ShadowClan

Leader-

Duskstar-

Copper and black mottled she-cat with ice blue eyes

Deputy-

Wildblaze-

Ginger tom with wild, spiked fur with cream underbelly, paws, and splash on chest, with dark ginger stripes and yellow-green eyes

Medicine Cat-

Stonestripe-

White tom with silver tabby backside, tail, and haunches along with deep amber eyes

Warriors-

Berrybright-

Tortoiseshell she cat with cream patches and green eyes

Apprentice- Mudpaw

Spiderfur-

Jet-black slim tom with navy blue eyes

Breezefang-

Huge white and silver tom with light yellow eyes

Apprentice- Tabbypaw

Dovesoar-

Fluffy gray she-cat with rich amber eyes

Sparrowcall-

Thick-furred light brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Hawktail-

Lean white tom with black tabby stripes and blue eyes

Fernfrost-

Mottled gray, brown, and white she cat with pale green eyes

Scorchflower-

Light ginger she-cat with red-brown points and deep green eyes

Snowspring-

White she cat with dark gray paws, silver ear tips, and blue eyes

Mosssplash-

Black and white she cat with amber eyes

Pinesweep-

Black tom with silver eyes

Appletooth-

Mottled brown tom with heavy under bite and blue eyes

Tigerstripe-

Light brown tabby tom with mottled brown and black spots and green eyes

Swallowleap-

Lean blue-black tom with a gray-blue tail and gray-green eyes

Tangleclaw-

Brown-white-gray she-cat with thick scruffy fur and gray-blue eyes

Apprentices-

Mudpaw-

Light brown tabby tom with dark brown tabby stripes and amber eyes

Tabbypaw-

Light brown tabby she-cat with a poofed white-tipped tail and amber eyes

Queens-

Shiverfawn- (Mother to Spiderfur's kit)

Silver she cat with white dapple and light blue eyes

Slashkit-

Gray tom with white dashes on fur and one over his left eye, navy blue eyes

Lilystripe- (Carrying Breezefang's kits)

Dark gray she cat with black tabby stripes and green eyes

Elders-

Emberflight- Jet black tom with flaming amber eyes

Adderstorm- Dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Dustswirl- Brown tabby she cat with dark brown tabby swirls and navy eyes

Ivycoil- Old tortoiseshell she cat with silver patches from age

Chapter 1

"It's been a quarter moon, Duskstar. We've patrolled the area and there is no rouge to be found, just a few stray scents that were well covered and concealed. We can't tell whom they are from."

"Thank you, Wildblaze. I just don't want any she-cat to show up wailing for her kit, and blame us for stealing it. Who knows? It could be a RiverClan kit."

"They claimed to have lost no kits."

"Duskstar is right to be cautious. We don't want to be seen as kit thieves."

"But it's been a quarter moon, Dustswirl. Surely they would have come looking for the scrap by now. It doesn't even have a name."

"Hawktail is right. We can't wait on the mother forever. We've patrolled the place and she hasn't come back, if Tigerstripe hadn't have found him, he could've died."

A small ginger copper kit peeled open his eyes, a brilliant dark swirling amber. His pelt was crisscrossed with jet-black tabby stripes and dappled with black over that. His paws were also a jet black, with dark orange and light brown points on his face tail, and legs. They weren't as prominent on his tail for the black rings that covered it. As if on cue, his ginger and black ears popped open as well and the world of sound flowed into him.

"I agree with Breezefang. Duskstar, your clan has spoken. Let us accept this kit as one of us."

The cat speaking was a huge dark ginger tom. His fur was thick and spiked in all different directions with a cream underbelly and legs. Mostly hidden by his huge fur were dark ginger tabby stripes down his back. He was looking up at a black and copper mottled she cat with a look that chilled the kit.

Her eyes were an ice blue, and she flattened her ears at the tom. For a heartbeat, the kit thought she was going to lash out at the tom, but instead she straightened up and looked down at the sea of cats.

Her voice rang out,

"Ivycoil."

The kit twisted his head to see a very old tortoiseshell she-cat patched with an aged silver that wasn't there when she was young walk forward.

"Yes, Duskstar?"

"Ivycoil, you hold much respect in this clan as the oldest member. You were a warrior when Emberflight was born. What do you think of this kit?"

What kit? The voice rang out in the kit's head. He wanted to meet this kit! He must be very important.

"He was obviously left for the purpose of us finding him or death Duskstar. Enough with this, Duskstar, no one is coming back for him."

The she-cat on the tree limb nodded. "Thank you, Ivycoil."

She then lifted her head the slightest bit,

"Cats of ShadowClan. The decision is made; the kit will stay and be one of us. From this moment forward until he becomes 6 moons old, he will be known as Strikekit. Shiverfawn, will you care for him? He is about as old as you own Slashkit."

A silver she-cat walked forward, white mottling her back and tail.

"Yes, Duskstar."

"Very well. Dismissed."

The copper-black she-cat slipped off the pine tree like a liquid and disappeared into her den.

The kit noticed the she-cat called Shiverfawn coming towards him.

"Shiverfawn, Shiverfawn! Can I meet the new Strikekit?"

She snorted settling into the moss. "Sweetheart, you are Strikekit."

She pulled a tired-looking tom from the moss; his fur was gray, dashed with white and a huge dash over his left eye. The tom lazily opened his navy blue eyes before catching Strikekit's eye. His eyes flew open and he lunged toward Strikekit.

"You opened you eyes! My name is Slashkit, I'm the oldest kit in the nursery." He paused, "Well, I was the only kit in the nursery until you came of course." He twisted. "Mama, can we go out and explore?"

The she-cat laid her head down in the moss, "Yes," she yawned. "Just don't get under any cat's paws."

Slashkit squealed with joy and raced out of the den, "Come on, come on!"

Strikekit tumbled out of the den after him, his eyes bulging with all the sights. "Whoa."

The camp was huge! It sat in a clearing, surrounded by pines that seemed to scrape the sky. All in the clearing were dens like the nursery where cats milled. Yet, the one thing that caught the attention of both kits was the huge soaring pine in the middle of the clearing with tentacle-like roots that scooped and dipped and at their peak reached a tail-length high.

"Come on!" Slashkit dived forward and began to swing and climb on the pine's roots, and Strikekit followed. Just as he was about to grab onto a dark green-brown root, he felt a sharp tug at the back of his neck and was lifted into the air and dropped onto the grassy floor. Slashkit was deposited right next to him.

"Hey!" The older kit complained.

The huge ginger tom turned around, his fur spiked and plumped. Yet, he showed no sign of anger, which must be his normal fur! He had a mane of ginger and tipped with cream around his neck, and dark ginger stripes were well hidden in the thick, messy fur. His yellow-green eyes glinted, and Strikekit recognized him as the cat next to Duskstar at the meeting. My, he was bigger in person!

Slashkit suddenly jumped in front of Strikekit, his fur spiked and claws out.

"Leave us alone or I'll shred you!"

"Oh please, I am so terrified, please may I just speak with you, oh great and worthy warrior?"

His words suggested sarcasm, but the tone he took was genuine. He flattened himself to the ground and looked up at the both of them with wide eyes. A hint of smile played on his lips though.

Slashkit seemed happy and he sat, "Rise, and speak to the great Slashstar. And his deputy…"

Slashkit turned to look at him for a long moment before turning around to reply, "Strikeclaw!"

The tom stood, "I am Wildblaze, the deputy of ShadowClan, and I came to suggest we not wake the leader, Duskstar, from her slumber as you are playing on the roots right by her den."

Slashkit faltered, and he sunk to the ground in a bow to the deputy. "I…I…I'm sorry…I didn't know you were…"

Wildblaze laughed, "Quite alright, young kit, I'm not going to tell Shiverfawn."

Both kits let out a sigh of relief.

"Although, let's wait to play here when Duskstar is awake. Come, come. I know a good place for two kits." He leaned down and scooped up Strikekit, with Slashkit at his heels.

The came to a hollowed bush in the corner of the camp with a strong smell of cat inside. As they entered, a pair of weary, gold eyes opened and trained themselves on the trio.

"Kits!"

Three other pairs of eyes opened to gaze at the kits. Wildblaze let Strikekit down next to Slashkit.

An old silver-with-age tortoiseshell she-cat pushed herself up to look at the kits, her gold eyes gleaming. Strikekit saw a dark brown she cat with swirled tabby markings raise her head and open a pair of navy eyes strikingly similar to Slashkit's in the dim light before nudging a dark brown tabby next to her. Her voice cracked with age as she spoke to him, "Look Adderstorm, its Shiverfawn's kit and the loner kit."

The tom, gray muzzled with age, had scars crisscrossing his pelt. He purred, "Hello, kits."

The only cat that hadn't spoken was a jet-black tom with eyes so amber they looked red. He grunted before pulling himself into the corner without another look at the pair.

Wildblaze dipped his head and left while the elders pulled the kits into the den.

"Hello kits, I'm Ivycoil, and the brown tabby she-cat is Dustswirl and next to her is her mate, Adderstorm. They're your kin Slashkit; their kit is your father. And that grumpy youngster is Emberflight; he doesn't care much for kits. The reason he's here is because he's deaf. He tried to be a warrior, but it ended when he didn't hear the call for retreat and three ShadowClan warriors shattered his back leg. Leave him be; he usually likes to be alone in the forest anyways when he can sneak out."

Strikekit stepped forward and spoke up, "I'm Strikekit."

Ivycoil smiled, "I know, you caused quite a bit of trouble this morning didn't you?

Strikekit felt shocked and he frantically tried to remember what he'd done.

Ivycoil laughed, "Not on purpose, little kit, not on purpose. It was quite a…"

"Duskstar! Wildblaze!"

Ivycoil pricked her ears as all the cats, except Emberflight, turned to the sound.

"Sounds like trouble." Ivycoil stood and slipped out, "Dustswirl, Adderstorm, take the kits to Shiverfawn, there's blood."

Strikekit felt a tug on his scruff and his paws were swooped up into the air. Next to him, Adderstorm scooped up Slashkit. Emberflight turned slightly, but went back to the den wall.

They were hustled to the nursery where Shiverfawn was waiting.

"Thank StarClan." She breathed when she saw them.

"What's going on?" Slashkit asked.

"It shouldn't worry you now dear, now shhhh."

They were silent for a long time until Strikekit heard a muffled cry,

"He's dead, oh great StarClan, he's dead!"