The Warrior without Spots

The Blurb

A novella like story about a young kit born into the Mythological Clan of LeopardClan, he is born of a different colour to all those in the Clan. Is he an omen or nothing more than a mis-coloured kit. Some think that he is a curse to the Clan and should be exiled others believe that he is harmless. But will he stay in the Clan? What shall happen to this young kit wanting nothing more than to serve the clan that he loves.

Prologue

"Hey Stormstar, we want to go with the gathering, with you!" meowed a little black tom kit bouncing around his mothers large paws. Stormstar, a large grey she-cat with large black paws, a black tail and black muzzle, mrrowed a bit of laughter at her kit's eagerness to become a warrior in ThunderClan and join her at the gatherings were all cats of the Clans and leaders surrounding the lake gathered to share news about their Clans.

"No, Nightkit. You have to wait until your an apprentice before you may go to the gatherings," she mewed back to her kit.

"But it's so boring here without you!" cried Stormstar's other kit, Starlingkit grey like Stormstar but lighter and she had white on her chest and black paws like her mothers paws.

"What do you mean boring?" Stormstar inquired to her daughter.

"There is nothing much to do and we've already explored the entire camp!" Starlingkit mewed annoyed.

"But what about playing with Rainkit, training to be apprentices and play fighting with Nightkit as well?"

"We've done all that and Rainkit doesn't play fight!" moaned Nightkit, "She's too much of a scaredy-mouse!"

"Nightkit! That is not very nice of you!" scolded Stormstar.

"Can't you stay here and tell us another story from the ancient Clans?" asked Starlingkit her eyes growing round as she pleaded for her mother to stay.

Stormstar sighed, however much she wanted to be with here with her kits and wouldn't mind staying and telling her kits another story to keep them entertained. She was the leader of ThunderClan and she would have to go to the gathering with all the other leaders and the other warriors, it was a part of the warrior code and duty to her Clan. It only happened once every full-moon, why were her kits being such a nuisance on this night?

"I cannot stay and you both know that," chided Stormstar.

Nightkit and Starlingkit looked downcast at their paws and Stormstar felt sorry that she grumped at her kits, they were only bore, energetic and far too eager to become warriors. Still they would have to wait another 3 moons before they would become apprenticed and until then they would have to put up with being bored and being away from their mother. A thought then struck her. Buttercup the pale cream elder knew all kinds of stories told from the ancient Clans and she would know something that would put these kits to ease and hopefully to sleep before Stormstar came back from the gathering.

"Come my kits, let's go and see Buttercup. She'll look after you," Stormstar mewed.

Nightkit and Starlingkit looked at each other confused for a moment and followed their mother reluctantly. Stormstar first went to the nursery below a thick bramble bush and pocked her head inside, "Rainkit come with me, I am taking Starlingkit and Nightkit to go and see Buttercup and I'd like you to come along too," she mewed inside the den. A moment later a little white she-cat with one black paw and a black spot around her eye came tumbling out of the nursery with her mother, a white and ginger spotted she-cat, came following after.

The white and ginger she-cat, Ambereyes, shook her head to try and shake the sleep from her mind, "What is this all about, Stormstar?" the she-cat asked through a great big yawn.

"I thought I could take our kits to go and see Buttercup so she can tell them a story before they go to sleep," whispered Stormstar into Ambereye's ears. The she-cat nodded and happiness showed on her face, she seemed to like the idea that Stormstar had and followed her and the kits at the back of the group towards the elders den, which was found underneath a old rotting beech tree.

"Stormstar, are we going?" asked a large white tom with a black tail across from the middle of the clearing.

"One moment! I'm taking the kits to Buttercup!" Stormstar called back to the large tom, who tilted his head to one side in confusion and reply. Stormstar pushed through some of the branches that blocked the way to the elders den and broke some of them along the way, while her kits followed along quite happily, not encountering any troubles thanks to their small size. They eventually came to a small den with a couple of mossy nests inside and on top of them were two elders one white, with a greying muzzle and the pale cream she-cat that was Buttercup sitting behind the white tom.

The white tom lifted his head from sleep and blinked greetings to his clan leader, "Good day, my leader. How can we help you?" the tom said formerly.

"I have come to ask if Buttercup would share one of the tales she knows from the ancient Clans," replied Stormstar, nodding her greeting to the elders. The pale she-cat who was behind the white elder raised up and shook her pelt clean from the moss that clung to it and turned to her leader and blinked slowly, her amber eyes glowing with wisdom and happiness, to be telling another story to the leaders kits.

"I would be happy to tell the kits a tale of old," she mewed. Her voice was not crackling with age yet, but her body was shaky and slim and her pelt pale, depicting some age to her. "Come Whitetooth, give up some of your moss with mine for these kits to rest on," she mewed to the white tom and began to paw at her nest removing some of the moss. Whitetooth gladly obliged to Buttercups request and began to paw at his. Stormstar purred and left the elder to tell her tale with her kits in safe hands with the elders and Ambereyes to watch them, she could leave silently and head to the gathering, while her kits waited for Ambereyes to begin her tale.

Buttercup set down some of he moss in a pile and Whitetooth set down his creating a nest just big enough for all three kits to sit in. Starlingkit, Rainkit and Nightkit sat themselves down in the nests and happily turned their full attention to the pale she-cat who plopped herself down in Whitetooth's nest while he sat beside Ambereyes and began to share tongues with her.

"Right I know just the story for you three," Buttercup began. "It took place a long, long time ago many moons before the cats came home to the lake-"

"The cats didn't used to live by the lake!" cut in Nightkit surprised that the Clan cats didn't always live by the lake.

Ambereyes let out a little mrrow and continued, "Yes little one, but that is a story for another night. This story stretches far back to the ancestors of our ancestors, the giant cats that used to roam the forest of old. This a story from LeopardClan, a Clan faster than warriors from WindClan, stronger than ThunderClan. And the tale about the warrior born without spots..."

It was moon high at the time of the full moon and the time of the gathering in the old forest. In a camp beside the river that flowed down a gorge, a leopard queen was ready to welcome her kits into the world. Another leopard who was leader of the Clan and mate to the leopardess paced up and down outside a elder bush that separated him and his mate in the nursery, he was Onestar a fierce warrior leader. Faster than any hare or rabbit, any dog or Twoleg and as brave as a lion from LionClan. He huffed and puffed as he fretted over the arrival of his kits worried that something bad would happen to them, and his mates groans and moans just made him more on edge.

Another leopard came from afar from trees that lined the edge of the LeopardClan encampment. The leopard moved hurriedly over to Onestar and stopped him in his track, "Calm down, Onestar, you're kits will come in time," the leopard meowed.

"It is not that they will come in their own time, Silentfoot," snapped the Clan leader. "I am worried about them being okay."

Silentfoot rested his tale on the Clan leaders shoulder comforting him, trying to make him relax and looked at him through sympathetic green eyes, "I know that this can be a worrisome time, in a tom's life. But Sharpclaw is a healthy strong she-cat, she will be able to bring these kits into the world. And she has Runningwind with her, she will do fine,"

Just as Slientfoot said mentioned her name, Runningwind poked her head through a tunnel at the entrance of the elder-bush. She glanced at her leader with silver eyes, "Come, Onestar, you're kits are here at last!" she meowed through a sigh of relief. Onestar sprang past Runningwind as fast as he could and almost bowled her over, Silentfoot helped her steady herself and followed his leader through the tunnel. On the one side of the den, there was a large moss and feather nest in the middle of a small clearing, just enough for two or three cats to be sit in with the a queen. And to the other side was Onestar's mate with their newborn kits.

Sharpclaw was cleaning her kits when Onestar came through the reeds and she greeted him with a bush down his muzzle he did the same as well. Runningwind and Silentfoot sat before the tunnel that led into the nursery and watch on over the two leopards. "You have 2 gorgeous kits, my love," Sharpclaw panted and she nuzzled the two kits closer to her belly for them to feed. Her tale was wrapped tightly around them covering them from most of Onestar's view. The kits let out mews of indignation as their mother pressed them closer. Onestar then noticed one of the kits was not like the other one. The kits head was black it had no spots, nor yellow to its pelt. The kit was completely black, it was odd and strange and Onestar was unsure how to react.

"What is wrong with that kit?" he worriedly mew and pointed with his muzzle to the black kit squirming and mewling at its mother. Runningwind stepped forward to Onestar's side.

"I do not know. He arrived just like that, I cleaned him and so did Sharpclaw, but the kit remained that colour. Do you believe that it is an omen?" she asked.

"I don't know," meowed Onestar honestly.

"Quiet both of you!" snapped Sharpclaw, "How could you talk like that about you're own son?" she cried defensively. Onestar was unsure how to react to his mate and unsure what to do about the kit, was it really an omen or an age of a new kind of leopard. What was he to do?

"I know you want you kits to be the same, but Ravenkit might not be," commented Runningwind.

"Stop it! Stop it, now! You make speculations about him, before he has had a chance to live. How do you know that he will bring something bad! You might be wrong and I will not have you treating my kit like this!" she pressed her kits closer to her, the kits began to fall asleep and she wrapped herself around them shielding them from their eyes. "Leave now! And don't think about coming back. Not until you stop being so kit-like!"

Onestar did as his mate asked of him and left her alone with Runningwind, Silentfoot followed out after him and they headed towards the river. Silentfoot caught up to his leader and began discussion with him, "Do you really believe that he will be an omen to LeopardClan," asked Silentfoot.

"I do not know," replied Onestar worrying for his Clan. "It could be all this worry for nothing...it could be all...for nothing," he mewed deeply.

Chapter I

The morning sun shone brightly on the forest land below, illuminating the trees and the reeds in LeopardClan's territory, with its warming glow. Cats wandered around the grass land talking to one another, others went off in search for prey. A light breeze blew through the territory and the air the tree's rustled lightly under its touch and in the bushes below the trees something else was causing them to rustle harder. A small black leopard kit jumped out from the bushes and into the glowing rays of the sun and the cool soft grass of the territory. The kit puffed out his chest and sniffed the air letting the breeze fill his scent glands with all the different smells of the territory. He fluffed out his black pelt soaking in the warmth, he was only motionless for a few heartbeats and his pelt was already nice and warm.

More rustling came from the bushes behind the kit and an instant later in a flash of yellow and black, another kit came swiftly from behind and charged into the kit who was sitting in the opening. "Ha got you Ravenkit!" yowled the spotted leopard.

"Hey no fair!" exclaimed Ravenkit and pushed his brother off of him. "I wasn't paying attention to you!"

"That's why it was so easy to sneak up on you!" the leopard began to laugh. "Even with all that rustling, I still could!"

Ravenkit turned around in a huff and flicked his tail in anger at his brother, Hailkit had always been a nuisance even when they had their eyes closed, he often would bug Ravenkit. Pounding him with his soft paws or stealing his milk spot from his mother. Still he enjoyed playing with him and getting into mischief.

"Ah!" cried Ravenkit as he was bowled over by his brother again for a second time and began to wrestle with him trying to get him off.

"You're such a daydreamer, Ravenkit," meowed Hailkit through pumbles of his brother's paws.

"Am not!" protested Ravenkit.

"Are too!" the two kits bickered between each other until Ravenkit managed to push his brother away from him. Ravenkit leapt up and flicked his tail in annoyance as his brother stumbled up in laughter.

"Come on!" yowled Hailkit and he shot off heading towards a group of warriors who where sitting in a circle around each other talking in quite mews. Ravenkit bounded after him his paws hitting the ground in light thuds and the breeze swishing through his ears turning them cold along with his nose. His blood rushed to his ears and took his mind off of everthing around him. Ravenkit wasn't paying any attention to where he was going and went head strong into a warrior who was emerging from the trees not far from the nursery where Ravenkit and Hailkit slept.

"Oof!" Ravenkit slammed into the warriors front leg and fell onto his back. He scrambled up a moment later and shook his head clear from the dizziness that he sustained from the collision. He looked around and faced back to the leopard warrior who was staring down at him through narrowed eyes. Ravenkit drew back in fear, he had never seen a warrior quite as big as he was, he was even bigger than one star, Ravenkit and Hailkit's father. He was like a LionClan warrior but had the pelt and litheness of a LeopardClan warrior. It was Stonepelt, a proud and brave warrior and if he was angry with Ravenkit. Ravenkit knew that he wouldn't be liked by him after that.

"Watch were you're going, false-born," Stonepelt mewed icily at Ravenkit and Ravenkit flinched at his harshness. He didn't think that he did anything that bad, he was just a bit of a mouse-brain for not paying attention to where he was going. "You shouldn't be here, you're a false-born a curse to LeopardClan," Stonepelt hissed and marched off through the grass land and headed up LeopardClan's territory, stepping around Ravenkit as he went.

Hailkit bounded over from where he was standing near the group of warriors. The warriors had taken no notice in the incident that just happened between Ravenkit and Stonepelt and they didn't even seem to notice Hailkit. "What was that about?" asked Hailkit.

"Stonepelt, called me 'false-born,' what does that even mean?" he asked his brother and Hailkit just shrugged his answer. The two kits watched Stonepelt wander off into the territory of LeopardClan for a few heartbeats before Hailkit leapt up and pushed his brother.

"Come on, let's leave Stonepelt to his grumpiness and lets go and see if we can find anything fun to do!" he meowed and headed towards the bushes passed the near the group of warriors. Ravenkit followed him shortly after and began to wriggle himself into the bushes as he did he turned to see that a couple of the warriors from the group were watching him through suspicious eyes. Ravenkit hurried himself further into the bushes away from their staring eyes.

On the other side of the them, there was a small opening where talls trees stood shielding the sun from shinning directly onto the ground. The trees casted dozens of shadows around the clearing mostly of leaves that swayed in the breeze and other small things. There was nothing around in the small clearing but it was only just big enough to fit a fully sized LeopardClan warrior inside. There was only one scent and Ravenkit couldn't recognize it when he sniffed the ground, but it was old and stale. Who ever the cat was, he had long since disappeared. Hailkit was wandering around the edge of the small clearing sniffing different leafs that had fallen to the ground, different bushes and different tree trunks.

Ravenkit ceased the chance to pounce on his brother while he was distracted by what ever he was seeking out and landed on top of him, flattening him. Hailkit wriggled underneath him and turned onto his back and started to paw at Ravenkit's belly, "Get off me!" he exclaimed but Ravenkit wasn't going to he was going to get back at his brother for pouncing on him earlier. Hailkit pushed with his hind legs against Ravenkit's belly and managed to heave him off. Ravenkit stumbled onto the ground and regained his balance while Hailkit got up more slowly and let out a snort.

"I could smell Onestar and Runningwind," he mewed quietly, "Their not too far away but they passed through those bushes over there," he pointed to where he had been sniffing and Ravenkit checked the air and sure enough he could smell his father, faintly but it was drifting through the bushes nearby. Hailkit dropped into a hunters crouch and began to push through the bushes following the smell. Ravenkit followed his brother, who followed his fathers scent smell. Through ferns, brambles, blackberry bushes and other bits that grew in this part of the forest, and soon their fathers scent became stronger.

Hailkit halted and flicked his tail across Ravenkit's mouth and he spat it out with a "Pah!" and a look of disgust and started to lick away his brothers fur. "Sshhh, be quiet!" whispered Hailkit looking at his brother grumpily and signaled with his muzzle through the bushes ahead. "I can hear Onestar and Runningwind," he whispered quieter. Ravenkit moved closer to his brother and heard the muffled mews of their father and the leopardess who helped bring Ravenkit and Runningwind into the world. Ravenkit could distinguish her scent easily from her fathers, because she was the second one that he smelled after being born, her scent was sweet and had a warm feeling about it, like his mothers. But not long after his birth, a day or two maybe, she had stopped visiting them and gone back to her duties as a warrior and he rarely saw her. The only other time that he did, was when Sharpclaw, Ravenkit's mother, was complaining about a lump in her stomach and saying that it was giving her pains. After that, Sharpclaw had vanished for nights on end, and only visited on occasion. Hailkit and Ravenkit would often sleep alone in the nursery, though there was another leopardess in the nursery with them. She had her own kits to attend to.

Ravenkit strained his ears to hear what his father and Runningwind were discussing and why were they discussing it in secret?

"I tell you, Runningwind, it is because of that kit that Sharpclaw is ill!" he exclaimed but not loud enough for others to hear. Who are they talking about? Wondered Ravenkit.

"You're probably over worrying, Onestar. Yes it is in her stomach, but Ravenkit and Hailkit were inside her womb another part of her body," commented Runningwind.

"A different part of the body, maybe. But it is still near her stomach and that is why she has a lump inside it. It's that kit's fault, I knew he was false-born and now our Clan will pay," Ravenkit herd his father begin to pase back and forth, "What are we going to do for Sharpclaw, I don't want to loose her!" he cried.

"You will not loose her Onestar. Sharpclaw is strong, she will make it through," Runningwind tried to persuade her leader that everything would be alright. But Onestar did not believe in Runningwind's comment.

"The sickness is already making her weak, what ever it is and it wont be long before-" Onestar was cut off by the sound of rustling another scent drifted into Ravenkit's nose. It was Whitestone a leopard warrior, he seemed to be edgy about something.

"I've smelled TigerClan in our territory, my leader!" the leopard warrior puffed to Onestar.

"Where?" he asked quickly.

"Along the northern border, by the river!"

"Have they stollen our prey?"

"No!" Whitestone exclaimed, "But they were inside our territory, I don't know why, it doesn't make sense. It seem as though they have done anything but trespass,"

"I doubt that is all they have done, I will come and see for myself!" decided Onestar and he began to set off with Runningwind by his side, he wasn't far away when he heard another comment by his father, but it was too quiet for Ravenkit to tell exactly. But it sounded like, 'I hope for the sake of that kit, everything will be alright.' But Ravenkit doubted it that was what he said, why was he saying this about him? His father wouldn't treat him the same way as Stonepelt, would he? Ravenkit shook the thought from his head and peered out of the undergrowth with his brother at his side. "What was that all about?" wondered Hailkit, a more confused tone in his voice than before. It seemed as though he too was concerned about what their father was talking about. Did Hailkit have the same suspicions as the rest of them. No he can't do, we still play fight and practice our hunting moves. He wouldn't do that if he hated me.

"It sounded like they were talking about the lump in mother's belly, that she complained about when she was with us in the nursery," replied Ravenkit.

"Do you think it's going to kill her," Hailkit turned to his brother with rheumy eyes and a look of utter sorrow, Ravenkit didn't want to loose his mother either. She was the only one who was really nice to him and Hailkit, warm, soft, loving and kind. If she died what would happen to Ravenkit and Hailkit would they just be abandoned in their own Clan?

"I hope not," Ravenkit tried to sound as though he was brave for his mother, but failed not even in the deepest part of his heart at that time did he believe that what ever was inside his mothers stomach wasn't going to kill her and the way that his father and Runningwind had met like this, it seemed to cement in more in stone. Ravenkit and Hailkit turned back into the bushes from where they came and exited to forest back into the grasslands before the river, the day didn't seem so bright anymore...

Chapter II

Will be uploaded soon...