HOME | DD

Description
  Weak sunlight streamed through the thorny branches of the nursery roof as a crow called loudly from far off in the distance. As one of the shafts of light danced across her face, Shadekit stirred in her nest. Stretching her jaws wide in a yawn, Shadekit blinked the sleep from her dark blue eyes and gazed around the den.

  Her littermates, Moonkit and Marshkit, were still curled up asleep next to the kits' mother, Applefall. The nursery was quiet except for the breathing of the sleeping cats. Shadekit purred softly in amusement as Moonkit twitched in her sleep. Probably chasing prey again… Shadekit thought, twitching her black whiskers in amusement.

  Flicking the last few pieces of clinging moss from her fur, Shadekit tiptoed around her sleeping denmates and scrabbled out of the nursery hollow. The overhanging thorn bush that protected the nursery tugged slightly at her pelt, but Shadekit slipped out into the clearing with the ease of long practice.

  All was peaceful in the Shadowclan camp. What little watery sunlight that could penetrate the thick layer of clouds covering the sky gave little warmth; Shadekit fluffed up her soft kit-fur against the late greenleaf breeze. Leaf-fall was definitely on it's way, and after that, leaf-bare. The days were growing colder and shorter, and prey would become scarce.

  But I'll be an apprentice by then! Shadekit reminded herself with a shake of her dark-striped, smoky gray pelt. Then I'll be able to hunt for myself and the rest of the clan! "I'll be the best hunter in all of Shadowclan!" she murmured to herself, settling down on the cool, muddy ground near the nursery entrance.

  Shadekit pricked her ears at the sound of rustling coming from the camp entrance; the dawn patrol was returning from renewing the scent markers along the Thunderclan border. I'll be able to go on patrols soon, too! Shadekit thought excitedly, kneading the ground beneath her forepaws in anticipation.

  Snakepelt, a brownish-gray tom and the head of the returning patrol, flicked his tail in friendly greeting towards Shadekit  when he saw her. The kit returned the gesture enthusiastically; it wasn't often that many Shadowclan cats showed such friendliness, so Shadekit made sure to try to stealthily encourage these behaviors as best she could when they arose.

  To her even more surprise, Snakepelt excused himself from the patrol group and padded up to Shadekit. "Hello, Shadekit," he meowed, sitting down beside her and tucking his brown paws beneath him. "How are you?"

  Taken slightly aback by the friendliness in his voice, it took Shadekit a few moments to gather her thoughts and reply, "I'm fine, thanks. What about you? Was the patrol good?"

  "The patrol was fine," Snakepelt answered with a flick of his tail. "There was no Thunderclan scent where it shouldn't have been, and there border was quiet." He smirked, then added, "Quiet of cats, at least."

  Shadekit tipped her head to one side. What was that supposed to mean? For the first time, Shadekit noticed that Snakepelt's fur had a strange smell clinging to it. It was a sort of acrid tang, and it make Shadekit want to wrinkle her nose in disgust. What this what Thunderclan smelled like?

  Snakepelt turned his gray-green eyes on Shadekit curiously, bringing her back to the conversation, and asked, "You're almost six moons now, aren't you?" Shadekit nodded, and he went on, "So you'll be apprenticed soon, right?"

  "Yes…" Shadekit answered wearily. Why was Snakepelt asking her so many questions? Why was he being so friendly? Wait, Shadekit thought to herself. Snakepelt doesn't have an apprentice of his own yet… Was he hinting on being her mentor?

  "Why do you want to know?" Shadekit asked, eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion, even though she tried desperately to hide it. Snakepelt wouldn't tell her if she seemed too eager to know.

  But Snakepelt just chuckled and replied, "Because you seem too big for the nursery anymore." Is that it? Shadekit wanted to ask. She felt that Snakepelt wasn't telling her his real reason, but before she could ask him again, Thorntooth called for Snakepelt, and he pushed himself to his paws. Before padding away, he turned back to Shadekit with a twinkle in his eyes and said, "See you later." Then he bounded away and disappeared underneath the bramble bush across the clearing that concealed the warriors den.

  Shadekit stared after him, bewilderment filling her like rain in an upturned leaf. ~~~

  Shadekit pricked her ears a few moments later when the nursery entrance rustled again, and she turned to see Moonkit scrabbling out into the clearing. The kit's light gray pelt was slightly ruffled, and Moonkit drew her small pink tongue over the tangles to smooth them. Shadekit purred in amusement and flicked her sister's ear affectionately with her tail.

  "Chasing frogs again?" Shadekit teased when her littermate was done, referring back to Moonkit's twitching in the den earlier.

  Moonkit turned her eyes on Shadekit, her expression full of wonder and surprise. Her eyes were such a light blue that they were almost white, and they were as round as full moons as she replied, "I was, actually! How'd you know?" She broke into purrs of amusement before adding, "Were you watching me in my sleep?"

  "Well, you kinda gave me no choice with all of your twitching and mewling!" Shadekit retorted playfully. Moonkit looked crestfallen, so Shadekit rasped her tongue over her littermate's ear and added gently, "But it's okay; I needed to get up anyways."

  Moonkit brightened immediately and mewed, "Okay! Now, I'm off to see Yellowfang!" The light gray kit pressed her pink nose to Shadekit's shoulder fur for a moment before dashing off to the medicine cat's den. Shadekit sighed after the retreating form of her sister. Moonkit had been spending a lot of time with Shadowclan's medicine cat lately, and Shadekit was worried that she would rather become a medicine cat apprentice than a warrior apprentice.

  Shadekit shook herself roughly. Moonkit was always going on about how much she looked forward to hunting and patrolling and defending the clan from enemy warriors. If she were a medicine cat, she wouldn't be able to do all of those things. No, Shadekit assured herself, giving her chest fur a quick lick. Moonkit will definitely stay a warrior with me.

  But deep down, even as she repeated her words over and over to herself, Shadekit couldn't suppress the growing sense of doubt that had nestled deep in her belly. ~*~*~

Description
  Weak sunlight streamed through the thorny branches of the nursery roof as a crow called loudly from far off in the distance. As one of the shafts of light danced across her face, Shadekit stirred in her nest. Stretching her jaws wide in a yawn, Shadekit blinked the sleep from her dark blue eyes and gazed around the den.

  Her littermates, Moonkit and Marshkit, were still curled up asleep next to the kits' mother, Applefall. The nursery was quiet except for the breathing of the sleeping cats. Shadekit purred softly in amusement as Moonkit twitched in her sleep. Probably chasing prey again… Shadekit thought, twitching her black whiskers in amusement.

  Flicking the last few pieces of clinging moss from her fur, Shadekit tiptoed around her sleeping denmates and scrabbled out of the nursery hollow. The overhanging thorn bush that protected the nursery tugged slightly at her pelt, but Shadekit slipped out into the clearing with the ease of long practice.

  All was peaceful in the Shadowclan camp. What little watery sunlight that could penetrate the thick layer of clouds covering the sky gave little warmth; Shadekit fluffed up her soft kit-fur against the late greenleaf breeze. Leaf-fall was definitely on it's way, and after that, leaf-bare. The days were growing colder and shorter, and prey would become scarce.

  But I'll be an apprentice by then! Shadekit reminded herself with a shake of her dark-striped, smoky gray pelt. Then I'll be able to hunt for myself and the rest of the clan! "I'll be the best hunter in all of Shadowclan!" she murmured to herself, settling down on the cool, muddy ground near the nursery entrance.

  Shadekit pricked her ears at the sound of rustling coming from the camp entrance; the dawn patrol was returning from renewing the scent markers along the Thunderclan border. I'll be able to go on patrols soon, too! Shadekit thought excitedly, kneading the ground beneath her forepaws in anticipation.

  Snakepelt, a brownish-gray tom and the head of the returning patrol, flicked his tail in friendly greeting towards Shadekit  when he saw her. The kit returned the gesture enthusiastically; it wasn't often that many Shadowclan cats showed such friendliness, so Shadekit made sure to try to stealthily encourage these behaviors as best she could when they arose.

  To her even more surprise, Snakepelt excused himself from the patrol group and padded up to Shadekit. "Hello, Shadekit," he meowed, sitting down beside her and tucking his brown paws beneath him. "How are you?"

  Taken slightly aback by the friendliness in his voice, it took Shadekit a few moments to gather her thoughts and reply, "I'm fine, thanks. What about you? Was the patrol good?"

  "The patrol was fine," Snakepelt answered with a flick of his tail. "There was no Thunderclan scent where it shouldn't have been, and there border was quiet." He smirked, then added, "Quiet of cats, at least."

  Shadekit tipped her head to one side. What was that supposed to mean? For the first time, Shadekit noticed that Snakepelt's fur had a strange smell clinging to it. It was a sort of acrid tang, and it make Shadekit want to wrinkle her nose in disgust. What this what Thunderclan smelled like?

  Snakepelt turned his gray-green eyes on Shadekit curiously, bringing her back to the conversation, and asked, "You're almost six moons now, aren't you?" Shadekit nodded, and he went on, "So you'll be apprenticed soon, right?"

  "Yes…" Shadekit answered wearily. Why was Snakepelt asking her so many questions? Why was he being so friendly? Wait, Shadekit thought to herself. Snakepelt doesn't have an apprentice of his own yet… Was he hinting on being her mentor?

  "Why do you want to know?" Shadekit asked, eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion, even though she tried desperately to hide it. Snakepelt wouldn't tell her if she seemed too eager to know.

  But Snakepelt just chuckled and replied, "Because you seem too big for the nursery anymore." Is that it? Shadekit wanted to ask. She felt that Snakepelt wasn't telling her his real reason, but before she could ask him again, Thorntooth called for Snakepelt, and he pushed himself to his paws. Before padding away, he turned back to Shadekit with a twinkle in his eyes and said, "See you later." Then he bounded away and disappeared underneath the bramble bush across the clearing that concealed the warriors den.

  Shadekit stared after him, bewilderment filling her like rain in an upturned leaf. ~~~

  Shadekit pricked her ears a few moments later when the nursery entrance rustled again, and she turned to see Moonkit scrabbling out into the clearing. The kit's light gray pelt was slightly ruffled, and Moonkit drew her small pink tongue over the tangles to smooth them. Shadekit purred in amusement and flicked her sister's ear affectionately with her tail.

  "Chasing frogs again?" Shadekit teased when her littermate was done, referring back to Moonkit's twitching in the den earlier.

  Moonkit turned her eyes on Shadekit, her expression full of wonder and surprise. Her eyes were such a light blue that they were almost white, and they were as round as full moons as she replied, "I was, actually! How'd you know?" She broke into purrs of amusement before adding, "Were you watching me in my sleep?"

  "Well, you kinda gave me no choice with all of your twitching and mewling!" Shadekit retorted playfully. Moonkit looked crestfallen, so Shadekit rasped her tongue over her littermate's ear and added gently, "But it's okay; I needed to get up anyways."

  Moonkit brightened immediately and mewed, "Okay! Now, I'm off to see Yellowfang!" The light gray kit pressed her pink nose to Shadekit's shoulder fur for a moment before dashing off to the medicine cat's den. Shadekit sighed after the retreating form of her sister. Moonkit had been spending a lot of time with Shadowclan's medicine cat lately, and Shadekit was worried that she would rather become a medicine cat apprentice than a warrior apprentice.

  Shadekit shook herself roughly. Moonkit was always going on about how much she looked forward to hunting and patrolling and defending the clan from enemy warriors. If she were a medicine cat, she wouldn't be able to do all of those things. No, Shadekit assured herself, giving her chest fur a quick lick. Moonkit will definitely stay a warrior with me.

  But deep down, even as she repeated her words over and over to herself, Shadekit couldn't suppress the growing sense of doubt that had nestled deep in her belly. ~*~*~