This is my One-shot for Nighty's contest.
Prologue[]
Her back felt like fire as she dragged herself across the grounds. She was dragging along her kits who swung violently from her jaws. Fear drenched her scent as she desperately tried to scramble away, dizziness began to alter her once perfect vision. She used to have a beautiful pale orange tabby coat, now torn to rags and matted worse than the dirtiest rat.
The kits gave squeals of protest, they had yet to open their eyes since being only two days of age. The mother slumped down behind a tree, heaving in extreme pain as she winced.
"Please Ravenfire..." She mewed weakly, her voice practically begging to the high heavens. "Please..."
She lay the kits near her belly, the milk had stopped coming. The medicine cat had said it was from stress, it was true. The small bundles that were to be the future of the Clan cried in hunger. The she-cat slowly lay her head on the ground, the world around her beginning to move in a dizzying motion.
ShadowClan had broken out into another civil war, where their own cats would chose their sides and practically fight to the death with the ones they once loved. Brother against brother, mother against father. She had even forgot the reason they were fighting in the first place. The intense fire in her back had faded her memory, replacing everything she thought about with a severe aching.
What she hadn't forgot is her mate battling a tom of equal size, and she herself racing off with the kits in the midst of battle. The next she knew a warrior hiding in the trees leaped and landing straight up her spine, breaking not only her spine, but her hope of ever escaping. The kits had tumbled from her mouth, squirming and crying. She dragged herself away after a lethal swipe at the warrior that sent him stumbling off making sure to make a mad grab at the kits before taking off.
Every breath she took was agony to the chest. Her eyes settled on the kits that had given up on even eating, just squeaking as they both tried to find the softest and warmest part of their mother's belly.
"Are you gone my love...?" She whispered to herself, voice growing more blank and emotionless. "Were you the first to leave me without even I to know...?"
Her vision had grown even more blurry and it seemed as if she was already swaying off into StarClan.
"Protect them, anyone. Just make sure my kits survive..." Her sweet voice trailed off, the pain in her back beginning to fade as she gave a small smile. Her eyes froze, looking off into a never-ending distance as her heart stopped beating, lungs stopped breathing, and mind going forever blank.
The civil war is over my darling. The kits are safe.
Chapter One[]
Sunpaw peeked into the apprentice den, her orange fur reflecting the sunlight that shimmered from the cracks in the ceiling of the den.
Her brother was still fast asleep, his dark ginger fur like a soft flame as he breathed calmy. She growled to herself in annoyance, all cats of ShadowClan past the age of six moons were due to wake up right when the tip of the sun would begin to rise. He was nearly half-the-sun late, and would be punished if any of the warriors were to notice. He had an excuse though, for he was due on the Midnight Patrol, and being a newly name apprentice his body was still not use to this schedule of early rising and late rest.
The she-cat grabbed an overhanging vine from the den's walls that wrapped around a branch that protected the den from harsh winds. The vine came from a tree near the dense areas of the march where it rained most, it was stuck on the branch and had stayed for nearly two moons, even before Sunpaw and Rowanpaw were apprentices.
She held the vine in her mouth and swung it at Rowawpaw, the tip slapping him in the face. He let out a small squeak, scrambling to his paws, eyes searching around until they caught sight of Sunpaw, smirking with the vine in her jaws.
"Hey!" Rowanpaw squealed in protest, shaking out his fur with a very unamused look on his face.
"Hush your muzzle, lazy-bones," Sunpaw rolled her eyes, clearly not wanting to take on a scolding from her late-waking brother. "You're already late upon waking, your lucky the warriors haven't caught you yet."
Her brother ran to the exit, peeking out into the camp where cats mewed to eachother in hushed voices, then he looked back frantically to the orange she-cat. "It's nearly past dawn!" He gasped, eyes widening in fear. "I'm going to be in so much trouble with Fernflight." He recalled of his kind, yet very rule-strict mentor.
"Calm down," Sunpaw purred, padding over to him and sitting down. "The Clan is in quite a good mood. It is now officially Green-leaf from what I've heard, and Stonestar has permitted the sharing of two cats per mouse rather than three." She stretched her back. "I suppose that's the best mood he has ever been in."
"Well, we better hurry then. Those mice will be gone soon enough." He skirted out, being followed quickly by Sunpaw.