Chapter 1: Beetlekit

"C'mon, Beetlekit! Open your eyes so we can go out and play."

Beetlekit felt a sharp prod. He decided that it was now or never and opened his eye lids.

"Ew, your eyes are weird," said the voice of his sister – Fernkit. Beetlekit turned his head to see a cream she-kit with light, silver patches and green eyes.

"Well, maybe your eyes are weird, Fernkit!" This was the first voice that had spoken. He turned his head to see a black tom kit with bright, yellow eyes. He instantly recognized this as his brother, Nightkit.

Beetlekit looked at his own pelt and realized that he looked much like Nightkit. Except that Nightkit was slightly lighter and hinted tine flecks of gray, and his was dark black without even the slightest hint of any other color. "What's wrong with my eyes?" He asked, mostly to himself.

The voice of his mother, Mosspelt, is what spoke next, "Nothing, honey, it's just they may be a little… dark." Concern edged her mew as she looked into the black eyes of Beetlekit that matched his pelt.

"Well, okay, then! Let's go outside!" Nightkit excitedly bounced around the nursery and towards the exit.

"Don't get into any trouble," Mosspelt called after them as Fernkit and Beetlekit raced after Nightkit. Mosspelt sighed. She had never heard of any cat with black eyes. She knew that Beetlekit would have a tough life somehow.

There was a deep sigh and Fernkit said, "Just smell that all those scents!" Once they had walked out into the clearing of the RiverClan camp.

"Yes, especially that with the river flowing past," Nightkit agreed.

Beetlekit looked from one of his siblings to the other, confused. What were they talking about, scents? Beetlekit breathed in deeply, "Yea, the air feels good."

Both Fernkit and Nightkit looked at Beetlekit nervously. "Of course, but what about all the scents? You know those wonderful things that smell good?" Nightkit asked.

Fernkit snickered. "What? Can't you smell them?" She sarcastically teased. She didn't know how real her words are – Beetlekit couldn't smell a thing.

"Smell what?" He asked. Both kits then gave him a look of horror.

"Mom! Come quick! There is something wrong with Beetlekit," Fernkit called as she raced into the nursery. The warriors from around the camp then stared over at where Beetlekit and Nightkit were standing; Fernkit's shouting sparked their interest.

"Oh, Fernkit! What could be wrong with Beetlekit?" Mosspelt said as she walked towards her two sons.

"He can't smell!" She shouted loud enough for the whole camp to her. There were several gasps from the warriors and Mistystar came out of her den, interest as to what all the shouting was about.

"What happened?" She called.

Fernkit then got as smug look on her face; glad that all the warriors, and even the leader, were paying attention to her. "Beetlekit can't smell anything."

While all this was happening, Beetlekit felt lost and frightened. "What do you mean by smell? The air feels good, what else is there for it?"

At this, Mistystar they supported a look of great sadness. "Willowshine," she called to her medicine cat.

Willowshine entered the clearing. "What is it?" She asked Mistystar.

"We believe that Beetlekit can't smell. Could you make sure?" Mistystar asked. She was hoping against hope that it wasn't true.

Willowshine dipped her head. "Of course, Mistystar," she answered the leader. She turned to Beetlekit. "Come along, little one." She called.

Beetlekit scampered over to her. "Y-yes?" He asked, worriedly.

Willowshine set down two pieces of plants. "We are going to play a game. These are two herbs and you need to find the first one," she pointed to a flower, "but not this one." She pointed to some leaves.

Beetlekit nodded. Willowshine set down the herbs to that he could examine them closely.

"Now, close your eyes." Beetlekit closed his black eyes. Willowshine was worried about those, too, but she was more focused on what was at hand. She switched to places of the two herbs. "Now, without opening your eyes, can you tell me which herb I wanted you to find?"

Beetlekit nodded. He hesitated for a bit, and, with closed eyes, looked from the locations of the two herbs. He'd heard Willowshine move them, but he wasn't she which was which. He mewed, frustrated, "How am I supposed to tell the two apart with my eyes closed?"

The rest of the camp looked at each other with worry. How was a cat supposed to become a warrior when they couldn't smell? "Use your nose, little one," she encourage.

"Um… this one." He pointed to the spot where he remembered the flower was, but that was the spot the leaves were now. He then opened his eyes to see that he was wrong.

Willowshine shook her head and called to Mistystar. "I'm sorry, but he cannot scent anything."

Mosspelt, along with the rest of the camp, gasped. "Are you sure?" She cried.

Willowshine nodded, "I'm afraid so."

"What? What is so important about smell?" His fur was bushed out with fright so that he looked up to twice his size.

"You can't be a warrior with no smell!" Fernkit sneered, "You'll have to become a medicine cat!"

"Actually, no, he can't." Willowshine shook her head. Beetlekit look up at her. "If anything, medicine cats need to smell more, because herbs don't move and make noise."

Mistystar nodded. She was sad that the kit could not smell, but they would find some way for him to help his Clan.

Beetlekit was frightened. He now knew that something was wrong with him. He raced as fast as he could into the nursery and buried himself in his nest.

"… Beetlekit…?" It was Mosspelt. "It's okay; it's going to be fine."

Beetlekit flattened his ears and turned his back to her. Mosspelt sighed and left.

Later in the day, Beetlekit was awoken to Fernkit's whining.

"No fair! I don't want to share a nest with-with that freak!"

Beetlekit curled up into a tighter ball. Great, not only did he have to deal with the fact that he couldn't smell, but Fernkit just had to rub it him. Why is she so mean, anyway? He thought. It's not like I've done anything to her!

Eventually, Mosspelt and Nightkit drifted off to sleep. Beetlekit was just about to do the same, when a paw slammed into his face. He let out a hiss of annoyance and rubbed his nose.

"Don't worry, little freak. You'll never become a warrior. You're just a useless scrap of black fur that matches your eyes!" Fernkit hissed at him, before sharply prodding him in the ribs with an unsheathed paw. Fernkit curled up next to their mom and pushed Beetlekit away. She then easily fell asleep with a smirk on her face.

Beetlekit didn't like how he couldn't smell. He also didn't like how her was the smallest, but luckily Nightkit was the biggest and Fernkit wasn't that bigger than him. But Fernkit was still big enough to bully him and there wasn't anything that Beetlekit could do about it. Beetlekit soon drifted off to a dream filled sleep.