Hi, and welcome to my first fanfic...
The warm greenleaf air was thick with heat and tension, and yowls or pain and hatred filled the air as claws and teeth ripped into fur. The ground was the exact color of the blood-red sunset sky, and dark silhouettes moved, dotting the grassy clearing. Upon closer look, it was seen that these were cats, and writhing, struggling bundles fell to the ground, still hissing and locked into battle. The moon was a luminous half-disc in the sky, and it gleamed yellow, suspended over the thick of the fight. Eyes blazed, teeth bared, fur bristling, cats attacked, expressions ones of pure malice.
But these weren't simply large groups of rogues attacking each other over a lost piece of prey. These were strong warrior groups, called clans, and when one clan attacked another, it was worth a battle any day. Out of the four clans, it was ShadowClan who had launched an invasion on the ThunderClan camp.
Near the edge of the clearing, standing in front of one of the many dens, was a young black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes that widened as they focused on the enemy warrior standing in front of her. Instinctively, the she-cat wrapped her tail around her belly, which was swollen with unborn kits, and she unsheathed her claws, though her expression was wide and scared.
"How can you do this, Nightshadow?" the she-cat asked desperately, addressing the black ShadowClan deputy who crouched in front of her, ready to spring. The black tom leaped, and the she-cat let out a high-pitched scream as Nightshadow's claws ripped ruthlessly at her flanks.
"I'm loyal to my clan, Swiftheart!" Nightshadow retorted, sinking his long fangs into the base of her quivering white chest.
Swiftheart shrieked again, struggling in Nightshadow's strong grip. "But the warrior code says to leave expectant queens alone!" she mewed, gasping for breath as claws ripped into the white tip of her tail. "Nightshadow, let go of me!"
"The warrior code also says that the word of the clan leader is the law," Nightshadow growled smoothly, but he sheathed his claws, much to Swiftheart's surprise. However, he still kept a firm grip on the young queen, pinning her down easily despite her struggling. As she reared up, trying to throw Nightshadow off, the weight of her belly weakened her move, and Nightshadow raked thorn-sharp claws across her back, before yowling across the clearing. "I've got her, Blackstar!"
The effect of that simple sentence was immediate. The battle stopped, and cats on both sides froze, then surrounded Nightshadow and Swiftheart. A dark gray tabby tom raced toward them, then paused beside his deputy, giving him a nod of approval.
"Blackstar has always been a reasonable cat, for ShadowClan," a voice grumbled. "I don't understand why he attacked us without reason." Blackstar didn't reply, but his left ear twitched slightly. Swiftheart lifted her head weakly to face the ShadowClan leader, her blue eyes pleading.
"What do you want from me, Blackstar?" Her voice was dull, lacking any signs of emotion.
The dark gray tom dipped his head slightly, but his eyes were somehow sad and dismayed. "I'm sorry it has come to this, ThunderClan," he announced, ignoring the growl coming from the ThunderClan leader's throat. "But it cannot be the will of StarClan for one clan to die out."
His words were greeted with murmurs of shock from ThunderClan. "What does he mean?"
"I think he's gone mad!"
"Why does he say that?"
"Explain yourself, Blackstar!"
Blackstar silenced the clans with a flick of his dark gray tail. "For the last seven or eight moons, we have had no queens, kits, or apprentices. Our clan needs help if we are to survive for much longer. Our clan has only warriors and elders, but no cat is growing and can take their place." He paused. "So I must ask you, Ashstar, to give us a kit from your clan."
His words were greeted with yowls of outrage from the ThunderClan cats, and a light gray she-cat stalked forward, then thrust her muzzle into Blackstar's face. This was Ashstar, the leader of ThunderClan. "Certainly not, Blackstar. ThunderClan has every right to keep these kits."
Blackstar's green eyes blazed. "Very well, then, Ashstar. It seems we must do more to convince you." He flicked his tail carelessly. "Nightshadow, kill her."
At those words, the clearing went into a dead silence for a few long heartbeats. Even Nightshadow seemed shocked. But he recovered, with a cold dip of his head. "Very well, Blackstar." His claws ripped into Swiftheart's ear, tearing much of it off. His teeth fastened deep into Swiftheart's throat, and the queen screamed, flailing helplessly as Nightshadow's claws tore across her chest.
"Stop!" Ashstar thrust her way between Nightshadow and Swiftheart, her blue eyes desperate. "Wait! You... you may have one and only one kit when the time arrives." The words seemed to take much effort for Ashstar to say, and her voice shook as she spoke.
Swiftheart's closed eyes flew open, and, weakly, she jumped to her paws, before collapsing again. "No! You can't do that! Let him kill me instead!"
Ashstar and Blackstar whipped their heads around to face her in shock. Ashstar spoke first. "Swiftheart, if he kills you, he'll be killing your kits, too. As a queen, you wouldn't want that for your kits, would you?" Nightshadow let out a low growl, but did not try to speak.
"But a life in captivity would be worse!" Swiftheart argued.
"Just think, Swiftheart," Ashstar urged her. "If you have more than one kit, what will happen to the other kit, the one who isn't sent to ShadowClan? It is a sad decision on my part, but I must do what is best for the clan... and you."
Swiftheart fell silent and stared at her paws.
Blackstar nodded calmly. "Thank you, Ashstar. But your decision has been made. Bring it to ShadowClan when it is seven moons old." He turned away, and the crowd parted in cold silence to let him pass. The dark gray tom flicked his tail, beckoning all his clanmates. Just before he and his clan disappeared over the side of the hill, he turned his head back. "And... sorry." With that, ShadowClan turned and vanished into the darkening night.
"But this is terrible!" Whiteflame, the ThunderClan deputy, mewed, stepping to Ashstar's side, shaking his thick white fur. "Who do they think they are? They can't force us into giving them one of our kits!" A chorus of supportive yowls rang through the clearing.
"No, they can't," Ashstar agreed slowly, shaking her narrow gray head. "But Blackstar is right. If we don't do this, one of two things could happen: either ShadowClan could die out, or they will attack us again, which would be worse for both of our clans."
Swiftheart lifted her head. Though she was weak, her blue eyes gleamed with determination. "Ashstar is right," she mewed, her words heavy with defeat. "It is best for the clan." Ashstar dipped her head gratefully, then flicked her tail, a clear dismissive signal, and the cats vanished into their respective dens, while Lightstep, the medicine cat, a light brown tabby with white paws, ushered Swiftheart into her den, leaving Ashstar standing alone in the clearing, a faraway look in her blue eyes.
Swiftheart let out another whimper, as Lightstep placed her paw firmly on her large belly. Something rippled inside her, and the black-and-white she-cat let out a short wail, as pain washed over her. Lightstep pressed down on her belly a little, and Swiftheart pushed, gasping for breath.
Lightstep pricked her ears as she heard a small thump, as a bundle fell from Swiftheart's belly onto the moss. Quickly, she nipped it gently, then licked it fiercely, before placing it at Swiftheart's side. "You have a she-kit, so far."
"Is she okay?" Swiftheart craned her neck to see, but fell back, exhausted from the effort. Her eyes suddenly widened in panic. "Lightstep, I think-" She cut herself off with a yowl of pain, and she gritted her teeth together firmly as agony rippled through her. Lightstep busied herself licking the second kit, before placing it beside the first, then let out a short exclamation.
"Both she-kits are healthy." Her words sounded a little forced. She paused. "Only-"
A loud yowl from outside the nursery cut her off. "Is she done yet, Lightstep? It feels like I've been waiting out here for moons!" Lightstep purred in amusement, but she ignored the question, and gently pressed her shoulder against Swiftheart, helping her into a sitting position.
"-your kits are... well..." Lightstep trailed off, stepping back a little to let the young she-cat see for herself. Swiftheart's blue gaze landed on the two sleeping kits for a few long heartbeats, silently, and not a muscle within her moved. It was impossible to tell whether or not she was pleased. "Swiftheart?" Lightstep prompted.
Finally, the black-and-white she-cat looked up. Her eyes betrayed no emotion as she spoke. "They're identical." The two cats remained silent, holding each other's gazes steadily. Swiftheart nodded again. "They're beautiful." Joy was expressed within every word. Lightstep sighed in relief, then let out a long yowl, calling Swiftheart's mate into the nursery.
A golden brown tom entered, and his amber eyes lit up as he saw Swiftheart, who purred. His ears pricked. "Where are the kits?"
"See for yourself, Lionstorm." Swiftheart lifted her tail, revealing two identical she-cats, with matching snow-white fur and plumy tails. "They're beautiful, aren't they? Identical she-cats." Her soft blue gaze rested on her kits again, and she wrapped her tail protectively around them.
"Identical she-cats," Lionstorm echoed, his amber eyes gleaming. Then, he froze. "What about Blackstar? You know we have to make good on our promise."
Swiftheart swallowed, then sighed. "I suppose we do." Her tone prevented further questions from Lionstorm, and she turned away. "Come; let's name the kits." She purred. "Our kits." She lowered her head, lying down in the soft moss of her nest once more. She pointed her tail at one of the kits. "How will we tell which is which?"
"Don't worry," Lionstorm assured her, wrapping his golden tail around her shoulders. "This one is Snowkit."
"Then this one is Frostkit," Swiftheart replied, turning to the other of the two kits. There was a long pause, and silence filled the air, after Lightfoot dropped a few leaves at Swiftheart's paws. Swiftheart let out a purr. "Snowkit and Frostkit. The identical kits."
So there's the prologue! Hope you enjoyed it!
Read and review, please!