Darkkit stretched outward, his claws unfurling as he got deep into the stretch. He was laying on his stomach in the RiverClan clearing. The tom-kit was entirely relaxed right now, his limbs splayed out as he released the last of their tension. Stretching just made him sleepy, causing his jaws to part in a long, wide yawn. He hadn't slept his best last night, so maybe a little stretch would help to wake him up.
"Hey there, Dungkit!" a familiar voice jeered.
Darkkit instantly stopped stretching, a feeling of dread crawling through him.
Oh, no, he thought. He didn't want to look up and see those familiar, hardened gray eyes staring down at him, but as his close friend and relative always said: he had to face the situation. Slowly, his amber gaze flitted upward until he focused on the face of Riverkit.
Scrambling for what his kin might do, Darkkit stammered, "I-I'm not Dungkit. Have y-you forgotten my n-name? It's Darkkit."
Riverkit snorted, unfazed by the other tom-kit's weak, jittery voice. "Well, you're Dungkit to me," he laughed. "Why are you even in RiverClan, anyway? I'm the best cat here. Riverkit of RiverClan! I'm special. And you? You're just stinky and generic."
Darkkit flinched, stung by his harsh words. Leaping to his paws, he exclaimed, "Why me?" Maybe he could get a good reason. "Why are you so mean to me?"
Riverkit snorted. "Because it's fun," he replied simply, and Darkkit noticed that the tom-kit's claws were unsheathed. So were his.
"But-but what's fun about it?" Darkkit asked, his voice faltering slightly. He would never understand his brother. He just didn't get why teasing somebody to the point of hysteria could just be considered "fun"!
Riverkit's gaze hardened. "You know that I hate you, right?" he growled, taking a step closer. Darkkit's heart nearly skipped a beat as the other kit's muzzle was less than a whisker-width from his.
Darkkit stared, baffled, his heart pounding too hard to speak.
Riverkit continued. "Our father, the other River-, favors you over me. And that's not fair! I'm the one who's supposed to be getting the attention, not a pushover like you!"
Small drops of water formed at the corner of Darkkit's eyes and, through vision that was beginning to blur, he looked around. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to their confrontation.
"I can't help that...!" Darkkit tried, hoping to shake off the older tom-kit.
It didn't work. Riverkit's gray eyes hardened with fury as he spat, "But I can!"
Riverkit barreled into Darkkit, sending him flying. With a squeal, Darkkit struggled, barely getting onto his back. However, the bigger kit pinned him down, and kit claws scraped down his side. They were surprisingly sharp, cutting through gray-black fur with ease. Darkkit wailed and agony shot through him, trickling down his sides.
He managed to get a good kick from his hind legs, getting his brother's belly and making him stagger. Quickly, Darkkit began to roll away and crouched down. The metallic scent, the warm and wet feeling, and the red turning the land around him to red made him want to throw up.
Riverkit saw this advantage and leaped at him again, swiping. A couple of his claws, sharp for a kit's, caught one ear. Blood sprayed as the thin surface was cut and Darkkit wailed as he was thrown onto his back. Sharp claws pinned him down and dug into his stomach, sending sharp stabs of pain and accumilating little red droplets...
"RIVERKIT! STOP THAT!"
A loud yowl made Darkkit's vision clear and a moment later, Redspot was dragging Riverkit off of him. Panting, Darkkit got to his paws and stood there, trembling as his blood pooled around him. He felt like he might pass out, it was that bad.
All he could tell was that there was a lot of yelling. Wanting to get a good taste of the damage, Darkkit glanced at his sides and really wished that he hadn't. The fur was torn and ruffled, while blood streamed down thinly. Whimpering, Darkkit felt his legs give way and he fell onto the bloodied ground under him.
With the taste of earth and blood in his mouth, Darkkit felt his vision go blurry and red until he passed out.
Darkkit blinked open his eyes. Around him, dense bramble walls rose on either side, sheltering him. His stomach felt like it was flipping over while his sides hurt a lot. They were wet and sticky, and the scent of some sort of plant filled his nose. Actually, there were herbs everywhere.
"Ah, you're awake." The familiar voice of Redspot brought Darkkit to relief and he shifted his gaze over to the tom.
With his mind still foggy, Darkkit gasped, "Wh-what happened?"
Redspot blinked down at him, his eyes filling with concern. "You don't remember what happened?" he asked softly.
Darkkit hesitated. Then suddenly, memories came crashing down on him like a waterfall. Riverkit's taunting. His brother attacking him. Talking about him taking all of the attention. Starting to tremble, he whimpered, "I-I d-do."
"Don't worry," Redspot murmured, and Darkkit felt the tom's body curl gently around him. The warmth and the welcome familar scent made him relax. "Riverkit's been exiled."
Darkkit's eyes shot wide open with surprise.
Good, a part of him wanted to say. Riverkit was gone and he wouldn't bother Darkkit ever again. But was that the case? Riverkit was out there in the wild, and possibly, he could gain a hardened heart and seek revenge on his brother. And Riverkit was still a kit. What if he died?
Was he really wishing death on his own brother?
But he tried to kill me.
Tucking his muzzle under his tail, Darkkit squeezed his eyes shut. With Redspot around, he felt safe - and all he wanted to do was sleep.
@
Cougar
Re: Short Stories!
