Hi, everyone! My name (as you all can tell), is TheLionBone, and this is my first story/first time joining the site. I absolutely love writing, so I decided to post some of it online for others to read and enjoy. It might take some time to post each separate chapter (mostly because of all the drafting, deleting, and editing), but I will be able to put each parts of the story up one by one. I wasn't able to update the first chapter because I'm settling into a new house. Through some painful moments, I was able to finally finish it, and now I'm working on the second chapter. Please review my story, and if there are any mistakes, I would be happy to know. Thanks for the review, ShiverIntheLight; it made my day. Now, onto the first chapter!
A white, milky light shined over the peaks of the trees, slowly washing away the shadows that had crept through the night. The sky, previously marking dawn, washed away the orange-red color of the sunrise and brought over it a brilliant shade of blue. No—a too perfect shade of blue. Only a few clouds lingered above as they had kept silent watch throughout the night. The shadows, now scattering to the shaded places during the day, restored the grasses and trees to their usual green color. Standing in the middle of the grassy fields was a golden-brown she-cat. She sat on a gray rock pointed out from the hillside just staring into the distance as if something was bound to happen. When the sun came fully up over the horizon, the she-cat's amber eyes began to reflect its lustrous light. By seeing the sun rise, the she-cat felt warmth rise up in her chest and finally, after a long time, felt free.
"Lion!" a faraway voice called out. The she-cat turned her head around to see a brown tabby prancing toward her, his paws barely touching the ground as he ran. When the tabby noticed that her attention was caught, he added, "Dandelion has kitted!" The words struck Lion like claws in her heart. The queen had given birth to a new litter, one that actually came from the queen, unlike Lion. Though their pelts looked nearly the same, Dandelion had admitted herself that Lion had been her foster mother for the past six moons. Lion had begun to wonder where she actually came from; she even asked Dandelion what she knew about her past. But the only answer that Dandelion gave was: "Wherever your real mother is, she probably doesn't care for you." Though it hurt to hear it, Lion couldn't help but to think that it was true. If a mother really cared for her children, then why would she just throw them away?
"She's kitted already?" Lion wanted to sound interested. And to her efforts, it worked. "Three of them." the brown tabby replied, his strange, orange eyes shining in delight. Lion rose to her paws and arched her back into a long stretch. After loosening her muscles from sitting in one position for so long, Lion dug up a mouse she had buried earlier in the morning and picked it up by its tail. Giving the brown tabby a nod to proceed, the two of them walked side-by-side toward a lonely, red barn located at a flat point in the middle of the field.
The barn was very old, close to six-hundred moons, or as some other cats would say it, fifty years. The outside walls were painted with red, but through all of the storms and moons of standing, most of the paint had been rubbed off. Now, the barn looked more like the color white and brown than its original red. The roof was in great shape; the Twolegs matted the roof with square plates that they stuck together into layers. Though some of the plates got loose and was carried off by the wind, there were still no holes that could let a storm inside. The windows were shattered, and not all of the pieces could be located to rebuild it. However, when the Twolegs abandoned the barn, they placed long, thin, covers on the outside for protection. They remembered to close off all entryways, but forgot to close the barn door all the way. Luckily, the space was big enough for cats to get in and out of one at a time. Thus, after Lion and the tabby slipped through the narrow passage, they made way for a red ladder that was the only way to get each of the two floors. And on the top floor lay a pale golden queen and her three, new kits.
"Thank you both so much for helping me." Dandelion purred as she began to devour the mouse in famished bites. Lion only dipped her head respectfully while the brown tabby looked away, clearly embarrassed for being praised.
"Have you chosen names for the kits?" Lion asked, examining the three scraps by the queen's belly. Dandelion raised her head from her meal and gave a small shake of her head. "I was waiting for you and Coco to get back so we could all choose the names." she explained. The two cats stared at the queen in shocked silence.
"You should be the one to decide the names." Coco protested, eyes stretched wide. Lion gazed at her companion, giving him an agreeable nod. Dandelion smiled back at them. "I know that this will be my last litter, but there will be a time you both have to leave the barn. I thought it would be nice to have their names to remember you by." Lion gave the tabby a considering glance. He looked back at her, concerned.
"We'll do it." Lion nudged her friend, reminding him to support her. Orange eyes met challenging amber, and after a few moments, Coco reluctantly nodded his head. "Fine." came the tabby's grumpy response. "Wonderful." Dandelion purred, her eyes lighting up. Lion flicked her tail at Coco, summoning him to follow. They both padded closer to examine the kits, thoughtfully deciding which kit they should name.
A very pale golden she-cat squeaked in alarm when Dandelion pulled her away with a paw while she was suckling. The queen placed the kit down in front of the two, curious visitors. Slowly, the kit's eyes opened, revealing the color of amber. Lion took a step back in astonishment; she had not expected the tiny bundle to look exactly like her mother. "I was surprised too." Dandelion admitted, "And because me and her are alike, I've decided to give her a name. Lion, Coco, I'd like you to meet Sandy." The kit looked up at the two cats, and couldn't help but to give out a high-pitched sneeze.
"She's beautiful." Lion purred, bending down to touch noses with Sandy. Coco's whiskers were twitching as he watched the kit's eyes widen when Lion's nose got to close. With a terrified squeal, Sandy retreated to her mother, bounding in between Dandelion's paws for safety. Lion's head rose, looking disappointed by the rejection. Coco smiled and gave a chuckle of amusement. "Don't take it too personally, Lion; she's just not used to you yet." Lion rolled her eyes at him, looking the other way. "I know that already." she muttered, slightly embarrassed.
"Go ahead and choose a kit, Coco." Dandelion encouraged. Coco stepped forward, peering down at the last two kits. By the look in his eyes, Lion could tell that he wasn't just deciding which he would choose for himself, but he was thinking about which one Lion would like to pick. When his eyes softened on one of them, Lion knew that he had made up his mind.
"Her name will be Bark because of her brown-colored fur." Coco mewed, pointing to the other she-cat with his tail. Lion didn't expect her friend to choose the one that looked like him. Knowing Coco, he was a tom that found interest in things that didn't belong. He usually pitied others that didn't share specific qualities as most did. The trait that Lion liked most about the tom was that he made others feel good about themselves and take them in as his own family. Just like Lion.
"You get the choose the name for the exotic one." Dandelion interrupted Lion's thoughts. The golden she-cat shook the ruminations out of her head and pulled herself back into reality. She padded closer until she was above the white kit. Her eyes softened on the tiny, defenseless body as she considered a name that would suit the young tom. Lion started to list things that were white in her mind. Cloud, Bird, Snow, Sky, Mouse, Water, Light...No, none of those. The she-cat's eyes suddenly widened when she remembered a strange, white material that Twolegs used to scratch the Thunderpaths in Twolegplace. It was perfect; a bizarre-pelted tom with a bizarre name. To Lion, giving the tom this name would make him the special one of the litter. "His name," Lion breathed, "Will be Chalk."
"Chalk? You mean, Twoleg chalk?" Coco gasped. Lion froze when she saw the tabby's fear. She didn't foresee any negative feelings to come from hearing the name. In fact, Lion wanted them to like the name, for it was as exotic as the kit. "Is it really such a cruel name?" the golden she-cat demanded. Coco narrowed his orange eyes as he let out an angry breath. "We're cats Lion! We don't worship Twolegs, you beetle-brain!" Lion couldn't help but to flinch under her friend's rage. She had never seen this side of the brown tabby before, or have felt so much hatred spark off of his fur. Lion didn't know what his problem was, but she knew that it wasn't good.
"Coco, sheathe your claws." Dandelion spat out the orders. The queen's three kits let out terrified mews as they shuffled closer to their mother's body. Coco's claws slid back into their sockets, and the brown tabby let his tail lash down. "Fine." he snarled through gritted teeth. "Fine. If you wish to name him Chalk, so be it. But if he grows up to become miserable because of it, then I put all of the blame on you, Lion!" With that, Coco turned his back to them and stalked toward the ladder. Dandelion dug her claws into the moss beneath her as she yowled back at her son, "Come back here and apologize!" Lion rested her tail on the queen's shoulders to calm her down. "It's okay." she mewed reassuringly, "But what has his fur all ruffled up about Twolegs?"
"His older brother changed because of Twolegs, and it affected Coco badly." Dandelion sighed, comforting her kits with rhythmic strokes of her tongue. Lion sat down, her ears pricked up with interest. "I thought Coco was the only one in his litter." she tilted her head in confusion. Dandelion looked up, sadness bagging her eyes. "You are correct; he was the only one in my second litter as was his older brother in my first." Lion couldn't meet the depressed eyes of the queen. "Oh." was all she could say.
"Do not grieve for me, young one." Dandelion murmured, looking back down at her kits. "I still have three, new, beautiful children that I can call my own. However, their father will not be here to take care of them; only I will." Lion could remember the queen's restless nights of misery for the loss of her kit and mate. She never recalled a time that Dandelion was...well, happy.
"Is your son's name still going to be Chalk?" Lion asked, trying to change the subject. Dandelion's amber gaze swept to her white kit as the little tom began to crawl onto the queen's back. Her eyes softened on the delicate scrap, and she gave it a quick lick on its forehead. "I said before that I wanted you and Coco to name one kit. You said that his name should be Chalk, so then it will be." Lion smiled when she heard the queen's words. After hearing Coco's opinion on the name, it felt good to know that Dandelion approved of her choice. To thank her, Lion gave Dandelion a loving lick on the cheek. She then padded away from the queen's side and went swiftly toward the ladder, looking down to see if there were any signs of Coco. When there weren't, Lion's face drooped with disappointment.
"I'm going to go and find your son." Lion called back to Dandelion, and the pale golden she-cat acknowledged her with a flick of her tail. Taking that as a sign of dismissal, Lion made her way down the wooden steps of the ladder and out of the barn door into the humid air.
Lion caught a whiff of Coco's scent leading down the hill and toward the woodlands. She looked out into the distance and found the brown tabby lingering near a stream that ran through the field and into the forest. His head was hunkered down as he stared at his reflection through his orange eyes. The tabby's long, thin tail wrapped around his front paws and hung over the edge of the bank above the water. With ears against his head, Lion could tell that he was depressed of something that happened. Guiltily, she thought of Chalk and decided that she would apologize for the name. With her head hanging, Lion slowly padded down the hill. When she came to face him, Lion found Coco's back turned to her; he had not heard her approach.
"Hey." Lion called to him. Coco jumped, flinging his head around to see who had frightened him. When his eyes lay on Lion, his pupils thinned and he gasped. "Wh—What are you doing here?!" he demanded. Lion looked away from his wide, orange eyes. "I came to apologize for Chalk's name. I didn't realize that it would hurt you so much." she confessed. Coco looked to the left, then the right as if he were searching for something that would arrive any moment. Slowly, he leaned close to Lion's face, darkness shadowing his eyes as he spoke. "Listen closely, okay? I'm leaving the barn-" "What?!" Lion interrupted, her fur standing on end. "What do you mean, 'leaving the barn?!' Are we not good enough for you or something?"
"Would you please listen!" Coco hissed angrily, his ears flat against his head. "I was just getting to that!" Lion let out a huff of disapproval. Slowly, she dropped her hindquarters to the ground and wrapped her tail around her paws. Staring straight into Coco's eyes, she mewed back, "Continue."
"As I was saying," Coco growled, narrowing his eyes, "I'm leaving the barn to join a Clan that lives at the edge of these woods. If you're wondering how they're going to let me join, I have been speaking to the Clan leader's daughter at night and discussing about what to do. She spoke with her father, and though she got punished, I was allowed to join. They said to come within the next few days, so I've decided to leave today rather than wait."
"That's such a good plan," Lion mumbled, "But what about your family? Why are you leaving?" Coco began to bite his bottom lip while he twitched his whiskers in anxiety. "I—I've been having a hard time living here since my brother left to go live in the Clans. I was walking him out to the forest for his last night, and he told me, 'Coco, appreciate the life that you have because it is a good one. One day, you will look ahead of you and find a path that will lead to paradise. That path will be your destiny, wherever it may be, so be sure to follow your heart to find it.' And with that said...he left. Through the passing moons, I've realized that living in the barn has not proven that it is where my life should be. I now know that like my brother, I have to go into the forest to find my own destiny: my path to paradise. That is why I'm leaving."
"If I may ask, how did the Twolegs drive your brother into the forest?" Lion asked. Coco's eyes closed, seeming very nostalgic. Then, they slowly opened, revealing grief. "The Twolegs' kits used to come into the barn and pound sticks along the walls. Of course, that was before you came to be raised in the barn. But when the Twoleg kits were here, they became even more bold and decided to poke us with sticks. I was a kit back then, and Dandelion was outside looking for food when the incident happened. The kits started to go after me with their sticks, and my brother protected me by taking the painful jabs to his side. He got so enraged with the Twolegs that he started to attack them. We never saw the kits again after that, so we guessed that the fight was over. We were wrong."
"What happened?" Lion whispered, quivering from the dark tone of the story. Coco looked away. "A big Twoleg appeared while we weren't looking, and kicked my brother until he couldn't stand. I found him after the Twoleg had gone, and there was blood everywhere. It was as if the Twoleg was trying to kill him, and for what reason? After his wounds had healed, my brother wanted nothing to do with a soft life like living in a barn. As he put it, 'Laziness is a sign of weakness unless you know how to fight for yourself.' His wounds had left a scar on his shoulder, something that he would never forget in a heartbeat. A moon later, on his sixth moon, my brother set out to live with the Clan cats, and I never saw his face again. Now I plan to do the same."
"Is this really what you want?" Lion questioned, raising her eyes at him. Coco didn't look back at his friend. "Yes." he replied. The she-cat clenched her jaw, and took a hesitant step backwards to give the tabby more room. With a respectful bow of her head, she told him, "Then I will do nothing to stop you."
"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?" Coco's head whipped upwards in shock. He stared at his friend, wide-eyed. "You're not, going to stop me?" Lion gave a small nod of her head. "That is correct." Coco closed his mouth, looking uncertain and both confused. He raised a paw to touch Lion's paw, but she swatted it away. Being rejected by his own family, Coco stood to his paws and turned toward the forest. At the same time, the ferns rustled and a black she-cat jumped out to greet him.
"Hi!" the black she-cat exclaimed, her eyes shining. Coco immediately smiled at her, brushing his fur with hers. "I've missed you." he cooed in her ear. The she-cat batted at his ears playfully, then stopped when she noticed Lion standing behind the tabby. She drew back, and sat down. "Who is—she?"
"Her?" Coco glanced over his shoulder at Lion. The golden-brown she-cat was paralyzed when she saw the raging, narrowed eyes of her former best friend. His tail lashed as he answered darkly, "She's nobody important." Lion curled her lips back into a snarl.
"Get off my territory before I chase you out!" the golden she-cat threatened, fur bristling. The black she-cat's claws unsheathed, but Coco placed a paw on them before she could move. "Don't worry about her. Let's focus on getting back to your camp—no...our camp." Lion felt jealousy rise her chest as the two cats' tails intertwined with each other while they began to walk. The last Lion saw of Coco was a cold, orange glare fixed on her as his brown tabby fur vanished into the cold depths of the dark forest.
Later that night, Lion was in her bed while she watched the kits finish playing for the night. In the evening, each of them had opened their eyes and were excited to explore the top floor of the barn with their mother. Lion had taken her mind off of Coco's departure by watching them and their curious, wide eyes. What she found fascinating was that to the kits, looking at the top floor of the barn was like looking at the whole world around them.
"When I grow up, I'm going to be like my older sister!" Chalk exclaimed, his green eyes blazing in enthusiasm. With his tail straight up into the air, the white kit gave a little hop and a skip toward his littermates, swatting at them playfully. Dandelion rose her head from her paws, perplexed by what her kit had said. "What are you talking about, Chalk? You don't even have an older sister." Chalk looked up from his play-fight, tilting his head to the side. "I'm talking about Lion! She is my sister, right?" Dandelion let her head drop to hide her face. "I—I'm sorry for the confusion, Chalk. But Lion is not your older sister. The only family you have are your older b—brothers and littermates."
"Where are my brothers?" Chalk asked. Lion could see tears begin to fall from the queen's eyes. "They're not here. That's where." she meowed darkly. Dandelion suddenly stood up and began scooping up her kits with her paws. "Hey!" Sandy squealed as a paw pushed her off balance and sent her falling to the ground. Dandelion raised her tail at them, causing the three kits to sit upright in front of her. "It's time for bed, and that's final. If I hear one more peep escape from any of you, then tomorrow there will be no more exploring and no more playing, understand?" Sandy, Bark, and Chalk lowered their heads in shame. "Yes ma'am." they all murmured sadly, disappointed to loose such valuable time to themselves. "That's what I thought, now follow me." Dandelion instructed, flicking her tail in their direction.
Why does Coco want to leave a life like this behind? Lion thought silently while she watched the three kits cuddle in with their mother. She didn't understand while living with his family was such a burden on his shoulders. Sure his older brother got beaten up by a Twoleg, but there have been no signs of the Twolegs since the incident. Maybe there might be a path waiting for Coco in the forest, but did his life always reflect upon his older brother? More importantly, what happened to his older brother?
"Lion?" Dandelion's voice whispered from across the barn. Lion looked up to see the pale golden queen staring at her with troubled eyes. "D—Did Coco say anything before he left?" Lion could remember Coco's explanation on why he had to leave the barn, something about finding his own destiny like his brother had said. He also explained the Twoleg story that drove his brother into first going to live with the wild cats in the woodlands. And out of all that, he had done nothing about farewells but only say 'goodbye' once. Lion could already feel Dandelion's sorrow with every memory of her second son, and his decision to run away. It would be better not to tell her the truth, or at the least the whole truth. "Yes," Lion answered, "And whatever drove him to go was not because of you."
Hurt pounded in Lion's chest as she heard the soft weeping of the broken mother, one that had lost her first two sons when they were at the age of six moons. Dandelion's cries echoed along the lonely walls of the barn, and slithered into Lion's head. The dreadful sound repeated in Lion's ears, causing them to twitch with irritation. She eventually laid her head down on her paws again and forced herself to close her eyes. At last, the queen's tears of pain brought Lion to sleep for the night.
When Lion's eyes opened, she found herself unable to move. Though she struggled to get to her paws, her muscles were weak and wouldn't cooperate. Out of the mistiness in the air, a silver cat padded forward, gleaming hazel eyes reflecting in the fog. He stopped, placing a long pair of claws again Lion's shoulder and sending a beam of energy through her body. With a jolt, Lion rose her head, feeling a kink tighten in her neck. While she winced in pain, the silvery cat gave an annoyed sniff.
"What's a barn cat like you doing in a place like this?" the stranger growled, unsheathing his claws. Lion stretched out her neck, feeling an assuaging pop to where the kink was. Glaring at the silver cat, she snarled back, "Why are you helping such a defenseless barn cat like me?"
"I will be asking the questions." the tom insisted, baring his teeth. Lion flinched when she saw the perfectly, pointed fangs curved out from his gums. They seemed to shiny, yet so deadly. In the mysterious light, it looked as if his teeth were a glittering shade of mist rather than the usual yellow-white color of a feline. Lion felt as if she could trust the tom if she had to, but somehow felt in danger being around him. In conclusion, she didn't know what to think of him.
"Do you like my deadly bite?" the silver cat sneered, his tail swinging side to side. Lion tried to smile, but it came out as a nervous scowl. "They're...uh...nice." she managed to reply. The tom's nose and whiskers began to twitch. "My ancestors named me after my teeth because that's what keeps me alive. I bet you're wondering what my name is." Lion gave an unhurried dip of her head. "Mistfang is my warrior name, and the name that I died with." the tom explained, flicking his tail in dismissal. The silver cat started to walk away.
"Wait!" Lion called out. Mistfang looked over his shoulder at her. "What do you want?" he demanded coldly. Lion paused, not expecting to get his attention. "D—Do you perhaps know of the Clans that live in the forest?" There was a long wait of silence. Then, Mistfang spat, "Yes, and that isn't anything to be proud about!" Without warning, a bright light blinded Lion, pulling her away from the silvery cat. She began to thrash, trying to fight her way back into the misty grounds where she had met the stranger. "Wait! I'm not done talking to you yet!" her wail drifted off into nothingness.
Lion awoke from her dream with a start. When she looked up, she was in the grassy fields around the barn with her eyes turned toward the forest. The she-cat sighed, hanging her head down in failure; it was her one chance to find out more about these wild cats, and now the opportunity was ruined. But something reminded her that even if she was able to stay in the misty grounds a bit longer, Mistfang wouldn't have given her the information that she wanted. His stubborn attitude proved that.
A glimpse of dark gray was caught in the corner of Lion's eyes. She stared outward toward the forest and found a large, dark gray tabby tom standing at the edge of the woodlands. He was looking back at her with hazel eyes that were similar to those of Mistfang's. His pupils were eyeing her with a challenging, cold look as if to say, "What are you going to do about me?" Lion could see even from at the top of the hill that the tabby was very muscular; his muscles rippled underneath his short-haired pelt whenever he moved. Lion knew that by the tabby's powerful body that he could beat her in one swipe of his paw, but Dandelion's words echoed in her head when she mewed, "One shouldn't judge another by their looks." Though the chances were against her, Lion got to her paws and made her way down the hillside toward the tabby. She became excited when she thought of the possibilities of the large tom being a wild cat from the Clans. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, like the upsides to living with in a large group. Lion wanted to learn everything about the Clans because part of her family had left to experience it. Maybe...Lion hoped to experience it too.
"Not a lot of cats are willing to greet someone from the outside." the tabby commented, sweeping his thin tail across the ground. Lion stopped in front of the stranger, respectively bowing her head. She could feel the tabby's hazel eyes lay right on her, and knowing that sent a shiver running down her spine. "I—I wanted to ask you several questions." she told him, raising her head to meet his gaze. The muscular tom raised an eye. "I might be able to answer them." he replied, his whiskers twitching in amusement. Lion's ears turned hot with embarrassment as she tried to stand up tall in front of him. If he was going to look proud, then so would she.
"Do you belong to the Clans that live in the forest?" Lion asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. The tabby gave a dip of his head. "Yes, and I am also one of the four leaders." he added, his eyes smiling at the she-cat's astonishment. "T—Then you've experienced everything about Clan life?" Lion stammered, her eyes widening. The tom paused, pondering the thought. "I guess you could say that. I was born in the Clan as a kit and trained as an apprentice. I was given the name of a warrior and given a chance to be a mentor. Then, I was given the position as deputy. Soon after, I took upon the responsibility of a leader. That does involve a lot of Clan traditions."
"Tell me about the traditions! I want to know it all!" Lion exclaimed, her tail sticking straight up into the air. The tomcat purred, his cheeks rising into a smile. "I've never had an outsider that is so interested in our way of life. But before we start, I would like to tell you that my name is Lunarstar, leader of ShadowClan." Lion gave an excited hop. "What are the names of all of the Clans? Are there positions rather than warriors? Do outsiders usually come into the Clan? Do the Clans live separately or together?" Questions began to pour out of the she-cat's mouth. "Listen closely, and I will tell you everything from the beginning." Lunarstar mewed, motioning her down with a lowering paw.
"The history of the Clans first began when a large group of cats fought each other constantly with no law to keep them in place. Their ancestors could see nothing but trouble in the future, so they forced them to unite or perish. Thus, the four Clans of the forest began as ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan..." the tabby continued on with his speech until sunset arrived. By that time, Lion had learned all of the Clan's special traditions, ceremonies, and gatherings. She knew what it meant to train to become a full warrior of a Clan and help to strengthen her clanmates. The responsibilities weren't hard to learn at all: follow the warrior code. Through the little time that the two cats had together, Lion had the knowledge of a kit at the age of an apprentice.
"You catch on quickly, and I was glad to share with you what I know." Lunarstar gave Lion a quick lick on her ear. Lion smiled back at him, pleased on what she had learned. The dark gray tabby pushed himself onto his paws and stared out into the forest. His ear flicked before he looked back at the golden-brown she-cat. "It makes me happy to see you content, but are you comfortable with the life you're living now?"
"What do you mean?" Lion was perplexed. "Do you like being a barn cat?" Lunarstar rephrased. Lion tried hard to read what he was feeling through his eyes, but she found no clear expression within the hazel color. Though she didn't know how the tabby felt, she knew how she was doing. Being a barn cat was fun, especially being raised with Coco throughout the moons. But ever since Coco decided to leave, life was looking gray. Lion never found any fun in just sitting around, daydreaming, and hunting for her family. Watching kits was fascinating, but it was never exciting like before. To Lion, the life she was living now was...lonely. Thinking about disliking the life made Lion guilty; what would Dandelion think if she saw her adopted daughter now?
"I have been watching you as I pass by your fields. Your mother just had kits and needs help to take care of them. You're the only one around to get her what she wants." Lunarstar mewed, a touch of sadness in his voice. His eyes were worried as he looked back at the she-cat. "You're afraid of leaving because it would break her heart again. Not only that, but she would be left alone to fend for herself." Lion clenched her teeth, not wanting to talk about it. When Lunarstar saw her stress, he wrapped his tail around her as comfort. He pressed close to her side and soothed her with soft murmurs. Lion closed her eyes, tears beginning to stream out of them. "Sh—She's not my mother." she whispered to him. Lunarstar's ears pricked up in surprise. "The queen did not give birth to you?" he asked. Lion gave an unsteady nod of her head. "I was brought to her by her mate when I was a kit. He said that there was a fire in the forest and told her to take care of me. Afterwards, he left to go help the cats that lived in the forest and died trying. I lived in the barn ever since."
"That was six moons ago, wasn't it?" Lunarstar breathed, flashing a glance back at the she-cat. Lion gave another nod of her head. "Yes, and my foster mother didn't tell me any more." The dark gray tabby drew away from Lion and padded to the edge of the woods. His tail flicked behind him as if he were conflicted. "I may know what you are, but I will not reveal the truth until my last breath." he mewed, looking back at the she-cat through the corner of his eye. Lion didn't know what he meant, but she didn't want to ask more of it. Instead, she padded forward to the tabby's side. "So, what now?" she asked, staring out into the darkness of the forest. Lunarstar smirked. "I go back to my Clan; they're probably wondering where I've been."
"Will I see you again tomorrow?" Lion requested, her eyes pleading. Lunarstar closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. "I know that you want to learn more of my history, but I'm afraid I can't leave my Clan to cope alone. They need me." he reminded. Lion's ears went flat against her head as he looked down at her paws sadly. She really enjoyed listening to the tabby speak, and she wished she could hear more of it. Lunarstar nudged her, and Lion instantly stood up straight. When she looked over at the Clan leader, his hazel eyes were beaming.
"I now realize that you wish to learn more than you know now, and I have a question to ask you." Lunarstar told her, standing up as tall as he could in front of her. Lion turned her eyes up to him just as she setting sun shined a bright ray of light on the two of them. Lunarstar's gray tabby pelt turned into a beautiful shade of red and gold as he bellowed, "Lion, I would like you to join ShadowClan. Do you accept?" Lion gaped and couldn't help but to let in a gasp.
Many thoughts began to whirl through Lion's head as she tried to get control of herself. She thought of her life at the barn and spending the evenings chatting with Dandelion. An image of the three, beautiful kits popped into her mind as they played and giggled together. Coco suddenly jumped into the frame, smiling at her with his sweet, orange eyes. But when the black she-cat jumped in after him, his smile turned into a scowl, and the two of them walked away side-by-side. Lion could see herself standing in the midst of darkness, looking around for someone to be at her side. A ghostly figure of Mistfang walked into view, and his hazel eyes narrowed on her. When Lion turned around to look at him, he disappeared. Then came the information about Clan life. Lion stood with Lunarstar, chatting about rituals and how life in the wild can be dangerous, but supportive with friends at your side. The view of the setting sun came to mind, and Lion found herself back into reality staring at Lunarstar himself. There was another long pause between them, and the setting sun turned hot red as it began to fade. As the shadows slid out from their hiding places to settle in the night, Lion's whisper echoed in all ears as she murmured, "Yes."