Put on the Spot [Rookfire]

Poppykit found her way into the medicine den. Weird smells and soft textures marked the den as separate from the rest of ShadowClan camp. She felt even smaller next to the giant boulders that framed the outside, and she padded in quietly as to not disturb Rookfire.

“Hello?”

She made an audible gulp as she walked closer to the back wall. She took a deep breath.

“My fur is acting weird- I keep getting more and more white spots...”

Poppykit started to have small tears sting her eyes. “I don’t know any other cat with as many spots as me. I think everybody else notices too. They look at me different...”

She frowned, worry on her face. “What if nobody wants to be around me?”

“Can they go away? Or something?”

Poppykit’s eyes pleaded as she asked, “Can you help me?”

The small kit looked speckled, almost like a robin’s egg, but instead of blue and brown, she was black and white.

Rookfire turned around at Poppykit's voice. "Hey," he said, smiling at the young black she-cat. Strangely, some patches of her fur seemed to be white for some odd reason. He didn't understand it, but he was willing to ignore it... until the kit told him that the white patches was exactly why she was here. Now, he had never seen white patches of fur like this before. Iniko probably would have known about it, but the calico tom was dead. "About the spots, do you have any other symptoms that appeared with them? If so, then I need to know about them, because I may be able to treat you that way." He didn't recognize this condition as something that happened medically, but maybe he could help the spots with his treatment.

"On the topic of other cats, many of them may notice the differences in your fur but not care or even appreciate it, and if you're a nice cat to them, they'll be nice to you back." That was at least Rookfire's motto when it came to dealing with other cats: if they get on your good side, you treat them like a friend. "And even if - and it's a big if - you can't find anybody else who accepts you, you'll always have a friend in me. I can promise you that." The black-and-white tom smiled warmly at his fellow clanmate. Perhaps the best support that he could really give was moral support, but that was still extremely valuable in his eyes.

Poppykit seemed puzzled by the question, but answered, “I feel okay, like nothing hurts or anything. I’ve kept getting spots and I noticed everyone else doesn’t have spots like mine. Didn’t know if I was sick or not.”

She smiled when he finished speaking. “Really? You would be my friend?”

The short kit grinned from ear to ear. She may have had spots, but she had a friend too, and that was what mattered. Maybe she could be in ShadowClan, even with her spots.