Prolog
A dark ginger shape paced restlessly back and forth across the shallow hollow. It was the shape of a large, muscular cat with icy blue eyes. He lashed his tail impatiently as he walked. It seemed like forever since his beloved had gone into labor, giving birth to his kits. How much longer could it take?
"Barkpelt?" The head of a light brown cat poked his head out of an opening in a nearby bramble thicket, causing the pacing tom to jump in surprise. Barkpelt whipped around to confront the other cat, but before he had a chance to speak the brown cat continued, "Congratulations, Barkpelt. You're a father."
Suddenly at a loss for words, the Barkpelt pushed past the smaller cat into the brambles. Inside a beautiful queen with a bright ginger pelt was curled around two tiny, squirming kits. Her eyes were half closed and she looked exhausted, but she raised her head when Barkpelt entered. "Barkpelt…Come say hello." She nudged the two newborns with her nose.
Barkpelt crept closer, pressing his nose against his mates soft fur. "They're beautiful, Gingerheart. Just like you…" He purred, examining the two. "Have you decided on names for them yet?"
Gingerheart nodded. "This one is Whistlekit," She gently ran her tongue over the smaller of the two, a tom almost identical to his father in coloration. "And this one…This one is Winterkit." Her amber gaze landed on her second kit, a large, pure white tom.
Bark pelt's eyes widened in dismay. "Winterkit?" He mewed softly, looking around. The only other cat with them was the small brown cat, who was watching Winterkit through narrowed eyes. "Gingerheart, you don't think…"
"I'm afraid so, Barkpelt." The brown cat sighed. "'With winter will come great strife and fear for all the Clans'. That was the warning from StarClan I shared with Copperstar and the other Clans at the last gathering." He locked eyes with the new father but didn't say anymore. Barkpelt snorted and turned away.
"You're wrong, Dreamstep." He growled softly, curling his tail lovingly around his two kits. "Winterkit has not done anything wrong. The warning must be about something else." Barkpelt flicked his ears dismissively, showing he wasn't going to listen to anymore on the subject. The two kits began mewling for their mother and he moved his tail, allowing them to squirm towards Gingerheart's belly.
Dreamstep shrugged and didn't reply. He stoop quietly and turned to leave, adding over his shoulder, "Call me if you need anything else, Gingerheart. You know where to find me." He slipped through the brambles and was gone. Barkpelt shot a glare after the medicen cat before returning his attention to his mate. Gingerheart was grooming each kit lovingly, her eyes sparkling with pride.
"They're beautiful, aren't they, Barkpelt?" The ginger she-cat meowed as if the argument with Dreamstep had never happened. She was too absorbed in caring for her sons to notice anything around her.
Barkpelt pressed against her, purring loudly. "Yes…They'll be great warriors someday. I know it." He agreed, though he had a sinking feeling in his stomach whenever he gazed upon Winterkit. I'm being mouse-brained. Barkpelt scolded himself. He's just usually white, that's all. There's no reason he should look exactly like his parents and brother…
--
It was a few sunrises after their birth that Whistlekit and Winterkit opened their eyes. Whistlekit had piercing, icy blue eyes like his father. Barkpelt was overjoyed to see a little copy of himself. Winterkit, however, was not as pleasing. Winterkit's eyes were unnaturally red, bright and unnerving.
That day, a black frost gripped the forest, officially marking the beginning of leaf-bare. Prey was either killed by the cold or retreated deep into their burrows. Every plant that still clung to life was killed by the frost, and the ground froze into hard stone that made cat's pads ache. The rivers and streams of the forest froze, making water hard to come by. It was truly a very difficult leaf-bare. And, like Dreamstep had warned, it had come 'with Winter'.
"That is no son of mine." Barkpelt spat after returning from a completely unsuccessful hunting patrol. Gingerheart shook her head sadly and drew her kits in closer to herself, trying to shield them from the cold. "That cat is cursed. Cursed by StarClan to bring nothing but trouble to ShadowClan! That is a demon!"
And so began the life of Winterkit.
--
Gasp! peo is already starting a new warriors story? Will she ever finish this one?
XD I sure hope so.
So Winterclaw is one of my characters on the Warriors RP forum I joined recently. He's a loyal warrior of ShadowClan, but he's been picked on his whole life for being a 'demon'. Unfortunately, the Clan cats don't understand the concepts of genetic mutations and all that. Poor Winterclaw is albino, but everyone thought he was cursed. I decided to write a fic about his life. –shrug-
All the usual stuff applies to this: I'm not claiming to own Warriors, Erin Hunter does that. However, Barkpelt, Gingerheart, Whistlekit, Winterkit and Dreamstep are all from my imagination. Copperstar, the leader of ShadowClan in this story, is the leader of ShadowClan on the forum I mentioned earlier and belongs to Shadz.(- allegiances2./index.cgi?actionviewprofile&usershadoonsker )
So…Yeah. Hope this story seems interesting just from the Prolog. I'll have the first chapter up soon.
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