A/N: I wrote this a while back, so I may have improved since then, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!
The branches of the trees were decorated with paw-made decorations, like feathers tied by long thin furs, and large leaves etched with beautiful drawings. The paths were cleared and the sparkling full moon was dancing above the trees tops, making the glittering ponds come alive. Underneath the bouquets of specially picked flowers, were offerings of plump beasts killed by their most skilled hunters. It was all awaiting one single cat, and everything was perfect until Midnight came.
Midnight came like a crack of lightning, completely destroying the display. No one had ever liked Midnight, not even as a kit.
Midnight was a large black tom with a white half moon shape on his chest. He had been named MidKit when he was born into ShadowClan to represent the 'middle' of the moon's cycle, and as a warrior he was named MidNight to represent his night coloured coat, but overtime his name just got moulded into Midnight. After all, most rogues don't have warrior names.
The scruffy shadow moved across the landscape, dislodging every part of the brilliant display. And in a flash, he was gone, leaving nothing but a few jet black hairs.
The cats looked at each other. What would they do now?
The moon clicked over to the other side of the sky, marking it now a few minutes past midnight. SunnyCrown would not be able to see the work they had put into the display.
Within a second, a golden and brown tortoiseshell she-cat appeared out of the arch of trees. Her fur was blazing, and her eyes were filled with the beauty of a flame. She stood there, a confused expression on her face, wondering if she had come to the wrong place. Where were the decorations? The warm welcome? The flame in her eyes slowly began to fade.
She noticed a few cats scattered around the place, looking distraught, and her eyes turned soft. They probably hadn't had enough time to complete the display. The poor things, they must be so tired.
"I'm terribly sorry, miss," said a cat, walking towards SunnyCrown. They bowed their head with respect, looking sad.
"It's alright," she said warmly, not wanting to make the cats feel bad. After all, she had once been a mere Clan Cat herself, and she knew exactly what it was like.
She looked at the area, and realised, it didn't look incomplete, it looked destroyed. The ground was scattered with ripped up leaves that looked as though they had once been beautifully decorated, and what she guessed had once been a detailed pathway was now scattered with twigs and dirt. The water was muddy, and not a spot of life was in it. One thing stood out especially—hairs the colour of the night sky. She knew what had happened, but even so, just to make sure, she asked a passing grey cat, "What happened?" the cat paused, and looked at the tortoiseshell nervously. What would she tell SunnyCrown?
"Midnight came," she stammered, shuffling her paws. There wasn't much else to say—all of the Clan Cats really had put in effort. It was all Midnight's fault.
Instantly, SunnyCrown's eyes turned into a blazing, raging red fire. She knew exactly who Midnight was, and she didn't like him one bit.
The golden she-cat nodded, then went to investigate the scene a bit more.
She walked past the crushed mice, voles and rabbits, which had obviously been an offering for her, and followed a trail of dark hairs.
Honestly, couldn't Midnight show a little respect? The clans and her had spent so much time planning and preparing the gathering every moon and now he just decides to go and destroy it? SunnyCrown sighed as she realised how much Midnight had changed.
She looked at a feather that had fallen to the ground and sniffed it—her face slanted in a way it should always be. The way she was taught to position herself when she had become a royal queen.
"I'll be off now, I'm going to find Midnight," her voice was proper and official, another thing she'd been taught
The cats nodded, then crouched forward on their front legs, with one paw folded under their stomach in a sort of bow as SunnyCrown walked past the broken display and off to find Midnight. That rogue was going to pay, once and for all.
＊＊＊
SunnyCrown was in the depth of the forest, her paws treading lightly on the ground, walking elegantly as she had done for years now.
She had picked up Midnight's scent a few times already, but they always kept on disappearing.
'He always was one mysterious cat' SunnyCrown sighed to herself, looking up to the sky to see the sun just waking up from its slumber. She remember Midnight as an apprentice. MidPaw was always a feisty fella. Probably the most difficult apprentice to handle in all of ShadowClan. But DawnStar had entrusted her, SunnyLight, of all the warriors, to mentor him. She hadn't known how difficult it would be when she gratefully accepted her first apprentice, but you could say it was a fun struggle, as any challenge was exciting for a young warrior like SunnyLight. But, times change, cats change. For better and for worse.
SunnyCrown found a ditch in the earth. It was covered in black hairs. She had found Midnight's resting spot. She sniffed the area, to get familiarised with Midnight's scent again, and once again, set off on her journey.
She continued to find and lose Midnight's trail, like a shadow you just can't get hold of unless you...
SunnyCrown looked at the sky again, the sun was now almost in line with the moon on the other side of the earth, and the tortoiseshell's shadow was being cast from her paws to a fresh patch of daisies nearby. She hadn't found Midnight's scent for a while, and she wondered if she should go back a bit. But where do shadows start? At your paws, of course.
SunnyCrown looked down at her paws, and there she could see her silhouette that reached from her feet to that patch of daisies. It was the start of her shadow.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine, and the scent touched her nostrils before she caught sight of those deadly black paws.
"Hello, your majesty," snickered a familiar voice. SunnyCrown stared at those paws for a second longer, watching the wind pick up the long fur and bring them with it in its windy dance. Finally, she looked up and gazed into the tom's dark amber eyes.
"Midnight. We meet again," SunnyCrown didn't bother hiding the hatred in her voice.
"You've been on my trail all night. What's wrong? The life of royalty been too boring? You wanna come have some fun with an old rogue?" Midnight's voice was damaged, but he never failed at getting under any cat's skin. SunnyCrown's eyes flared with a burning fire once again, and she couldn't help but let out a low growl.
"You destroyed my display," she said, accidentally unsheathing her claws from anger. Midnight noticed and silently unsheathed his own claws, but kept the same expression.
"Woah, easy there. It was just for fun," he glanced at his past mentor as she only became angrier, "besides, everyone is constantly worshipping you. Try feeling abandoned for once. Just like how you abandoned me."
SunnyCrown was expecting to get more enraged by the statement, but instead she became intensely sad and sorry for Midnight.
"Midnight... You- You knew I had to..." she said softly, the fire in her eyes drowning.
She had gotten that flame the day she had been named SunnyCrown. She remembered the words SplotchCrown had said exactly,
"SunnyLight, do you accept the responsibility of becoming royal queen to all Clans?" He had said.
"I do," she had bowed her head, adrenaline running through her veins.
"Then, I now call upon StarClan to accept and grant you the name of SunnyCrown."
A powerful light had surrounded her, engulfed her in its flame, then sped through her body, lifting her upwards. She remembered her coat changing to a shinier golden colour, and the burning sensation she had felt in her eyes as her fire was born. It had felt like the joy of fulfilling your destiny, the sadness of leaving an old life, mixed with pain and a sense of power.
It was perfect.
Midnight was still staring at SunnyCrown, feeling pained.
"You didn't have to. You could have declined! You didn't have to leave me stranded!" wailed Midnight, losing his balance slightly.
"Midnight, I am so, so, sorry, from the bottom of my heart," she looked at the ground, knowing Midnight would never forgive her. She was the only one MidPaw had had, no other cat could handle him or understood him but her, and she had left, leaving MidPaw alone to turn into the most dangerous cat ever known.
The black tom looked at the moon on his chest, the sun making it shine ever brightly.
"I'll forgive you," he said calmly, looking at SunnyCrown. She looked up in disbelief, happiness flooding her body, "on one condition."
A bolt of fear ran through her. What would it be? Would she be able to do such a thing?
"Oh?" she said, trying not to sound as scared as she was.
"That you finish my training," he purred, putting his nose to the tortoiseshell's.
"Of course!" SunnyCrown exclaimed, licking MidNight.
And finally, the two felt the happiest they had been in years as they spent the rest of the day sharing tongues and discussing the events of the past years in a small hill scattered with daisies.
It was perfect.