Falling Sky

Chapter 1

SilverShade sniffed the air, enveloped in the scent of her mother, milky and warm. She felt around numbly, her tiny pink jaws opening and closing.

"Silver! Come on! Open your eyes! I want to play!" SharkTooth squeaked, pawing at her with a fluffy paw.

"Fine, Shark." SilverShade huffed, her glossy fur spiking. She opened one sapphire blue eye, shocked by the brightness of the world.

"Agh!" She shrank back, but the temptation to see more overwhelmed her. She opened both eyes. SharkTooth was laughing. SilverShade wanted to remember everything about her sister's bright pelt. She was a bright ginger with spiky patches of gold on her paws, shoulders, ears, eyes, and even the tip of her tail."Gosh, Silver, I'm not that terrifying." Giggled Shark, her green eyes sparking. Silver rolled her eyes, tempted to leap at the ignorant she-kit. SilverShade looked back at her own pelt, it was shiny silver with black stripes, swirls and spots, SilverShade decided she was some type of bengal cat.

"Go play with Sharky, dear." A sun gold she-cat purred, pushing SilverShade forward with a petite paw. Mother.SilverShade crouched, twitching her tail as she aimed her pounce. She jumped, surprise echoing in her eyes as a gray, long-haired, tom kit slammed into her side mid-leap. He was surprisingly small and light, and SilverShade kicked him off with strong hind legs. The attack sent a thrill through her, and she leapt at him, baring her fangs, prepared to sink her teeth into his throat.

"SilverShade!" Her mother shrieked, peeling the bengal away from the tom. "That's your brother!" The tiny gray kit stood up, shaking his pelt, he had a small patch of white on his ears, and bright blue eyes like SilverShade.Red leaves littered the ground, falling around SilverShade as her mother put her down roughly and began licking SilverShade's brother's spiky pelt. SilverShade recalled her mother talking to Shark, her brother, Thistle, often snuck out. "He's sick Shark, he isn't going to last much longer, let him have his fun while he still can." SilverShade bowed her head.

"Sorry Thistle." She said, staring at her black paws. Thistle shrugged,

"I didn't feel anything SilverShade, its okay." He mewed brightly, though SilverShade could see a bit of red staining his back leg."Your bleeding!" SharkTooth squeaked, her green eyes flashing with worry. SilverShade's mother sighed, her pale gold chest panting worriedly.

"Thistle can you let me and the girls talk privately for a second?" She purred, her silky voice disguising her worry.Thistle looked at his bleeding paw in wonder, before nodding and muttering something about being hungry, then turning and limping awkwardly into the woods, almost like he didn't feel the pain.

"Girls, listen to me, Thistle is sick, he's small, and he can't feel anything." Their mother side, pulling them to her stomach with a long tail. "Mommy, what do you mean?" SilverShade and SharkTooth inquired, the confusion in their eyes felt like a weight in their mother's stomach.

"I mean, he's going to die, and don't hurt him, he won't know he's hurt and a wound could get infected if not treated. You can't tell him sweethearts, he doesn't know he's any different than us." She purred uneasily.SilverShade felt sadness stir in her stomach, a faint attachment to the kit she had only known for a moment. If he can't feel pain, he can't feel good stuff either, or if he's messy, or if he's dying...

"Thats not fair Mommy!" SharkTooth whined, "Please make him better!" She pleaded, her fiery pelt arched as she stared at their mother with leaf green eyes, pulling away from the gold she-cat."It doesn't work that way." She sighed, wrapping her tail more tightly around SilverShade. "But mum, surely there's something we can do?" SilverShade probed.

SilverShade watched with dismay as a single tear fell from her mother's eyes, wetting her pale fur as it slid to her cheek. SilverShade pressed her forehead to her mother's side, snuggling close to her as SharkTooth nosed in beside her. SilverShade's eyelids grew heavy, she gave up fighting sleep that had been nagging at her a few moments after she had opened her eyes.

"Shark! Get your butt out of my face!" Growled SilverShade, shoving SharkTooth off with a strong paw. She had spent the last few moons after a dog raided the hollow tree where her family lived training. SharkTooth had been dismayed by the cruel tactics SilverShade taught herself and what she learned from the rogues she occasionally trained with. SilverShade rolled away from SharkTooth as she swiped playfully at her ears.

SilverShade shook her silver fur, padding over to where Thistle lay. Even though SilverShade was aware he couldn't feel any pain it pained her to see his tiny body, pus and white liquid bubbling around his chest where the dog bit him.He jerked suddenly, his eyes rolling back into focus as he stared intently at SilverShade.

"I'm going to miss you sis." He whimpered, dragging himself forward pitifully to press his nose to SilverShade's."You never gave up on me, no matter what Mother said." He whispered. SilverShade rubbed her tongue across Thistle's spiky fur. As he took a shuddering breath, and his glazed over, still staring at at SilverShade.

"No!" SilverShade wailed, thrusting her head into her brother's stomach, letting out pitiful whimpers. "Wake up! Thistle comeback!" "Mommy! Shark! It's Thistle! He's not breathing!" SilverShade cried, clutching Thistle tightly to her chest.Tears streamed down her cheek as an empty chasm opened in her chest. She knew SharkTooth had barely gotten to know her brother under the orders of her mother after he got the dog bite. Her mother had left Thistle for dead, SilverShade herself was convinced Thistle would not live even another hour.

The two she-cats stepped into the clearing, SharkTooth gasped, her green eyes filled with sorrow. Their mother turned away, pulling grass from the ground, her tense shoulders told her she felt a mix of anger and grief. That's your son! You should at least say something! SilverShade thought, anger racing through her as she glared at her mother, her vision blurry with tears.

Thistle still looked the same as he did the first day he had pounced on her. "Thistle-" Shark choked back a sob as she stared at the limp body in SilverShade's paws. SilverShade was growing to aware of the coldness that stiffened his small body, the scent of death already beginning to fill the air.

"We should put his body in the river." Their mother said, gazing out at the distance. "That way he won't spoil any prey that we'll end up eating, its just not right to leave him here." Her voice was distant, and she had the vague look in her eyes that she got when she spoke of their father. "Hawk was great cat," was all she'd ever tell the three wide-eyed kits. Only two she-cats now... SilverShade thought mournfully.

"No, I'm going to bury him." SilverShade growled. Her mother looked at her with wide eyes, SilverShade usually kept quiet. "That's the honorable thing to do."

Her mother nodded. "Yes, yes, of course, what was I thinking?" She said to herself. SilverShade couldn't stay mad at her mother despite what she had done to Thistle, she was all good intentions at heart.

SilverShade pushed aside some moist leaves, the spring air ruffling SharkTooth's orange fur as she sat beside SilverShade. It didn't take long to scrape enough dirt away to make a hole big enough Thistle to rest in, even with SharkTooth leaning her head against SilverShade's muscular shoulder.SilverShade stepped up, shaking her fur as if she could shake away her memories. SharkTooth gripped Thistle by his scruff, SilverShade was tempted to tell her to watch out, even though she knew it wouldn't do any good.

SharkTooth lay the spiky-haired kitten down gently, licking his side before receding to the edge of the grave. SilverShade padded forward, touching her nose to Thistle's unique white ear.

"May the paws that guide you in the next life be good, and the days warm and happy." She whispered, her warm breath ruffling his long fur.

And, for a moment, SilverShade though she could see they pale outline of a bouncing kitten above the tree tops. This won't be the last you see of my sister...