•◇•
One Breeds Love, The Other, Hate"
•◇•

Dawnclaw opened her eyes against the harsh wind that whistled through the trees, sending the branches into a frenzied dance.

She sighed.

It was hard now. She had been denying it for moons, but now she had to accept it. Her kit wasn't normal.

She tried to think of him in the same way. She tried not to think of him differently. But it was hard.

She tried not to look at him in disgust. But sometimes she felt it in her gaze, and it made her want to howl. It wasn't Sablekit's fault. Whatever he was, she owed it to him to be kind. But she couldn't help it.

Knowing that he wasn't perfect.. That he was.. He was wrong, a mistake!

No! I mustn't think that. He is not wrong, nor is he a mistake. He is still my precious kit. It's not his fault he is this way. In fact, no one knows what he is. I cannot blame him, or think any less of him, for this.

"Dawnclaw."

She turned around, her fur fluffed against the wind. It buffeted slightly, the grey and cream fur distracted her.

She saw a black tabby, an average -sized tom standing. He appeared rather regal, she felt on edge by his presence.

"Snakestar.. what are you doing so far from camp?" She asked, not making eye contact with the tom.

He stepped forward, his paws crackling the leaves that carpeted the ground.

"I could ask you the same question." He said.

His sentences, she knew, were always sharp, and short, usually carrying an impact. But it was rather unsettling to listen to.

She noticed a small spider spinning a web, and shuffled her paws uncomfortably.

"It's Sablekit." Snakestar broke the silence. The words echoed, they carried around the cavern in her head.

Dawnclaw raised her amber eyes to his, before quickly averting them. His eyes were green, not blazing with fire, but deadly calm, like ice. She could see why he was named 'Snake'. He had the appearance of one about to strike, poised and careful.

"Yes." Her voice was quiet and cracked, as if admitting to it was shameful, which, in a way, it was.

He gave her a long, measured look. 
"I understand you." He said quietly.

Dawnclaw's eyes widened, that wasn't the answer that she had been expecting.

"I mean, you had big hopes and dreams for your kits. And look at Sablekit. He wrecked them. He has a mental illness, or some sort of disorder, one that will affect him, and in doing so, ruin you image of a perfect kit. One he couldn't possibly control. How disgraceful on his part."  Snakestar's voice was mild, and calm, but poison lurked behind his words. It sprayed in the air, hitting Dawnclaw, drenching her in it's oil-like substance.

Her bones eroded, leaving her skin hanging off a vacant skeleton. Dawnclaw's eyes were splashed in acidic words, they liquidized, leaving an empty socket. Her deliquescent eyes merged into her filthy, matted fur, mixing with the blood that was still oozing from her wounds. Dawnclaw's heart beat painfully inside her sunken chest, it was swollen and raw.

She took in a deep breath, daring to look the tom in the eyes. He blinked at her, knowing the damage his words had done. He was ashamed that she could be so shallow, she could see that by looking. And he was right to feel that way.

"I will be." She said. To the outside ear, perhaps even to someone who was knowledgeable to the situation, her words made no sense. But to Snakestar, they carried an impact, a meaning, one which Dawnclaw was trying to express. An apology, an explanation, a promise..  and he understood.

Snakestar merely nodded, and turned, leaving Dawnclaw to piece herself back together.

•◇•

A day had passed since her talk with Snakestar, and Dawnclaw had found that she had an unusual state of lethargy. She had spent the majority of the morning in her nest, leaving only once to drink. She was alone in the nursery; her kits were outside. She could hear their squeals and giggles, but instead of being reassuring, Dawnclaw wanted to shut it all out. 

She dozed off after a while, and woke to noises outside. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her paws. She trudged out of her den.

Blinking in the weak sunlight, she peered at the commotion taking place in the center of camp. A wiry brown she-cat was standing with Swallowpelt. Her body was standing almost idly, but her eyes flickered around with undisguised curiosity.

Snakestar was standing in front of her, and Dawnclaw crept closer to hear, suddenly intrigued.

"So, you are a what, exactly? Your words are strange." She heard her leader say, and the she-cat's dark, copper eyes sparked in amusement. 

"Well aren't you primitive?" She remarked, and Dawnclaw flicked an ear. What in the name of StarClan was primitive? 

"I am what you would call a wanderess, a cat consumed by wanderlust. That's what I'm searching for."

Dawnclaw stared at the she-cat. She used words that Dawnclaw and her clanmates had never heard before.

Snakestar was looking at the brown cat in awe.
"Would you mind speaking time in private?" He asked.

"Of course." She said. Her words, and slight dip of the head, were respectful, but her voice didn't quite match that.

The two walked away,and Pinetuft walked towards Dawnclaw. She watched the easy smile on the tom's face, and guilt weighed her down. She didn't want to tell him about Sablekit, but she knew she needed to. But how?

"What do you think of the rogue?" He asked her.

She tilted her head, how could she explain the fascination she felt towards the strange new cat?

"She's very.. She's very... unusual." Dawnclaw meowed, unsure of how to get her words out. But Pinetuft would understand. He knew her.

"I'm worried, myself. Apparently she was just found on our territory. She wasn't surprised when she was told that she was trespassing, she merely asked to see our leader." He said, his pale yellow eyes gleaming.

The two talked for a while, enjoying the time they and together. Dawnclaw told Pinetuft that she had been sick; that was the reason she had been in such low spirits. She knew he didn't believe her, but she was happy that he didn't press her.

She noticed the shape of two felines emerge from a small den, both angular and narrow.

Snakestar leapt upon a tree stump, and called the familiar call.

"All cats old enough to climb the High Spruce, gather before me to hear my words."

Dawnclaw walked over to him, as did Pinetuft.

"I have spoken with our guest. She will be staying for a while -"  His words were interrupted by protesting wails. SpruceClan were traditionalists, they did not allow strangers!

"Silence!" Spat Snakestar.
"She will not harm us!"

A grey she-cat, Stormthroat, Pinetuft's sibling, stood up, her eyes blazing with insolent rage.

"She's an outsider! She cannot be here! Who knows what she would do with the knowledge she learns when she returns to wherever she comes from? Steal our way of living? Adapt it? Make it her own?"

Stormthroat was very persuasive; it was what she was named after. Other cats were nodding in agreement with her.

The brown she-cat let let a snort, and exchanged a look with Snakestar. He jumped off the stump, and she jumped on.

"My name is Aquiver." She spoke clearly, her voice was rather low, and deep.

"It means to be quivering, or trembling. You see, at birth, we are named after a word that represents our future, or our personality. Our Ulna, a seer, what you would call a medicine cat, names us. They look inside us, and our ancestors present them with a fitting name." She stared hard at Stormthroat, who wilted under the other cat's gaze.

"I too live with a group of cats. We live, fight and hunt together, though it is rare that we fight. We are similar to you, in that respect, however we are not bound to a code. We don't go as we please though. We have self control, self restraint, and morality. We have rules for ourselves, but we don't force ourselves to obey them.
We learn. If a cat doesn't agree with our lifestyle, if knowledge, or bravery, or kindness is not what their purpose is, than they are not forced to stay with us. Freedom and acceptance is one of our values." She paused.

Dawnclaw was enthralled. This cat seemed.. ethereal. A beauty unlike one Dawnclaw had seen before. The way she looked, the way she acted.. She was perfect.

"Once we have reached a certain level of maturity and knowledge, we leave on a journey. On this journey, we have twelve moons. We travel, and gain knowledge. New knowledge. So far, I have learnt of many things, and in five moons, I will return to my home. The purpose of the journey is to learn, of course. And learn, I have. And I will. But it is also to find ourselves, to experience and grow as a cat. And I have.  When I return, I will share my knowledge, as the City that value knowledge is the City that I have chosen."

The molly took in a large breath, and silence gripped the camp. This stranger was incomprehensible.

"I am currently 20 moons old. Young, I know, but I was aged enough to go."

She turned to look around at the SpruceClan cats.

"Discussion over. You know of my lifestyle... And soon I will experience yours." She said, her voice low. In a delicate motion, she sprung off the stump.

•◇•

The sun was just beginning to set, and Dawnclaw was watching her kits. They were playing, as usual, and Sablekit was watching, as usual.

Dawnclaw walked lightly over to the black furred kit, with an unnatural smile on her face.

"Sablekit? Let's go and play with your littermates." She mewed gently.

Sablekit swung his head around sharply, and let out a loud "No!"

Surprise flared in Dawnclaw's chest, but she was not to be deterred.

"Come on Sablekit. Why not? Why don't you want to play with the other kits?" She asked, in the same gentle tone.

"B-because I don't want to!" He howled, and turned away from her.

Dawnclaw was shocked at his unexplained irritability.

She looked up, making eye contact with Aquiver.

There was a curious look in the she-cat's copper gaze, replaced by that of glassy understanding. The little cat stood, and walked into the medicine den, leaving Dawnclaw staring after her in dread.

______________
A/N

A longer chapter this time! I'll definitely write a book featuring Aquiver, I feel in love with her while writing this.

Who's your current favourite character?
Not many have been introduced yet, but mine's Aquiver lmao.

Fact Of The Chapter: Dawnclaw and her sister, Minkfoot, have never gotten on well. At all. The two try to avoid speaking to each other at all costs.

~ Blackbird