StarClan's Will - A Warriors Story

Chapter I

Chapter I

"Dawnkit. Dawnkit."A gentle shake woke the little white she-kit.

Dawnkit opened her pale blue eyes sleepily to see her parents, Lakestar and Shadepelt looking down at her. She looked at them with questioning eyes and yawned, baring rows of small, sharp teeth.

"It's time to wake up,"Shadepelt purred cheerfully. He gave Dawnkit a nudge in the other kits' direction. "Why don't you play with them?"

Dawnkit's father had said "them", meaning Duskkit, Aspenkit, Amberkit, Darkkit and Hollykit. As at the moment, Hollykit and Darkkit weren't among the huddle of kits.

"I don't want to," Dawnkit mouthed, sinking back into her nest to hide herself from the other kits' view.

Her father and mother had been trying to get Dawnkit to play with the other kits for moons. Ever since she and her elder sister, Duskkit, had learned how to walk, Duskkit had immediately proved to be a social butterfly, playing and gossiping with the other kits. She was outgoing, bubbly, enthusiastic, and a great hit with the older kits. And as for Dawnkit, she was Duskkit's complete opposite. She was shy, insecure, and quiet, and the worst thing was... Dawnkit was mute.

Everyone had had high expectations of the two sisters even before they were born. Their parents were legends, after all. Lakestar was the honorable, strong leader of ShadowClan, and Shadepelt was a highly respected senior warrior. Duskkit had, of course, met their expectations, blossoming out to be a sweet, well-liked she-kit. The perfect daughter. And Dawnkit, even now at three moons of age, was still scared to venture out and play with the older kits.

Lakestar used her tail to sweep Dawnkit to her side. She gave Dawnkit a little, insistent nudge. "Go on. The other kits don't bite. You'll love playing with them, you'll see."

Dawnkit gave her mother a pleading look, but her mother nodded encouragingly.

Giving an inward groan, Dawnkit padded to the back of the nursery, her gaze locked on the ground beneath her paws.

Duskkit looked up as she neared. "Hi, Dawnkit!" she mewed cheerfully. "We're thinking of what to play. Want to join us?"

Duskkit was Dawnkit's older sister. Skyblossom, the sleek, black-furred medicine cat had told her Lakestar's birth had lasted the whole evening till sunrise on the next day. Lakestar had birthed Duskkit at dusk, and Dawnkit at dawn in the morning after.

Duskkit had soft, fluffy golden fur and wide blue eyes. Their true color was starting to come in – the light blue was darkening slightly. She had darker brown tabby stripes along her flanks, and a lighter colored chest and forepaws. She was slightly larger than Dawnkit. In fact, all the kits were larger than Dawnkit, Aspenkit and Amberkit included.

Aspenkit was a tom with dark gray fur - so dark it was black - with bright green eyes. His eyes were sharp and intelligent, and Dawnkit was extremely intimidated him, him being two moons older than her and her sister. He had a white tail-tip, forepaws and eartips.

Amberkit was Aspenkit's sister, and she had the same sharp eyes as her brother, and the only difference was that her eyes were amber in colour. Her pelt was gray as well, but dove-gray and a shade lighter than Aspenkit's.

Amberkit seemed to look down on Dawnkit to no end. And being taller than Dawnkit by a head, it was easy for her to do so. Her pink nose tilted upwards and her amber eyes flashed with disdain whenever Dawnkit neared, but she seemed to be becoming fast friends with Duskkit.

Dawnkit had seen Duskkit play with the two of them before, as well as two other kits who had been in the nursery longest – Darkkit, a jet black tom with amber eyes and Hollykit, who also had a black pelt and green eyes.