All was quiet. Not even the sound of kits playing or warriors snoring.
Howling Moon stretched her muzzle to the sky. There was a dark orange moon hanging and the surrounding was pitch black. Stars were sparkling along the black void, and Howling Moon hoped her ancestors could see her. She was sitting outside a large cave that was her home. She lived in BlizzardClan, the Clan of mountains, and the small trickle of a waterfall reached her ears.
A padding sound alerted her, and a dark shadow slid through the entrance of the cave.
"Hello, Dark Shadow," Howling Moon meowed calmly. Her sister, Dark Shadow, settled down in a laying position, her long, black tail around her back paws. The white splash on her forehead shone in the night, reflecting the glow of the moon. "Shouldn't you be back with the kits?"
Dark Shadow, a queen in the kit-cave, had two kits, Jagged Edge, and Silent Whisper. She sighed. "They are sound asleep, and if they wake up, Burning Tree with tend to them. She knows I like to take midnight walks." Dark Shadow closed her eyes. "They are a pawful."
Howling Moon silently agreed. Jagged Edge was full of mischief, and Silent Whisper was as quiet as snow. "When will they become apprentices?" She hoped it was soon. The faster those kits get a mentor, the better.
"Not for a while yet. They are only three full-moons old." Dark Shadow opened her eyes again. They were a light blue. "Besides. I'm not ready to give them away just yet."
Howling Moon crinkled her nose, thinking of life inside the nursery. Sure, it was comfy, with apprentices changing the moss and bringing the fresh-kill, but with the kits mewling all night? And what about the urge to run and fight and hunt? Howling Moon shook her head. She would never have kits. Instead, she focused her mind on being leader.