Warriors: Shadows of Blood (COMPLETE)

Chapter 1

"I've got it!"

"Oh, yeah?"

He sat in the corner of the den, watching his denmates uncertainly. Stonekit pounced on Swiftkit, who let out a squeak as the bigger kit sank his claws into his brother's pelt.

"Ow!" Swiftkit cried, pulling free and scrambling away, his black tail fluffed up. "Poisonedsap, he clawed me!"

Their mother twitched her ear in irritation. "Don't be such a mouse-heart," She snapped. "How are you ever going to be a real warrior if you run away the moment a claw touches your pelt?"

"Yeah, Swiftkit!" Stonekit sneered. "I'm going to be the best warrior in ShadowClan!" He lunged at his brother, who yelped as he was rolled over. "You'll have to be a medicine cat!"

Swiftkit bristled. "No way!" He swiped his claws across his brother's ear.

"Bloodkit?"

Bloodkit jumped a little at his mother's voice and turned his head. Bloomfire lay behind him, gazing at her kit sympathetically. "Why don't you play with your denmates?"

He hesitated, shifting closer to her. "They play so rough," He meowed quietly. "They probably won't like me anyway."

"Don't be silly." Bloomfire leaned down and swiped her tongue over his head. "Of course they'll like you. Go on and say hello."

Bloodkit watched as Swiftkit and Stonekit circled each other, tails lashing. What if he got hurt?

"Go on," She murmured, gently nudging him with her nose, and he hesitantly padded over to them.

"H-hello," Bloodkit began.

"Ha!" Stonekit swiped a black paw at Swiftkit, who reared backwards in response, and Bloodkit quickly leaped back just before the black and white kit bumped into him.

"Hello!" Bloodkit stammered.

Stonekit paused, flicking his yellow eyes to Bloodkit. "Oh, it's him." He grunted. "We don't want to play with him. Hawkfeather said-" Poisonedsap let out a warning growl behind them, and the big kit said no more.

What did Hawkfeather say about me? Bloodkit's red tabby tail drooped. Great, even the clan medicine cat hates me! For as long as he could remember, every cat in the clan behaved differently when he was near. Some outright ignored him or cast him cold glances, while others looked at him with a great deal of sympathy in their eyes. Bloodkit couldn't understand why, and constantly tried to think of what he had done to make his clan act so strangely around him.

Swiftkit looked at his brother sharply, then stepped toward Bloodkit. "Nevermind him," He meowed. "You can play with me."

"I can?" Bloodkit blinked at him in surprise, and behind him, Bloomfire purred.

"Of course!" Swiftkit waved his tail happily. "We can play moss ball."

Bloodkit bounded toward the tom kit eagerly. He hadn't played with another kit since Stripedpaw, Mottledpaw, and Creampaw had left the nursery. Now that they were apprentices, they never seemed to want to play with him. Of course they would rather focus on their training than waste time with a lonely kit.

"Not in here, you won't!" Poisonedsap lashed her tail. "I've been hit in the head with moss balls far too much! Go into the clearing."

"Okay." Swiftkit picked up the moss ball with his teeth and turned, racing out of the nursery. "Come on!" He mumbled. Bloodkit hesitated, staring out at the camp clearing uncertainly. He didn't like to leave the nursery. It seemed like every time he did, some cat would look at him funny or murmur a strange comment.