Shadowkit:
A little coal-black figure emerged from a small den in the corner of the ThunderClan camp, her tail swishing from side to side. The brilliant sun rays landed on her sleek pelt, making the black fur glow silver in the light and her green eyes appear blindingly bright. This young she-cat, Shadowkit, padded over to settle down by the shade of an ancient birch on the edge of the clearing in the camp, ducking her head to avoid her clanmates' curious stares.
There was reason for the ThunderClan cats to be curious, however. Shadowkit's mother, Blackstream, had given birth to Shadowkit during an invasion by RiverClan on their camp, while Poppyfoot, the red-furred medicine cat, was at the Moonpool. This left the young queen to deliver her kits on her own, the best she could. Blackstream, a black she-cat with blue eyes, had sworn that she had given birth to two kits, but Shadowkit had never known a littermate. This, of course, roused the curiosity of much of ThunderClan.
The five-moon-old kit was still a sweet and helpful kit, loved by many ThunderClan cats. Shadowkit was the only kit in ThunderClan at the time, and she spent much of her time alone, simply thinking about what could have happened on the day she was born.
Blackstream was kind to her, an intelligent, loving she-cat. However, according to most of the clan, Blackstream had been more playful before Shadowkit was born, not as thoughtful as Shadowkit perceived her to be. Shadowkit had also met her father, Snowstrike, from whom she had gotten her brilliant green eyes. She admired her father's courage and skill; the elders, Moonheart and Patchfur, had told her that Snowstrike had nearly died saving the clan leader, Jaystar. Shadowkit hoped to be like him, hunting and fighting for ThunderClan.
Shadowkit had also made friends with the two apprentices, Silverpaw and Ashpaw, who would take their final assessments in a quarter moon, leaving only one kit and no apprentices in the clan. Shadowkit knew that would be a problem, but she didn't know what Jaystar would do. She almost pitied Jaystar, a large gray tom, the ThunderClan leader, for the tough decisions and choices he was forced to make.
The leaves rustled above Shadowkit, and the newleaf air was fresh. Shadowkit sighed. I know there was something wrong about how I was born, she thought, but I just can't figure out what. She flicked her tail, deep in thought. Blackstream could have been in too much pain to figure out what was going on, or the other kit could just have vanished. But how?
"Hello, Shadowkit." Shadowkit jumped to her paws, fur bristling, hackles raised, green eyes wide with shock as she whipped around to see Ashpaw padding over to her, his tone friendly. Shadowkit narrowed her eyes, but her fur flattened as she stared at the light gray apprentice. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Shadowkit mewed, but it came out quietly, so quietly that it was no more than a murmur.
Ashpaw settled down beside her, his long, feathery tail twitching as he followed her gaze to where Blackstream was settled. "You're thinking about your mother and your birth again, aren't you?" he accused gently.
Shadowkit stared at him. "How did you know?"
"You always wear that look on your face when you're thinking about that, Shadowkit." Ashpaw spoke gently. "Don't worry, Shadowkit. I'm sure it's nothing much."
Shadowkit glared at him, but didn't respond. She knew that for sure, there was something amiss. Desperate to change the subject, she turned to Ashpaw. "What did you do in training today?"
"Not much, really," Ashpaw admitted. "So far, all we've done today is go on the dawn patrol. Mistheart said that we'll do some battle training later on, though."
"Cool." Shadowkit didn't really feel like talking, not to Ashpaw, not to anyone. She shrugged and turned away.
"Anyway, I need to go," Ashpaw mewed, oblivious to her uninterested tone. "Mistheart told me to be back before sunhigh." Shadowkit watched the gray tom as he waved his feathery tail at her before cheerfully padding over across the clearing to the gray-white tabby she-cat, his mentor. Ashpaw doesn't have half the troubles that I do... Shadowkit thought, shaking her head in frustration.
The sun was at its height when Shadowkit's thoughts wandered from her lost littermate. Her gaze floated away from Blackstream and rested on the mountains in the distance. The sun's rays struck the mountaintops, and Shadowkit watched as a large bird let out a high-pitched cry as it soared above. Her green gaze was trapped, fixed on the small figures that moved on the mountains, and she narrowed her eyes.
"Shadowkit?" A hesitant voice sounded behind her. "You've been staring off into nothing for StarClan knows how long!" Shadowkit turned, jolted from her daydream, to see that the huge pale gray form of Jaystar had come up behind her. Shadowkit met his blue gaze steadily and held it for a short moment before turning away and shrugging. Jaystar let out a sigh. "Is everything all right?"
Shadowkit turned to face him again. "Why shouldn't it be?" she challenged.
Jaystar looked uncomfortable. "Well, it's just that... what Blackstream said about you having a littermate and..." He trailed off. Shadowkit made an effort not to lash her tail, but she continued to meet his gaze with an unflinching glare. "Never mind," he amended quickly.
Shadowkit's gaze was still distracted. "What... who lives in the mountains over there?" She flicked her tail toward the small peaks in the distance.
Jaystar sounded surprised. "The Tribe of Rushing Water. Why do you ask?"
The name was definitely familiar to Shadowkit. The black she-cat recalled having heard about the tribe cats from Moonheart and Patchfur before. "Nothing, really."
"Jaystar!" The voice belonged to Moonblaze, a white she-cat with purple eyes, who was the deputy. Shadowkit believed that Moonblaze deserved her position; she was well-respected throughout the clan as well as a great fighter. Shadowkit watched as Jaystar padded away toward his deputy. She glimpsed Blackstream padding over to the fresh-kill pile and grab a small mouse before padding back to the nursery. Is it possible that Blackstream was just in pain and confused at the time? Or something else? Could Blackstream have truly given birth to two kits, but one died during the RiverClan invasion?
Shadowkit tensed at the thought of so many possibilities. There could just as well have been a reason, Blackstream's reason, to claim that she had two kits, but why would the black-furred queen do such a thing?
Great StarClan, why does this need to be so diffucult? Shadowkit thought, almost wailing inside, as she lifted her head upward to face the morning sky. She shook her head in frustration as she realized that if RiverClan was a true clan that followed the warrior code at all, her littermate would be alive now, unless she had died at birth. But then, where would the body go if it died at birth? So, if Blackstream is right, my littermate is alive somewhere. But where is the kit? It can't just disappear like that.
Shadowkit swished her tail as a gentle breeze ruffled her fur. Slowly, still thinking, Shadowkit rose to her paws. Her eyes narrowed against the sun's light.
"Shadowkit!" Shadowkit whipped around to see that her mother had emerged from the nursery and was calling to her. She bounded over to her mother, her green eyes bright as her mother waved her tail. She looked up at Blackstream. "Go and get yourself some fresh-kill, Shadowkit." Blackstream's blue eyes narrowed. "I don't think you've eaten anything today."
Shadowkit studied her paws for a heartbeat before shaking her head. "All right. I'll go." She saw her mother nod and pad into the nursery once more. Her belly growled, making Shadowkit realize only then how hungry she really was. She went over to the fresh-kill pile, satisfied to see that it was well-stocked with prey. She pulled out a vole from the pile with her teeth, her mouth watering at the smell as she lifted it in her jaws and padded back to the birch tree where she had sat before. She sniffed at the vole, purring at the delicious scent before sinking her teeth into the prey.
Chewing thoughtfully, she waved her tail, seeing Silverpaw approach. "Hi, Silverpaw!" she called, as the silver-furred she-cat padded over to her, a squirrel dangling from her jaws. "Come and join me!"
Silverpaw flicked her tail to let Shadowkit know that she had heard, for she couldn't reply very well with a squirrel in her jaws. The she-cat padded over and settled down beside Shadowkit. "What is it?"
"What do you think about this entire... Blackstream thing?" Shadowkit asked, tearing off another clump of flesh from the vole.
Silverpaw took a bite of squirrel, thinking. "Well... I think that she was just in too much pain to think clearly," Silverpaw admitted. "I doubt that you have a littermate who mysteriously vanished right after birth."
"It could be..." Shadowkit mewed. "But normally, queens don't do that. Why just Blackstream?" she said, voicing her own doubts.
"I don't know." Silverpaw shrugged nonchalantly. "Why are you so interes-"
Shadowkit cut her off, changing the subject before she was forced to give off too much information on what she thought. "What did you do in training so far?"
Silverpaw narrowed her dark green eyes, clearly understanding. "Well, Firenose took me hunting so far. But he said to grab some fresh-kill, then to go and check the elders for ticks." She wrinkled her nose and Shadowkit purred, amused. "Mouse-bile is disgusting!"
"I think anyone would love it," Shadowkit growled sarcastically, rolling her sparkling green eyes before finishing the vole and pushing the remains away.
Silverpaw flicked her ear with her tail. "Well, wait till you become an apprentice!" she mewed. "You won't find it so pleasing, either." Shadowkit shrugged in reply. "It's no pleasure." Then, there was a pause, while Silverpaw finished her squirrel and licked a paw, running it over her whiskers. "Well, I've got to go. I'll see you later!"
Shadowkit nodded and waved her tail as Silverpaw padded away. She blinked, and her ear twitched as she heard a shocked cry outside of the camp. She jumped to her paws, alert at once. Heartbeats later, Moonblaze, Liontail, Mistheart, and Ashpaw padded into camp. Shadowkit narrowed her eyes as she noticed that Liontail was limping. "What happened?" she demanded, padding over.
Mistheart rolled her eyes at her brother, Liontail, affectionately flicking his shoulder with her tail. "The mouse-brain stepped on a thorn. He created such a big fuss!"
"It hurts, though!" Liontail exclaimed indignantly. Shadowkit's fur flattened as she comprehended that there was no danger or trouble.
Poppyfoot padded over to Liontail, her eyes worried. Shadowkit had to pad closer to hear her words. "Lift up your paw," she mewed. Liontail obeyed, and Shadowkit watched as the medicine cat clasped her teeth around the thorn and tugged it out, causing Liontail to yowl. Poppyfoot rolled her eyes and bent her head to gently but rapidly lick the wound, which was now swelling a little with blood and pus.
"It stings!" Liontail yelped, drawing back his paw.
Poppyfoot sighed, her amber eyes serious. "Actually, Mistheart, I don't think he's overreacting. He is in pain, because the wound is infected." She turned back to Liontail. "Come on, you need to rest, and I'll give you some horsetail and marigold." Shadowkit watched as Poppyfoot led the limping tom into her den.
Shadowkit padded back toward the shady birch and resettled under it. Somewhere above, a bird let out an eerie, high-pitched call as it soared in the cloudless, pale blue sky. A butterfly landed on Shadowkit's nose, and she shook her head in annoyance. As it fluttered off to land on the grass nearby, Shadowkit glimpsed the sun's rays striking it, making its blue and silver colors shine. She padded closer, but it fluttered off and flew toward the edge of the camp. Shaking her head, Shadowkit sighed and sat down again in the shade of the birch.
"We had great luck," a voice reported. It had been a while since Liontail had gone into the medicine den, and Shadowkit turned to see that the hunting patrol, consisting of Dawnshine, Dappleheart, and Stormfang, had returned, their jaws full of prey. "The prey was practically jumping into our paws." The speaker was Dawnshine. The three cats went over to the fresh-kill pile to drop their prey.
Shadowkit watched as the clan busied itself. "I'm done, Firenose!" Silverpaw was padding out of the elders' den.
The dark orange tom nodded to her. "Well done. Now, we can join your brother for some battle training." They padded through the thorn tunnel and out of the camp, tails swishing as they walked away.
Shadowkit's eyes fell on Blackstream again. The black queen was speaking to Moonblaze, and Shadowkit could tell that whatever they were saying was nothing too serious, from their demeanor. Blackstream... do I really have a littermate? Could it be possible? Where could my littermate have gone... even supposing that I actually had one?