Olmkit was born in ThunderClan, to Larknose and Berrywing. He was small, smaller than his siblings, Newtkit and Toadkit, and smaller than most kits, and had barely survived his first few minutes in the world. His parents acknowledged it and often feared for his future. They didn't allow him to go out of the nursery, scared that a hawk or some other bird of prey would snatch up their precious son. But they allowed his siblings to explore, to see the world, and that made Olmkit bitter. It was all made worse by the fact no one wanted to play with him in the nursery, horrified of the idea of accidentally hurting him and earning Berrywing's ire. So one day, in the dead of night, he had snuck out of the nursery, careful not to wake up Berrywing and siblings. The outside was vast and pretty, the moonlight bathing the land in a soft, blue glow. "This is amazing," he'd whisper to himself as he padded through the woods. Why had his parents kept him kept him from seeing all of this? Had they hated him that much? 'I'll have to run away,' thought the kit. 'They just want to keep me trapped, after all.' And so he ran, away from ThunderClan, until he would never be found by his family ever again. Soon, he ended up in ShadowClan territory, falling asleep within a bush. The sun had risen when he was found by a warrior named Rushbreeze, who began to question him. "What's your name, sweetie?" "... Olm." "Do you know where your parents are?" Olmkit shook his head. "No," he lied, looking down at his paws. "I've been on my own for a while." "Poor thing!" Rushbreeze cried. "Your parents must've... Nevermind. Come with me. Kits shouldn't be out here, all alone." Despite his protests, Rushbreeze took Olmkit back to ShadowClan camp, where he was given to a queen named Nectarfeather. Unlike his real mother, she let him go outside and play, watching him with kind eyes. "A kit needs room to grow," she'd tell him. "I know that despite your size, you need this just as much as any other kit." She would never know how much that meant to him. Soon, Olmkit became an apprentice, gaining the name Olmpaw. Rushbreeze was his mentor. He felt so free, ready to charge head first into anything as Rushbreeze guided him. On a faithful day, ShadowClan's leader planned an attack on ThunderClan, for they were stealing their prey. Olmpaw was too eager to get in on the action, roaring with pride as he was placed in a patrol. The patrol was led by the Clan's deputy, Stumpyfoot. Olmpaw was excited. Rushbreeze seemed concerned about that, whenever she'd glance at him. They headed to ThunderClan's camp when nighttime arrived, careful not to make a sound. They had hidden their scents with fox-dung earlier, to make sure they wouldn't be spotted. When they reached the camp, Stumpyfoot gestured for them to stay silent, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When that moment came, Stumpyfoot's tail kinked, and soon ShadowClan cats were charging into the camp, digging teeth and claws into unsuspecting warriors. In the flurry of fangs and talons, Olmpaw found himself grinning, listening to familiar voices cry out as they were attacked. His blood ran cold, however, when one of them recognized him. "Olmkit?" It was Larknose, and beside him was a wounded Berrywing, who couldn't even stand, judging by the gash in her leg. Olmpaw pretended not to hear, instead charging at Larknose with his claws unsheathed, teeth trying to dig into the older tom's shoulder. Larknose easily dodged, causing Olmpaw to topple into the dirt. "Son, what have they done to you?" cried Berrywing. "T-They took you, didn't they? Those horrid ShadowClan cats must've--" "I am NOT your Olmkit!" he hissed, getting up. "I never was. You treated me like I was just-- just some weak little thing, like I was nothing-- But I'm not nothing. I never will be!" Larknose looked at the small apprentice, eyes darkening. "Son--" "Don't call me son! You never treated me like one!" With a furious caterwaul, Olmpaw charged again, trying his best to just shut the older tom up. He clawed Larknose's muzzle, earning an ear-piercing screech. That gave Olmpaw the opportunity to strike, digging his claws into his father's neck. Blood oozed from the wound, staining his claws as Larknose's body fell to the ground. Berrywing let out an anguish-filled sob. "L-Larknose! My poor Larknose!" she screamed. Angrily, she looked at Olmpaw and hissed. "How dare you! We brought you into this world, fed you--" "Shut up! Shut up!" he snapped. "You never let me be a kit, so stop talking!" The apprentice scrambled and struck the she-cat in the face, managing to strike her eyes and blind her, attempting to do what he had done to Larknose before he was tackled to the ground by-- "Rushbreeze?" The she-cat was looking down at him with sympathy, and he HATED it, so much. He tried to wriggle free but Rushbreeze kept him in place. "What are you doing?!" he growled. "Our enemy is behind you--"
"Olmpaw, you are going to get yourself killed," she said, cutting him off. She glanced at Berrywing for a moment, watching the other she-cat claw thin air. "You have done enough damage." Before Olmpaw could protest, Stumpyfoot let out a caterwaul of victory, and his Clanmates were dispersing into the underbrush, disappearing into the shadows. Rushbreeze picked him up by his scruff and followed. For a moment, he could see Newtpaw and Toadpaw with his mother, glaring at him before they disappeared from view. The next few moons of his apprenticeship went by as a blur, Rushbreeze never speaking him to him with her old warmth. She still worried for him, definitely, but she hadn't treated him like a kit anymore. He gained the name Olmstrike in Leaf-bare, in honor of his strength. He sat vigil, guarding camp when Rushbreeze had approached him, sitting down next to him. "What your birth parents did to you wasn't right," Rushbreeze told him. "But you must not let your hatred cloud your judgment. You should've simply attacked and said nothing else. If anyone else had heard you what you were saying back then--" "I would be thrown back into ThunderClan, I know." Olmstrike looked down at his paws, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to talk. He kept talking anyway. "I just-- They're no longer my family. They had no right to call me son." "Who's your family, then?" Rushbreeze asked. "ShadowClan," Olmstrike answered. He thought of Nectarflower's acceptance of him, of Rushbreeze's compassion, before continuing. "ShadowClan is my family." --- Oh hey I wrote something!!! Yeah this was cringey af but I wanted to write a character who is just,,, angry (and rightfully so) at being isolated from their peers and then being put into a better situation where their allowed to be social DESPITE their clear disadvantages. Anyways @9rainbowtails owns Olmkit. I only own the story and the art. Press space to see my version of Olmkit (aka very plain).
