CHAPTER TWO

Nightkit stared out across the camp, his eyes searching for signs of life. Like his namesake it was late at night, almost moonhigh. His father had left for a border patrol a while ago, and he wanted to make sure that Streakfur got back safely.

For days now he had been having horrible nightmares when he tried sleeping. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried sleeping, the nightmares would come back to haunt him. Each one would result in the death of a Clanmate or kin. He had a feeling that the nightmares were linked with the recent battle between ShadowClan and RiverClan.

The two Clans were constantly at war. And recently a RiverClan apprentice was caught trespassing the border. The apprentice had been killed to show that there would be no mercy to trespassers. And of course RiverClan would retaliate by declaring war. It was all their fault, why couldn't they just get over it and move on?

"Gotcha!" Nightkit nearly leaped out of his fur when he felt claws digging into his tail. He whipped around to see Fadekit turning visible once more. Her eyes gleamed with pride as she straightened up and looked at him. "You should be able to hear me approaching," she meowed with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah well, I wasn't listening," he muttered crossly. He looked on across the clearing, trying to ignore his sister. Fadekit always seemed to have a way of annoying him more than anything else. She had an unusual ability that made cats look at her scornfully. "Why don't you go and annoy someone else?" he asked.

Thankfully Fadekit seemed to listen. She melted away into the darkness, leaving him alone for now. Nightkit wanted to be left alone, and he got his wish. He didn't want to admit that he was actually afraid to sleep. What if he had another nightmare? What if someone was actually killed?

"Anything to report?" Nightkit's ears pricked forward when he recognized Wolfheart's voice. Every cat knew that Wolfheart was the one who convinced Scorchstar to kill the RiverClan apprentice. His ambition scared many warriors and had gained the Clan's respect.

"We caught fresh scent markers at the border, but nothing more," Streakfur meowed. "It seems as though they're backing down for now, but I would keep an eye on them just in case." Nightkit's chest flared with hope as he looked at his father. Streakfur looked tired, but that was nothing to worry about.

"Good, we have enough problems to worry about," Wolfheart muttered. Nightkit didn't miss the look Wolfheart had given him. Wariness suddenly washed over the young kit as he ducked his head. The deputy had never liked him or Fadekit, though he never made it clear as to why.

Nightkit just wished that he understood what was wrong with them. True he and Fadekit were born a moon earlier than expected. But that doesn't mean anything was wrong with them! His claws dug into the ground as Streakfur shook his head and approached him. The rest of the patrol split up towards the warrior's den to get some rest. With ShadowClan being active during the night, it was rare to see cats sleeping at night.

"Hi dad," Nightkit brushed muzzles against his father's, thankful to see that he had returned. Streakfur didn't seem as pleased though. Nightkit knew that there was more to that patrol than Streakfur was letting on. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," Streakfur replied a little too quickly. "We are at war with two Clans and running low on prey. Of course everything would be fine." He added the last part with a shrug, looking around warily.

Wolfheart is behind the war against ThunderClan, Nightkit thought bitterly. It was bad enough having ThunderClan as an enemy. Now they had RiverClan to worry about as well. Nightkit only hoped that in time, the Clan would learn to get along with everyone else.

"We'll be fine," Nightkit tried to reassure his father. Doubt pricked at his fur though. He wished that there was a way to prove that getting along was better than causing war.

"We will be. You should stop worrying so much," a new voice broke in. Nightkit whirled around to see Featherstorm looking at both him and Streakfur.

"As long as we are at war I have every right to worry," Streakfur meowed. He brushed muzzles against Featherstorm, a look of calm flashing in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I know I'm worrying too much. But I want to ensure that my family is safe."

Nightkit only watched as his father returned to the warrior's den. All he wanted to do was follow in his father's pawsteps. Streakfur was a brave, wise warrior that ShadowClan should be proud of. His mother suddenly brushed her tail across Nightkit's ears, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Why don't you get some rest," she murmured. "Fadekit is already in her nest." She looked over her shoulder as if to make a point. Nightkit's ears flattened warily. He didn't want to sleep again. Not if he had nightmares once more.

His ears flattening, he decided not to argue. Much as he hated to admit it, Featherstorm was right. He did need sleep, now more than ever. As he reached his nest in the nursery Nightkit saw that his mother had been right. Fadekit was fast asleep, her tail wrapped over her nose for extra warmth. Nightkit stifled a purr of amusement before curling up next to her. He was thankful to have some comfort now.

...

"No one will ever find me." Fadekit's mew was to herself. But it was full of pride as she padded through the forest with the utmost care. Her fur blended in so well with her surroundings that it made her invisible. Only Nightkit seemed to sense where she was hidden, and he was fast asleep now. His whimpering had woken her up heartbeats ago. So she decided to take the initiative and explore the forest once again.

Fadekit had always explored the forest since she discovered her ability. Now she knew every part of it by heart. When she became an apprentice that would give her a major advantage. She looked forward to the day when she would shock her future mentor.

If we even get to be apprentices, she thought resentfully. Knowing Wolfheart he would make sure that they were dead before Scorchstar could make them apprentices. Featherstorm would fight for them of course. But she would be putting her life on the line, and Fadekit wasn't sure she wanted that for her mother.

She shook her head at the thought and hared across the clearing. Pine trees towered above her, the needles they produced made for soft pawsteps that were almost silent. Fadekit relished the scents that filled her lungs. She could spend the whole night out here. The forest was full of hidden life that no one was aware of.

"So far so good, no sign of ShadowClan on our border." Fadekit stopped in her tracks when she heard the voices. Her ears pricked forward in alarm when she picked up RiverClan's familiar stench. That fishy scent was hard to miss, even when the wind wasn't blowing in her direction.

"Good, the last thing I want is another border skirmish. We've already lost too much." She recognized the voice of Tanglethorn. The golden brown tabby had a bad reputation of starting fights. But even he seemed nervous after all the battles that had occurred a few days ago.

Fadekit decided to take the chance and escape before they picked up her scent. That was the only downside to her power; cats could still pick up her scent, which made it easier to find her. Only somewhat to those with not so keen senses. Fortunately there weren't too many cats in ShadowClan that could detect her whereabouts.

She was proud of herself for not giving away her location. And the fact that she had already explored most of the territory before she was even apprentice, that made her feel even happier. Fadekit's fur fluffed up as a cool breeze suddenly picked up. She didn't want to stay out too long; mother always seemed to know when she was gone.

By the time Fadekit finally reached the camp it was almost dawn. Most ShadowClan cats fell asleep during the morning. Fadekit was always so eager to explore the territory that she rarely had time for sleep.

"What are you doing awake already?" Fadekit nearly leaped out of her fur when she heard Nightkit's mew. Her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted her brother staring at her in annoyance. Nightkit was standing just outside the nursery, his eyes dark with worry.

"I was just exploring," she replied nonchalantly. "And what are you doing up so early? Weren't you up past moonhigh?" Fadekit trotted past her brother and grabbed a shrew from the fresh-kill pile. Prey with fur was her favorite; she hated anything that was slimy or scaly.

"Fadekit, would you believe me if I said something bad is about to happen?" Nightkit suddenly got quiet, his voice dropping to barely a whisper now. Fadekit looked at her brother seriously as he followed her to the nursery. Carefully she dropped her shrew and gazed at it thoughtfully before answering.

"Depends on what you would say is about to happen," she said with a shrug. "Is that why you can't sleep? I've been watching you, and for some reason you keep waking up in the middle of the night, looking terrified." She blinked and took a bite of her shrew, savoring the warm taste in her mouth.

Nightkit's ears flattened immediately. She knew that he was having horrible nightmares. Nightkit didn't seem to know that she was always watching him. Maybe that was a good thing. She didn't want him to feel more embarrassed than he already was.

"It's just that…. I keep having these visions of something terrible happening," he murmured. "The night before I dreamed that Streakfur was about to be killed by a RiverClan cat. And last night I dreamed that Scorchstar was murdered by someone from our Clan."

He made sure that only Fadekit would hear. Any other cat would think that he was losing his mind. But Fadekit understood what he was going through. She had felt the same way when she first discovered her power. Nightkit was scared, and understandably so. She suddenly pressed herself against him comfortingly.

"They're just dreams Nightkit," she mewed. "But maybe it's StarClan's way of warning you too." She took another bite of her shrew and thought back to how Bumblewind had become ShadowClan's medicine cat. The dusky brown tom had claimed to see terrible visions as well, and Littlecloud had trained him as his apprentice.

"Do you really think I should be a medicine cat?" Nightkit's nose wrinkled at the thought. But even he could see the sense in her words. "Maybe I'll go and talk to Bumblewind about it," he finally sighed in defeat.

Fadekit flicked her tail across her brother's shoulder, thankful to see that his mind was made up. "I'm sure Bumblewind can figure out what's happening," she purred. If anyone could figure it out, it was the medicine cat.

AN: So there's chapter two. Not much happening here, but you already get to see Fadekit's power. And you sort of got a glimpse into Nightkit's power as well :)

QOTD: What do you think of Nightkit and Fadekit?

Lunasparks - I probably should've mentioned that this takes place a few moons after Bramblestar's Storm ;) And I'm glad you like them so far, but you might change your mind in future chapters :P

Silverbird22 - XD Hopefully not, though you're more than welcome to murder Wolfheart. That mousebrain deserves it ;)

sunburstkitty - XD I would too! And just for kicks I'd make sure that he knew who was putting them in his nest too out of spite :P Oakkit kind of did that to himself though; he's sort of an outcast because Blazekit and Wrenkit are so close :(