Sunrise awoke on a lovely spring day, warm sunlight shining into the room she and her owner slept in. She lazily opened her eyes, warm from the sun. The snow had almost melted, only a few clumps shoved in the corners of the fence remaining.
"Sunrise, breakfast!" came the voice of the boy.
Sunrise purred and stood up, following him outside of his door and into the kitchen. Holly and Polly had already eaten one full meal, plus additional treats. They were incredibly plump, sleeping all day, eating in their free time.
Though Sunrise thought that her body appearance would make them jealous, they would often whisper, "Does she not like to eat like a kittypet? She looks like one of those forest cats? Barely has any meat on her at all".
Sunrise ignored these comments, often laughing at their inability to move their chubby legs from under then. They were spoiled rotten.
Food was poured into a small silver bowl, and Sunrise ate away, licking her lips in satisfaction once she finished. Holly and Polly didn't bother eating her food anymore since it required too much effort to even move over to her bowl. She guessed it was best they didn't explode.
"Pst, Sunrise!" came a sharp hiss from Holly.
Sunrise turned, rolling her eyes. She padded over to the two sisters, who lay curled up on the couch like feathery brown donuts.
"Yes?" Sunrise asked.
"Where are you going each day?" Polly asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You're always gone a couple hours a day," Holly explained. "You head out that cat door in the morning, come back in the afternoon for a nap, then disappear until dinnertime."
"Why does it matter?" Sunrise asked.
"What can you possibly find interesting outside?"
"Why don't you get up and see?"
Holly laughed at this, and Sunrise laughed too.
"You're right. You couldn't make it on your chubby legs," she giggled.
Polly glared at Sunrise, a low growl rumbling in her throat.
"Yeah, well, we didn't care anyway," Polly growled.
Sunrise laughed, padding away. Her sisters were still incredibly annoying, but they didn't seem to care about her much anymore. Her mind drifted back to Marshmallow, her favorite sister. What was she doing?
And what about Hazelnut and Tiger? Did they enjoy their new families?
What was her mother and father doing?
All these questions circled Sunrise's mind as she padded inside, a cool breeze sweeping the backyard. It was the beginning of spring, but it sure was cold.
"Sunrise, you're here!" came a sudden exclamation.
Sunrise turned, noticing Fawn perched on her fence. She had grown over the winter, now taller than Sunrise. Sunrise guessed she was okay with it. After all, she was smaller than Holly and Polly, and she remembered being smaller than her other siblings.
"Good morning!" Sunrise called, waving her ginger tail.
"I talked to Anna yesterday," Fawn explained.
"Oh. What about?"
"I dreamt some weird stuff," Fawn admitted.
"Like what?" Sunrise asked.
Fawn shrugged. "It was dark. I couldn't really see. I saw some trees, I guess? But really all I could see were a pair of eyes, or maybe they weren't eyes."
"Eyes?"
"Yeah. They were glowing red. But then again, Anna said it might've just been some colors. Red eyes though. Can you imagine?"
Sunrise laughed. "Seems like an unfortunate eye color."
"I asked Anna what it meant, but she wasn't sure. She said something about light in the darkness. Maybe it's symbolic or something."
"You don't seem as frightened by your dreams," Sunrise admitted. She regretted the words as soon as she spoke them.
Fawn wasn't angry though. Instead, she smiled.
"Yeah. Anna's been a real help. The dreams are becoming more vivid now. Sometimes, I can see cats, full detail cats, hunting or chatting. They're usually in one spot, but sometimes I've seen different parts of the forest."
"That's awesome!" Sunrise exclaimed. "Are they excellent hunters?"
"I don't always see hunting, but yeah, I think so. Once, I could see their pile of food. It was huge, Sunrise! It was all fresh food, like mice and squirrels. It's amazing that they could catch something like that."
"Does that mean anything?"
Fawn shook her head. "Anna says that StarClan has given me the gift to see the clans from my home. Sometimes my dreams mean something, but no cat has spoken to me. The dream I spoke to Anna about was odd though. I had never had such a blurry dream, not since my kithood. Oh well. Want to go see her? She said she'd tell us about clan cats."
"Sure!" Sunrise agreed, leaping up onto her fence.
She followed Fawn on the wooden fence, grinning. It was great to have a friend to keep her company. They'd grown closer near the end of winter, often visiting Anna to listen to her stories.
Though they weren't much of kits anymore, they still enjoyed playing with each other and tussling about.
From the distance, Sunrise could spot Anna's home. She could spot the gray paint and the red-colored roof.
"Come on!" Fawn called, leaping down into Anna's backyard.
Sunrise followed, landing in a pile of snow.
"Aw, yuck!" Sunrise gagged, wiping wet snow from her pelt. Fawn giggled, ducking as Sunrise shook her pelt to send snow flying everywhere.
"Fawn, Fawn is that you?!" came an old raspy voice.
Sunrise turned, watching as the old brown tabby padded out from behind a bush, her green eyes lighting up as she spotted the two.
"Ah, you're here too, Sunrise," Anna purred.
Though Sunrise enjoyed Anna's stories and enjoyed spending time with her, she was aware that Anna preferred seeing Fawn more than Sunrise. Fawn was a gifted cat, blessed from StarClan. Sunrise was just a friend that tagged along, a kittypet wanting to be a clan cat.
"We're here for some stories, Anna," Fawn explained.
"Stories, huh? About clan cats, I presume?"
Sunrise and Fawn both nodded vigorously.
"Ah, well, make yourself comfortable," Anna chuckled. The two sat down from across the old she-cat, awaiting her story of adventure.
"My mother used to tell me about my grandfather, a strong gray tabby tom named Shadowfoot. He was the best warrior in the clan, and she used to talk about how valiantly he fought in battles, bringing glory to the clan."
Both Sunrise and Fawn exchanged excited glances, awaiting for the story to continue.
"Once, a large tom from another clan trespassed onto their territory to plan a sneak attack. Why, Shadowfoot stopped him before he could even move a paw! The clan awarded him then by making him deputy! Everyone was so pleased, proud that the young tom would be their leader."
"He sounds amazing!" Sunrise exclaimed.
"But it was too good to be true. The clan planned another attack the following evening. They raided the camp, and the warriors fought. He died trying to help his mother, an elder at the time, escape. It was truly a loss."
Sunrise froze. She had expected a great story, but it had only ended in tragedy. Was that every warrior story?
"Wait, so he just...died? And people forgot about him?" Sunrise asked.
"Sunrise!" Fawn warned.
Anna chuckled. "Yes, he died. Of course cats didn't forget him. My grandmother was heartbroken. But a new deputy was assigned, and they drove the clan out the next try."
"They didn't need his help? But you said he was a great warrior!"
"He was. Clans are different, Sunrise. I don't think you understand the message."
"What message?" Sunrise asked. "It sounds like warriors don't even matter. They can just easily be killed off and cats will forget about them no matter what they do."
Anna, still calm, smiled. "No, dear. Some cats are always thought of as extraordinary. The entire clan attended his burial and spent the whole night awake during vigil. But remember, the clan was still a threat. They assigned a new deputy, and the clan continued. He was, and probably is still remembered for his achievements."
"See, Sunrise?" Fawn pointed out.
"I-I guess I see," Sunrise admitted. "I'm not a clan cat though, so I guess I don't understand everything."
"Well, none of us really will. Even I cannot comprehend everything," Anna explained. "My mother was a clan cat, not me. Now, thank you for visiting. Fawn, if I may have a word?"
Sunrise tilted her head curiously, watching as they padded towards a nearby bush. Sunrise waited impatiently, not wanting to return home until Fawn had reappeared.
The she-cat came moments later, looking as if she might be sick.
"Is everything okay?" Sunrise asked worriedly.
"Anna told me she was watching the clan cats nearby, asking some questions. They're recovering from a battle during the past fall. She-she thinks a dark spirit might have visited me."
"Nonsense!" Sunrise spat. "What dark spirit? It was a dream."
"But, Sunrise, clan dreams are different."
"Anna doesn't know what she's talking about," Sunrise admitted, though she wondered if maybe Anna was right.
"I don't know. Maybe you're right. But Anna told me this cat was trouble, and that if possible, I should avoid her."
"What cat?" Sunrise asked.
"She said her name was Moonstar."