//-:-::-:-//

Scared. Hopeless. Deep within the misery, four eons of pure energy spark into life. Light pulses around their bodies like thousands of brilliant fireflies around a flame. The darkness reaches for them with sharp, calloused claws, but they're disintegrated by the aura of power that emancipates from them. One is an mighty, invincible beast. The second is a resilient tongue of scarlet fire. A slender being with all seeing eyes sits beside them. The smallest stands tall, a faraway look in its peaceful eyes. I smile as the bad feelings float away like leaves caught in a spiraling breeze.

"In the coldest, darkest night, four bright lights will join the fight. Faith, loyalty, compassion, and love will fly into the shadows, filled with might. The relentless evil in the world will disappear into a void of blood and fear and the lights will take to the skies to fend off the darkness the next time."

"I love your songs, Mama."

Eyes like warm pools of sweet, sweet honey gaze down upon us, sparkling. Her lips curled into a loving smile I know very well.

"They don't make any sense to me,"A new voice slices the air, causing me to sit up with a jolt.

This voice is recognizable as well.

A gingery brown fluff ball stands before me, allowing herself into my nest in a very undignified manner. Crawling into the nest behind her is her tag-along sister, the graceful Larchkit.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand it!" I squeak at the much older kit, fur ruffled with defiance.

Another familiar kit stands up to join me, his glossy coat darker than the night sky,"Yeah, Goldenkit! No one asked for your opinion!" He sticks out his tiny, pink tongue.

I purr jeeringly, and I notice that for a split second, little Larchkit is laughing, too. The pale brown tabby's always hanging around and her sister, always encouraging her, defending her, even though she's almost half her size, but I know she'd rather be hanging out with us. I really, really like her, almost as much as I like my brother Hollykit and Lightdapple.

"Now now, my poppets, let's settle down,"The pretty spotted she-cat chides us gently,"You don't want me to get Brownflower in here, do you?"

We all yip in horror and shake our heads wildly. I can't believe my mother even suggested that! I weakly lick a small bite mark on my shoulder to show how distressed I am. Larchkit and Goldenkit's mom is ruthless, soulless even! Her blinding golden eyes and her dark silhouette have etched themselves into my nightmares for all eternity.

Goldenkit tilts her head up, and makes an annoying, pompous sound, tail flicking,"Come on Featherkit, let's go train. Redpaw promised me she'd show us the run-and-claw maneuver!"

The gray tabby she-cat joins them without hesitation, and I growl with disgust under my breath. Featherkit was my sister, but she only plays with them like they're bright, shiny robin feathers, and my brother and I are just dusty, old moss balls.

"Actually, all of you need to train. Today's the day!" Lightdapple says, grinning.

Somethings about her voice is so fake . . . Why, it's even faker than the adoration in Larchkit's emerald eyes when she looks up at her big sister!

I felt sick apprehension in my stomach,"Today's . . . The day?"

I know what that means. We're becoming apprentices today. I'm going to die.

A strong, meaty scent washes over us, making my stomach do flips,"Get the kits out here, Lightdapple."

A bulky, reddish brown tom is standing in the nursery's entryway. His eyes drifted over the kits and stalled on me, causing my pelt to burn. Lightdapple dips her head to him, and he pads away.

Lightdapple shoos us out of den made of intertwining oak roots quickly, and I end up stubbing my paw on a rock. I curse it quietly, and lash my tail.

Suddenly Goldenkit cries out,"Branchlight! Look there's Branchlight!"

The almost golden colored she-kits barrel into the side of a gray tabby tom on the other side of the camp. As Featherkit follows them, I feel a prick of envy colder than ice in my heart. Larchkit and Goldenkit's father loved them, but I don't even know who my father is. I look around the busy camp distraughtly. It could be any of those cats. Does my father like me? Does he even know me–does he know that I'm his son?

"You nervous?" Hollykit's concerned mew sounds in my ear.

"Of course I'm nervous, aren't you?" I try to calm the ravenous butterflies in the pit of my belly by stretching.

"A little. We just gotta get our mind off of it."

"How we gonna do that?"

Hollykit thought long and hard about this. I could tell because the tip of his tongue was visible, and he always does that when he's thinking.

"We could try to get to know our Clanmates better,"He finally meowed,"Before the sun sets today we'll be apprentices! Future hunters or fighters! Our future denmates need to trust us,"

I nod,"That makes sense,"

"Of course it does, now come on!"

He runs toward another den made of roots like the nursery but the walls are reinforced with brambles. I could smell cats inside and hear faint mews.

"Who's in there?" I mumble .

"There's only one way to find out!" Hollykit slipped into the den.

It was dark and stuffy inside, and the smell took a stronger, more sour scent. There were four disgruntled looking cats inside.

A pale shape shifted, and two, sky blue eyes appeared

The skinny brown and white tabby gave Hollykit a dull look, but when he moved on to inspect me, his jaw drops a little. I lick my chest fur self consciously, ears burning.

Why is he looking at me like that?

"What are two young kits like yourself doing in our den?" A gray she-cat with strange dapples on her coat and faint eyes murmurs.

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Lark?" A gray and white she-cat lifts up her head.

My eyes widened when I realize she's an odd-eye, a cat with two different colored eyes. She promptly turned her head so her amber eye focused on us, and mewls in surprise.

"Hello, little ones,"The last cat stands up, tail flicking.

There's something about her, some sort of aura. Her muscles ripple beneath her shinny pelt, and her eyes are cold and calm at the same time. She looks like a leader, even though she's just as scrawny as the rest of them. At least she took the effort to groom her pelt every day.

"Who are you?" inquiries Hollykit, mouth open in awe.

She looks down at him, nose twitching,"I am Daisy,"She waves her tail at her denmates,"The gray tabby is Hazel. Lark is the mottled she-cat, and Cream's the furball over there."

The brown tabby hisses,"Furball yourself!"

Daisy purrs and looks at us again,"What are your names?"

"Hollykit, the TOM!"

"I'm Strangekit," I mutter.

I hate my name. I'm not strange! I'm perfectly normal. . .

"Strangekit."The cream and blue she-cat tests it out.

Lark narrowed her eyes,"It fits."

I flinch,"What's that supposed to mean?"

The she-cat was a little older than Redpaw, who was taller than some of the warriors. Even though I was still a kit technically, she didn't have to say that.

Hazel cuffs the dappled she-cat's ears,"Don't say that!"

Cream snarled,"It's true!" His dark eyes stare into my soul,"You belong in here with us, you freak. You're marked, just like us!"

He suddenly lunged at me, and he sank his claws into my tail. I wailed in terror, and tried to scramble away. Hollykit hissed, but stayed crouched on the flattened grass.

"Look at his tail!" Lark hissed,"Ginger and brown, completely unnatural!"

Daisy knocked Cream off of me with a blow to his head, and I stumbled wildly out, Hollykit behind me. The brambles nick my ears.

You're marked, just like us!

Completely unnatural!

Tears well up in my eyes, Marked? I don't even know what that means! I'm not like them! I'm not!

"Hey," Hollykit nudges me softly,"calm down. It's gonna be okay. Forget what they said. They're probably crazy."

"Cats of HollowClan! It is time! Every cat gather in the branches of the Dead Roots!"

My mind was a whirl of anxiety, and in a flash, I found myself staring absentmindedly at a root taller than Lightdapple.

The Dead Roots was located in the roots of the same tree where HollowClan made their camp. Two incredibly large roots sprung from the tree, and curved to make an arena of sorts.

My stomach flips and dances, but no one else seems to be nervous.

Goldenkit snarls at me," Larchkit and I should have already been apprentices! We're older than you, but we had to wait!"

I lower my head, and Hollykit rolled his eyes. Featherkit says nothing, and Larchkit follows suit.

"I hope Foxstar lets me fight against you, weirdo. I long to tear you to shreds!" She grins maliciously.

Foxstar appears at the highest branch of the tree, eyes bright.

"HollowClan,"He begins,"is a Clan of mighty warriors. Warriors come from apprentices, and apprentices come from kits. The cycle shall continue today. The test to become an apprentice is fairly simple. If you can fight, you can hunt, so these kits will battle. If they win, they will become fighters. If they lose, depending on how they fought, they shall become hunters. If they fail completely and horribly, they will become gatherers, and they will never be paw's nor warriors." The russet tom shook out his fur," Now that we've gotten all the boring stuff out of the way . . . Goldenkit! Featherkit! Come into the ring!"

The two she-cats obey, and I watch them go worriedly. The cats up in the branches start to hoot and holler, but I just want to run away. I don't want to fight. I don't want to be 'marked'.

My sister and Goldenkit take their positions that all the kits practiced, and the Clan cats go silent. A yowl splits the air.

"FIGHT!"

The tawny she-cat flailed at Featherkit without hesitation, and I let out a shocked mew. Goldenkit was batting at the copper eyed she-cat's face ferociously, and they were tussling on the ground in heartbeats.

"Featherkit!" I gasp in horror.

I knew it'd be bad but, . . . I hadn't been expecting this!

"Where's Lightdapple?" Hollykit squeaked, looking just as surprised.

"I—I don't know," I muttered, scanning the crazy crowd of cats shaking the leaves.

I turned around to look at Larchkit, curious about her sentiment, but her face was emotional, and her green eyes were locked on the fight.

That's . . .weird . . .
I shrugged it off, and kept myself busy by studying a very interesting rock under my paw. I couldn't bare to see my sister and Goldenkit duking it out.

After lots of screeching and cursing, the battle was finally over. I reluctantly looked up and a shrill scream left my mouth. Goldenkit is standing proudly over a bloody Featherkit, tail high. The gray tabby looks miserable as she slowly stands up, and dips her head in defeat.

"Congratulations Goldenkit. You are a formidable fighter for your age,"Foxstar smirks," Mossstorm! Barkfall! Get that disgrace out of my sight."

Featherkit is dragged and thrown into the small area where my brother, Larchkit, and I were waiting.

"Featherkit!" Hollykit and I rush to our sister.

I lick a gash on her shoulder, but she shoves me away.

"I can do this by myself!" She hisses, eyes blazing.

I backed away, hurt.

"That was magnificent, Goldenkit, but let's see how you fair with your sister. Larchkit!"

The battle was over before it started. I blinked, just once, and Larchkit had slit her sister's throat. There was no emotion in her eyes as she licked the blood off her paw, and stared nonchalantly up at Foxstar.

Even the Clan leader looked flustered,"Larchkit, that was fantastic! Marvelous, young one!"

She flickes her tail and padded back to her seat. I scooted away from her, but she didn't seem to care.

She just killed her own sister! She's a monster! I don't know what I saw in her. . .

A dark brown tabby she-cat and Mossstorm leaped down from their places in the tree and dragged Goldenkit's lifeless body away.

I hated Goldenkit. She was always picking on me and Hollykit—and she hurt my sister . . . So why do I feel she didn't deserve that?

"Hollykit, you are a lucky little rascal. Applebreeze, the head hunter, has requested you be his apprentice. Go to him now or fight."

Hollykit lets out a happy mew, and turns to me. I give him a little nod and a weak smile and he runs off to a cream and brown tabby sitting on the edge of the arena.

Wait . . . Who am I going to fight now?

A symphony of murmurs floated through the branches, and Foxstar stands up, a fierce grin on his face. I see him say something to one of the cats behind him, and they climb down the tree and into camp. After what felt like a zillion seasons, the fluffy gray tom, Mossstorm, finally returns with a cream and blue she-cat in tow. The ring of brambles around her neck look painful enough, but Mossstorm is constantly pulling harshly on the vine that she's tethered by with his mouth.

When she is dumped into the arena, I realize that the large cat is Daisy. A shiver runs down my spine as she rips the thorns out her neck desperately.

Do they want me to fight her? She wouldn't. She saved me from Cream!

"Daisy,"Foxstar yowled,"I will give you full warrior status if you defeat that kit,"He hesitated,"Just make sure you don't kill him."

The russet tom must have said the magic word, for Daisy was on me in an instant. I miraculously managed to dodge her blow, but I took her next hit to the face, and I fly into the air. I hit the ground hard and rolled onto my paws, back stinging. She scores her claws down my chest and I scream, trying to turn away. Black dots appear at edge of my vision.

I don't think that's good . . .

Head pounding, I trip over my own paws and landed on my back.

This is it. I'm going to die right here, right now.

Through half closed eyes I see Daisy press her claw into the bloody grooves in my chest. Pain hammers through my tiny body, and the black dots start to dance. The darkness is taking over, but I can still hear, faintly.

"I . . . don't . . .him!"

"Get . . . from . . . kit!"

The agony in my chest lessened, and the shadows slowly melt away. I really wish they hadn't. I felt blood spray my pelt, and heard a familiar gasp. Daisy was sprawled across a dappled bundle of fur. She quickly got up, looking horrified.

"F-Foxstar,"She lifts her terrified face,"I—I didn't—she jumped in the way—I'm sorry—!"

A shadow falls over her, and she dies immediately after the reddy brown tom's fangs sink into her throat. He glares reproachfully at Daisy, and he sends me a look of pure hatred. I barely noticed it through the tears.

Lightdapple is dead. I'm never going to see my mother again.

I barely notice being lifted into the air by a cat I can't recognize. I barely notice getting hauled into a den that smelled sharp and sweet at the same time. I did notice the whisper in my ears.

Light binds them all together. In the dark, the light first sparks.

The shadows have driven you from the path, young one. Do not loose hope. You must search for the other stars. Find them, and bring safety to your world once again!

I'm going insane.
//

Weeeeee!
Poor Strangekit :(
Btw that's only a piece of the prophecy! :D

What's going to happen to Strangekit?

What does it mean to be 'marked'?

What does the piece of the prophecy mean?

//VOTES, COMMENTS, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED//

Thanks Sparrowheart838 for the nice comment! I had to kill of Lightdapple , though. Sorrwies!