Prologue
A light, sunshiny breeze swept throughout the pine trees of the Spottedstar, leader of FireClan, gazed into the blue sky, his eyes cloudy and distant. Sunpelt, his deputy, watched her leader carefully. She found it obvious that something was troubling him. His golden pelt was ruffled and his mind seemed far away. He was barely even paying attention to the border which they were supposed to be patrolling.
"Spottedstar," she whispered tentatively. Spottedstar jumped, making Sunpelt flinch and step back. His deputy had always been a little jumpy, though loyal as she was. He stared at her with and intense, unwavering gaze.
"Yes?" Sunpelt shuffled her paws nervously, her ears flattened against her head.
"I-I was just wondering if anything was…wrong." Spottedstar flicked his tail, his face an unreadable mask. There was a long pause, broken only by the rustle of the wind in the leaves above.
"No, everything is fine. I spoke with Brakenpool this morning is all," he said. Sunpelt nodded, seemingly convinced.
Spottedstar momentarily closed his eyes, remembering the meeting with FireClan's medicine cat. Her fear scent. The edge of panic in her voice as she told him about her dream. About the prophecy. About the colors that would bring change to the Clan. Black and white.
Spottedstar shook himself and walked forward into the underbrush, flicking his tail to signal that Sunpelt should follow. He mumbled a few words to himself, to softly for Sunpelt to catch them. Sunpelt's pelt prickled with unease.
"Are you sure everything is all right?" Spottedstar stopped walking.
"Yes." His voice sounded strangely forced, even a little harsh.
"Okay, because I-," Spottedstar silenced the deputy with a hard, cold glare.
"Do you doubt my tactics? Or do you doubt Brakenpool?" he snarled, pelt spiking alone his spine. Sunpelt's green eyes widened.
"N-no Spottedstar! I'm sorry," she yowled. Spottedstar's pelt flattened.
"I know. I'm sorry." He started walking again. Sunpelt still wasn't entirely sure that her leader was telling her everything. However, if he was being this nervous about it, it probably had something to do with StarClan, and that was not any of her business. She had not received nine lives like Spottedstar, and it wasn't her duty to mingle in the ways of StarClan like Brakenpool. No, her duty was to be the best deputy she could be and to serve her Clan with her heart and soul. She straightened up.
"All right. I think the midday patrol should be coming in soon. We should head back into the Clan," Sunpelt said, finally gathering enough courage to speak. Spottedstar glanced behind at her and nodded silently.
"All right. I-," A sudden rustle in the brush made the leader's head snap to the direction of the sound. Sunpelt tensed, her fur bristling. They watched the undergrowth for a few moments, before relaxing and turning away. No sooner had they done so then a desperate mew sounded through the forest, causing them both to start.
"Spottedstar!" The apprentice Mudpaw stumbled into the clearing, her sides heaving, her pelt ruffled, and her fear scent heavy.
"Yes?" Spottedstar said levelly. The leader's body was rigid, though his voice betrayed none. Mudpaw paused for a moment, huffing to catch her breath, her legs splayed outward.
"It's Goldenshadow," at the mention of his mate, Spottedstar inhaled sharply, "she's kitting!" Mudpaw squealed, her eyes wide. Spottedstar whipped his head around to gaze at Sunpelt.
"Go find the midday patrol," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady. Sunpelt nodded vigorously, and bolted off through the trees on shaky legs. Spottedstar took a few deep breathes to calm himself. Could this have anything to do with his meeting with Brakenpool? He turned again to stare at Mudpaw.
"Where is she?" he asked the flustered tabby apprentice.
"She's in with Brakenpool," Mudpaw said. She stared at her leader in wonder. She had never seen him in such a state of panic.
Spottedstar didn't even respond before leaping off into the woods. The low pine branches smacked him in the face, scratching him, but he hardly noticed. His heart was thumping to the beat of his pounding feet as he rushed into the Clan, ignoring the startled looks of his Clanmates and the yowls of surprise. He skidded to a stop in the nursery, panting hard. Soft mewing filled the air, coming from inside. Trying desperately to slow his speeding heart, Spottedstar padded inside. Brakenpool was standing with her back to him, working on something. He could just make out the orange hue of Goldenshadow's pelt. Spottedstar anxiously tried to peer over Brakenpool's shoulder. The dark stone walls of the nursery seemed to be closing in on him, spinning around him. He took a few deep breaths.
After what seemed like moons, Brakenpool backed up and began to purr.
"Brakenpool?" Spottedstar's voice come out in a low croak. She turned in surprise and smiled warmly.
"You have two very healthy she kits," she said calmly. Spottedstar breathed a sigh of relief. From behind Brakenpool, Goldenshadow was curled around the kits. She looked tired, but she was purring.
"Come look, Spottedstar," she said tenderly. Spottedstar padded slowly to her side and gazed down at the two kits. One was as black as a raven, and the other one the color of freshly fallen snow. They lay nestled snuggly in the curve of Goldenshadow's belly. Spottedstar began to purr.
"Do you want to name then?" Goldenshadow asked. Spottedstar's jaw dropped, and he lowered his gaze.
"I don't know…," he said softly. Goldenshadow smiled.
"It's alright," She said. Spottedstar stared at the two sleeping kits until the names he would like came to him.
"The smaller one, she's snow white. I think we should name her Snowkit. And the dark one…" he paused to look at his mate before continuing, "The dark one should be named Nightkit." Goldenshadow gazed down at the newly named kits
"I like them. Hello Snowkit, hello Nightkit," she said fondly. Spottedstar stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment. Something was nagging him, and he wasn't sure what it was.
Suddenly, as he stared down at his two kits, a strange feeling gripped his belly, like ice cold talons. It was like déjà vu. Brakenpool's voice seemed to echo in his ear.
Black and white.
White and black.
Slowly, Spottedstar raised his head in the direction of the medicine cat. Met her gaze. Read her expression. Realized the horrible truth. His legs suddenly felt wobbly as the words of the entire prophecy came back to him.
Black and white shall bring great change to the Clans.
His daughters. One black. One white.
Change was to come in their paws. And they had no choice.
Chapter 1
Nightkit crouched silently under the shadow of the Great Oak, waiting for Snowkit to peek her head out of the nursery. She had been waiting for a while. Her paws ached from holding the awkward position for so long and she was a little bit hungry, but she didn't want to give up just yet. Even from the time when she was born, people had told her that she was a little fighter. Her body was strong and sturdy, not like scrawny little Snowkit, who could barely run around the clearing without ending up panting like fish out of water.
She flicked her tail impatiently, and let her gaze wander around the Clan, resting for a moment on the full fresh kill pile before traveling to the Elder's den. Whiteleaf was sunning outside of the nursery, her white muzzle stretched out before her. Nightkit bit back a mrrow of laughter as she imagined bouncing up and down on the expecting she cat's plump stomach, which was swollen with kits. Soon she and her sister would have litter mates. This reminded her of her current mission, and she turned back to the nursery just in time to see a tiny, berry pink nose peek out of the rock.
"Perfect." Nightkit purred softly. She drew her body back in a rough pounce position and tensed her muscles. Snowkit stretched and yawned, before softly padding out into the midday sun. Her snow white pelt stood out among the rocky terrain of the FireClan camp.
Nightkit stayed silent as Snowkit walked in front of her hiding place. She took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes in concentration, and pounced!
"SNOOOOOWKIT!" she screamed as she landed on her sister. Snowkit yowled in fright and shock and batted uselessly at Nightkit's ears.
Nightkit allowed her to find her balance before attacking again. The two kits wrestled and hissed before breaking apart. Nightkit shook herself and began grooming her ears with one paw.
"That was fun!" she said, grinning at her sister. Snowkit pulled her ears back and hissed.
"It was not! You could've hurt me!" she growled. Nightkit cocked her head.
"Come on Snowkit! Have a little fun. Besides, if you want to be a proper apprentice, you need to be able to fight!" Nightkit said. Snowkit rolled her eyes.
"Why can't you forget about training to be an apprentice for once? We still have two moons until we do!" Nightkit shrugged.
"It's never too early to begin!" she said proudly. Snowkit flicked her tail angrily, before stalking across the clearing to the freshkill pile.
Nightkit sighed. It hadn't been as fun as she thought it would be, though the fact that Snowkit was such a control freak didn't help much either. She shook herself one final time, and then followed her sister across the clearing.
"I was just playing! Please don't be mad!" she said, trying to catch up with her fuming sister. Snowkit didn't reply.
"Are you mad?" Nightkit pressed. Snowkit remained silent, and Nightkit felt a twinge of guilt and panic. What if her sister was mad at her forever! Without any warning, Snowkit turned and leaped onto Nightkit's back. Nightkit yowled in astonishment and tried to knock her tiny sister off. Snowkit held on with her claws and blocked some of Nightkit's angry swipes. Nightkit finally landed a blow on her sister's muzzle, sending her sprawling back onto her stomach. She let out a muffled squeak of pain before collapsing in utter defeat. Nightkit purred in amusement. Snowkit could be so reckless. It was obvious that she couldn't beat Nightkit in a fight.
"What's going on here?" The firm and angered voice of Goldenshadow made Nightkit freeze. She scratched a line with her claw into the rock and lowered her tail embarrassedly. Snowkit got up and shook herself.
"Hi Goldenshadow!" she purred innocently, lapping at her ruffled pelt and sending an "I'll kill you when she's gone" look in Nightkit's direction. Goldenshadow's eyes narrowed and her tail began to lash from side to side.
"You were fighting again, weren't you?" she growled at the two kits. Nightkit bristled.
"Not fighting! Training," she said, raising her chin defiantly at her glowering mother. Goldenshadow rolled her eyes.
"I don't really see the difference," she said coldly. Snowkit flicked her paw at Nightkit.
"She started it! I didn't even do anything," she said, frowning accusingly. Nightkit hissed at her.
"You did to, you little liar!" She launched herself at Snowkit and the two wrestled along the rocky ground. Goldenshadow pulled Nightkit out of the battle with her teeth and glared at the midnight black kit.
"Nightkit! You know better than that. Back to the nursery, both of you. You're embarrassing me." The two kits lowered their heads and stalked into the stuffy nursery.
"Mousebrain," Nightkit hissed as soon as they were out of range. "What were you thinking, selling me out like that?" Snowkit blinked in disbelief.
"Are you blind? I was only defending myself," she snarled back. With a tiny flick of her tail, she ran over to their nest and curled up, eyes flashing.
Nightkit embarrassedly began licking her fur. She was determined not to feel bad for Snowkit. It was her own fault. She had only been trying to play. Snowkit couldn't handle anything! Nightkit wandered over to their den and slowly curled into a ball. Snowkit huffed and scooted away from her.
Fine! Nightkit though bitterly. Let her be that way!
When Nightkit finally woke up, she saw that the sun was still in the sky outside of the nursery. She started to wake a still slumbering Snowkit, until she remembered that she was still mad at her. None the less, Snowkit began to stir. She lazily blinked her ice blue eyes.
"Wha?" Nightkit poked her with one claw, making her squeal and spring to her feet.
"Nightkit! That hurt," she wailed. Nightkit blinked sheepishly. Snowkit glared at her.
"Sorry. But I wanna go to the elder's den to talk to Lostear and to hear his stories. Will you come with me?" On normal circumstances, Snowkit would've frostily declined. However, the opportunity to visit the cheerful, half deaf elder Lostear was too much to bear, and she agreed, though somewhat reluctantly.
Nightkit led the way across the clearing, chattering like a crazed squirrel as she did so. She was ecstatically happy about visiting Lostear. He told the best stories ever! She raced through the doorway of the nursery, Snowkit on her heals.
"Lostear!" The elder lifted his head and gazed drowsily at her.
"Well now, if it isn't my two favorite kits," he purred, getting shakily to his feet and yawning, revealing blackened and broken teeth. Though Nightkit was aware that she and Snowkit were the only kits currently in the Clan, she still purred.
"Tell us a story!" Snowkit begged, bouncing around the orange elder excitedly. Lostear purred rustily.
"Well now, I suppose I'll have to, seein' how I can't say not to those faces." Nightkit ran in a happy circle.
"Have I ever told you 'bout the time I got cornered by a dog up'a tree?" Lostear asked. Nightkit nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, and that story was kind'a boring," she said, wrinkling his tiny nose. Lostear frowned at the tiny kit.
"Well now, that was the battle where I lost my ear, it was!" Nightkit giggled blushingly.
"Well, I 'spose I should give you a fairly interesting one, eh?" He lightly tapped Nightkit on the nose. Snowkit giggled.
"Yeah," she purred. Lostear settled himself into his nest.
"Well now, I think I'll tell you about how the Clans were formed, eh?" Nightkit and Snowkit both nodded their approval.
"Okay. Now, this one is a little scary, but you two kits are brave, aren't ye?" The kits giggled again and nodded.
"Okay. Well, it starts a long ways away from our current Clans, in a forest far away where four other Clans were. The Clan's names were ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan-,"
"Those are boring names," Nightkit interrupted. Snowkit angrily shushed her.
"Well now, I 'spose they are. Well anyhow, these four Clans all followed the Warrior Code, just like us. One day, one Clan decided to steal some prey from another."
"But why?" Snowkit asked, her eyes wide.
"Well now, I dunno. Guess they were real hungry. The Clan that had been stolen from got real angry, but they blamed the wrong Clan. That Clan got real angry, and the Clan that actually had stolen from the other Clan sided with them. The one remaining Clan sided with the Clan that had been robbed."
"That's confusing!" Nightkit purred.
"Yes, it is. Now please don't interrupt no more, you silly kits." Snowkit and Nightkit nodded.
"Right. Well so, the Clans that had been stolen from decided they must attack the other two Clans. The other two Clans were thinkin' they would attack the other Clan's as well. Finally, two Clans decided they would attack first. They got a whole battle plan and everything. A handful of cats from each Clan got together one night and 'cided they had to do somethin' 'bout the whole battle." Lostear paused to make sure the two kits were following.
"So they made a plan, a real good one too. They decided to warn the Clan that was to be attacked, hoping that this would stop the battle. Well, they were real wrong. All they did was make those two Clans split up their ranks and attack the other two Clans' camps while their warriors were away. Many, many kits, elders, and queens were killed in that battle, not to mention brave warriors too. One Clan even lost their medicine cat!
"At the next Gathering, the Clans decided they would never repeat history again. But they had to blame someone for the loss of life. One traitorous cat told the cats who had tried to stop the battle, and they were exiled. All fo' tryin' to prevent bloodshed. Well, the cats weren't too happy 'bout that, no they weren't. They decided to form their own Clans, and not to have the same mistakes that their formers had.
"They recruited many rouges along the way, and formed their own four Clans, RockClan, CreekClan, FireClan, and BreezeClan. They built and shaped these Clans with the Warrior Code. Though they had intended for these Clans to be peaceful, it became far too difficult, what with all o' the border spats and the likes. And so our Clans became replicas of the first Clans." Lostear finished and smiled down at the two enchanted kits.
"Well now, there you have it. Our Clans." Nightkit was the first to jump to her feet.
"Oh wow! So we're descendants from the old Clans? That is so cool! And FireClan is the strongest Clan, right?" She stared demandingly at Lostear. The elder mrrowed his laughter and nodded his head.
"Good! Oh, I know! Snowkit, you be a RockClan cat. I'll be Spottedstar!" Snowkit glared at her sister.
"No way. I'm way too tired to play stupid games with you." She flicked her tail and padded away, nose held high in the air.
"Well now, did you two have a little spat?" Lostear purred. Nightkit nodded miserably.
"Yeah. I didn't mean to, but I started it," she said softly. Lostear lightly pushed her with his nose.
"Well now, you got out there an' find the kit. Make it up to her." He curled up in his nest until his breathing slowed and Nightkit was sure he was asleep. She sighed and walked in the general direction of her sister.
Would they ever stop fighting?