Robinear sat in silence in the den, her heart pounding hard. It was the first day of her kits' Testing, and she was terrified. Terrified for their present, terrified for their future, and terrified about what would happen to her sweet kittens in the dreaded Battle Testing.

Battle Testing--the birthplace of all her nightmares.

Quailwhisker ran her tail along her flank to calm her. "It'll be alright, Robinear. Nothing will happen."

"Really?"

Quailwhisker exhaled. "No. I can't promise you anything." She paused. "But we can hope." She sat down and began cleaning her pelt.

Robinear suddenly realized she was shaking. "How can you be so calm? Knowing that they've to faced it-- are STILL facing it." She gestured to the other side of the camp, where her kits were undoubtedly training. For the first day of Testing, the two litters were kept separate.

"Because I'm used to it," admitted Quailwhisker. "After watching them fight before, I'm just...immune to it, I guess."

Robinear sighed. At least Quailwhisker has a loving mate...unlike mine, who took me without permission.

The only good he's ever done is give me the kittens.

She turned to stare at the kits in question- the white tom and yellow she-cat. Her heart seemed to fill with joy as she saw Yellowkit's excited wriggling and Whitekit's forced stillness. They were the most adorable kits in the world, and forced or not, she loved them with all her heart.

And now they might die. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to banish the thought. No, no, they'll be fine.

She began to stand up, ready to go groom their unruly fur, but was gently forced down by Quailwhisker. "No signs of affection," she mewed softly. "It's actually better the less attached to them you feel."

Less attached? thought Robinear incredulously. Quailwhisker knows that I love every scrap of fur on their bodies. Outwardly, though, Robinear nodded her silver head, then forced herself to relax as she watched the two leaders-- her kits' new Testers-- enter the den.

She barely suppressed a hiss as she identified the Leaders that were to Test her kits-- her old Tester, Lilyflower, and the kits' own father, Willowbranch. The tom's gaze swept across the den, not stopping to linger on Robinear or her companion. She again suppressed a hiss.

How dare he enter this den and look over her, as it she had not borne his kittens? How dare he treat her like he would treat others of inferior rank?

Quailwhisker's tail ran down her flank again, smoothing her spiked fur. "Relax," she mewed softly.

Right. Robinear smoothed her fur and looked anywhere but the tom who had fathered her kits.

Lilyflower looked down at the six-moon-old kittens. "Yellowkit, Whitekit. You have reached six moons of age, and it is time for you to begin your Testing. The Testing determines--"

"Your future rank and destiny! We know. Mama taught us." Yellowkit bounced excitedly, looking up at the Leader. Willowbranch flashed Lilyflower a quick glance.

Lilyflower's cold gaze snapped toward Robinear, and she had a sudden urge to sink into the dirt floor of the den.

"That is correct," mewed Lilyflower coldly, her voice loud and commanding. "No more interruptions, is that understood?"

The two kits nodded, terrified.

"Now, as I was saying, the Testing is an important part of your life. When your Testing is complete, the Naming ceremony will take place and you will receive your true prefix. I'm sure that you know that your current prefix is your main pelt color, correct?"

Whitekit nodded, glancing at his littermate. Robinear knew that he was hoping she wouldn't make a sound, but--

"Yep!" mewed Yellowkit brightly, beginning to bounce with excitement again. Robinear fought the urge to tell her kit to stop talking as the yellow she-cat was again fixed with Lilyflower's icy glare. Yellowkit stopped bouncing.

"Well, your true prefix determined by your rank. Flowers or trees for a Lesser Leader, animals for Hunters and Warriors, and just your same colour prefix for Servants. Is that understood?"

The two kits nodded again.

"Good. Now, Whitekit, you and Willowbranch will go to the tree, where he will teach you some basic fighting moves."

Whitekit nodded and jumped up, following his Tester to the aforementioned tree.

Lilyflower turned to Yellowkit. "And you, Yellowkit, will come with me."

Robinear discreetly nodded at Yellowkit, urging her to say the response that she had taught her. "Yes, Leader of the..." Robinear nodded encouragingly "...Lilies?"

Oh no.

Robinear winced as Lilyflower lashed out at Yellowkit; her side suddenly had a gash in it, blood running down. "You will address me as Leader of the Flowers. Is that understood?"

Yellowkit nodded mutely.

"Good. Now follow me."

Yellowkit followed the light grey she-cat out of the den, still trembling, and was led to the rock on the opposite side of the clearing. Robinear sank back into the moss, terror in her eyes.

"What if something happens to Yellowkit?" she wondered anxiously. "She interrupted, said the greeting wrong-- what if..?"

Quailwhisker sighed. "Even if something does happen, there's nothing we can do about it."

Robinear nodded. "I know. I just worry..."

"Whitekit! Yellowkit! It is time for Battle Training!" Willowbranch's call came from the arena.

Already? Robinear padded forward nervously and peered out. They can't have learned much in this short of time. She breathed out a sigh of relief. So they'll be fine.

The two kits walked swiftly towards the circle drawn in the dirt. They paused and looked at each other inquisitively. Lilyflower impatiently walked over and had them stand straight, then walked back next to Willowbranch.

Willowbranch stepped forward. "First and only round, Whitekit against Yellowkit!"

The two kittens stepped hesitantly into the circle, then backed as far away as possible from each other. "Ready...FIGHT!"

The two kits raced toward each other, Yellowkit leaping up and landing on her brother, hissing. He managed to claw her flank, and Yellowkit began scratching him up all over until he flipped her over.

Claw. Hiss. Jump. Slice. Spin. Roll. Kick.

Yellowkit managed to get back up on top of her brother, and raised her paw and prepared to deliver the final blow-- the blow that would knock her brother unconscious.

Suddenly time seemed to slow down, and the colors of the siblings' pelt's shifted- the yellow to a tan and the white to a brown, and Robinear knew exactly what was going to happen.

Her cry of anguish muffled by Quailwhisker's tail, Robinear's muscles tensed, ready to jump in and stop the insanity. I don't want to let this happen again...like poor Tankit.

No signs of affection... Quailwhisker's instructions suddenly flashed through her mind.

Robinear hesitated, giving Quailwhisker a chance to pin her down. Helpless, the silver queen could do nothing but watch as Whitekit spun around and sank his teeth into Yellowkit's neck.

Spitting Quailwhisker's tail out of her mouth and somehow dislodging her hold, Robinear raced toward her kits. "No! Yellowkit!"

Whitekit released his grip on Yellowkit and turned to face his mother, confused. Yellowkit fell with a thump on the ground, blood forming a pool beneath her and her breaths coming in shallower and shallower.

Forgetting her fear of blood for once, Robinear let out a cry of anguish and raced toward the ring. Reaching it, she started to race towards the limp kit on the ground when suddenly there were several cats pinning her down.

"No, little queen," mewed Willowbranch from on top of her. "No interfering."

Quailwhisker nodded, trying to send her a silent message with her eyes. Just cooperate.

"But don't you care?" she screeched at Willowbranch, ignoring Quailwhisker's warning. "She's your daughter too!"

Willowbranch shrugged indifferently. "I'm sure that I can have plenty more daughters, and an insolent one does not deserve to live."

Robinear let out a yowl of fury and tried desperately to reach Yellowkit. My poor daughter.

"Mama?" asked Whitekit, tilting his head and displaying his bloodied teeth. His fur seemed to shift to brown and back again. "Why are you yowling?"

"You killed Yellowkit!" she shrieked, her anger heightened by the sight of her poor daughter's blood on his teeth. "Don't you understand? She's dead!"

"What does dead mean?" Whitekit cocked his head curiously at her, looking from his bleeding sister to his squirming mother.

Robinear stopped struggling for a moment. He doesn't even know what he did. It's not his fault, it's Willowbranch's.

She struggled to turn her head up toward Willowbranch. "You taught him this! You killed my-- no, OUR daughter."

"Oh, she's not dead," mewed Willowbranch calmly, climbing off of Robinear and padding casually towards Yellowkit. He poked her side with an unsheathed claw, and then calmly sheathed it. She cried out in pain and began shaking. "Your son still needs to perfect his killing bite. He just learned it today, after all. However-" He loomed over the shaking kit and purred, unsheathing his claws again. "-I can arrange her death."

"NO!" yowled Robinear. "I'll do anything!"

"Anything?"

Robinear nodded, inwardly cursing herself. I'm going to regret this. She looked back at her daughter. But it's for Yellowkit...

"Even be my mate again, and refuse my brother's claim?" There was a hint of a triumphant snarl in Willowbranch's tone, as if he knew she would agree.

And he's right. Without truly pausing to consider the question, Robinear yowled her answer. "Yes!"

"Good," purred Willowbranch. "Lilyflower?"

WIthout a word, Lilyflower leapt off Robinear, her shock keeping her in place for a moment. The light grey leader stepped towards Yellowkit and neatly sliced her throat.

"No!" yowled Robinear, shaking Quailwhisker off and launching herself toward her daughter, frantically trying to stop the blood.

"She's dead," mewed Willowbranch flatly. "It's no use."

Lilyflower purred and began slowly licking her claws clean, one at a time.

Willowbranch eyed Robinear, success and twisted pride shining in his eyes.

"B-but...you broke your promise!" Her claws unsheathed, wishing she was strong enough to strike, to draw blood.

"No, I didn't," mewed Willowbranch smugly. "I said that I wouldn't kill the kit." He glanced at Lilyflower. "Not that she wouldn't."

Lilyflower continued calmly licking the blood off her claws. Robinear suddenly realized her former Tester was doing it slowly just to make her angrier. Well, it certainly is working! she thought with a hiss.

Robinear suddenly considered Willowbranch's claim, her heart sinking as she realized that was true. "But...Yellowkit..."

Willowbranch purred. "Oh well. One less insolent kit, and one more cat that has learned its lesson."

Robinear collapsed next to the body of Yellowkit, yowling her pain to the stars. First Tankit, and now my poor daughter... Seeming to know what she was thinking, Lilyflower purred and displayed one still-bloody claw to Robinear. "Just like Tankit. I'm sorry that I wasn't the one to deal the final blow." Knowing that she had triggered the queen's worst memory, she padded away to the river.

Tankit...poor Tankit. Robinear shut her eyes in misery.

Willowbranch turned to the remaining kit. "Testing's over for today," he mewed, turning to walk back toward the Leader's den with Lilyflower.

Robinear lifted her head up towards them to voice her last hope. "I'll tell the Clan about this!"

Both Leaders paused and turned to each other, amused. "Oh, Robinear, do you not think that this happens with every litter?" purred Lilyflower.

"What?" Did she just say that every litter had a dead kitten?

"Oh yes. Ever since this she-cat's been leader," replied Willowbranch. He paused next to her and eyed her menacingly. "And remember, I'll be waiting," he purred quietly. He turned back towards Whitekit. "Go on."

The white kitten nodded and walked back toward the nursery, stopping to look at his mother. He shrugged, leaving Robinear standing over his littermate.

She looked down at the broken body beneath her, rage blossoming in her grief-torn body. Yellowkit...I will avenge your death. And I know that the Leaders are the ones responsible.

An image of Greyfur's offer appeared in her mind, and she turned her head to where she knew the Great Field lay.

Her claws unsheathed and sank into the earth.

Trust me, Yellowkit. Your father and my sister will pay.

I'm barely even going to put an author note here...I know you all want to murder me right now...

Btw, if any of you have been long-time followers, you might notice this is an adapted version of a contest entry I wrote in...August of 2016.

The story continues in Book Two: Bloom! The prologue and description should be out shortly.

Also, the FloraClan RP is also being released, so that's something to look forward to.

~Ember