Chapter 1
Shimmerkit
I burst out of a place, a place where food was free, a place where I was warm, and out there awaited coldness, and cats eating other animals. I felt a warm leathery tongue touch my head as I yawned, still too frightened to open my eyes. I heard three other kits wail. My body was cold, so I rubbed against the warm pelt of my mother. I opened my eyes the day after, eager to finally see who I was in, and to show off to the other kits that I opened up my eyes first out of my siblings. But when I awoke, I saw no one but my siblings and I. I raced out to see crowds of cats around one handsome tom. He was so fluffy! That's when my mother saw me and shot out of the crowd leading me back in. "Well, Shimmerkit. How adorable! Your white pelt matches your green eyes perfectly! Oh… I love you so much!" I stared puzzled at the words she spoke. I tried saying my name, but it came out more of a shemiki. I watched the fluffy tom come in and say, "What a lovely kit we have!" I was even more confused. When did he become my mom? Is he my father? I dodged his tongue away from me as I looked back to my mother. I stared at her and studied her. She was beautiful, rose red with a cream belly that shined. Her glittering green eyes smiled. I wailed, crying out for a story when my sister, Halfkit opened her eyes. She was half red, half white. I curled up with mother while she told me a story about how the clans started. "Once upon a time, there were four great leaders, Leafstar, Snakestar, Pondstar, and Stormstar. They all led their clans with grace. Then a terrible flood went through, eliminating Stormclan. When our leader died, your father took her place, and he helped me create you, our hope and joy. Our beauty." I smiled and closed my eyes, her gentle rise of her stomach lulling me to sleep.
The next day I watched my other two sisters open their eyes, both with dark brown eyes. My calm sister, Ambrosiakit, was a rose colour with small cream paws. She had a quarter moon shape on her right paw. But she had a crippled leg that could never work again. My bouncy sister, Halfkit, bounced all over me, even if I was the older sister. She was a red and white kit, with a quarter moon shape on her left paw. Lastly, my youngest sister, Blackkit, was the most humorous. Mother smiled at us while we jumped on our father as we tried to keep our balance on his fluffy scruff. My youngest sister kept sliding off, so I kept nudging her back on. I was the only one who could speak perfectly audible words out of all my sisters. Suddenly, I heard someone cry. Her voice was very familiar…
