Chapter 1: Captured

Leaves crackled under Skykit's paws as she stalked the scrawny robin. She prayed to StarClan that she didn't alert the tiny piece of prey. Then the robin stopped dead in its tracks, and flew. Skykit leaped up, her claw a kitten-step away from red-and-black bird's wing.

It was useless. The brown tabby she-cat's only hope of prey had been so close to keeping her Clan from starving, yet so far away. Skykit heard a monster rumbling on near by and hid in a patch of leaves, just hoping the Twoleg didn't see her. A huge, white monster screeched as it halted, the Twoleg inside its huge hollow head.

Suddenly a flap in its cheek opened and the Twoleg stepped out with a long, hard stick, a hard reed tied in a circle at the end of it, in his hand.

Skykit backed away and attempted to retreat to his Clan, but as soon as the leaves crumbled, the twigs cracked, her tabby fur showed, the Twoleg lunged towards her and she ran for her life.

The Twoleg gave chase, yowling something as loud as thunder. Skykit didn't look back.

She ran and ran, but the Twoleg gained on the tiny kit. Suddenly something really hard but thin tightened around Skykit's neck, almost suffocating her.

She was jerked back painfully, back and back, and then taken out of the painful grip of what had seemed like a thin snake.

The Twoleg held her in his giant paw by her scruff, and suddenly pushed Skykit toward the back of a little nest. The flap at the front slammed shut, and Skykit saw tiny slits in it.

She backed up against the wall, then lunged forward as hard as she could. She hit the flap.

Nothing happened. It didn't even vibrate. Then she heard a sound as loud as thunder and the small nest began to shake like an earthquake she rolled and tumbled, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't get to her paws.

Suddenly it smoothed out. It was sort of – soothing. But she heard yowling. Her mother's yowling.

"No! No!" She hissed, using all of her breath. She desperately tried to get through the slits, but it was no use. She peaked out of the hole. She saw a flash of dark brown fur and piercing amber eyes.

"Mother!" She yowled, but suddenly she was gone. Then the nest bumped and she hit the back with a loud thud. Everything turned black.

Thud. Skykit woke up with a jolt. "Mother? Father?" She shivered. Where was the warmth of her older sister? Why was there no warm, soothing, milk scent? She could only smell the Thunderpath. A really strong scent of the Thunderpath. Her eyes soon adjusted to the gloom, and they shot open wide as she remembered where she was.

"Help! Help!" She yowled, clawing at the slits in the front of the little nest.

"Shut up!" Came a furious hiss. She jumped back. "Who are you? Where are you?" She squeaked, frightened.

The cat growled. "Shut up, would you, you stupid furball!" Suddenly the tiny kit remembered the deep voice of the ShadowClan elder. "Russetfang? Is that you?" The cat snorted. "Are you Skykit?"

"Yes," Skykit replied, stifling a squeak of joy. "Then yes, it is me." Skykit only just stopped herself from jumping up and down with joy.

"Skykit? Skykit, is that you? The ThunderClan kit?" Came a soft but curious voice. "Sorrelpelt! There you are!"

"I know, I know, families reuniting up there, but would you be quiet?" Hissed a furious, unfamiliar voice. Skykit ignored him, and soon remembered two of her friends who had gone missing from WindClan. "Breezeheart? Fallowclaw? Are you there?"

There was no reply. Then a quiet mumbling rung around the little dens, and a reply came up, quiet but familiar. "Skykit? You're there?"

"Breezeheart!"

"Whatever you want up there, I'm here." Came a very soft, yet grumpy and deep reply. "Fallowclaw! I can't believe it!"

"Skykit? Sorrelpelt? Guys?"

"Lightningheart!" Skykit squeaked excitedly. "I know, I know, lots of reunited friends and family, but could you please be quiet?" There was no reply. Everyone was quiet.

Skykit sighed and half-worriedly curled up to just have dreams about her half-sister's father, who was killed by a monster.