Author's Note: First off, I would just like to say that Only the Sun and all of its characters belong directly to me. I created the plot and the characters with my own imagination; I also know that there are characters similar to mine in both description and name – that is purely coincidental! Savvy?
Disclaimer: I own Warriors…Okay, I don't, but I do, however, own Only the Sun and all of its characters and Clans. Steal any of this and I shall have to beat you with my awesome thief-beating stick, savvy? –Brandishes "thief-beating" stick warningly-
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Chapter One: Found Out
The moon shone brightly overhead in the blackened sky, casting its silver rays over the land and turning the rivers' colors so that it looked like the calm waters were covered by a layer of ice; the soft sounds of chirping crickets echoed throughout the night while the white stars that dotted the night sky twinkled. And through the darkness penetrated by the light of the moon, a lithe figure could be seen, slipping through the undergrowth; every now and then, the figure would pause and scent the air, searching for signs of unwanted followers. After a few minutes of pausing and waiting, the figure would set off again. Finally, as a gentle breeze picked up, the figure reached a slow-paced river surrounded on either side by reeds. Casting a cautious glance about, the figure slipped through the tall reeds and settled comfortably upon the river's sandy bank before calling out in a whispered tone, "Crowmoon? Are you here?"
The figure was cat, a female to be more precise; her eyes, a soft amber, now peered anxiously about as the gentle sound of the river lapping at the sides of the river bank filled the she-cat's ears. Her tail, slender and slightly longer than the normal cat's tail length, flicked nervously back and forth as she watched the sky above as well as the moon that now seemed to cast its silver rays down upon her body, illuminating her golden hued fur. A twitch of the she-cat's whiskers was given as the cat suddenly became alert as the reeds on the other side of the river began to rustle; her amber eyes widened in fear as she carefully flattened her body to the ground – taking care not to put pressure upon her swollen belly that was filled with tiny kits. The rustling grew louder as a thickset figure emerged, the figure a tom; his bright green eyes peered out into the darkness as he called softly, "Lightpetal, I am here."
The she-cat, Lightpetal, rose once again to a sitting position as the tom, black as night, slid into the river with ease; as he reached the other bank, the tom, Crowmoon, padded into the shallow water, yet didn't tread upon the banks. A purr rumbled in his throat as Lightpetal came towards him and fondly rubbed up against him, ignoring the icy feel of the water. For a few minutes they remained like that – together and as if the Clan rivalries didn't exist. A whispered, "I love you…" was exchanged between the pair before they broke away and looked at each other; Crowmoon's eyes darted to Lightpetal's belly and he gently licked her cheek. The queen felt his eyes upon her stomach and she laughed softly at the worried expression that had seeped into them.
"Do not worry, Crowmoon – I am fine and so are our kits." Lightpetal said calmly, smiling at Crowmoon's startled look before adding, "Redice says that I am to have three!" The thickset tom purred his purr deep and rumbling within his throat; the she-cat chuckled softly as she flicked her tail from side to side. Crowmoon's bright green eyes sparkled in excitement.
"So, who's the false father?" he asked; a hint of anger was revealed in his tone as his eyes suddenly lost their sparkle. Lightpetal sighed and pressed against him comfortingly. The queen understood that Crowmoon would never be able to father his kits and that someone else would have to replace him, and that cat just happened to be Nightheart, a well known warrior in all the Clans…He also happened to be the cat that Crowmoon despised most. Frowning slightly, Lightpetal cast her amber gaze to her paws and shuffled them a bit before lifting her eyes to lock with Crowmoon's. His eyes widened as he realized who the father was and a low growl slid from his mouth. "Nightheart is the false father?!"
Lightpetal opened her mouth to reply, but wasn't able to speak as a sudden searing pain shot through her body, sending her to the ground. She cried out as a few minutes later, another pain coursed through her; the queen's eyes snapped shut as she realized what was happening – her kits were coming! Lightpetal dug her claws into the sandy bank and barely heard Crowmoon splashing through the water to reach her; tiny droplets of water landed on her golden fur as they left Crowmoon's body, but she didn't seem to be able to focus on anything other the birth of her kits. Another cry pierced that air as Lightpetal grunted and strained, forcing one of the kits from her. A happy cry slid from Crowmoon and caused Lightpetal to crane her head around and gaze at her firstborn.
The kit was a black one, like Crowmoon, only instead of being thickset, the kit had Lightpetal's lithe shape; a weak purr rumbled in her throat, but that happiness was short-lived for another searing pain coursed through her body. The queen dug her claws once more into the ground and let loose a wail as she felt her second kit leave her body. Lifting her head, she met eyes with Crowmoon then turned her attention towards her second kit. This kit was a pale gray with golden patches; unfortunately, this kit was not moving about like the firstborn. A saddened wail left Lightpetal's mouth as she realized that this kit was a stillborn.
Crowmoon's eyes were dull as he pressed his muzzle to Lightpetal's before turning away to attend to the firstborn; the queen watched him, momentarily, lick the squealing kit. Then, Lightpetal turned away for the third time as a contraction gripped her body, causing her to let another wail slid from her mouth as she dug her claws into the ground. Panting heavily, Lightpetal strained and let out a gasp of relief as her third, and final, kit was born. A purr rumbled in her throat as she looked at her third kit, thickset, like his father, yet a deep golden color like his mother; happiness swam within Lightpetal's eyes as she searched momentarily for Crowmoon who seemed to have disappeared.
The search did not last long for the thickset tom reappeared and gently licked Lightpetal's forehead. "I buried our kit…" he murmured sadly; Lightpetal let out a soft wail of grief before turning her attention to her two remaining kits. The queen began licking her third born kit, pushing his fur the wrong way with her tongue to warm him up. Amber eyes swept over the two he-kits and she sighed, looking at their differences; Crowmoon sat before her, pride, as well as sorrow, shining in his eyes; the tip of his tail rested across the tip of Lightpetal's tail. "What should we name them, m'love?"
At the question, Lightpetal stopped licking the golden kit and gently nudged him to her stomach so that he could join his brother in nursing. Looking over the dark kit and the light kit, the she-cat was silent for a few moments before catching Crowmoon's eyes. Touching the black kit with her tail, she mewed, "How about Darkkit," Moving her tail, she touched the golden kit, "And Sunkit?"
Crowmoon nodded his approval and bent over the two, giving each one a lick and murmuring their names. "Darkkit…Sunkit…" At that same moment, a rustling sounded in the grasses about them, parting to reveal dark brown tabby tom, accompanied by golden tom with a creamy white chest; pain flooded the golden tom's green eyes as he stared at the couple and their kits. The tabby tom, however, snarled at Crowmoon and unsheathed his claws.
Taking a step forward, the tabby tom looked at Lightpetal with disgust in his eyes before moving his gaze to the two, now sleeping, kits. A furious hiss slid from his throat; however, the hiss was silenced by the golden tom sweeping his tail in front of the tabby's mouth. A pained silence drifted about the group before the tom spoke. "Lightpetal…How could -? Are these your -? Are these my -? Why?!" The queen, once joyful, now avoided the tom's gaze and curled her tail protectively about her two kits. The golden tom, her brother, just continued to look at her in disbelief.
"I am sorry, Lionpelt, but my heart lies with someone else other than Nightheart." She murmured, daring a look at Crowmoon, who now had inched into the water.
The tabby tom, Falconwing, spat and curled his lips back at Crowmoon. "Get out of here, you are not welcome!"
Crowmoon looked at Lightpetal, then to the two toms before dipping his head briefly and disappearing into the night. The queen looked furiously back at Lionpelt and Falconwing before rising to her paws and gently grasping Darkkit by the scruff of his neck; Falconwing made to pick up Sunkit, but Lightpetal's fur bristled and Lionpelt stepped forward, pushing past the younger tom to pick Sunkit up by the scruff of his neck. Falconwing scrowled and cast a disapproving glance at the she-cat and her kits before motioning with a lash of his tail for the brother and sister to follow.
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Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – T.S. Eliot
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I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of Only the Sun! Please review!
♥ Lightpetal