A/N: Hi guys! This is my first story that I've posted on here (it's probably obvious if you look because I don't have any other stories uploaded) so I really hope y'all enjoy it! Any comments, suggestions, criticism, etc. is much appreciated and welcomed.
Prologue
The night was quiet, save for the occasional buzzing insect and the rustle of leaves. It was the perfect night for the black cat to do what was needed. The quietness would allow her to hear anything and everything that could sneak up on her or catch the she-cat in the act. For this to happen, though, she had to be silent as well, dead silent. The stars in Silverpelt twinkled overhead, and for a second she felt guilty for committing such a crime under the Clan cats' ancestors, but she shook off the feeling. They were not her ancestors, nor did she need to please them. Nor did she even believe in them: her parents were dead, and her siblings too, and surely if StarClan truly existed, her family would still be here. Surely, they wouldn't have allowed them to die. But now was not a time for reflections; it was a time to complete the work she needed to in order to survive. Finally, the she-cat neared the RiverClan border. The cat was this much closer to her final destination. She could hear the rush of water and the fish, enjoying their temporary break from the RiverClan cats' fishing, save for one cat that was still out of camp. Then realization struck her like a slap to the face. A cat, a cat who could foil her plan. Her bundle that she carried in her mouth bumped against her chest and she nearly snarled in irritation. The she-cat managed to bite it back, though, remembering that there was a cat here who could catch her, ruin her plan. She turned to run but her tail struck a leaf, and he turned. Her amber eyes flashed with anger at herself and she snapped them shut, trying to think of a plan before anything distasteful happened.
"Stop!" The silver tabby shouted, unsheathing his claws. "This is Clan territory. You are not welcome here."
The tom's startling green eyes gleamed and she froze, unable to go on. The black cat sized him up. Strong legs, lithe body, all signs that he was a good runner, especially for what she knew about RiverClan. He could chase her, she knew. The black she-cat would have to fight her way out of this.
"Are those… kits!?" He demanded, running up to the black cat. She growled and the tiny kits she held in her jaw squirmed. Well, only one of them did. The other one was limp and cold, as though it were dead – tragic, but a part of her business. "WindClan kits! You stole WindClan kits!" The silver tabby cried out, jumping for her and snarling. His claws gleamed in the moonlight as he aimed for the black cat's body. But the she-cat was quicker. In a flash, she had torn out the tom's throat and left him, dying, on the ground.
"Remember my name, Clan cat," She purred triumphantly as his eyes glazed over. The blood from his defeated body trickled down into the river and was washed away with the current, although the stain of blood still showed in the water. The small black kit squirmed again in her jaws, and she decided to leave the dead kit at the clan cat's side. It would do her no good anyways; Redheart would not be fond of a dead kitten. Straightening back up, she looked the now-dead cat in the eye. "Thistle."
She grinned menacingly, then ran past him and into the river. The blood was still in the water and it sloshed over her, causing her to pin her ears in disgust. Thistle hated water, but at least RiverClan would never find her scent. The river would have washed it away by morning, and she would be long gone by then. At least, until the next moon.
Chapter One
Hawkkit blinked her eyes open to a bright beam of light that could possibly have cost the young tabby her vision if she hadn't snapped them shut as quickly as she had opened them. She stumbled back onto Badgerkit and Cinderkit, waking them up as well in her effort to get away from the sun.
"Hey!" Badgerkit exclaimed indignantly, jumping up. "Watch where you're stepping!" He settled back onto the ground and scowled at her, taking a few seconds to lick the single white paw that contrasted greatly against his black fur before glaring at Hawkkit once more.
"You're as foul-tempered as a fox," Hawkkit complained, looking around for something to do. Sagefoot wasn't in the nursery, so it would be easy to find something – anything - that was even slightly entertaining.
"Cinderkit, wake up!" Hawkkit said suddenly, prodding the silver tabby she-cat rather violently. Cinderkit blinked her sleepy amber eyes open and hauled herself to her feet. "We're going to play cat and fish! Let's go, out to the river."
"We can't go down there," Badgerkit objected. Kits were only allowed to go to the river if they were being supervised. Hawkkit had only been there once before, one moon ago, with Cinderkit. Badgerkit had been too scared to go, afraid to be sucked into the rapid, violent current that could easily carry a kitten off to its doom. It seemed to be an awful death for one to think about, but Cinderkit had pointed out before that if a RiverClan cat was to die, that would be the way he should: in the water, where he belonged. Hawkkit, therefore, reasoned that there ought to be no problem whatsoever with going down to the river, regardless of their age.
"Sure we can, we're two moons old now! We're strong enough to resist the pull of the river, and we won't go in the areas with a strong current anyways." Hawkkit padded out through a hole in the back of the nursery and heard Cinderkit following her. Turning to double-check, she saw Badgerkit rolling his eyes and deciding to fall back asleep. "Finally," she purred in a mixture of relief and irritation, trotting over the warm, smooth stones worn soft by the river. She couldn't imagine having to live in ThunderClan, with all the hard, sharp rocks. It would be so uncomfortable to trod across them while stalking prey at the same time.
Hawkkit stopped at the river and let it rush over her paws for a moment before turning to Cinderkit. "Come on, it's not as strong here!" She exclaimed, wading into the water and shuddering as it suddenly hit her side. The tabby she-cat padded further into the river and squealed, feeling the ground disappear underneath her paws, and flailed about until she figured out how to keep herself afloat. Cinderkit was in the water immediately afterward, and the two swam around for a moment as they let themselves adjust to the temperature and the current of the water.
"Let's play cat and fish now!" Cinderkit suggested, now easily gliding around like she had been swimming her entire life. Hawkkit looked over at her in jealousy as she continued to struggle with the tide of the water.
"Okay, but I'm the cat," Hawkkit told her, seconds before a wave of water splashed over her mouth and nearly choked her. Kicking forward powerfully with her hind legs, she swam towards Cinderkit's silver tabby pelt that was already three fox-lengths ahead of her. Hawkkit's head briefly disappeared below the surface, and she panicked: water rushed over her, around her, under her, everywhere. How was the supposed to get out? She was going to drown and no one would ever know what had happened to her. Another burst of water shoved her to the side and she cried out, choking on the water that rushed into her mouth. Hawkkit cried out again for Cinderkit to help but didn't manage to get a full word out. She struck out desperately forward and soon found that she was swimming upward – towards air. Taking a deep breath of air, the brown tabby managed to locate Cinderkit and tag her.
"Caught you!" She panted, latching onto Cinderkit's tail. Cinderkit didn't move, however, and instead stared straight up. Hawkkit felt a brief resentment towards her sister. How dare she stop as though Hawkkit was too slow to swim at her pace? She could've caught her eventually! But as soon as she looked up to see where Cinderkit was staring, Hawkkit froze too. Three rogues stared down at them, eyes squinted and teeth bared in a crooked grin.
"Jackpot," hissed a cruel-looking brown tom, and Hawkkit managed to force her paws to move a split second before he crashed down on her previous location. She paddled desperately through the water, paws churning at amazing speeds compared to her earlier battle with the current, though it wasn't nearly enough. Having only managed to flee for a couple mouselengths, the brown tabby rogue quickly snagged her tail with his claw, dragging her back to where he could pick up the scruff of her neck. Hawkkit unsheathed her tiny claws and wildly fought the tom, but he acted as though he didn't even feel it as he began to carry her away.
"Cinderkit!" Hawkkit cried out, looking around desperately for her pale gray sister, finding her hanging from another rogue's mouth. The silver tabby she-kit barely moved as she met eyes with Hawkkit, too stunned and afraid to do any more. Going limp in defeat, the brown tabby kit realized that her sister was right even though she hadn't spoken a word: there was no way they would win this fight.
The three rogues galloped across the clan territories for what seemed like forever, ignoring Hawkkit's weak physical protests that she attempted to pass off as accidents. It wasn't hard; the way her small body would beat against the rogue's with every leap he took was a perfect excuse for pricking his throat with her claws. Still, he ignored any discomfort he felt and the young kit didn't even get the satisfaction of seeing blood on his fur. After one particularly obvious and aggressive attempt at freeing herself, the brown tom bit down harder than normal and she yelped, sheathing her claws and hanging as motionless as Cinderkit was. There was an undying terror in her chest that kept her heart pounding and her own self awake and fighting – Cinderkit could very well be dead by now. Never before had she paid much attention to her sister's ability to stay quiet and motionless, but now she wished she had. After a moment's pondering, Hawkkit decided that it was as likely as not for Cinderkit to be dead and sent a quick prayer to StarClan for them to protect her silver-colored littermate. Whatever was waiting for her, she'd rather not face it alone.
A familiar scent hit Hawkkit's nose, and she recoiled as she recognized it as ThunderClan territory. There was no point in asking what they were doing here, though. The rogue trio didn't seem keen on talking, just running endlessly for StarClan knows how long. In fact, it was a bit of a shock when they finally stopped at a small entrance covered in thorns and foul-smelling plants. That shock was nothing, though, compared to the heart attack Hawkkit had when a cat jumped out.
"Help!" She yelped desperately, squirming wildly, but the cold glint that reflected in the cat's eyes sent a thousand shivers running through her tiny body. This cat was on the rogues' side.
"Hush," the cat hissed, stepping into the light. It illuminated her body like fire as her red tabby pelt shone brightly, and it was all Hawkkit could do to not look away. Squinting her green eyes and peering around the side of the cat, she noticed another cat standing there, though the only features she could see of him were his piercing amber eyes that seemed to have little emotion in them whatsoever. Hawkkit decided that it was best to not ask for help from him either.
Without warning, the rogues dropped the two young kits on the ground and Hawkkit couldn't help but grunt at the impact. To her relief, Cinderkit was still alive and they managed to lock eyes for a moment before forcing themselves to look away and back at the red tabby.
"Here," the black rogue growled, and Hawkkit flinched at her voice. It was rough and gravelly but still strong, like she was always growling, even when she talked. "Just as promised."
"There's so few of them," replied the other cat. "I was expecting more."
"We did what we could, Redheart," snapped the black rogue. "If you'd like, we can take them back with ThunderClan scent all over them. They'd find out, trust me."
The cat referred to as Redheart snarled and narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me, Thistle? You can't survive without me. And I can just as easily kill you right now." Her claws slid out into the dirt and pulled up the soil, leaving horrifyingly deep marks in it.
"I'm not looking for a fight," the rogue growled. "I brought you the kittens and I expect my payment. What else do you want me to do if there aren't as many as you expected?"
Redheart sheathed her claws slowly, making sure to run them through the ground once more to emphasize her anger. "Hand them over. Stonepelt, give them their prey." The amber-eyed cat stepped forward and shoved a pile of fresh-kill toward the rogues. Watching the exchange carefully, Redheart snarled again. "Don't expect to get anything next time if you don't bring me enough."
Thistle snatched the prey up and motioned for her followers to give the kits to the red cat. "We haven't brought you any less the other moons. Why now?"
Redheart's expression darkened and she turned away, picking up Hawkkit and Cinderkit by their scruff. "Because," she replied, voice muffled by the kits' fur, "this is going to hit the climax soon. I need everything I can get."
"You're too paranoid, Redheart," Thistle told her, though her voice was far from comforting or friendly. "If we take too many kits, they'll realize something is up. We'll meet you in another moon to give you the next set, from ShadowClan."
Redheart just grunted and walked forward, shouldering past the brambles that blocked an entrance to a nearby pit filled with mud and dung. She dropped both of the kits into it and worked quickly to cover them, attempting to purge them of their RiverClan scent; that done, she gestured to Stonepelt with her tail and picked up Hawkkit, waiting for him to pick up Cinderkit before making her way down to the lake and dipping the dark tabby in the chilled water. Hawkkit's eyes snapped open at its touch and she blinked, staying motionless as she worked to comprehend what was going on. As Redheart turned around and exited the lake, Hawkkit caught sight of her sister hanging limply from the amber-eyed tom's jaw, a small trickle of blood dripping down her shoulder. Redheart noticed the blood as well.
"Clean that off," she mumbled to Stonepelt, flicking her tail at Cinderkit's wound before carrying Hawkkit into the ThunderClan camp. Once inside, she dropped the sodden kit on the ground and let out a desperate-sounding yowl: "Sunclaw! Come quickly!"
The golden tabby queen poked her head out of the nursery and looked at Redheart softly, concern in her amber eyes. "Lionkit, Goldenkit, stay here," she murmured gently, passing her tongue quickly over the head of the smaller of her two kits before bounding over to meet the she-cat.
"Oh, no…" She whispered, lowering her head to check Hawkkit's breathing. "Another kit?"
"I'm afraid so, Sunclaw," Redheart admitted, turning to Stonepelt as he carried Hawkkit's sister into the hollow.
"Two of them!" The queen exclaimed, running over to Cinderkit and licking her roughly to dry her off.
"I just – I wish we knew where they were coming from, why they kept showing up on the ThunderClan border. It's so strange…" The deputy murmured deceptively, watching Cinderkit and Hawkkit with slanted eyes that clearly communicated the danger in store for them if they dared speak a word about what had really happened. Cinderkit was still unconscious, but Hawkkit saw Redheart's warning. She shivered and closed her eyes, slightly jealous of her sister's albeit involuntary oblivion.
"Don't worry, Redheart," Sunclaw told her gently, stretching out around the two kits. "I'll take care of them. I suppose it doesn't matter where they're from, just that they're cared for and loved. It wouldn't hurt ThunderClan to have more warriors, anyway."
"I'll make sure to let you know if we find out anything about the origin of these kits, Sunclaw. Thank you for taking care of them." Redheart smiled at the queen and turned away, heading out to hunt. Stonepelt dipped his head to the queen respectfully before following Redheart into the forest.
"It's alright, young ones," Sunclaw murmured, picking both of them up by their scruff. "You're safe now." She carried them gently into the nursery and set them down by her own kits, which instantly bounded over to see them.
"More kits?" The smaller kit whispered, a she-cat with bright amber eyes.
"Yes, Goldenkit," her mother admitted, wrapping her tail around the kit. "You're not afraid I'm going to forget about you, are you?"
"A little," Goldenkit mumbled. She pressed against her mother's side and purred softly, closing her amber eyes and beginning to fall asleep.
"Well, I promise I won't ever forget about you, no matter what happens. You'll always be my little Goldenkit. I have my duties to the Clan, but you and Lionkit will always come first. Okay?"
Goldenkit nodded, eyes still closed, and collapsed completely onto the floor in a deep sleep. Lionkit yawned and Sunclaw smiled, taking care not to disturb her daughter's slumber as she moved over to the green-eyed tom. "You're tired too, Lionkit."
"No, I'm not!" He exclaimed indignantly. "A warrior never sleeps. Besides, I have to stay up and protect the new kits!"
Sunclaw laughed softly. "You're a brave little kit, and you'll make a wonderful warrior. But even a warrior needs his sleep. Don't worry – Petalfur and I will make sure that the kits are okay. And if we need any help, I'll wake you up."
Lionkit yawned again and blinked, nodding in agreement as he stumbled over to his sister. Petalfur noticed the exchange and looked up from her two kits, motioning for Sunclaw to come closer with her tail.
"Sunclaw, let me take care of these new kits," the white queen offered.
"No, Petalfur, don't worry about me," Sunclaw replied. "You have much more work on your paws."
Petalfur smiled sadly. "You don't have long before Lionkit and Goldenkit become apprentices. Spend all the time you can with them."
Sunclaw lowered her eyes and sighed; her friend was right.
"You can take on the rest of their care after they're apprenticed, if you'd like," Petalfur continued. "Don't worry. They won't be a burden."
"Okay," Sunclaw agreed. "Thank you. Goodnight, Petalfur."
"Goodnight."
Sunclaw made her way back to her nest and curled up, amber eyes keeping watch on the newest additions to the nursery. "Goodnight, little ones," she purred softly. "Sweet dreams."
Allegiances
ThunderClan
Leader –
Lightningstar – brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Deputy –
Redheart – red tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Medicine cat –
Heatherleaf – pale tabby she-cat with green eyes
Warriors –
Cherrytail – red tabby she-cat with a white belly, paws, and muzzle, green eyes
Stonepelt – gray tabby tom with amber eyes
Bluefeather – light blue she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Duskpaw)
Whitewing – white she-cat with one blue eye and one amber eye (Apprentice: Oakpaw)
Jayfur – black tom with amber eyes (Apprentice: Flamepaw)
Honeyclaw – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice: Dawnpaw)
Fawnstripe – long-furred light red tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Wasptooth – sorrel tabby tom with yellow eyes (Apprentice: Fernpaw)
Dovewhisker – light gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Berrypaw)
Rabbitstep – brown tabby tom with amber eyes and half a tail
Adderfoot – black tom with green eyes (Apprentice: Hollypaw)
Foxwhisker – dark red tom with amber eyes
Bramblescar – black tom with white chest and muzzle, amber eyes
Russetface – tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Ashleap – light gray tom with green eyes
Spidernose – dark red she-cat with amber eyes
Dusthawk – dark brown tom with amber eyes
Acornpad – light brown she-cat with amber eyes
Kestrelfang – dark gray she-cat with amber eyes
Mintpool – white she-cat with green eyes
Starlingfrost – small brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Sedgetooth – small black tom with amber eyes
Raggedstep – dark red tabby tom with blue eyes
Apprentices –
Duskpaw – smoky black tom with amber eyes
Dawnpaw – light gray she-cat with amber eyes
Oakpaw – dark brown tabby tom with single white paw and green eyes
Skypaw – White tom with blue eyes
Flamepaw – Red tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Fernpaw – Light brown tom with yellow eyes
Berrypaw – Light brown she-cat with lighter underbelly and blue eyes
Hollypaw – Light gray she-cat with white paws and chin, green eyes
Queens –
Sunclaw – golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Kits: Lionkit and Goldenkit)
Petalfur – white she-cat with amber eyes (Kits: Whitekit and Silverkit)
Kits –
Lionkit – golden tabby tom with green eyes
Goldenkit – long-furred golden she-cat with amber eyes
Whitekit – white tom with amber eyes
Silverkit – silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Elders –
Owlflight – gray tom with amber eyes
Bramblepelt – light brown tom with green eyes
RiverClan
Leader –
Rapidstar – gray tabby tom with blue eyes
Deputy –
Rippletail – white tom with green eyes
Medicine cat –
Spottedpelt – calico she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Reedpaw)
Warriors –
Splashpelt – long-furred blue tabby tom with white paw and chest, amber eyes
Lilywhisker – black she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Volepaw)
Redstripe – long-furred orange tabby tom with white spot on chin and green eyes
Mosspool – long-furred dark gray tom with green eyes (Apprentice: Graypaw)
Wildflower – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
Mistyheart – silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes and white paws
Bumbleflight – light tabby she-cat with green eyes
Mothlight – brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Barkfrost – brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Crowtail – black tom with white tail-tip and amber eyes
Pebblefoot – gray she-cat with amber eyes
Sootfire – dark gray tom with amber eyes
Brindlestorm – tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentices –
Volepaw – blue tabby she-cat with green eyes
Reedpaw – long-furred cream tabby tom with blue eyes
Graypaw – gray tabby tom with green eyes
Queens –
Sagefoot – brown tabby with white belly and amber eyes (Kits – Hawkkit, Cinderkit, and Badgerkit)
Kits –
Hawkkit – Brown tabby she-cat with white belly and green eyes
Cinderkit – Silver tabby she-cat with white belly and amber eyes
Badgerkit – Black tom with single white paw and amber eyes
Elders –
Bluefoot – Blue tom with amber eyes
Silverleap – White tom with green eyes and missing ear
Sandpelt – Long-furred ginger she-cat with green eyes