Shadows in my Mind

Prologue

Tansypaw crouched silently in the bushes, her breath fogging in front of her delicate nose as she exhaled, ever so softly. She could hear the rustling of a creature in front of her, only rabbit-hops away now.

Focus! she berated herself, feeling her muscles tense in excitement. This is the first piece of prey you've seen all morning. You can't mess it up.

She took a slow, deliberate step forward, holding her breath lightly as her paw brushed against the leaves of the bushes she hid in. However, they were thick with dew, and they barely made a sound as her paw slid past.

The apprentice opened her mouth slightly, her eyes narrowing as the scent of her prey wafted into her mouth, bathing her tongue in the delectable smell of mouse. She took another step forward, and her prey came within view. The tiny creature was hiding beneath a bush of its own, a damp and rotten-looking seed clamped in its front paws as it sniffed fervently at it, ears strained and twitching. Tansypaw lowered ever so slowly into the hunter's crouch she'd practiced so painstakingly for several moons. Her muscles responded smoothly and quickly, tensing just the right amount for the distance between her and the mouse. She was tail-lengths away from her first catch of the day.

The mouse seemed to decide that they were displeased with the seed it had and dropped it, wiping at its face with its paws before looking around warily, as if suddenly realizing the forest had gone quiet around it. Tansypaw didn't waste any more time; she kicked out, and in a moment her claws had pinned the creature, and she delivered the quick killing bite to it. As the taste of blood made its way into her mouth, she reared her head back proudly and smiled.

"Thank you, StarClan, for this prey," she mewed softly. "And thank you for blessing me with such luck on my first assessment."

The apprentice closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a gentle purr. Then, she quickly dug a hole for her prey, pushing the mouse in and covering it up for later retrieval. She had just started scenting the air for more prey when she heard her name, soft as a whisper on the wind, but definitely there. She turned and looked around curiously; who would be calling her? Her mentor would be watching her at some point during the assessment, but Tansypaw didn't have the slightest clue as to where or when that would be.

There it was, her name once again, this time slightly louder, more urgent. She turned a tight circle in confusion, trying to locate where the sound was coming from. But it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, all at once.

"Tansypaw!" This time the call was much louder, closer.

She started in confusion and took a few paces forward before halting. "Who is calling me? Where are you?"

The answer was loud, echoing inside of her skull and shattering her mind with the scream. "Tansypaw! You can't escape us! Join us!"

The forest blurred in front of the apprentice's eyes. Her breath came in gasps as a shriek sounded in her mind. All of the fur on her body rose as a jet black figure seemed to rise from the earth, grinning at her with blood-stained fangs and malicious eyes. The figure pounced, and Tansypaw's world was met with darkness.