A/N: Thank you, Iceth and Raven! (huggles) I'm so glad you reviewed! I'll get around to reviewing your own fics in a bit. For now I've got to concentrate on mine, though…

We, the Shadows

Chapter I

Enigma

A cold wind buffeted the fur on the tabby tom's coat; his green eyes glowed ferociously, as if deciding to ignore the fact that the strong gale, with the coming, splashing cold rain, would drive him back. He had to know what was driving him instinctively; it was nothing he could explain. StarClan was guiding his pawsteps.

He recalled the warning words of his mother, for she loved to warn them; Sparkpaw, don't you think about going out into that storm! You've heard Fishpelt say it herself—it's much too dangerous!

He had heard her, alright; she was always much too overprotective of him and his three siblings. He had always asked her why Heartpaw was the only one with her colorings, and she'd told him nervously that he, Dustpaw, and Amberpaw had gotten their fur from her parents. His mother, Shadetail, had a black and white coat and fearful blue eyes, while Heartpaw looked exactly like her, although she was jolly, happy, excited.

Thinking of his siblings and mother, he felt the tip of something sharp scorch his nose, and he gasped sharply, a forepaw reaching to the tip of his injured nose gingerly. Fox dung! He swore inwardly, sighing and trudging forward again, this time closely watching the path for offending objects.

He had snuck out of camp, hoping that no one had seen him, and he hoped it had worked. The leader, Shatteredstar, the deputy, Twistingwind, and the medicine cat, Fishpelt, would be the first to know, but it appeared as thought he had escaped without any of them knowing. Of course, there was still Shadetail…

Not thinking. He was getting it.

A gust of icy breath hit him sharply in the face; his footing became awkward, and he slipped on the mud. In an attempt to escape being knocked down, he'd leapt forward. The hill slanted downward, now…

A muddy shape hurtled down a path of rocks, thorns, and rainwater. He almost choked on the thick, silvery drown that drenched him from ears to tail. Yowling with fright, he felt a sharp, burning pain all over him. His green eyes fluttered beneath pale lids; he glanced around, seeing only darkness, before dreamwaves rescued him from the deadening pain.

xxx

"Sparkpaw!"

The voice… it was deep, and yet feminine… young, energetic, but urgent. The young ShadowClan apprentice was good at reading voices; he didn't recognize this one, though. He looked up, feeling his limbs stretch, and he rose, feeling like a new cat.

The place he was in was so different; it was still moonrise, with a sky of deep violet and blazing, bright white stars that glittered coolly in the midst of Silverpelt. But… here, they seemed so close…

He glanced back down again, observing his surroundings. Leafy bushes engulfed him; scent of prey caught his attention, and he tensed, by instinct, if not by hunger. His green eyes squinted slightly, and he caught the silver sheen of a small, clear pool of water. Feeling no thirst, but a strong curiosity, he put his limbs into a fast slope, reaching the banks of the pool. In it, he saw an exact reflection; and he gasped in awe.

A handsome young apprentice stood, a kitten, with a sleek ginger coat that shone with starry illumination and had big, green eyes. He tilted his head, wondering why he wasn't covered in thorns, mud, and wasn't drenched to the bone. Sparkpaw couldn't help but admire his big, strong, tough body, and his round eyes that glowed with leaf-colored starlight.

"Sparkpaw."

His ears pricked, and the fur along his back stiffened; he half-turned, directing his attention from the water to the place around him. Nothing was there, except for, of course, himself. He blinked, and turned back to the water; only to draw in a sharp gasp. A cat with a trim figure, broad muscles, and amber eyes stood there. He was fully grown with a pelt of dark tabby fur and amber eyes, and, if he didn't know any better, Sparkpaw could have sworn he was looking at Dustpaw, his brother. However, Dustpaw's eyes were blue, and he had a dusted white muzzle that faded pale ginger around the edges. This cat was a solid brown tabby with a great maturity.

"Who… who are you?" He gasped to his reflection, who, right now, wasn't his reflection at all. The tabby warrior tilted his head swiftly. His amber eyes twinkled, as me meowed,

"I am you."

Sparkpaw felt anger and confusion burn within him; he struck his paw into the water, into the reflection, until it rippled a bit, and a ginger she-cat with blue eyes gazed back at him with loving eyes. He tilted his head, ears flattening against his head. The ginger queen's loving look turned into one of solemn grief. He cried out, "Who are you? I've never seen you in ShadowClan. Where am I?"

The she-cat said nothing, only began to fade, and Sparkpaw yowled, "Wait, don't leave me here!" Leaping into the water without a second thought, his consciousness was regained.

xxx

"Hey, mousebrain!"

Ginger lids flickered, and green replaced the former. Haziness clouded his jade gaze; he felt stiff, and beneath that, hot, fiery red pain burned. Sparkpaw's vision became more focused, and he found himself watching a slim she-cat with a silver pelt and dark green eyes. She shook her head distastefully, but amusement flickered in her eyes.

"Okay, Sparkpaw. You did a very stupid thing yesterday. For punishment, you have to train today."

Shifting, but feeling agony burn into his flesh, he gasped, "What happened?"

Fishpelt, the medicine cat, stretched, and she meowed curtly, "You took a trip in the rainstorm and then took a tumble into a puddle of mud and a patch of nettles. Leaf-fall is approaching, so the nettles were sharp and ripe. Just right for prickling senseless apprentices. In a few moments, Spottedstorm will be here for your training."

Groaning, Sparkpaw hissed frustration, and straightened himself up, still feeling nettle stings. How could I be so stupid? He hissed to himself, feeling irritated. He did recall some of his dream—of the secret place, with the brown tabby and the ginger queen—but he decided it was just that, a dream. A crazy one, nonetheless.

He heard the ferns to the entrance of Fishpelt's den shuffle, and a small shape outlined in golden sunlight that defined her features coolly appeared. Sparkling amber eyes and a smooth, pale coat gave Sparkpaw the slight knowledge that it was Amberpaw, his sister, and the medicine cat apprentice. He mewed a weak greeting to her.

She slid closer in, tilting her head, eyes narrowing questionably. "Why did you do that? I mean, Shadetail nearly died of fright, anger, and fright again." She twitched the tip of her ginger tail and narrowed her amber eyes.

Suddenly, Amberpaw brightened, and, smiling sweetly, she mewed, "Oh, here comes Spottedstorm." Sparkpaw groaned again and struggled to his paws, wondering how he could ever explain his insolence, or even his dreams and reasons why he'd left camp in a fierce storm last night. A tortoiseshell head poked through, staring through menacing eyes, and Spottedstorm's rough voice snapped, "Get out here, idiot. You're training harder than you've ever trained today."

Sparkpaw's moans, grunts, and growls were heard as he heaved himself up to his paws, and slowly, steadily, padded out into the camp, with Spottedstorm's icy gaze fixed on his hatefully. Why, he wished he knew.

It seemed everyone in ShadowClan looked at him like that.

He wondered why.

And he would find out.