Voices

I felt like I was being watched.

Everyday, I would feel eyes on me, glinting fangs that curved upwards in a chilling smile whenever I turned my back, voices whispering when I wasn't paying attention. But when I would whip around to try and catch them, it was like they simply dissolved into thin air and was never there in the first place.

I would shiver, I would tremble. I thought they could see, feel, smell my fear. Predators often could. But what they were, exactly, I wasn't sure. Maybe just fragments of the dream I had last night.

But perhaps it was just my imagination. Kits always imagine strange things, don't they?

And soon after, they didn't appear for a long time, and I simply forgot they were ever there.

[voices]

As an apprentice, I needed to focus on my duties, my clan jobs. I had more freedom as a higher rank, but the responsibility was undoubtedly greater than that of a carefree, mindless little kitten.

Many times when I was out in the forest looking for moss for the elders' bedding, or trying to hunt for the clan, or helping out the medicine cat by collecting herbs, I could feel them again. Behind me. Around me. But I never truly saw them.

No way…

Were they really there? Or just my dumb fears from kithood coming back to me?

Probably the latter, I thought, and didn't think much more of it.

[voices]

That night was when everything changed and anything I had believed when I was a young, naive apprentice was shattered.

It was the first night of me as a warrior. After the ceremony, I had earned my warrior name, earning proud looks from my friends and parents. I was happy, proud to serve my clan as a full member. I thought nothing could get in the way.

I was sitting vigil with two other newly appointed warriors in camp, guarding the sleeping cats like all new warriors needed to do on their first night.

After some time, I realized time went by faster than I expected. That's when I noticed I had fallen asleep. Waking up, I rubbed an eye with one paw and blinked. The moon was at the mountain peak and some rays of light were shining. Dim, but there. Dark clouds covered the heavens.

Then everything went wrong.

I felt something slick coating my claws and jaws. My mouth felt bitter, slightly salty and metallic. I looked down at my claws and realized the dark scarlet coating was blood. My pelt was matted with dried blood, my fangs and claws drenched in blood.

My eyes widened until the rim was visible. I desperately searched around for any wounds, but nothing hurt. I couldn't find gashes, cuts, nothing. Not even a tiny little scratch. Confused, I wondered where the blood come from. Eating prey wouldn't result in my whole pelt drenched in it.

Then I felt scared. More scared than I had in my entire life. I felt a cold breeze pass through inside my body, but the air around me was as calm as ever.

What was happening?

A million questions ran through my mind, but suddenly, I saw them. Bodies, laying everywhere in the camp. I stepped back, trembling, horrified. No, no, no.

There were no badgers, no foxes, no dogs. The camp was perfectly fine, there were no slash marks on the branches. Only dead bodies of my clanmates. What had happened?

My breathing became ragged and I wanted to run away and forget this happened. But a feeling rushed over me. It was grief, wanting revenge, anger, fury, hatred… I didn't know where all these emotions had come from. But then, I heard them again.

Those voices who I never knew the owner to.

Great job, my child.

I stepped back again, wanting to run, but I couldn't. I couldn't run from a voice that I didn't know the source of.

"Who are you?" I yowled. But the only thing that greeted me was a series of empty echoes. I felt silly for yelling. I was only yowling at myself, wasn't I?

"Did you do this?" I asked, my voice cracking, my eyes just slits. My voice rose much louder. "Did you kill my clan?!"

The mysterious voice only chuckled.

No, young one. You did this.

"No, I didn't!" I shut my eyes, shouting to no one, it seemed. "I was asleep! I woke up and this happened! I had nothing to do with it. You did this!"

You were never asleep. You are a murderer.

Tears flowed down my cheeks. I wanted to deny it, but I didn't know what was the truth and what was false. I felt the tears pricking my eyes.

"I am not!" I cried, and my voice got weaker and weaker. "I am not. I didn't do this…"

An empty wind blew over the hollow, vacant camp that was once home for me.

"Then just tell me one thing," I yowled, my tears shimmering up into the dark night. I tried to look around, but found nothing. "Who are you?"

Its voice didn't carry in with the breeze or echo off into the distance. Instead, it was creepier. It seemed to unfold inside of my very soul. I knew right then there was no escape.

We are your demons, my child.

Please review and tell me what you think of it! :) This was a challenge for MuffinClan.