"His eyes! His face! Oh! He is so repulsive!" Deerleap wailed loudly.

"How could StarClan-"

"Why is-"

Murmurs spread like wildfire across DewClan camp about Forestkit, who had just opened his eyes.

"Mama-"

"I am not your mother!" Deerleap wailed. "How could I ever possibly have given birth - to you!" Her big brown eyes were two moons, shining with grief.

Forestkit, who was oblivious to his dilemma, whimpered like an abandoned kit. Sadness started to well up in his eyes, making them glimmer, two stones of green ice.

Forestkit did not know that he was hideous. His deep eyes, which were a dark green, bulged out of his head as if they were too big to fit in the shadows of his eye sockets. The fur along his face was jagged and ragged, and his nose was a dull gray. Lionkit, who had been staring horrifically at his littermate, scoffed.

"How could I have ever been brothers with you? You're so ugly, and putrid! Nobody likes you, runt. Don't ever get near me, understand?" Lionkit padded forward and, unsheathing his claws, sliced Forestkit's nose.

Glowshine, who had been protectively curling around her kits, growled at Lionkit fiercely.

"How dare you scratch your littermate? Don't you dare get near my kits!" She mewed to Deerleap, who was her best friend, "Deerleap. Come here. What are you going to do?"

Deerleap purred, grateful to have someone to talk to. She murmured as softly as a mouse to her chum, but when she suddenly stiffened slightly, and said something sad, Glowshine went beserk.

"What? What!" Glowshine was snarling, her face a mixture of sadness, anger, and confusion. "Are you out of your mind, Deerleap? Renaming him? How cruel can you get?"

Deerleap, who was shocked, widened her eyes in horror. "Are you turning against me, Glowshine? I'm doing this for my own good! Can't you see? With that - that ugly scrape of a cat, Lionkit, Oakwhisper, and myself will never be popular! Lionkit is like the world to me; he's perfect, without a blemish! Forestkit's new name will be fitting - and he will pay for humiliating me by getting an awful renaming ceremony!"

"We're over, Deerleap. I can never forgive you for saying all these things about a kit - a kit! Forestkit isn't even three moons yet, and you blame him? Popularity doesn't matter Deerleap; kindness and caring does." Glowshine, whose big blue eyes were blazing, glanced sorrowfully at Forestkit who was sniffling in a corner of the dark nursery. "From this day onward, Forestkit will be raised as my own. I'm sure Kestrelwing would love to take care of him; he absolutely adores kits. As for Oakwhisper, it is up to him whether or not he will like to visit Forestkit or not. Go on with your renaming ceremony if you wish, but remember - I will never call him by his new dreadful name; he will always be Forestkit in my heart."

Forestkit, whose eyes had been drooping, perked up at the sound of this good news.

"Mama!" he exclaimed joyfully, a happy hare. "Thank you!" Forestkit wrapped his thick paws around Glowshine's white ones. "I promise to be very, very, good!"

"I know you will," purred Glowshine, "And I promise to be a wonderful mother to you."

Mother and son touched paws and nodded, grinning like sunshine. They were too busy thinking about the new life Forestkit had in store for himself, and so they didn't see a shadowy figure stalk off towards the leaders den...

"Be strong, Forestkit," whispered Sweetapple and Poppywhisper. "Your time will come."

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_
So, another cliffhanger! Well, what do you think? Okay, so try to guess the quote again. The hint is 'Ripple'. Remember to join #TeamRiver! They are my group of grammar specialists, who help me write more chapters for this book and make it better! This chapter is dedicated to Friskywriting2222 for being the first to comment and to volunteer for #TeamRiver! Special thanks to kindred18 for adding my book to her reading list! So, that's all I have for now, but hopefully I'll post another chapter soon! Thank you all lots!

~River