Shattering of Family



 Shattering of Family

 A fanfic in Stories of Flame

 By Bramblefire3118

Shattering of Family
They say, in DarkClan, families are fragile. They say that families sometimes don't care for one another. This was true for my family, for one. ''They abandoned me when my brothers were killed by our leader. I haven't seen them since.'' And now, I want my revenge. My name is Talon, and this is how my family was shattered.

 ~Raraku

The day that I kitted was a very painful one, from what I can fathom now.

It came all of a sudden, my stomach felt like it was lurching from where I had sat, grooming myself inside a make-shift den on the edge of the DarkClan camp. Snaketooth didn't seem overly pleased, but I had ignored my leader there.

Not many cats knew that I had kitted until after I had done. They'd put off the screams for something else.

The other DarkClan queen, a she-cat called Catneiss, was also seeming to be rather doubtful. Her single kit, a small tom named Travis to seemed very weedy, was often schemed upon by Snaketooth to be killed.

I hoped that none of my kits would suffer the same fate that Travis was seemed to foredoom. However, Travis was lucky, and Snaketooth never killed him, from what I knew.

...Anyway, back to the night of my kitting. It was cold. Only my sister, Knurren, was the only cat that even turned up.

"You can do it," she'd told me, a gruff to the dark gray she-cat's voice. "DarkClan needs more Spikes. If Shale and Kaise were here right now, they would be pleased that DarkClan would be boosting their ranks, and strengthening our borders from FlameClan - the devil of them!" There was a ferocious spitting on the ground at this from Knurren.

I wanted to reply, but I was cut off as another groan escaped my lips. In that moment, the pain intensified, and I had felt myself starting to push.

My first kit's arriving, I thought, shutting my eyes in pain and letting out a loud yowl.

Then, soon enough, the first kit arrived. I saw that it was dark as Knurren went over to lick at its fragile body, before she placed it near my belly. "It's a she-kit," she told me firmly, her amber eyes showing no emotion.

I had no time to do anything before I broke off into yet another yowl. The pain - which had reduced after my first kit's birth - came back again, and I guessed that now, the second kit was coming.

There was another dark shape, before I forced myself to look away. I gasped for breath, wondering if there was going to be any more. I'd had enough already...

"A tom," Knurren grunted, as a third wave of pain now hit me, more powerful than the first two. I felt myself shout to the heavens, as though mournfully - and then I saw a bright flash at the edge of my vision.

At once, the pain subsided completely, and I turned slowly, to see Knurren nipping open the kitting sac of my third kit, who - was to my surprise - a dark shade of ginger. None of my family was ginger - I guessed that it might've come from my mate, Maikuku's side.

"You have three kits," Knutten told me gruffly. "Two toms and a she-kit."

I purred as I swept my kits towards me, and I felt them latch onto my belly and suckle. This moment - for me - was bliss.

Welcome to DarkClan, my little ones.

They say, in DarkClan, families are fragile.

 ~Maikuku

My family, to hold to the myth of it all, is fragile. And for some reason, I didn't want that to happen for my own kits - at first - when Raraku had them. However, I guessed when I saw my kits, that all seemed... to change.

In DarkClan, the day that I had been having seemed absolutely normal. I'd been hunting all day to save myself from Snaketooth and his deputy, Amber, hunting me down - no way would they let me stay by my mate while she was kitting! - and only when I came back to camp was I alerted.

"Hey, you." A black-and-white tom padded over, a fellow Spike. His yellow eyes rested on me for a moment, as his tail twitched. "Maikuku." He then spoke my name, slower this time.

"Yeah?" I hissed, not overly impressed that I was being bothered. I was about to go to the fresh-kill pile to fetch something for myself - Raraku could go and fetch something herself, of course! - as I was tired from all my hunting.

"Knurren sent me," the tom hissed. His name was Scandius, and he was well reputed among DarkClan for being vicious, and his collar was studded with the many claws of dogs and cats - mainly FlameClan warriors' claws - that he'd killed. "She wants you to go see your mate right this instant."

I stood up in indignation at Scandius. "No cat tells me what to do," I hissed furiously.

Scandius, at this, started to growl, and I heard his claws unsheathe. "Respect for the ladies, Maikuku," he purred softly, his yellow eyes suddenly narrowed. "Go do what Knurren told me to do, or I'll swipe some fur off that sorry back of yours."

I still found intended, and I opened my mouth to protest. "But -"

Scandius hissed again. "You heard me!" he snarled menacingly. "And I will attack you if you continue to bother me!" His tail lashed suddenly, and that was a moment that I realized that I'd better listen if I didn't want to die, and get my claws sawn off by Scandius as he added some more brood to his collar.

"Fine... fine..." I mewed ungraciously to Scandius, before stalking off furiously, to the side of the DarkClan camp.

I didn't want to see Raraku at that current moment, but I had to, or else. In the distance, I saw Knurren glaring at me, as if I was judging my mate for some reason.

As I approached the far side, I saw Catneiss outside, with her kit, Travis. Travis, the weedy kit, was trying to climb up his mother's side, but was failing dreadfully. Every time he missed, he'd fall to the ground, emitting a small squeak from his jaws on contact. He'd then pause on the ground for a few moments before getting back to his paws. Feeble.

It was obvious that he was weak, but Catneiss, I knew, would never think that way. I realized that she was glaring at me, and heaving out a long sigh, I turned and padded into the small den.

I was still thinking about Travis as I came in, and didn't realize anything unusual. I wonder why Snaketooth hasn't killed that weakling yet... I scowled, before turning to my mate.

That was the moment when I saw my kits for the first time. Three of them - one dark tabby, one black-and-brown, and one dark ginger, reminding me of the shade of my rogue mother's pelt. My father, a DarkClan spike, took me into the Clan before getting killed by the current leader himself.

I never knew any of my parents. My kits definitely didn't seem destined to suffer the same fate.

Raraku looked up sleepily as she noticed me, her amber eyes clouded. "...My sweet, this is what you wanted, right? Offspring?"

I could only stare, stare for a moment as I watched three shapes fight at Raraku's belly. Even after this, I could only speak one word:

"Yes."

They say that families sometimes don't care for one another.

 ~Talon

I don't remember much of my kithood, apart from the fact that it was brutal.

I used to think my parents loved me, once upon a time. Those moons were the happiest of my life, with my two brothers - smaller, pitiful things: I was always the boldest - when there was only milk, mossball, and the occasional clouting over the ear by a DarkClan spike.

Oh, no it wasn't.

I remember a day, a day when I was only a moon old. My two brothers, Paku and Wheua, had shaky legs and still hadn't been out of my mother's den, when I had gone out so many times already when they were sleeping - they were asleep most of the time.

I hated it.

But my mother had enough with them. She'd rarely been out, as she'd been too busy caring for them. And now, it looked as if my two brothers were finally getting to go out.

"Come on, you two," my mother, Raraku, mewed gruffly to my brothers, nudging them both forward with her nose. Wheua - the weaker of the two - staggered forward a couple of steps before falling over, while Paku almost reached me before he fell over.

"Weaklings, you're not as strong as me," I taunted as my brothers got shoved to their paws again. "I'll be a DarkClan spike moons before you, if you survive the test to becoming a Trainee!"

Raraku shot a sharp look at me from where she was nudging Wheua back onto his paws. One of her paws was raised, and I got a little scared, as I thought she might scratch me over the ear. "Talon, don't be mean to your brother," she called sharply.

I snorted. I didn't care. I was going to be a DarkClan spike, after all - and my needs were more important than my brothers! They could go and look after themselves!

"But DarkClan's meant to be mean and nasty to your enemies," I mewed innocently, looking up at my mother.

Raraky narrowed her eyes at me. "Oh? So you're saying that Paku and Wheua are FlameClan scum?" She then hissed at me. "Talon, leave me alone and get out of my sight!"

So that was what I did. I shot an annoyed look at my weakling brothers before skidding out of her den, onto the leafy floor of the DarkClan camp, where the spikes and trainees of DarkClan made camp.

I was alone, but I didn't care. I liked being away from my brothers and the rest of my family.

They never seemed to care for me.

I trotted off, and I found a small root near the bottom of a looming tree. I shot a look back, to see if there were any Spikes behind me.

''They'd eat me if they saw me doing this! They must not see!''

Then I pounced on the small root, and then, I found a small nook in the tree above me as I heaved myself into a small hole at the bottom of the tree.

For my size, the hole was large. I could fit most of my body in without anything at all poking up fron it. I looked out, trying to see if my mother was coming.

I blinked once, and then I saw a pale brown shape. There! Two very small shapes were beside me - my brothers.

I could see them from here that they were falling over.

I sighed, and hid deeper into the hole. Raraku didn't want me in sight, and it was going to stay that way.

''So be it. I'll stay away from you, you stay away from me. Problem solved.''

This was true for my family, for one.

 ~Knurren

I used to be close to my sister - extremely close, for two cats in DarkClan. Often, in here, there is so much rivalry, so much tension among ourselves that a lot of us despise each other, and often don't make friends. However, since she decided that she loved Maikuku, and decided to go off with him... I feel our bond has been weakened.

Her friendship has been one that I have held onto through my life. I don't know where I'd be without Raraku, and I thank her for that.

But now... our friendship is slipping away.

I think, that if she chooses to leave me alone, I will have to be the cat that ends up going through life alone.

<p style="text-align:center;">* ~ _ _ ~ *

"Knurren! Hey, Knurren! C'mere, I have something to show you!"

''I could see my small pale brown sister jumping around with excitement nearby as we spied on Spikes going in and out of the DarkClan camp, busy with all their duties and whatnot that they did. Shale - our father - had told us that he wasn't meant to be telling us what Spikes did - we were meant to find out for ourselves.''

I remember that I was never too fussed about what the Spikes did - I never really cared - however, Raraku, on the other paw, really did.

"Knurren! Hey, look! Here comes that cat who was sent off on his Trainee expedition this morning - to go get his collar from a dog. Mighty Razor said that if he doesn't get it, he'd die," she added, shuddering.

''"Trainee expedition." I scowled at Raraku, narrowing my eyes as I saw the tomcat come in. "Why should I be interested in him?" I scoffed, as I saw him come in with a couple of huge dogteeth clamped in his jaws, the tom's green eyes alight as he set his teeth down in the middle of the clearing, sitting down with them. "He's got rogue blood."''

''I never trusted that tom. Shale said that his mother was a rogue, and that his father, Ulmus, had to kill his mate - courtesy of Razor - to prove his loyalty. The dark tabby had obliged, and taken his son to the Clan, about a moon before Raraku and I were born. "Don't trust rogue scum," Shale told us sternly, when he was mentioned.''

''Every time, Raraku had opened her mouth to speak. "But he has DarkClan blood too."''

''I had scoffed at her, told her that she was a bit of a soft-paws. I thought she would get over it... Oh, no, I was wrong. She really did love that tom.''

''She loved him so much that they became mates eventually. I hated him then, and I still hate him now.''

I've really never known why.

''"Two more moons." Raraku's tail twitched for a moment as she said the words, and I saw her green eyes lighting up with excitement. "Two more moons, and then we're Trainees too."''

''I sighed. "Yeah, it'll be great, I'm sure."''

''I was excited to be a Trainee alright - then I could start to find my place in DarkClan, and shred those FlameClan cats to bits! - but I wasn't sure about that tom. The one thing that I knew was: I never trusted him.''

<p style="text-align:center;">* ~ _ _ ~ *

Why did she have to become mates with him? I feel very disappointed. And now she's got their kits... and only one of them is strong.

I make no comment. Because if she hadn't decided to be mates with Maikuku...

...I believe that her kits would've not have to suffer the fate that they did.

<p style="text-align:center;">''They abandoned me when my brothers were killed by our leader. I haven't seen them since.''

<p style="text-align:right;"> ~Paku and Wheua

All that I knew was that something was going to happen before it did. I just didn't know what.

I knew I was weak back then, but I didn't understand that in DarkClan, weakness was not tolerated at any cost. No, I knew my brother and I were different from our sister, but...

No. If things were different...

I remember the day, the day when it happened, when our mother nudged Wheua and I into this cold place, this cold, cold place. The cold didn't help with my shaky legs, and it made it worse, making both of us fall onto our paws so quickly. Our mother nudged us back down again.

"Go on my sweets. He wants to see you about something: he means no harm." She nudged us forward until we were in the den, and that was when she retreated. "I'll see you when you get back," she mewed quietly, her voice low, and then she was gone.

Her scent faded as I looked back, before I glared up into the large shape that was owering over my brother and I. Staring at us with vivid, lime green eyes, he looked scary, and he was huge.

Something scary was going to happen. I gulped nervously... this couldn't be good.

The green eyes narrowed to slits slowly, and I pressed beside my brother. I was too fearful not to look: something was going to happen. I saw the cat's arm raise up, and I saw something raised in the air...

The next, I felt something huge whack into the side of my neck, and I knew nothing more.

<p style="text-align:center;">* ~ _ _ ~ *

I blinked through the blackness that had been through my vision, opening up to see dazzling, yet pale lights in the sky. It was no longer dark here: it was nice and bright, and I couldn't just see lime green eyes in front of me.

I could see my brother near me, too. Paku was shaking his head slowly as my slightly bigger brother padded forward cautiously. For once, from what I had seen, he was not slipping over...

"I feel strong," he whispered to me, as he turned his head back to my direction, his vivid green eyes piercing into my dull gray ones. "Wheua, you try. Wherever this place is, we're not going to fall over anymore."

Slowly, I too went over to join Paku, and I found that the tom was right. I was strong... I was like our strong sister, Talon, now - who could be a proper kit! We were finally normal!

"Yeah," I mewed softly, looking down. "...This is better than what we saw back down in the world..."

He was looking down at the ground, and that was when I realized it was transparent under my very paws. I looked down.

We could see Talon, her small body looking on alone as two Spikes - Scandius and a tom that I didn't recognize - picked up two scrawny shapes off the ground and then head out of camp. We didn't know what they were, but... Paku looked sick.

"Maybe this isn't what it seems like..."

And that was the moment when I first realized what has actually happened.

<p style="text-align:center;">And now, I want my revenge.

<p style="text-align:right;"> ~Maikuku

Escape was the only option Raraku and I had left.

We both knew what had happened to our sons, even before any other cat. By now, I was sure that they would be dead... I was furious, furious with myself. How could I let DarkClan have weak kits!?

So that was when I decided to leave all I had ever known - my life in DarkClan - with my mate. She had agreed. We needed to start over.

That was also the reason that we left our remaining daughter behind. It would be best for her... Raraku and I decided between ourselves that it would be better, for her sake. DarkClan would be angry enough, and stealing another kit would be worse...

But now, I knew, for her, she would be misplaced among the group because her parents left. A similar fate that was with me when I was a kit... she'd need to outgrow it, like me.

Going as fast as Raraku could - she was still recovering from her kitting two moons ago - we hared off towards the border. I felt so angry, angry with everything, angry at the world... I needed to do something to stop this anger.

And I found my answer as I finally reached it. I could see a group of cats - it looked like five of them, two bigger cats and three smaller ones. A family! I thought scathingly, as I approached.

We could've been like that...

Time to give them a taste of what I feel.

And at full speed, I throttled into one of the larger cats - a tortoiseshell she-cat - and I knocked her over, bowling her over with my brute strength. Placing one paw on her belly, I looked into her desperate gaze, which was now panicked.

The family of cats was now looking at what seemed like the mother of the group, and me. I ignored their desperate gazes: I needed something to relieve me all of the pain that I was suffering.

That was why I then unsheathed my claws, and sunk them into her flesh.

Blood seeped around my paws. I knew I shouldn't be doing this... but I needed some relief from it all... all this pain that had come. I hissed gleefully as I felt the pain inside me released, and then I aimed up another blow.

I'd almost finished her off when I heard a yowl, and another one of the cats in the group came crashing full-pelt into me. We tumbled off her body, but I knew it was too late. I could see the she-cat's head slump into the pool of blood as she lost her life.

The cat that had yowled at me - a pale tom with darker flecks - now stood in front of me. The three younger cats stood trembling in the background - one a tortoiseshell like her mother, one gray and black, and the other the spitting image of his father. His eyes narrowed at Raraku and I. "Why did you kill my mate!?"

I wasn't going to hesitate to tell this cat how I truly felt, so I got up and started to pace around him. One of the cats' kits hissed, but I ignored them.

"My two sons died," I hissed. I saw the tom flinch: both in shock of that statement, and at the paw that I had just attacked him with. "Only our daughter remains. She will live a life of fury of this, a life of pain. We have pained so many lives tonight. Our daughter, Talon - and now these kits."

I then turned back to Raraku, and did a small nod. She knew what to do now.

"Let's go get him, Raraku."

Raraku unsheathed her claws. "Agreed, Maikuku." She went and lunged at the full-grown cat, and I quickly followed. With the both of us, our job was made much easier with this cat. He tried to beat us, but he struggled and failed: within moments, he was dead too, alongside his mate.

Two of the cats that had been watching shot gazes at the third, before they both wandered off. The third stayed, staring in shock at the bodies for a few long moments, before he too left.

I stared slowly at the bodies, the full impact of what I'd just done hitting me. I couldn't believe I'd done such a thing now, and regretted it. However, it was too late: I couldn't turn back time, change what I'd done.

I felt guilty, and I knew at once that I would never do this again.

<p style="text-align:center;">My name is Talon, and this is how my family was shattered.

<p style="text-align:right;"> ~Talon

I didn't really grieve for my brothers after their death - one, on the basis that they were weak and that they were slow, and two because I was too young back then to really understand what death was.

I didn't really miss them for the first moons after their death: but as I grew older, this seemed to turn into anger. My opinions changed on their death. I actually... missed them. I had never gotten to know them, and I started to question what could've happened if they were like me - strong.

They never would have died. My parent's wouldn't have run away...

My parents...

However, I was always annoyed at the loss of my parents. I never understood why they left me at all: they just... disappeared. I was only told: and nothing more was said about the matter.

I learnt to leave it behind me, however. I knew that this was what I would do. And I would prove it - finally, now was the time.

Four moons had passed since the day that my brothers died, and my parents had left. Now, I was six moons old... the age at which DarkClan set the all-important challenge: get a dog's tooth, and you would be accepted. It was either that, or die trying.

That had happened to Travis during his. He went out to do his task, and never returned. Apparently the Spikes found his bloodied body a few days later, but they didn't say anything else about what happened.

And I was determined not to fail.

"Talon, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time to prove your worth to become a Trainee." Snaketooth's voice rang around the clearing to cheers from the odd Spike. "Your task, as always, is to retrieve a dog's tooth... either that, or fail. Go." His dark tail flicked, causing a few more cheers.

I was quick to head out of camp, and to start searching. A spring in my step as I ventured out - I'd managed to sneak out a couple of times without being noticed, but I never went too far from camp - I searched for any unfamiliar scents. Blood roared in my ears as I looked, and a voice rang in my ears:

''You are strong, you are strong, you are strong. You can do this.''

That gave me the strength to run on, and continue searching. I wasn't going to fail, that was for sure.

Not like what happened to the rest of my family.

<p style="text-align:center;">* ~ _ _ ~ *

To my surprise, it didn't take long to find a dog - there were lots around the area. The one that I found appeared to be very stupid. From then, it was easy. It didn't take long at all for me to defeat him, and to nick his tooth.

In fact, it was surprisingly easy.

When I returned, there was the odd muttering of a few cats as I came in. I don't know what they were saying - whether it was about me or something else, I didn't care. Trotting over to the center of the clearing, I pointedly dropped the tooth - which, admittedly, was not a very large one - onto the ground.

It wasn't long before a few Spikes came over in interest - looking at the tooth, and then glancing away. A few were muttering at how small it was, complaining that I should've gotten a bigger one. I, on the other paw, didn't really care what they thought - I was just happy that I'd even returned to camp.

It wasn't long at all before the Clan was summoned, and the ceremony conducted:

"You have achieved this task, Talon. I will now grant you your mentor... Scandius, you will mentor Talon in DarkClan's ways." Snaketooth nodded at Scandius, his bright eyes narrowed. "You know what to do."

Scandius gave a firm nod at Snaketooth, before heading out of camp without acknowledging me once. What a great mentor, I thought sarcastically as I watched him leave - but I knew he was doing this for a reason. All mentors had to head out of camp and do something for Snaketooth... I had never been sure what it was. All that I knew is they'd return with some coloured thing called a 'collar'.

I licked one paw and drew it over my ear. That didn't matter now... I was just happy that I'd proved my worth.

''I will be accepted in this Clan. No cat can stop me!''

<p style="text-align:center;">~

<p style="text-align:right;"> ~Raraku

A chilly breeze blew past where I was sitting with my tail around my paws, looking at the two small shapes playing in the snow in front of me. Conscious about the fact that dusk was coming and the day was starting to cool down, I started to think about bringing my new kits into the den for the night.

It had been five moons since Maikuku and I had left. To my surprise, less than two moons later, I found myself expecting kits again. At the time, it was so soon after the death of two of my first litter that it hurt... but now, the two kits that I had birthed were a blessing.

Since then, two moons had passed. My son and daughter - Kea and Kereru - were now the age at which Paku and Wheua had died. However, I knew that they wouldn't suffer the same fate as their brothers.

A shot at a different start at life was all they had - and this shot made all the difference. Maybe if my first litter had the chance to live outside DarkClan, we wouldn't have been at the point where we were at now - two kits dead, the third probably hating me for leaving her behind.

There could've been much less worry.

"Kea! Kereru!" I heard my mate's deep voice, and I saw him trot over to our kits. His black tabby fur was fluffed up due to the cold weather. "It's time to come in, it's getting cold."

Maikuku, too, has adjusted to the much more peaceful life outside DarkClan, alongside me. To our second litter, he's become much more of a father - he's cared much more about them.

I definitely do not regret leaving, I thought to myself, as I watched Maikuku rying to deal with Kea and Kereru prancing around him, protesting about having to come in.

Sighing, I got to my paws, and padded over to Maikuku, flicking his tail over his back in greeting before I turned to the kits. "Your father's right - you're coming in now," I told them firmly with a flick of my striped tail.

Kea huffed irritably. The gray-brown tom sat down on the ground with a muffled thud, looking up at me with round eyes. "Do we have to, Mama?'

Kereru streaked past her brother, flicking her long, blue-silver tail in his face; inevitably causing her brother to retaliate by batting her tail. Her aqua-coloured eyes were narrowed in annoyance. "You're so mean," she whined.

I sighed. Oh, Kereru... I thought. I shudder to think how you would've coped if you were in my first litter... "...You wouldn't say that if you were in my first litter, Kereru," I mewed bluntly. "Now, we're heading inside, okay?"

Kereru shot me a defiant glance, but submitted. She started to trail off to the den, Kea behind her, but then her head shot up. "...Mama?"

"Yes?"

"...Why have you always told us about your first litter? What happened to them?"

This was always bound to come one day. The inevitable question had come: why had this litter been treated in that way? "...Kereru, it's complicated," I sighed, looking at the sky. "...But it's come to form you guys... you could've had more family around you, but that was shattered long ago, through mistakes that we've made."

A flicker of black caught my eye, and I saw Maikuku beside me, his lime-green eyes looking off into the distance. He then looked at me - green against amber. We couldn't deny those words - not one bit. Everything had changed.

''And even though we've made mistakes... it's changed us for the better. We will stay strong this time, for our new family.''

We won't get shattered twice.

The End.

Author's Note
Okay, this fanfiction I have finally completed, yayyyyy. (It took me nearly nine months, rather on-off, to complete this) :D I'm so happy that this done, and that I know a bit more about the past of Talon and her fam (on FCRP, she's been one of my longest RP characters c:). In the end, I really did enjoy this, and it was fun to write. yay

I'd have to say this definitely isn't the longest fanfiction I've written, but admittedly, this is one of my more mature-ish works (DarkClan is a bit brutal oops). Not to say that it's not bad or anything, though. <3

I don't have much else to say, actually.

As usual, constructive criticism is welcome for this, I appreciate the comments :D.

Until next time,

-- h |undefined e  l  l  o f r  o  m    t h e o  t  h  e r  s i d  e   03:53, March 21, 2016 (UTC)