[Deleted]

Born in grief
Raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate

The kitting that birthed only one living, breathing kit should have never happened. The mother that met, mated and conceived with the loner should have never produced any kits at all, let alone the one who survived. A destruction to the code in which the black and white queen had defied, an abomination to Starclan and the clan in which the kit was born to. It was only a matter of time before the ancient cats, the ancestors to this tiny, helpless, orphan, decided his fate, whether it to be good, or terribly, terribly horrible. The future of this kit was in the hands of Starclan, the clan that took his mother and sisters with them when he was gifted to this world.

The multicolored Medicine Cat stared down at the motionless, and cold body of her former apprentice. The beautiful white and black she-cat, now a queen, had lost her life giving birth to three kits, though only one survived. A large tom-kit, covered in her life's blood. While the white bundle of fur, splashed red with his mother's blood, struggled to find food, the Medicine Cat could only look at him with large green eyes. There was something about this kit's life that threw her off, she could see, something that she knew no other cat would be able to see if they looked at him. Starclan was sending her a sign, this kit was not a blessing, but a curse of her apprentice's will to break the Medicine Cat's Code.

Ears flickered as a new cat entered the Nursery that was currently occupied by the Calico she-cat, her former apprentice, and another queen, who's kits were sleeping soundly, despite the disturbance in the den. The voice that pulled her from her thoughts, her ramblings over the surviving kit was from her leader. Only after a moment was Whispersong able to turn her eyes from Birdwhistle's dead body and her two dead daughters and one living son to meet the steely, gray eyes of Ripplestar.

"Whispersong, it's time to bury them." Her voice was just as steely as the color of her eyes, though the older, and rather grumpy, leader would never admit that she was sad with Birdwhistle's passing, she would continue to be stubborn, feeling betrayed by the black and white queen's lack of respect for the code she had dedicated her life too. "Give the kit to Silverflame." The Calico didn't miss the sound of distaste for the one surviving kit.

At the sound of her name, the silver tabby queen lifted her head, burning amber eyes glanced from Ripplestar to Whispersong before looking at Birdwhistle's motionless body. She had already offered to care for the kit, but she still looked like it was going to be a heavy burden to care for a kit that the leader didn't seem to want in her clan. She had her own kits to worry about as well, a sandy tabby tom named Timberkit, and a silver tabby she-cat named Birchkit. Taking care of one more would be a bit hard for the young, and new queen at only eighteen moons.

Picking herself up, Whispersong ignored the dried blood covering her paws, the dried blood from Birdwhistle's terrible, horrible kitting, and took the squirming white kit's scruff in her jaws. The second he was removed from his mother's flank, his tiny maw opened, pink tongue and sharp teeth showing as he screeched, just as loudly as he could. The Medicine Cat felt her ears press down against her head as she figured Ripplestar and Silverflame had done as well. This white tom-kit continued to screech, far after he should have stopped, while Whispersong cleaned the dried blood from his pelt as set him beside Timberkit and Birchkit at their mother's flank.

Silverflame narrowed those fiery, amber orbs of hers as the white kit still screeched, disturbing her own kits, until she flicked her tail over his nose, silencing him with the startling movement. "Frostkit should be a good name." Both the silver queen and the calico Medicine Cat looked over to their hard-hearted leader as the older she-cat gave a name that fit for the kit who bore a pelt of pure white. As though Starclan either approved or disapproved of the large kit, thunder clapped over head, shaking the walls of the nursery, every so slightly.

Ripplestar retreated from the Nursery, with Whispersong in tow, the quiet Medicine Cat looked up to see a few warriors, including Silverflame's mate, Sandcloud, and the deputy, Sunstorm, head towards her, presumably to take away Birdwhistle's body, and the body of the two she-kits who didn't survive the kitting with Frostkit. Thunder rumbled again as the warriors disapeared into the Nursery, rain was going to fall soon. Whispersong looked up from her blood-dried paws to the dark sky as the silver dropplets of rain water started to pour down. Starclan wasn't mourning for Birdwhistle's death.

They were mourning for the clan's future.

[Deleted]

Born in grief
Raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate

It was a warm Greenleaf day, not hot enough to have all the warriors bedded down in their nests, or under the shade as they tried to find relief from the sun, but warm enough that the senior warriors, elders and queens were able to enjoy a nice sun bath, letting the warmth from the sandy ground soak into their skin and the bright yellow orb in the sky lick through their fur. It was one of those days that were cherished at the beginning of Greenleaf, because older cats knew it was only going to continue to get hotter and hotter until the days were almost unbearable and the apprentices had to find moss to soak up water.

Four moons had passed since the death of Birdwhistle and the birth of Frostkit. Ripplestar had given no other thought of the kit who held a pelt as stark as snow, nor did she seem to act as if the kit was there. Rather a harsh thing to do, but the old, silver-blue leader was very strict when it came to both the Warrior Code and the Medicine Cat Code. Birdwhistle had disobeyed her code, and betrayed her clan-mates when she mated with the loner than no longer lived around the clans, and gave birth to what Ripplestar saw as an abomination.

Despite Ripplestar's views, her deputy, Sunstorm, was a fair and kind warrior, despite being very young. He had become her deputy at the age of twenty-three moons, securing the position by sticking to the Warrior Code, being kind, generous and level headed. Sunstorm had become a very popular tom throughout the clan and it was only a bit of a surprise that he was announced as Ripplestar's deputy just after his first apprentice became a warrior. The golden warrior had taken it upon himself to visit all the kits in the nursery, as he found they held a soft spot in his heart. He had always stated that kits were the most important part of the clan, and he favored them over most warriors.

Sunstorm's view for Frostkit was pity and sympathy, rather than choosing to ignore his existence all together. When the deputy went to play with Silverflame's kits, he also included the large white tom-kit as well. Seeing no excuse to leave him out. It would only deepen his bitter towards his hostile clan-mates. Despite the fact that Frostkit had been born in a rather laid back clan, one that usually excepted most cats, despite their flaws, several warriors, seniors and elders could not accept the fact that Frostkit had been given to them through Birdwhistle's betrayal. And so they viewed the innocent kit the same way that their leader, Ripplestar did.

This did not slip past the smart kit, who caught on to everything with exemplary speed. From his young age, Frostkit had shown great potiental to be an amazing warrior. Quick on his paws, fast with his mind, the young kit had every makings for becoming a find cat, if only the clan would accept him for who he was, and not for what his mother had done. Such hateful views and harsh remarks left him sour, and bitter. He, for so young, hated the cats around him. Why should he try to like his 'clan-mates' if they wanted to pretend he didn't exist? Big for his age, he knew he would grow to be a rather large cat, and then they would all pay for how they treated him. He would make sure of it.

In the mean time, Frostkit found he had to, despite the tediousness of it, act innocent and carefree, like nothing could bother him or anger him. And so he played, like a kit should, he faked his happiness, like a kit at four moons should feel. But underneath that stark white pelt, his skin was boiling hot with rage, and anger and hatred. In time, as he would grow, so did those emotions that coiled in the pit of his stomach, wrapped around his insides and would come to twist his heart so black and small, that the world would no less matter, than his feelings of the mother he never knew.

While Timberkit, the sandy brown tom that Frostkit had been raised up beside, was off messing with Whispersong, the Medicine Cat, the large kit found himself with Birchkit, Timberkit's gentle and soft hearted sister. It was one thing to pretend to enjoy being with the kits he was being raised with, but when he was with Birchkit on her own, he found her lack of resentment towards him to be claw wrenching. It was almost as if the silver she-kit pitied him. And that was the last thing he wanted. She was always being fair to him, treating him as if he were her brother. Once he was older, that would be the first thing to go, as she could never fear him like he wanted all the other cats to do.

Birchkit looked up, her soft blue eyes laying over Frostkit as she padded over to him. "Want to play Frostkit?" She asked, tipping her head to the side, looking quite dumb if you asked the white tom-kit. As she asked her question, the tom glanced over to where Silverflame was laying in the sunlight, Sunstorm near her as they gossiped about their days as apprentices. The large kit turned his fierce and cold amber eyes back to Birchkit as a villainous smile lit up his maw.

"Sure Birchkit." He said, his voice laced with the fake innocence he had trained himself to do, to fit in among his irritating clan-mates. An ingenious idea popped into the rather smart kit of four moons, perhaps he could 'accidentally' injure Birchkit. Perhaps it would quell his thirst for revenge for the time being. "I'll play Froststar." His tail curled over his back as he looked down at the much smaller she-kit. "You can be an enemy warrior." He didn't give Birchkit a moment to respond before he leaped at her. Claws unsheathed.

Thorn sharp claws sliced into Birchkit's flank as he knocked her over with ease and clawed at her side. Her reaction was an immediate screech that had a sandy brown flashed shoot into his side, knocking him from the cowering Birchkit. Frostkit hadn't seen Timberkit leave the Medicine Cat's den, and now the other tom-kit was standing near nose to nose with the large white kit, his teal eyes fierce and cold as he growled. "Don't you dare hurt Birchkit!" He hissed at Frostkit, who's ears laid back on his head and he gave a smug smirk to Timberkit. Once he was older, this tom-kit would be one of the ones he would force to make fear him.

However, two large shadows bore over Timberkit, Birchkit and Frostkit as the white kit looked up, faking innocence and fear in his amber eyes. His maw opened as he went to protest should a cat blame him for Birchkit's injuries. "Birchkit!" Silverflame's voice shot through Frostkit's ears, completely ignoring him as he glared at the silver tabby queen's ears, hoping they would burn with the anger he was feeling. However, once the mother of Timberkit and his sister made sure the silver she-kit was safe, she rounded on Frostkit, teeth bared and voice hot with anger. "How dare you lay your claws on my daughter!" He caught that Silverflame made sure to point out that he was, in fact, not hers, despite the fact that she was raising him.

The fur along her spine was raised as her amber eyes, hot as fire, bore into his colder amber eyes. He wanted to raise his claws to her, to swipe them along her jaw. But he had to act innocent, "I didn't mean to hurt her!" He cried out, letting his ears press against his head and his tail droop to the ground, backing away from her as if her words had physically hurt him rather than just annoy him.

Silverflame's tail lashed out, knocking him against his nose, something she had done to him several times when he had been in-trouble, a form of punishment that her 'precious' kits never got, despite the fact that they had gotten into trouble several times. It wasn't painful, just a bit surprising each time it happened, and Frostkit had to grit his teeth each time to keep him from snapping at her tail. "Silverflame." A more calm and deeper voice cut through the tension between the queen and the kit.

The two turned to see the large form of Sunstorm standing near them, his amber eyes gentle and soft as he turned from the queen to give his pity look to Frostkit. "I'm sure Frostkit didn't mean to. He just got carried away with playing." A smile touched the golden tom's maw before he turned back to Silverflame, "Why don't you take Birchkit to be checked out by Whispersong, I'll stay here with him." By him, he meant the kit who would be getting a serious talking to by the 'oh-so gracious' deputy.

Frostkit his eyes locked onto his large white paws, pretending to be upset about being in-trouble. His ears twitched as he heard Silverflame hiss slightly before taking Birchkit and Timberkit off to the Medicine Cat's den, probably glad to be away from the white demon she saw him to be. Though it wasn't like he was innocent of being nothing less, he just played it off fairly well so the whole clan couldn't see how he truly was.

Sunstorm's fur brushed against his pelt, stark white against bright golden. The older tom's tail twitched before touching Frostkit's flank, watching as he faked a flinch as if he were in-trouble. The golden warrior's eyes narrowed slightly, worried that the kit would act in such as way as he knew Silverflame would never abuse a kit, even if they were all bad. "You are much bigger than Birchkit, Frostkit." The deputy started, as if he had given this speech several times before. He wasn't leader, he didn't need to act like it, Frostkit held back a growl.

"I know." The white kit simply pushed out.

"You must be careful when playing with those smaller than you. We don't want to hurt them, or you to get hurt." How could Birchkit possibly hurt him, she was a mouse-brained feline with no back bone. He should sooner be scared of a squirrel hurting him than her. "You must always keep your claws sheathed too. Never use them on a clan-mate." Sunstorm continued as he looked down at Frostkit.

"I know. I just got carried away." His sad voice, of course not real as he didn't feel sorry for injuring Birchkit, trembled as he looked up at Sunstorm, giving those watery, kit eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her. It was an accident." But next time, she wouldn't just get 'hurt'. What he said must have been enough, because the deputy nodded before touching his nose to Frostkit's head and standing up and stretching.

"You only have a few more moons left of being a kit." Sunstorm gave a smile before flicking his tail, "Take it easy just a bit longer." He gave a final nod before padding off to check on Birchkit. Frostkit felt his stomach boil as he held back a growl. His cold amber eyes glaring holes into the back of the deputy's skull, wishing looks could kit. One day he would take the comfortableness from Sunstorm, make him feel as if he were not safe in his own clan. Make him feel as how the white kit felt every second of the day.

And then. He would kill him.

[Deleted]

Born in grief
Raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate

Leaf-fall, a time when the leaves change colors and twirl down from the trees and prey start to hide in their burrows, preparing for Leafbare. The wind changes directions, the weather cools down and life gets a little harder to bare as times become tougher and tougher. Besides the lack of prey, the clans would start to worry about sickness, as with the cold it was brought, and it took several lives with it by the time Newleaf swung around in far off moons. It was with luck, that there were no queens, or kits to fall ill, any only a few elders should they survive the next couple of harsh moons.

Being an apprentice wasn't going to be easy either, as there were only four of them, including Whispersong's apprentice when didn't stay in the den with the others, who were training to be Warriors for their clans. Frostpaw and Birchpaw were only eight moons old, when they experienced the first cold night of their lives. Leafpaw, was an older she-cat, one of fourteen moons, and was soon on her way to becoming a Warrior. Timberpaw, Birchpaw's brother, had been taken under Whispersong's wing and was now training to become a Medicine Cat.

Frostpaw's training had gone... well, so far. While he was still growing, he was much larger than Birchpaw and Leafpaw, and his mentor wasn't much taller than him. Some senior warrior by the name of Raventalon, always telling him to remember the code and that fighting wasn't everything. He had to hone both his fighting skills and his hunting skills to be a well rounded Warrior, but the white tom was always far more interested in fighting. It wasn't like Birchpaw would ever make a good opponent, but Raventalon wouldn't let him fight against Leafpaw, who was more experienced and could 'easily' beat him.

Frostpaw would show Raventalon, and Leafpaw, he could beat both of them with ease. He was bigger than Leafpaw, who was older, and he was almost bigger than his mentor. He was still waiting, however, for the time when he was a warrior, he would make his clan-mates pay for how they treated him, and then they would see. They would see him for what he truly was, a cat who let his angry fester like an open wound, who let his rage coil inside his heart and his hatred run his life as he pretended to fit in with this group of mouse-brained cats.

He was waiting for the day, the day with old Ripplestar kicked the dirt. She was doing less and less now, probably on one of her last lives as Sunstorm had been acting more and more like the leader of the clan, which was even more annoying. Despite waiting for Ripplestar to die, Frostpaw didn't want righteous, proud Sunstorm as leader either. It was one thing to have a leader who despised him and acted like he didn't exist, it was another to have a leader who pitied him and tried to act like his friend.

Now that he was older, and no longer needed caring for, Silverflame had started to ignore him like Ripplestar had done, and now she only care for the training of Birchpaw and Timberpaw. And how Birchpaw was even still an apprentice was beyond him, she was still just as weak and gentle as she was the day he laid his claws on her, and though Timberpaw had never forgiven him, his silver pelted sister had brushed it off an as accident and said it was okay. It burned his skin that she was so kind to him, he hated her for it, he hated Birchpaw and he couldn't wait for the day when was no longer alive.

Dusk was starting to settle as the large white tom followed his mentor, deputy and Leafpaw along a border that rivaled another clan. Their scent was overpoweringly strong and smell sharply of frogs and mud. Sunstorm's tail raised as Leafpaw and Raventalon paused near the large, golden tom, a low growl came from the deputy's throat. "Skunkstripe, what are you doing on our side of the border?" His voice was cold and sharp as stone as he asked the black and white tom from the rival clan.

The other deputy, short and stocky, puffed out his chest to make him look bigger, he had three lanky warriors behind him as he spoke in a snarl. "This part of the forest belongs to us now." He growled, crooked teeth flashing in the dying sun's rays as Frostpaw saw his claws unsheathed and felt excitement burrow into his stomach. This would be his first battle if Sunstorm decided to retaliate.

"Back off Skunkstripe!" Sunstorm took a step forwards, his large frame staring down the deputy with cold amber eyes that blazed like the sun in the sky. "This is our territory and we will fight for it before letting you have it!" Fangs flashed as the golden tom's lip curled up, muscles rippling under his tight pelt before Skunkstripe leaped at him, a yowl of fury breaching the tension between the two patrols at the border line.

Leafpaw took off after some tabby tomcat before he was able to attack Sunstorm with Skunkstripe, and Raventalon met head on with a large brown she-cat who was missing one of her ears. Turning his cold, crazed amber eyes onto the remaining warrior, the lanky gray and black tom lashed his long tail before making a bee line towards the stark white apprentice. Long claws unsheathed, Frostpaw prepared himself to meet this mouse-brained cat head on, even with the older cat being a warrior, he was almost smaller than the apprentice.

Rearing up, the white tom's claws latched onto the other tom's flank, swinging him around and throwing him to the ground with ease before pouncing onto his startled body. Paws flailed against Frostpaw, clawing at his ears and his soft underbelly while the white tom tried to sink his fangs into a soft part of the tom's neck. Unable to connect, the gray and black rival warrior shot up, knocking his shoulder into Frostpaw to unbalance him from his large paws.

After a moment, the apprentice regained his composure to see the warrior slink off after Sunstorm and Skunkstripe, where locked claw in claw, trying to off balance each other in a battle of strength. Hissing coldly, a searing frost leaked through the apprentice's core and tightened around his stomach before he shot forwards, slamming the tom into a tree. Through the heat of battle, Frostpaw heard one of the tom's clan-mate's yowl to him, "Grackleclaw!" And so, now the apprentice had the name of the tom who lay battered at his paws.

Before Frostpaw could swipe, Grackleclaw shot forwards, knocking Frostpaw underneath him and sinking his fangs into the younger tom's shoulder. With a furious hiss, and a dangerous light flaring in his amber orbs, Frostpaw twisted his body to sink his own fangs into Grackleclaw's throat, his claws flailing to rip at the black and gray tom's flanks, catching tuffs of fur underneath. Blood trickled down Frostpaw's nose, coating his white fur red with Grackleclaw's blood until he felt the tom on top of him fail to struggle anymore.

A light of satisfaction burned in his eyes and a hunger that was barely quelled retreated back into his gut before Grackleclaw's body was pulled from him and Raventalong yanked Frostpaw up by his scruff, giving him a scowl with cold blue eyes. "A warrior doesn't kill another warrior!" He snapped, tail lashing behind him as he cornered the apprentice against the tree. Frostpaw saw Leafpaw standing near Sunstorm, wide eyed as she looked from the white apprentice to the dead warrior near the border.

Skunkstripe hissed coldly, calling back his other two warriors to grab Grackleclaw's fallen body, "This isn't over!" The other deputy yowled, "We will get you back for Grackleclaw's death!" With a flick of his tail, the rival warriors disappeared into the darkness of their territory, Skunkstripe's white tipped tail disappearing last. Sunstorm stood ridged, the fur along his spine still spiked up and his claws still dug into the ground, war was the last thing this clan needed at the beginning of Leafbare.

He turned towards Frostpaw, and the white apprentice could see the anger rolling in those amber orbs. He finally made the perfect deputy angry at him, it took strength to hold back a growl for the golden warrior, and to keep from swiping his claws over his mentor's muzzle. His own nose still had Grackleclaw's blood on it as well as his white chest. He was pleased that he was able to take such a warrior's life. It meant that in the future, it would be even easier, his eyes landed on Sunstorm again after turning from Raventalon.

"Raventalon, take Leafpaw back to camp and get Whispersong and Timberpaw to check on your wounds." Sunstorm's tail lashed as he waited for the other two cats to slip off through the forest before he glared his orbs at Frostpaw. He padded forwards, still and cold as he neared the apprentice who lacked sorrow for the loss of life he had caused. "Every warrior's life is precious." Sunstorm started, his voice stone cold and harsh as he tried to remain a bit calm. "The Warrior Code states that we should never take another warrior's life!" He snapped.

"He attacked me! I was protecting myself!" Frostpaw hissed back, pushed forwards, almost coming nose to nose with the large deputy. Fierce amber bore into blazing amber as the two cats stood toe to toe. Frostpaw wasn't afraid to get into trouble, he wasn't afraid of Sunstorm, but someday, this pathetic warrior would be afraid of him, if he wasn't already. Frostpaw had just shown, whether he had meant too or not, that he could take a life and it wouldn't affect him either way.

"You don't protect yourself by killing your opponent!" Sunstorm snapped back, a growl deep in his throat as he pushed forwards, making the large apprentice take a step back. "If you can't understand the Warrior Code then you will never become a warrior of this clan!" He lashed his tail, fur rising and his temper rose. "Until you learn, you will not be training anymore, you will take care of the elders until I say so." The deputy lashed his tail once more, attempting to control his temper that was flaring.

Frostpaw gave a furious screech, "Fine!" He hissed, turning and storming off through the forest and back towards camp. Sunstorm could treat him like a kit for now. He only had to wait a couple more moons before he was a warrior. Then that pathetic golden warrior would lay dead at his paws like Grackleclaw had only moments ago. The anger and hatred boiled in his stomach and seethed through his skin as he stomped away.

He couldn't wait. Couldn't wait to make them all pay, and he would make them pay, for as long as he was still alive and breathing. They would fear him.