Hi, everyone, and welcome to my first fanfic, Attack of the Skies. I really hope you enjoy, and please review!


Prologue:

I will never feel afraid...

Shadow's heart only slightly sped up as her ears lifted, listening for any movement. Her eyes, blue with a black outline, gleamed with determination and hatred as she stalked closer. Her tail was low, very slightly above the ground, only so that it would not drag. The wind seemed to fall still around her and her target, and she dug her unusually long claws into the ground.

You'll regret killing my sister. Shadow's gaze was directed onto the back of an unsuspecting blue-gray she-cat, who was turned away from her. This was the cat who had killed River, so many moons ago. And after that, Shadow had never been the same.

She was now driven by a force of anger, hatred, and determination.

Shadow was a loner, or rather, a rogue, according to the cats who lived by the lake, in... clans. But though her mother had given her the name Sky, she had given that up as she killed cats of the clans. Why? Because she and her sister had lived by the lake, and when the clan cats entered, they killed her mother and sister, too long ago to remember; she had been barely a kit then.

But she would never forget the faces of those cats, those killers. Shadow had vowed revenge on the clans, and she would stay true to her word. But she didn't have a black pelt, as might be expected by a cat of that name. Now that clan cats were disappearing, only to be found dead later on, the clans called the killer "the Shadow"; thus, her name was Shadow.

Never forget to look behind you, Shadow thought, a smirk plastered across her face as she crept forward, so that she was only a few nose-lengths from the blue-gray she-cat's tail. Blueshadow, is it? she recalled suddenly. Ah, a pleasure to know your name before you 'go to hunt with StarClan', as your clanmates say.

With a growl, Shadow leaped.

Blueshadow, the blue-gray she-cat, let out a gasp of surprise as Shadow bowled her over with ease. Shadow's paw was planted squarely over her jaws, muffling the yowl that came out. She raked her claws across Blueshadow's soft underbelly, feeling warm blood coat her paws.

Opening her jaws, Shadow scented fear, from Blueshadow. She leaned closer, noticing that Blueshadow's blue eyes had filled with tears of pain and fear.

"You deserve worse than to die," Shadow growled, anger marking her every word. "You, and your 'clans', will pay the price of killing my mother and sister. The clans stole our home, my life, and I will have my revenge."

She lifted her paw from Blueshadow's jaws, in time to see the blue-gray she-cat's mouth form the word 'Shadow' as her long claws dragged easily across her throat, digging deep into the base of her neck.

Blood formed a pool around Shadow's paws as she let Blueshadow's limp body fall gracelessly to the forest ground. The clan cat's glazed, clouded eyes proved that she was dead, and that the wound in her throat had been fatal.

I will have my revenge! Shadow let out a dry laugh. Her thick, gray fur shone in the sunlight, though her paws were stained with Blueshadow's blood. Leaning down, she sniffed at the blue-gray she-cat's body, and the stench of death filled her nostrils. For a few long heartbeats, Shadow simply stood there, her head high, her blue-black eyes filled with a pride and determination.

However, as she lifted her head to the sun, those eyes filled with tears. "Can you hear me now, Mother?" she whispered softly, unmoving. "And you, too, Sister? I've missed you so much!" Her voice, laced with that emotion she almost never showed, grew to a murmur. "I promised you I would take back what was ours, didn't I? This is just my start!" The words tumbled out of her faster and faster. "I will get my revenge, Mother. You too, Sister. The clans will regret it... I promise."

Shadow slowly lowered her head, and her face, contorted with emotion barely heartbeats before, now masked the emotion with a stone, heartless calmness, what the others usually saw in her.

Quickly, she nodded to Blueshadow's limp body, and as she took a step back, she left a bleeding pawprint. Shadow swiped her paws across the moist grass, the cold droplets touching her pads, gradually cleaning the blood off.

Shadow smiled. I promise.

But the smile vanished from her expression, and the blood seemed to drain out of her. Her ears flattened, and her blue-black eyes blazed as she turned her head, fur bristling, hackles raised. Shadow let out a menacing growl as she faced the newcomer.

It was a tom, a well-built, sturdy, flame-colored cat. He seemed harmless, but Shadow knew better than to trust him. He reeked of the clans, all the more reason to regard him as an enemy. However, as he spoke, something inside Shadow told her to flatten her fur and sheathe her claws. His voice, that was it. Just one word. "Hello."

"Who are you?" Shadow flinched inwardly. That wasn't what she had meant to say. She had wanted to seem slightly friendly, but... it was too late.

The flame-colored cat smiled. "I'm Firebreeze, and I'm the deputy of ThunderClan." Shadow's claws unsheathed, then sheathed again, as she heard the word ThunderClan. She had never expected a cat like... like this... a cat so kind... to be a part of the clans.

"Nice to meet you, then," she mewed, rather curtly.

Firebreeze flicked his tail, then raised it, in a signal for her to stop. Shadow, for some reason, did not find it in her heart to attack this young tom. She was about his age, maybe slightly younger. But something about him... she just found him rather intriguing.

"Are you the Shadow?" Firebreeze took a step towards her, though there was no hint of hatred or anger in his mew.

"I prefer Shadow, thanks." Shadow dipped her head awkwardly as she spoke. It had been a while, a very long while, since she had last engaged in friendly conversation with any cat, let alone a clan cat. "Uh... were you... watching...?" She shot a quick glance at the limp body of Blueshadow. Shadow felt more self-conscious than she ever had before.

Firebreeze gave her a brief nod. "Shadow... I've been watching you for a moon, now, and I think you have the skill you need to be a striker, the striker of ThunderClan." He ran his brilliant green gaze over her slender, gray form.

"And what's in it for me?" Shadow didn't bother to hide the suspicion in her voice.

Firebreeze shook his head slightly. "The life of a clan cat. You will be guaranteed protection from the rest of ThunderClan, if you join us."

"If I don't?"

"There is no don't, Shadow. You must join ThunderClan; our leader needs a striker. It is a severe competition between many cats, and you will not be the only one who isn't part of ThunderClan... yet." Firebreeze's voice shook as he spoke.

"I suppose your leader specifically asked our noble warrior to track me down?" Shadow's mew was bitter.

Firebreeze frowned. "He didn't," he mewed shortly. "Shadow, join ThunderClan," he advised. "You have the right skill, and you should use it wisely, rather than... well..." He flicked his tail towards Blueshadow's limp shape.

"Don't tell me what I can't do." Shadow let out a threatening whisper.

Firebreeze's tail fell. "I'm sorry. Please, Shadow. Join us, and you will not regret it." His voice softened. "That, I promise." Shadow turned away for a heartbeat. Somehow, she wouldn't, she couldn't refuse. She gave Firebreeze a nod, stepping to his side.

"My father is the leader, and I am his deputy," Firebreeze explained, a touch of pride in his voice. "But he doesn't know I'm recruiting you. He knows that there is a 'Shadow' but he doesn't know that it's... you. The entire clan thought you were older... and more, well... dark. So you will be under a false name. Anything you prefer?"

"Sky." Shadow nodded as she spoke. This was her former name, and it would keep any memory of her mother and sister in her mind.

Firebreeze looked slightly surprised at her decisive tone, but nodded. "Only if win, Sky, your father will know your real name. For now, you are just Sky. Now, come on out, Ashflame. You and I can escort Shadow to our camp."

As Shadow watched, a gray tom, not much older than she, padded out of the bushes with a nod. His tail rose as his blue gaze met hers, and Shadow felt her heart warm, the same way it had when she met Firebreeze, and she looked away.

"I'm Ashflame." Ashflame stepped to her side. "I'm really looking forward to engaging with the Shadow." Shadow flattened her ears. She knew this wasn't a threat, but rather a dry statement, and she flattened her ears slightly.

"Nice to meet you, too." She grinned for the first time in moons and let him fall in beside her, a skeptical look on his face. Firebreeze nodded approvingly, but Shadow saw something else in his gaze, though she couldn't tell what it was. Huh?

"Now, come along. You can try and succeed to become ThunderClan's striker." Firebreeze flicked his tail, and the three of them padded into the undergrowth.


Thank you so much for reading! I'll try to update as soon as possible. Again, please, read and review.

~Fire of Midnight