Shadows

Bluekit is a young blue-gray she-cat with forest green eyes. She's born into FernClan but with a terrible problem that haunts her. She sees shadows. Shadows that haunt her and torment her. Her own mother is nothing more than a shadow in her mismatched eyes that wants nothing to do with her. The young kitten is terrified. Can anyone help her with this problem or is she doomed to be haunted forever? What do the shadows mean? Is it a warning from StarClan? The Dark Forest? Something greater? What could it mean? Bluekit wants answers and she's determined to find out.

"Bluekit! Bluekit wake up!" Tigerpaw mewed excitedly "Wake up! It's the first thaw of Newleaf!"

The brown, striped tom had taken the kit in, as he had been orphaned when a fox took his mother and killed his father, leaving him on his own. He decided to become a big brother/mentor to the tiny kit, and he loved her dearly. The young Fernclan aprentice was determined to protect Bluekit from anything that would hurt her.

Bluekit screwed up her face at the sound of her friend's excited meows at Newleaf on its way. The tiny blue-gray she-kit just wanted to sleep some more. She wanted to curl up tighter in a fluffy ball in the den, but she didn't want to keep her older brother waiting. She owed him one after all. Tigerpaw stood up for her whenever her mother would lash out at her, leaving the kitten to curl up with the brown tabby at night to keep far away from her as possible. She didn't understand why the big shadowy cat wanted to hurt her, but she was thankful for the older cat taking her in when she needed it the most.

She opened her green eyes with a massive yawn as she blinked tiredly up at the apprentice. She slowly pushed herself to her paws, stumbling for a moment before she regained her footing. She shook herself in an attempt to wake herself up more, before she gave the tabby a sly smile.

"Race you!" Bluekit squealed, as she darted past her adopted brother out of the den and into FernClan's camp.

The tom snickered and gave her a headstart, then easily cought up. He pretended to slip on some ice that was still on the ground, and playfully made himself run into a stump.

"OOF! Mousebrained me again! Clumsy! Now you'll win again. Poor me" he said with a chuckle in his voice.He lay on his back, paws in the air "I can't roll over!" he said playfuilly "Help me! Oh help me strong Warriuor!"

Bluekit let out a mrrow of laughter as she watched Tigerpaw pretend to trip and fall, easily allowing her to win their race. The kit skidded to a stop as she glanced back at her fallen friend that was mewling like a kit for its mother. The blue-gray she-kit's whiskers twitched in amusement as she padded over to the tabby apprentice, gently pushing him with her paws to get him back to his own.

As soon as he got to his side, he stood and shook the loose dirt and ice from his fur, and playfully swatted her into a ball of fluff at his feet. He then proceeded to lick her all over, laughing joyously

"You're such a strong little warrior! You'll make a fine aprentice someday, Bluekit. I'll be there when you are made a warrior, and you know what?" he curled his black tail around her.

The kitten fell back with a squeak of surprise as Tigerpaw playfully batted her once she had gotten him to his paws. She stumbled back to her paws, shaking her own fur clean once the apprentice was finished licking her. Bluekit blinked her forest green eyes up at him as she purred, nuzzling up against him.

"Yeah, of course! Where would you go?" she questioned, tilting her head to one side as she gazed up at him. "It's not like you're going anyway. You'll be there when I'm an apprentice and a warrior! We can train together too! We'll make the best team the forest has seen! We'll have the other Clans shaking in their pelts!"

The tom laughed in his throat, "Indeed we will. But unfortunately, I don't get to choose my aprentice. When the time comes I--"

"Tigerpaw! Get your tail over here! You think it's time to laze about do you?" A brown calico with a torn ear, Mudstreak, yeowled from the freshkill area.

"No sir, Sorry Mudstreak!" the tabby mewed placatingly. He nuzzled the kit "You stay in camp this time, little warrior. I'll be back soon ok?"

She knew that he wouldn't be able to pick who his apprentice would be once he was made a warrior. She wanted to be his apprentice but the chances of that were slim to none. Her tiny ears perked up at the sound of Mudstreak's yowl and her ears lowered at her friend having to leave for his training. Bluekit gave a nod as she watched with a heavy heart as her friend raced over to the fresh-kill pile where his mentor was waiting for him.

A cold wind whistled by, tingling the blueish fluff of a kit.

Well that's no fun! How dare he leave you without a playmate! A raspy young voice said on the wind. A shadow moved nearby, and seemed to becon her with a tail

Bluekit fell back with a startled squeal at the sight of the shadow. She cowered back away from it, her fur puffing out and her ears laying flat against her skull. She sat there trembling for a moment, expecting blinding paw from claws or teeth, before she slowly rose to her paws again, ears twitching curiously as she followed after the shadow that appeared to want her to follow it.

The shadoiw giggled and had her chase it foir five minutes before it led her to a mess of rocks and small unused dens

"This seems like a fun place ta play!" it said, finally forming into a small, black and red fluffball that seemed no older than Bluekit herself.

The blue-gray she-kit chuckled as she played around with the shadow. She was surprised at how friendly this was one was, but she accepted it all the same. She had someone to play with while Tigerpaw was away. She followed the shadow to the unused dens and pile of rocks, her tail twitching. Her green eyes widened as the shadow took shape, forming a black-and-red kitten that looked to be her age. She stumbled back in shock. Never before had this happened.

"Well then, You be it ok?" he said, tail in the air "I'll hide and um...you come find me!"

It took a moment before the kit recovered from her shock. She nodded as she covered her eyes with her tail while the shadow cat went to hide.

The shadowkit laughed and danced around before flowing into a den "Come on and fiiiiiiiiiiiiind meeeeee"

Bluekit uncovered her eyes with a determined look on her face. She bounced forward to find the dark feline. She headed towards the place where she had heard his voice come from. Her small whiskers twitched as her green eyes scanned around for any movement or sounds that would tip her off to where he was.

The shadows all around her giggled. There was no way to pinpoint her new friend. A smell though, rose from a darkened corner of the den. A fluffy something was there, tail erect.

Bluekit twitched her ears as she heard the shadows giggle. It was heard to pinpoint where her new friend was at, but her nose caught the scent of the shadow cat. With a grin, the she-kit made her way over to it and pounced on his tail. "Got you!"

He laughed and disolved under her paws, solidifying again to apear, sitting, next to her.

"You're fun!" he said, his redtipped tail lashing happily "Can we be friends?"

The kit's eyes widened as she watched the shadowy cat disappear before he appeared beside her, making her jump in surprise. She shook herself to calm down before she sat down beside the black-and-red kit. "Sure, we can be friends! I don't have many so I'd love to be friends with you, mister shadow!"

"My name's Vanito. WHat's yours?" he asked, cleaning his ear with a paw.

Bluekit twitched her whiskers. "Vanito's a weird name," she commented, finding it strange that he didn't have a name like hers. "I'm called Bluekit."

"Suits ya!" he said, whisping around before solidifying again, this time on a rock "So, you're what they call a Clan Cat hmm? Odd, I expected your kind ta be real big and bright. I hate bright things. They hurt me!"

She chuckled. She supposed the name fit her well. She did have a blue-gray coat after all. She watched as he disappeared again before appearing on a rock. Bluekit flicked her tail as she stood up, bouncing over to where Vanito now sat. "What made you think us Clan cats were big and bright?" she questioned, cocking her head to one side. "We're normal cats like you. Well, maybe not like you but, um..."