Hello! This is a new story. so lets just begin with our allegiances and a prologue. Also the prologue is in the POV of the Lion.
Lion Tribe
Leader Lion- Dark russet tom with a ginger tail and underside
Deputy Haze- Misty grey tabby tom with silver fur tips
Healer Yarrow- Tan she-cat with pale tan brown eyes
Fighters
Sun- Pale golden and light tan tom with amber eyes
Moon- Icy blue eyed white she-cat with odd completely silver ears
Wing- Storm grey tom with huge clumsy paws
Hazel- Tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes and a fluffy coat
Vine- Brown tabby tom with a lighter brown underside and bright green eyes
Hunters/Collectors
Dark- Black tom with white spotted leopard markings
Nut- Tan she-cat with a light russet head and tail tip
Green- Murky green eyed solid brown tom with very short fur
Claw- Grey she-cat with odd misty cloud-like spots
Apprentices
Splash- Grey she-cat with navy blue eyes and a very fluffy tail and fluffy paws
Kits
Cherry- Bright russet she-cat with very large ears
Leaf- Brown tom with white points and face
Jaguar- Oddly black striped dark russet she-cat
Shadow- White tom with black underside, legs, paws, neck and face and missing tail
Outside the tribe
Whisper- Dark grey tom with pale grey highlights on his head
Prologue
Lion stalked along the island shore, his eyes clouded with worry. He had been ordered to leave the tribe until Moon's kits arrived, because he was just causing more trouble. Even though he was leader of the tribe, he felt useless when it came to his healer and healing. He felt dumb as a kit while Yarrow knew exactly what to do for sick cats. He trembled as he padded along the shore. He felt his eyes start to tear up. What type of leader was he if he couldn't even keep calm at his own mate's kitting? He heard a deep breath behind him. Turning, too depressed to even consider the thought of an enemy, he caught sight of the wary gaze of his deputy, Haze. The misty grey tabby showed signs of worry in his eyes.
"Are you alright, Lion?" He asked gently. Pity shone in the tom's eyes.
"Don't pity me!" Lion snarled. Calming, he looked at his deputy. He seemed unruffled, like he understood Lion's sadness. "I'm sorry, Haze. But I am fine. As leader of our tribe, I must be okay. For all of us."
Haze dipped his head. "Alright."
As the silence between them seeped on, Haze padded forwards to sit on a stone in the water. He leapt over the waves, to the stone. The setting sun was beautiful, its rays shining off both tom's fur, and Lion felt a flashback pop in his mind.
"It's beautiful, Moon." Murmured Lion, leaning against Moon's white furry side. He breathed in her warm scent and sighed, staring at the sun-drowning water.
"I love it. Thank you for bringing me here. I really needed a break from Coyote's never-ending worrying." Moon laughed, her eyes flashing with happiness.
That moment was the one time when all of Lion's worries had all disappeared. All had been good, even in their worrying leader Coyote's reign. The tan tom, father of Nut and Sun, with their mother being a rogue she-cat who had given up her kits for the tribe, had always been worrying about the tribe's health. Was the territory big enough? Should they chase the rogues away? Should he border the patrols more often or hunt more? Lion, at the time, had been Coyote's second deputy. His old deputy, Ignite, had died in a battle with some rogues. Now, Lion understood, a little, Coyote's always worrying nature. He had felt like the tribe was all his responsibility, and really it was, yet they had all thought he was crazy. Suddenly, a yowl echoed through the trees. Both of them froze, as Haze jumped down next to Lion.
"What was that?" Hissed Haze, the fear in his eyes echoing Lion's own.
Grunting, Lion gave a growl "Let's find out." He retorted as he raced up the hill into the long grasses.
Both of them heaved through the tall grasses, all the way back to camp. Their camp was a small dip in the ground, protected by high brambles. Lion gazed through the entrance, heavily guarded by two of his cats, Vine and Green. The yowls continued, coming from the Healer's den.
"Yarrow!" Lion called, his eyes wide with anticipation to see how his mate was.
The tan she-cat emerged from the gloom. Her eyes shone with pride. "Four!" She announced, her eyes glimmering. Worry darkened in her face, as she spoke quietly in Lion's ear as he brushed past. "One... is different."
Lion ignored her words as he darted up to his mate's side. He brushed her lovingly and gazed into her tried icy blue eyes. She breathed heavily, but seemed content with herself. Looking down in silence, Lion observed his four kits. Two toms and two she-cats, from what it seemed.
"Let's call this one Cherry." Murmured Lion, staring at his bright russet daughter. She had very large ears and quite long fur. "And this one Leaf." He nodded to one of his sons, a brown kit with white points and face.
"This one shall be Jaguar." Announced Moon, staring pridefully at their other daughter, an oddly black striped dark russet she-kit. Both of them gasped as they stared at their last kit. Nestled in the shadows, he was quite hard to see.
"What is wrong with him?" Snarled Lion, staring in disgust at the tiny white tom-kit's stump of a tail.
The tiny kit raised it's head, and for a moment, it looked as if the kit was staring right at Lion with his still sightless eyes. But quickly, he scrambled into the open to nestle against his siblings and mother. He had a black underside, legs, paws, neck and face.
"He has no tail!" Gasped Moon. For a moment she looked in horror at the helpless kit, but love filled her gaze quickly. "We will name him.."
She was cut off my Lion angered snarl. "He will be known as Shadow, for he is nothing more than a shadow to this tribe. He means nothing to me." Anger filled the huge tom's gaze. "Never has a heir to our tribe been born with a malfunction."
The russet tom stalked from the den, his tail swishing angrily. As the tribe came in to see the new kits, more of them stared in wonder and disgust at the tiny Shadow. The poor kit was singled out from his siblings for being malformed and odd. Soon enough, the tribe cats all left to their own nests. Just before Moon got ready to sleep next to the soft bodies of her kits, Yarrow came in, a grave expression on her face.
"Shadow does not belong here!" She whispered, as to not disturb the kit's sleep. "We must get rid of him. The Shimmer's ask us to."
"Never!" growled Moon. "We shall keep him, even if the Shimmer's will not. He will stay with us."
The white she-cat made this very clear as she grabbed her kits close to her belly. Before Yarrow left the den, she murmured quietly to herself.
"We are all doomed."
