The First Five Moons

by Dawnflightt

Ever wondered what Riverkit's kithood was like? Ever wondered who Ebonyshade truly was before the accident? Well, now's the chance to found out, as Riverkit's first five moons are finally unraveled... *early prequel to River's Shadow*

Hey!

This was on my mind for a while, and I'm taking a very short break from writing RS/FF, (only for a day, though) and I wanted to focus on one thing: Show what River's kithood was like. I've seen a few

Basically, this is mainly used for character development and to sorta show what cats (like Ebonyshade and Ashflame) were like before stuff happened in the main story.

WARNING: I probably won't upload a chapter for a while, unless I'm really bored. I'm planning to continue this fully after I complete River's Shadow, and in the process of the possible sequel.

Here is the allegiances and prologue for The First Five Moons.

Prologue

Rasping her tongue against her black-and-orange chest fur as an attempt to smooth it, Ashflame's breath shook slightly, all of her energy spent. Uneaten herbs supplied for energy was left in a small pile beside Ashflame, but she restricted herself from eating them. Three small kits lay at her stomach, one certain tabby she-kit even tinier. It's only been half a night, and they're so alive...

"They're adorable," a patched pale-red-and-grey she-cat purred, making Ashflame suppress a smile of pride. Maplesmoke lowered her head to lick at her belly, also nuzzling Maplekit, another queen's kit. Her unborn kits were expected to arrive in around a moon.

"And beautiful," came another whisper after a series of seconds. Ashflame recognised that voice very well, and she let out a content sigh as a soft grey muzzle nuzzled her cheek. Ebonyshade bent down to press his nose against the tiniest kit's fur, taking in a deep breath.

Ashflame closed her emerald eyes, drinking in the scent of her kits. "We need to name them," she rasped, exhausted from her kitting. She had one name in mind; and that was for the orange-and-black classic tom kit.

Ebonyshade smiled to himself as he trained his icy gaze onto the biggest kit; a long-legged soft grey she-kit with black spots. "She reminds me of myself," Ebonyshade murmured. "I want to name her after my mother."

"Willowkit..." Ashflame mewed dryly, thinking of the dark sandy-grey she-cat with rippling black stripes. "I thought you didn't like Willow?"

The tom narrowed his eyes, receiving a curious sound from Maplesmoke. "I didn't love her," he chuckled, nuzzling the newly-named Willowkit. "But she was tolerable. I will love my kits more, and, of course, my beautiful mate-"

"I get it," Ashflame snapped, now resistant to his sappy compliments as Maplesmoke was also in the nursery. "Anyways... I want to name him Newtkit."

"He doesn't look like a newt," Ebonyshade said in bewilderment, making slight irritation form in Ashflame's chest as he stared at the tiny replica of Ashflame.

"I like the name!" Ashflame shot back. "And, for StarClan's sake, according to that logic, does that mean you look like a tree since you were named after one?"

Maplesmoke laughed. "True love," she purred. "It always shows its true colours, doesn't it?"

Both Ebonyshade and Ashflame glared at the smug she-cat. "It was a joke," he shot back, his fake anger melting into warm humour. "And, Ashflame, are you saying I look like a tree?"

Ashflame snorted dryly. "Well, Ebonyshade, I'm sorry, but we need to talk-"

"Don't you dare!"

Maplesmoke laughed again, jolting Maplekit and making the kits at Ashflame's belly wriggle. Ebonyshade at once softened, and nudged another one of his kits; the smallest she-kit, coloured just like Ebonyshade's bluish-grey spots with rich, rippling stripes, much like Ebonyshade's mother.

Ashflame stilled for a second, lost in thought. The different blue-grey shades look like shadows cast over a river, she thought. "Riverkit." she mewed firmly as she pointed her tail at the kit. "Her name is Riverkit."

The soft grey tom with blue-grey spots nodded, murmuring Riverkit once under his breath before standing up. "I will tell the Clan." he declared.

Ashflame nodded, rolling her green eyes. Ebonyshade dipped his head before turning around and slinking out of the nursery. Ashflame lowered her head onto the nest of moss, her tail over her nose, and she felt herself drift off.

Then, there was a loud howl. It pierced Ashflame's ears with how loud it was, and she winced. Maplesmoke jolted, and the kits at Ashflame's belly cried out. "What's wrong?" Ashflame growled as she stroked the kits to quiet them. "Can no cat get a tinge of sleep around here?"

"May all cats gather beneath the Stream!"

"Sagestar?" Maplesmoke mewed, grunting as she sat up in her nest. "I thought all the cats went to sleep after your kits were born."

"They were," Ashflame shot back. "But I don't think any cat would have been able to sleep through Sagestar's racket."

Ebonyshade poked his head into the den. "Sagestar wants everyone out, for some reason." his bright blue eyes were narrowed in bewilderment and annoyance. "Come on, Ashflame," he continued as the new queen tucked her tail further over her muzzle to show she wasn't going to move.

The nursing she-cat let out a grumble, softly forcing herself up from her warm nest. The kits let out tiny squeaks as their source of warmth disappeared, and Maplesmoke softened. "Tell Sagestar I'll stay in here," she mewed, padding over and nudging her kits. "I can look after your kits, if you want, Ashflame."

Gratefulness flashed through the orange-and-black she-cat. "Thanks," Ashflame said, yawning. "I really want to see why Sagestar wants us up this late."

"Cats of CascadeClan!" the leader yowled over the groggy cats clustered around the Stream. "Blackice and Emberpaw have gotten some rather strange word from StarClan, and insisted it would be better for all of us to hear it."

A young dark-grey she-cat with red, orange, and yellow patches and sparkling yellow eyes stumbled up the Stream's ledge. Emberpaw, Bouncefire and Honeyfang's daughter and the medicine cat apprentice.

"We're sorry!" she cried. "We didn't mean to wake you all up, and... I..." a soothing mew from Blackice made her straighten. "We got a prophecy from StarClan!"

Worried murmurs echoed through the crowd. "Surely we'd be given at least a moon of peace?" a pale red she-cat with green eyes yowled from the group. It was a sharp-tongued she-cat named Roseheart, mother of Maplekit, who wouldn't stay still and would hate to spend more than half the day crammed in that nursery.

A few cats had nodded, making Emberpaw lower her head in embarrassment. "S-Sagestar," she whispered. "Should I say it?"

The older medicine cat, Blackice, trotted up beside Emberpaw with a comforting lick. "Well, if you would like, Sagestar, here's what they said;"

"Seek for light in the River's Shadow, but do not embrace the darkness within. Something is brewing, brace yourselves for the oncoming storm."

Ebonyshade restrained himself from letting out a gasp. The Clan was shrouded in a mist of sudden fear and bewilderment, chills going down everyone's spines. Ashflame's emerald eyes widened in shock, and she suddenly felt uneasy.

"Then, one of the cats tapped onto the pool in front of them and a face appeared!" Emberpaw put a hint of wonder in her tone, a layer of boldness also joining it. "It was a bluish-grey tabby with sky-blue eyes... and the most mesmerising dark stripes!"

That was when Ashflame exchanged horrified looks with Ebonyshade. They had a kit who looked just like that cat Emberpaw described... only, her eyes hadn't even opened and showed their true colour yet. And, the worst of all, her name was...

"Riverkit." Ashflame whispered.

Multiple cats looked in her direction. "Is that what you named one of your kits?" Chiveclaw, a grey tom with green eyes, inquired, his eyes wide with realisation and dread.

Ashflame couldn't move her paws, but she managed to nod. "Willowkit, Newtkit, and Riverkit..."

"That must be the cat from the prophecy!" a voice cried out. Many shrill agreements followed, and Ashflame found herself humming with them. The cries rang out, loud and angered, crying out that Riverkit was prophesied to be evil.

But Ebonyshade wasn't joining in. "Even if she is," he whispered to Ashflame, raking his bright blue gaze over the Clan. "I will still treat her like my daughter."

Ashflame shook her head again, this time in scorn. "Ebonyshade, she will be the darkness." she snapped. "If this is the way she will end out, filled with darkness, she is not my kit."

The soft grey tom stiffened, but looked at Ashflame in anger and fear, before blinking it away. "I will fix that," he growled. "This will not change the way I loved her."

At that, Ebonyshade turned and stalked into the nursery.

A loud squeak from the nursery rang out, somehow silencing the cats in the clearing. Riverkit shifted against Maplesmoke's fur, her tiny pink nose nuzzling into the red-and-grey pelt, and Ebonyshade stared at her, his blue eyes filled with intense love and sadness. You will not be the cat in the prophecy, he vowed, and I will love you as much as your littermates.

I promise.

---

CascadeClan Allegiances

Leader:

Sagestar - Grey-and-white tom with green eyes

Deputy:

Silverwater - Silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat/s:

Blackice - Black tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Emberpaw - Dark grey she-cat with red, orange and yellow splotches and pretty yellow eyes

Warriors:

Shimmertail - Black she-cat with blue eyes

Shadefur - Brown tom with very dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Flamepaw

Turtlepelt - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Chiveclaw - Grey tom with green eyes

Finchsong - White-and-brown tom with yellow eyes

Heatherbloom - Light creamy brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Ebonyshade - Grey tom with blue-grey flecks and ice-blue eyes

Aspenfeather - Silver she-cat with lighter and darker speckles and blue eyes

Bouncefire - Red and orange she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Smokepaw

Honeyfang - Grey tom with yellow splotches and yellow eyes

Redstripe - Red tabby tom with blue eyes

Snowbranch - Brown she-cat with white stripes and holly-green eyes

Ivyheart - Silver-and-brown she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice: Mistpaw

Palmsky - Grey-swirled she-cat with amber eyes

Lionclaw - Golden tom with a darker chest, ears, and green eyes

Apprentices:

Smokepaw - Grey-swirled tom with pale amber eyes

Mistpaw - Mottled light grey she-cat with blue eyes

Flamepaw - Red-and-orange splotched tabby she-cat with a white underbelly, paws and yellow eyes

Queens:

Ashflame - Orange-and-black swirled she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Ebonyshade)

Maplesmoke - Red-and-grey she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Finchsong)

Roseheart - Pale red she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Unknown)

Kits: Maplekit - Pale red she-kit

Elders:

Oakwood - Tawny brown tom with amber eyes

Mothshine - Golden brown she-cat with russet spots and blue eyes