him despite his odd color. He was fast enough for most of the rabbits he hunted, and when he was lucky he managed to catch a few small birds and sometimes even an adder. Most of the time, however, he hunted for the small rodents like mice or voles.

Dark moved swiftly through the rough rock below the pads of his feet. A few times he slipped, but he simply regained his footing and continued forward. He walked until the sun was directly above him, looking for an acceptable hunting ground which others would not be using.

A shift in the rock in front of him made Dark raise his head and narrow his eyes. His gaze locked in with a black cat before him. The cat was small and thinly boned. As soon as both cats realized what they were staring at, they crouched down and growled at each other.

"This is my hunting ground for the day," the cat before him said firmly. "Leave, or I will force you!"

"I'm hunting for Shadow," Dark reasoned. "I have to hunt here."

"You're only telling me that so you can bring back the finest rabbit for yourself," the cat spat.

"I won't be long," Dark tried again. "Just one rabbit."

"Yeah, after you scare off the rest of the prey!" the cat barked. "Now get off this territory! It's mine! I got here first!" Dark hesitated. If I don't go, I will have to hunt wounded by this cat. If I do, I will be punished by Shadow for sure. This sure is a lose-lose situation. Dark waited a few more moments before he decided. Unfortunately, his decision seemed to take too long.