Note: Something huge is about to happen in Pepper's story that will change everything. I'll probably write more than one chapter about him or an extra long one because if my storyline is to fit, this needs to happen before the next chapter. I hope you don't mind! Thanks!
-Amber.

Four moons of luxury passed. Pepper hardly noticed the downfall as he practised his fighting moves.
Each night, he'd gone to bed with a full belly and proud satisfaction at how he was coming along. Bright and Orange were doing just as well, and were tussling playfully in a patch of horsetail.
Pepper laughed as he watched them, distracted.
"Pepper,"a male voice erupted behind him.
"Y-yes, Defence?"
"I was watching you,"his father smiled warmly,"I've never seen that move before,"
He blinked in surprise,"Oh! Well, I just combined a few moves,"
Defence purred,"Go on; show us,"
He reeled back. Defence wants me to show him a battle tactic?
Shrugging, he slipped under his father's stomach and raked it, claws sheathed. Before Defence had time to react, he lashed out a paw and it landed on his paw. He stumbled. While Defence was caught off guard, Pepper slithered from underneath him and launched himself onto his father's back. Defence was pinned.
He panted and got up slowly, pride shining like the sun,"Not bad,"he meowed happily.
Not bad? That's the best thing he ever said to me!
"Thanks!"he exclaimed, a purr rising in his white and silver throat.
"That was amazing!"Bright meowed.
"Thank you,"Pepper mewed.
"Yeah! Show us it! Please!"Orange begged.
He studied Defence,"Can I?"
"Go ahead,"his ginger father purred.
Smiling, Pepper ducked underneath his brother's belly and repeated the move.
"Hey!"Orange puffed, still winded,"I wasn't ready!"
"You should always be prepared," Bright pointed out.
"You're right, Bright,"Defence meowed, slithering like a snake onto her.
Bright growled and tackled their father to the ground.
Defence laughed, then hissed playfully,"Great off, you great lump!"
When Bright obeyed, he got up, shook his head and meowed,"Okay, we're going to hunt solo today. We'll each take a different route and see how much prey we catch alone,"
"Cool. When do we start?"
"Now's as good time as any,"Defence shrugged,"Bright, take the fungus trail. Orange, thicker trees. Pepper, you seem like the sort to like cool things that are cool for no reason, so you'll go to that thick pine tree I told you about to the east,"he winked,"And you'll see what that means when you get there,"
The siblings went their separate ways.
As he departed, answers to Defence's mystery rang in Pepper's mind. Are there some weird mushrooms? A bee hive? Yeah, those were cool, but he would be slightly disappointed if it was just moss growing on the wrong side of a tree. He forgot about it when he heard a squeak. Jumping back, Pepper realised he'd almost stood on a mouse. It was brown and fluffy; a baby. Without hesitation, Pepper unsheathed his claws and stepped on it, blood soaking into his paw.
One...two...three...four...five. He lifted it up. It was hard to tell if the mouse was dead or dying, so he snapped it's neck just in case.
First prey. Check.
He grinned as he buried it. By now, he wasn't far from the thick pine tree, so he sought to make more catches before he reached it.
When he'd finally got to the tree, he'd buried two toads, one thrush and another mouse.
Glancing up, Pepper realised he didn't know what to expect. He gasped. The branches all hung loosely off of it. Bent and rotten. The occasional leaf fell from it, but otherwise all was still.
Well, appart from the branches falling off, that happened every two seconds.
"That,"he said aloud,"Is cool,"
As he was studying the tree in wonder, he heard an echoing scream coming from the thickest trees.
Orange!
Pepper didn't stop to think. He just ran.
"Orange!"he yowled as loud as he possibly could,"Hold on! I'm coming!"
He raced as fast as a cheetah (or he thought he did, seeing as he'd never actually seen one) not even acknowledging the pain when he bumped into several trees. What if I'm too late? What if...what if...?
There was a yell from behind him, but he didn't have time to stop.
It was only Bright, shouting that she was coming too.
Everything's gonna be alright... everything's gonna be just fine...
IT'S OKAY!
Just keep telling yourself...just keep telling yourself...
It's okay...
"Help me!"a sickeningly agony filled wail filled the air.
Pepper didn't stop, and bumped into rough, ginger fur. It wasn't Orange.
But it was attacking Orange.
A fox! Pepper nearly cried out with realisation.
The fox whipped around, eyes dark amber.
Pepper's eyes widened. It had Orange pinned down by the belly, but as he jumped onto it to get it off, Bright burst through the trees behind him. She did exactly what he'd done, only she knocked into him. Before Pepper really knew what was up and what was down, he was on the ground, Bright on top of him.
Upside down, he saw the fox approaching him, claws dirty and bloody. It looked pleased, almost as if the three of them were already dead, which, Pepper couldn't deny, they practically were.
Orange gasped and stood up, a thin wound on his stomach bleeding lightly. He picked up a stick in his mouth, and-
"Orange, no!"Pepper screamed.
His brother had thrown the stick at the fox.
"T-t-take that, fishbait!"he panted.
The fox was breathing heavily, not in exhaustion, but in control of it's anger.
But when Orange did it again, and yelled,"Melon-nose!", it whipped round and curled up it's snout (which did look rather melon-like) and let out a bloodcurdling snarl.
It gave Bright a chance to get up, and they both faced eachother with worry. Then, the lept onto the battle alongside their brother, with caterwails of outrage. You're not killing my brother.
He slashed a claw through the fox's shoulder, and felt warm, wet blood soaking through his claws. A pang of satisfaction thwarted his focus for a moment, but when the fox drove all three claws into his forehead, he was jolted back to the present and yowled with pain.
Blood was pooring from his head, covering his eyes with red, sticky liquid.
"YOU'RE NOT HURTING MY SIBLINGS!"he shrieked, shaking the blood away, he lunged again and saw that Bright was limping from a deep cut across one foot, and shaking away blood from a scratch on her left cheek.
Orange was backed up a pine that was splattered with his blood, panting but standing. His belly had been wounded again, now bleeding as heavily as he was breathing. He was also bleeding heavily from his lip. The fox had only minor injures: the scratch on his shoulder, a nick on his chest and across his nose bridge.
Pepper couldn't stand it. As he landed on it's hindquaters, he cried, "DEFENCE!"on repeat as loud as he could.
He ripped through it's back, but his claws were blunt from several moons of easy living.
He hissed as it turned to him, knocking Bright over as it went.
"DEFENCE! DEFENCE DEFENCE DEFENCE DEFENCE!"
He tried to slash it's flank, but it dodged, narrowing it's amber eyes. It bashed the side of Pepper's head, paws heavy and strong.
He fell backwards.
"DEFENCE!"
"Pepper!"Orange screamed.
"Orange! Bright!"he choked,"K-keep fighting!"
He attempted to open his eyes, and saw Bright and Orange battling the fox with the stregnth of lions.
Bright tore across the fox's face, bleeding and gasping. Orange bit it's tail, and gashed it's side as he went. Pepper couldn't help noticing how weak his blows were, how he seemed to tire more with each breath.
"You...you won't win!"his brother yelped but Pepper was certain it would. Come on...you have to stand... I have to stand.
Then, the fox struck out and he say Orange fall back and the crack was deafening.
"NO!" Pepper screeched. He lept to his feet. Nothing mattered anymore. He charged into the fox,"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THAT!!!!!!!"
He couldn't feel anything. Just numb, anger. It seized his mind, it carried his blows and controlled his paws.
He couldn't believe anything anymore. Black was white. Trees were tiny. Orange was alive.
Bright didn't look as enraged as him, but nevertheless, was fighting with the stregnth of...what?
The second most powerful force in the world.
Pepper was the first.
He let out another howl of rage. It was time. Time for it to die. "TIME FOR MY BROTHER TO BE AVENGED!!!"he screamed at it, spit flying into it's mouth. Pepper intended for this to be as painful as possible. He dug his claws into it's neck, then ripped it's chest open. He almost threw up when he saw that he'd nearly exposed it's rib cage, but he swallowed it back.
"You feel that? Is that painful? Well let me tell you something. THIS ISN'T HALF THE PAIN I FELT WHEN YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!!!"
He tore it's throat out with the most passion he'd ever done anything. He tore it so violently that the head was almost disconnected from the body.
It's amber eyes widened in surprise, then fell glassy and unfocused.
"That feeling, the pain, the darkness, like you may as well die? THAT'S WHAT YOU SET UPON ME!!!"
It collapsed in a pile of bloody ginger fur.
Before it was dead, Pepper ran over to Orange. He's alive. But...no...but he's dying.
"P-Pepper,"Orange gasped, eyes staring with no focus.
"Brother! Orange!"he yelled. He didn't know if the liquid dripping from his face was blood, or tears. Both, he guessed.
"Orange!"Bright whispered.
Orange stared at them, "Pepper...Bright...I...I,"
His dying brother let out a dry cough.
"It's all right, Orange. We're both here,"Pepper whispered,"You don't have to go, though. You can stay with us, we want you. We need you,"
Orange smiled weakly,"I'm-I'm glad that you still love me after the danger I put you in,"
"If you hadn't cried out, we would never have forgiven ourselves. You would've died metres away from us, and we wouldn't have known how,"Bright said quietly.
"Thank you, B-Bright,"Orange grinned feebly.
"You're not dying!"Pepper burst out suddenly,"I won't let you die when we're so close to having everything. Family, food, a home. I can't!"
Orange sighed,"I know. It's so hard to leave but I have to. There's nothing anyone can do for me anymore,"
"Don't leave,"he sobbed into his brother's ginger fur,"I love you too much,"
"You're the best cat in the world, Bright, for kindness, for basically everything,"his dying brother glanced at him,"You're stronger than you think, Pepper. And I love you both,"
"NO!"Pepper screamed. Orange's head lolled back, and his breathing stilled.
"DON'T LEAVE US!!!"
"Pepper..."Bright touched his shoulder with her tail, clearly shaking, but he ignored her.
"I know I'm not strong, but I just don't wanna let go of my brother,"he began to cry. His tears soaked into Orange's fur; drenching his deceased brother in water, but Pepper didn't care. He wanted Orange to know that he would grief. He would cry into his fur, and wail to the moon as if he were a dying wolf.
"Pepper,"Bright nudged him. He whipped around to snap at her, but he then saw two greyish-blue eyes staring at them in a bush. Then, were gone. From the smell, Defence had been there for ages, watching as his son was slaughtered.

R.I.P Orange! 😭

A tribute to the cinnamon roll. OMG peeps we're at 1998 words. 2000!
Aaaaanyway. Back to the story.

"Defence!"Pepper yowled, dragging Orange's body back to where they lived.
Defence blinked at his son's body. He either already knew or didn't care; both, Pepper was guessing.
"Orange was just killed by a fox!"he panted.
"Oh, was he?"
"Yes he was, Defence and you were there!"he spat in his father's smug ginger face.
"Was I?"Defence studied his claws, "Remind me, which Orange are we talking about?"
He stared at him, then something hit him like a bolt of lightning,"You knew!"he screamed,"You knew there was a fox there! You only took us in so you could kill us easily and remove any evidence that you ever mated Rush,"he choked on the last word like it was a yew berry. He and his siblings had agreed not to talk about their abusing mother, but Orange wasn't here anymore, so nothing was real.
At least that finally seemed to blow Defence's wit away.
"You don't know what you're talking about!"Defence snarled,"Now I suggest you go to bed and you'll feel better in the morning. I'll bury Orange. You're in grief, and you're determined to blame the most unlogical of cats!"
Pepper bristled and glared at his father,"I'm not leaving my br-"
"Now, maggot,"
The authority of his tone made Pepper take a few hesitant steps toward his, Bright and Orange- no, just his and Bright-'s den, then run in with a dramatic sob.
Bright sighed as she led down.
"I can't believe Defence would actually do that to Orange. I mean, I was never certain that we could trust him, but this is just..."she said.
"Yeah,"Pepper sighed,"And worse of all, there's nothing we can do but wait for him to set up traps for us,"he paused,"Unless we ran away..."
Bright's head jerked up,"And go where?"she questioned.
Pepper shrugged; his shoulders felt numb as he did,"I don't know...we passed a farmyard on a hunt. It looked a good place to live. Perhaps if we ran away, we can make a living there,"he dropped his voice into a whisper.
Bright's tortoiseshell ears perked up, "Okay! Let's make a plan to escape," she murmered eagerly.
Pepper smiled at his sister.

* * *

"Defence is asleep,"Bright hissed.
"Definately?"Pepper whispered.
When Bright nodded, he crept slowly out to see his the murderer's ginger flank rising and falling rhthymically.
He grinned; their plan was sure to work.
Pepper gazed in Bright's direction,"I want to see Orange's grave before we do it,"he told her quietly.
"If we can find it,"she nodded. Pepper winced at the thought that Defence may have just threw his brother's body somewhere to decay.
Then, he almost tripped on a piled piece of dirt, and from the scrap of ginger fur lying next to it, he could tell it was where Defence had buried Orange. Pepper crept up to it, inhaling swiftly. Bright had obviously seen him, because a moment later, she was at his side. A single tear dripped from his left eye.
You can't cry now, Pepper. You can't wake Defence.
Oh, but it felt so good.

"Orange, dear brother. You died a noble but injust death. You were so brave, and this is my final promise to you. I swear on everything I am that I will protect our sister,"he thought. "That was beautiful, brother,"Bright murmered.

He blushed; he hadn't meant to say it aloud.
"And I swear to protect our brother. We'll take care of one another," Bright muttered.
They sat in silence for a few moments, then with a massive effort, Pepper stood up,"Come on Bright. We have to go,"he meowed, trying to make his tone emotionless.
Bright sighed,"Okay..." Pepper heaved himself up. He tensed when he heard a twig snap but Defence was undisturbed. With a sigh of relief, he gently nudged Bright's shoulder with his face. She closed her eyes as she padded away from their brother.
Then came a laugh.
Pepper and Bright exchanged frightened glances.
"Did you really think you could escape?"it cackled
Pepper stood rigid with fear; Defence had woken up.
"Stay here,"he told Bright. Before she could object, he'd darted in the opposite direction, his paws catching on as many twigs as he could muster. Defence's mind must have beenvhazy from sleep, because he ran in his direction without question. Seeing a clear path back to Bright, Pepper tiptoed back to her. "Okay. Let's go,"he whispered, and the duo bolted towards the farm.
After running at top speed towards a fox, then fighting it under the threat of their brother dying, Pepper and Bright tired quickly. Before they had even got halfway to the farmyard, they heard pawsteps behind them
"Is Defence following us?"he panted to Bright, too exhausted to look.
Bright swiveled her head around, then nodded, eyed bright with fear.
"Keep going!"he yelled. He ran with her for a moment longer before turning around to face his father.
"There's no escape from your blood, Pepper. You should know that by now,"Defence growled.
"What I do know is that even if you can't escape your blood, you can still push away your bloodline,"he meowed.
"What a pathetic comeback,"puffed his father.
"Our own mother abandoned us, but we were taken in by our father, who'd decided he wanted us and taken us in. But he tricked us and set up our brother's death. I never thought either of you would ever stoop to this. This is pure evil,"Pepper snarled, raking his brain. Where are my wits?
"Face it, Pepper. You and your sister are no good without me. You are weak,"
Suddenly, Orange's last words struck him like lightning. "You're stronger than you think, Pepper,"
"Or maybe you just want us to think you control us,"he snapped.
Defence looked temporarily taken aback. Then, he shook his head and smiled,"Do you understand nothing, Pepper?"he laughed,"I do control you I'm just finding ways for you to finally understand that you're not as strong as you think,"
"You've never controlled me, and you never will!"he roared.
"Maybe I don't physically, but don't you get it? You are my son. You're blood is my blood. Every dark thought you've ever had was influenced by me,"Defence purred in an evil, smug way,"You can never escape your own blood,"
Realisation stabbed Pepper. He lowered his eyes,"Then it's time to spill it,"
He lunged. Defence cackled, high and grotesque. Pepper ripped his claws through his shoulder and felt warm blood splat his face.
"Do you know why you're doing this?" Defence meowed as Pepper aimed for his hind leg. He dodged,"Because it's what I would've done,"
Adreniline came from the rush of hot anger that pierced his insticts. Pepper forgot who he was, who he was fighting, focusing only on his claws as they tore skin. He was jolted awake when Defence clawed his left side.
"Like father, like son,"he taunted as he darted out of Pepper's reach.
"I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!!!"Pepper screamed. His claws where magnets. They were pulling towards one thing: Defence's body. He landed a hard blow on his head, but got a scratched neck in return. Defence wasn't trying, yet somehow he was still nailing it.
"Do you know what you are?"Defence screeched, landing on top of him. His eyes where alight with fury. His wit had finally failed him, and with his paws hovering near his unfocused eyes, he looked slightly crazy.
Pepper stared up at him, fear draining out his energy. So this was it. His death. He was fine with it as long as Bright got away. Maybe she'd make to the farm and make a life there. Maybe she'd meet a cat and have a family.
"What am I?"he gasped.
"You're a scrap of my blood with fur and skin on top. I didn't want my descendant to die under my paw, but here we go,"
His heart beat once...his heart beat twice...he spotted a jut of stone...maybe.
His paw was stabbed as he tried to grab it, but he didn't care. This rock could save my life.
Defence lunged down to bite his throat open, Pepper lifted it up.
Defence stabbed his throat. Pepper pushed the stone further in; "Always go for the throat,"Defence had advised him once.
Defence's eyes were wider than an owl's as he dropped to the ground. That stagger seemed to have weakened him. His breathing sped up, though the breaths were shallow.
"Do you know what you've done?"he gasped.
"I've rid the world of a monster,"
"You've made the monster even gor powerful,"Defence wheezed,"I'm dying right now, but a ghost can do whatever he wants. You'll never get me out of your head,"
"Maybe not, but I'm my own cat. I may obey a few orders, but I have a mind of my own,"panted Pepper.
"You won't forgot about me,"Defence threw his head back in a laugh that never came.

* * *

"Wake up,"a low, gentle voice whispered in his ear.
"Defence..."Pepper grumbled,"I'm sleeping,"
"I'm not Defence,"said the voice.
Pepper jerked his head up. He'd been  right; the stranger really wasn't Defence.
He was a fat, brown male with amber eyes. There was a tuft of hair around his neck that was scruffy, but otherwise he was clean. He was surrounded by tall, red walls with strips of white. There was a fresh scent of mouse, but also a dungy odor. He was settled on a yellow, stick-like substance. For a second, Pepper wondered where he was, then yesterday's events came back to him. After he'd killed Defence, he and Bright had traveled to the farm and flopped down to sleep, grateful to the warmness of the walls.
"What are you doing here?"the cat asked gently, as if he knew there was something wrong.
Pepper didn't answer,"Bright,"he murmered, nudging his sister,"Bright, we have to go,"
Bright opened her eyes reluctantly, opened her jaws to protest and saw the stranger. She flinched back, fully awake.
"Who..."she began, then trailed off fearfully,"Let's go,"
"Wait!"the cat meowed,"If you don't want to tell me, don't! Let me help you; you look like you've been through a lot recently,"
"We've had enough experience with strangers, thanks,"Pepper retorted, making a run for the exit.
"Wait!"Pepper thought it wad the strange cat again, but he whipped around to see Bright with her mouth open,"Maybe...we can tell him and he won't be so bad,"
"Thanks but no thanks,"he meowed, padding over to the door.
Bright stared at him. Why was there indecision in her eyes? After a second, she turned to the stranger.
"I'm Bright and this is my brother Pepper. Sorry about him and for barging in on you,"
Pepper bristled. I don't need you to apologise for me! he was about to say when the stranger shot him an amused look and meowed,"It's fine. Oh, and I'm Malt,"
"Nice to meet you Ma-"
"I'm leaving,"Pepper meowed,"Bright, you're either coming with me or staying with Malt,"
Malt didn't look angry, only hurt.
Bright stared at him, then back at Malt,"I'll stay here while you look for a place to stay. Maybe I can catch some mice,"
Pepper gaped at her. Did my own sister just choose a stranger over me?
He shook his head,"I don't believe you, but..."
Bright turned her begging amber gaze towards him.
"If it's what you really want, I'll except that. I'll come back when I find a home,"
Now it was Bright's time to gape, "Really, brother? Oh, thank you!"she gasped.
"But lay one claw on her,"Pepper met Malt's soft eyes,"And you won't see the sunset tonight,"

3996 words! Wooo! 4000! I can't believe we finished! OMG! YᗩՏ Wᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ɪᴛᴛᴛᴛ. ʸᵃʸ.
Okay! Next chapter!