Warriors- Rise of Darkness

Chapter 1

     Hailkit yawned, the warm summer sun resting on her white fur. She struggled to open her eyes, not yet wanting to wake up and leave her mother's warm, snuggly fur. She could hear the early morning birds singing their songs of bliss with the ever rising sun. Still, this was not enough motivation for her to get up and stretch her legs.

There was a nudge at her side. At first, Hailkit didn't budge, believing it was Runningkit kicking her again. It nudged her backside again. Hailkit mewed annoyed, curling up in a tighter ball. She could feel her mother's vibrations of her soothing purr. Hailkit snuggled in closer to her mother's silky fur.

"Hailkit," her mother's calm voice called out softly, "the other kits are playing outside, why don't you go join them in the clearing?"

Hailkit slowly opened her bright blue eyes. She looked up at her mother who was staring down at her so sweetly. Hailkit yawned and curled back up into a ball.

"I'd rather sleep mama" Hailkit responded.

Ambernose studied her kit "but you are finally four moons old, don't you want to see the apprentice training?"

Hailkit frowned, sitting up and looking her mother dead in the eyes "no."

"No?"

"I don't want to?"

"I thought every kit would love to watch the apprentices do their thing" Joyseed chuckled, nursing her just barely born kits.

"When I was your age, I couldn't wait to get out and become an apprentice," Ambernose told her kit "it was so excited to see them come back from hunting and-"

"I don't want to hunt," Hailkit said, "I want to stay with you, mama."

"Well," Ambernose looked over at Joyseed.

Joyseed tipped her head and flicked her tail "Hailkit, maybe you should go and visit Birdwing."

"I'm not sick and it smells in there" Hailkit frowned at Joyseed.

Ambernose's tail twitched "What if I went with you to the clearing? Would you go then?"

Hailkit paused, thinking about the decision. She gave a slow nod and quick nod. Ambernose sighed, sitting up from her warm, mossy bed. She stretched out and padded out of the bush-based nursery. Hailkit followed behind skittish, afraid of the shadows that came from her own.

The summer sun beamed down at Hailkit, glistening her gray and white fur. She followed close by Ambernose, scared by the little noises made by the other clan mates. Ambernose chortled with her kits such afraidness of what laid outside the nursery.

Ambernose moved over to a curved rocky peak and sat down in the shade. Hailkit wasted no time and raced to her mother and sat down practically on her tail. Hailkit's siblings, Sweetkit and Runningkit were busy play fighting in the clearing with one of the apprentices, Kinkpaw. Hailkit studied them, a little curious but still shy around them.

Ambernose nudged Hailkit "Go play with them."

Hailkit looked at her mother "no."

"HAILKIT!" Kinkpaw raced over to Hailkit, leaving Sweetkit and Runningkit sitting there sad that the apprentice left them. The she-cat looked down at Hailkit, towering over her "come and play!"

"Apprentices aren't supposed to play," Hailkit said.

Kinkpaw sat down, "Wildbird sprained his paw this morning, so i get the day off."

"Go on" Ambernose nudged Hailkit forward. Hailkit gulped, nervous to follow the apprentice.

"Come on Hailkit!" Groaned Sweetkit, her ginger fur stained with mud and dirt.

Hailkit frowned, but finally caved in. She sulked with Kinkpaw to join them. Though, she was clearly not happy about this. Her tail dragged on the ground behind her. Ambernose smiled proud of her kit off in the distance.

Kinkpaw bolted after Sweetkit and Runningkit and tackled them down in a playfight war. Hailkit looked at them confused and was wary of joining up with them. She glanced back at Ambernose with helpless eyes.

"When will she grow up" Hailkit heard a grumble behind her. She looked over, seeing Kinkpaw's littermate, Moonpaw walk over and set down a mouse in the fresh kill pile. He sat down, next to Hailkit. His eyes darkened, looking at Kinkpaw act so kit-like.

"She should be out on patrol, even if her mentor is down for the day" He grumbled.

"I would still go out on patrol" Hailkit squeaked. Moonpaw looked at her, his tail swishing.

"Your four moons old, right?" he asked.

Hailkit nodded.

He studied her carefully, his dark blue eyes looking at her. He said no more and left Hailkit sitting there, confused on why he walked away. She watched the white tom pad over to his mentor, Rockstream, one of the oldest warriors in the clan and greeted him coldly. Hailkit tipped her head confused with Moonpaw.

**********

Hailkit blinked, still confused about Moonpaw's conversation with her. Runningkit was piled up on top of Sweetkit who mewed annoyed by this smash of fat on her. Hailkit nudged her mother awake. Ambernose opened one eye sleepily.

"What is is, Hailkit?" she yawned.

"Why is Moonpaw so grumpy?" Hailkit asked.

Ambernose shut her eyes, "I...I don't know. I guess that's just how he is."

"But why?" Hailkit asked.

"Go to sleep Hailkit" Ambernose said.

Hailkit frowned, looking over at Joyseed who was curled up and asleep with her kits. Hailkit frowned, wrapping her tail around her as she lied down. Her eyes grew heavy and she let out a huge breath before she drifted off to sleep.

Hailkit opened her eyes from what seemed like she had been asleep for ours. She looked around, seeing a huge cast of mist around her. She blinked, her legs trembling as a darkening forest grew from below her feet. She shuttered, a cold chill creeping into her fur and sinking down into her skin. Where was she?

There was a loud scream of a dying cat deep down in the forest. Hailkit, alarmed, ran away from the noise but found herself growing toward it no matter which direction she went to. She tripped, falling down a huge and rolling hills.

She slowed down, hitting the bottom of the hill. She groaned, landing in something warm and wet. She slowly stood up and looked around. Her heart about stopped. She was covered in the blood of a slaughtered cat. She did not recognize the cat nor the hundreds of others that lied dead in front of her. Blood tricked down the grass, staining everything around. Cats where slaughtered in mass piles, almost like twolegs had come back up in the mountains again, but worse.

Hailkit gulped, taking a few steps back before bumping into something fluffy. She quickly spun around and looked up at a towering ginger tabby tom. His green eyes were so dark they could almost have been black.

The cat studied her and slowly walked off. Hailkit, curious about the cat, followed him through the forest. He gained speed, about leaving her. She raced as fast as her tiny kit legs could carry her until he stopped at a rocky formation. He looked down at her and blinked. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or even know if he was the one that killed the other cats.

He bent down and touched her nose with his. Hailkit jolted in pain. An electrical shock blasted through her tiny body, leaving her meowing in pain. The image of the forest started to blur and fade. She looked at the ginger tom one last time before she woke up. She looked around, finding herself alone in her nest. She panted, confused on what had happened. What was that? Joyseed lifted her head, looking at Hailkit.

"Nightmare?" She asked.

Hailkit didn't know how to respond to the queen. She got up and left her nest, about running into a warrior crossing the nursery. The world around her was so different yet still the same. She felt something inside her. She looked over seeing Runningkit and Sweetkit rough housing with each other as they did every day. She sat down, looking at her paws. Her mind still buzzed with the dream or nightmare. Was that Starclan, or something terrible?