Chapter One
Since the uprising 486 moons ago, when all twelve clans rose up against the Capitol, two tributes, one male and one female between the ages of six moons and forty-eight moons must be taken to fight to the death in the Hunting Games…
Only one cat returns the survivor…
Sunnywing woke with a start in her bed beside her mother and brother, sweat trickling down her neck and soaking the thin blankets that covered the straw mattress.
It was the 81st Hunting Games reaping for her clan, the second last clan to lose two young warriors.
"Momma…" she whispered, placing her paws on her mother's thick golden fur, identical to her daughters, "Momma, wake up!"
With a sigh, the elder cat opened her misty blue eyes and stretched out, yawning quietly.
"What's wrong Sunnywing…?" she asked, sitting up, "it's reaping day…" she replied, "my name is in the barrel ten times, eight for my age and the other two for the rabbit I got you."
Her mother hugged her close, nuzzling her head, "ten times out of thousands, sweetie," she soothed, "the odds of you being reaped are very little," "but there's still a chance Momma!" Sunnywing hiccupped, tears running down her face.
"Shush now…" Daisypool hushed, "you'll wake Snowykit!" Sunnywing nodded, drying her tears with a swipe of her white paw, "good girl," her mother smiled, "I'll make us something to eat."
An hour later, Sunnywing was sitting at the table finishing her watery soup and watching the sun rise, staining the ground with splashes of bloody red and orange.
"Sunnywing…" said Snowykit, swirling his spoon in his soup, "you ever leave us will you? You'll always come back?"
The golden she-cat smiled sadly and scooped the little four moon kit into her lap, "I promise Snowykit, big sisters always come back…" she whispered in his fluffy ear.
The kit purred and nuzzled her cheek before hopping back onto his own chair.
Daisypool gathered up her childrens empty bowls and stacked them beside the woven washing tub, "let's get you two ready!" she purred, in a forcefully happy voice, "Snowykit, go and wash that soup off your face and brush your teeth, Sunnywing… I have something for you."
Her mother padded into her room and pulled something from under her bed, a small shiny green ribbon and a copper pendant in the shape of a heart.
Carefully Daisypool threaded the heart onto the ribbon and knotted it around her neck firmly, "there, you just need to comb your pelt and you'll look fine my dear," she mewed, softly, touching her nose to Sunnywing's ear.
Sunnywing swallowed deeply, tears shining in her eyes, "thanks Momma…" she murmured, touching the shiny heart.
"Go comb your fur my sunshine," Daisypool purred, passing Sunnywing the carved wood comb from her bedstand, "it's nearly time to go."
The fluffy golden she-cat gazed in the cracked grimy mirror and smoothed her knotted fur with her mother's comb until it was smooth and silken.
Snowykit padded out of the bathroom, stubby tail swishing nervously, "hey there Snowykit," smiled Sunnywing, forcing a strained smile on her face, "time to face the music little brother."
Sunnywing sucked her paw where the Peacekeeper had pricked it, and gazed up at the stage, the giant clear orb with the scraps of paper inside it.
Ten of those pieces of paper bore her name, Sunnywing Rowanstone, ten out of thousands, slim odds, but the eighteen moon cat still shook as the bouncy yellow and orange dyed she-cat skipped across the stage to the microphone.
"Welcome Toms and She-cats to the 81st Hunting Games reaping!" she cheered, long whiskers jiggling as she spoke, "may the odds ever be in your favour!"
Her breath sucked in as the she-cat approached the first glass orb, "ladies first," she purred, and plunged her paw into the container.
She fished around for a moment and eventually pulled out two pieces of paper stuck together, each one a cat's fate, with a flick of her paw she pushed one back and opened the first.
Sunnywing closed her eyes as the she-cat began to speak, "and the first tribute for our 81st Hunting Games is…" she paused for dramatic effect, "Sunnywing Rowanstone!"