Silent Shadows: Book One - Echoes of the Flame

V

The air was strange that night. 

It was still. No winds rushed in to disrupt the tranquility, allowing BlazeClan's lightless forest to rest beneath the pitch black. Even the rivers slowed their rushing stampede to allow the waters to flow along in silence. A story was told in the heavens. Its words were written silver within the constellations, shimmering as a fable to ease the apprehensive. And all was under the watch of the moon, shining down in all of her wisdom as she set as a queen of darkness upon her frozen throne.

And yet Sunpaw was shivering, her heart drumming as she backed away through the mud. The deep pits of muck threatened to sit her down and swallow her, splashing upon her pelt with each step. The shadow pursuing her only continued to step forward, until finally it exited the patch of blackness and was suddenly bathed beneath a cascade of silver light. The apprentice froze at the realization of who it was.

"Shimmerpaw?" All her tension instantly softened as the gray tabby stepped toward her. The relief was heavenly, it was like every single feeling of terror that had wriggled inside her had instantly been swept away and replaced with divinity. "You're here? You're not dead?"

"Yes." Her sister appeared withered, possessed by a profound exhaustion. She walked slowly like a skeleton clothed in shaggy fur, her eyes as dark as the dusk sky beneath a curtain of fog. "It's me."

"How did you get here?" Sunpaw asked as her sister slowly sunk down into a hunched, tired position. "How'd you escape?"

"It's a long story," the tabby replied. "And you are probably just as tired as I am. Basically, they locked me in a and restrained me from just clawing my way out of said cage. So I clawed my way out of the restraints."

"Gee, you took my advice, didn't you?" she laughed. "Keep clawing your way through, no matter how much your claws hurt, whether it's oak leaves or steel!"

"Hey, shut up! You're not my fucking mom!"  Shimmerpaw hissed, digging her claws into the earth with her aqua eyes now blazing in passionate anger. Her annoyance had scared away the fog in her gaze, the burning match to light her colours back to life.

Sunpaw was still breaking apart, her laughter bursting through the forest like sweet chimes. "I know, I know! I'm just happy that you're back!" 

"Okay, okay! Now come on, and I've said this before but shut the fuck up before they realize we're here," she spoke, beginning to tiptoe around the darkened trees and duck beneath the curtains of thorns.

Sunpaw followed and began to slowly weave through the forest. Her movements were a lot quicker than her sister's, though. While Shimmerpaw flattened herself against the earth and slid like a silent shadow through the sickening tombs of darkness, Sunpaw kept her head up and wandered like a drifting petal lost in this dark night. She couldn't help it. The happiness that lit up inside her was like a flickering candle, bringing brightness that burned away the ground with each step.

But something wasn't right with the air. A chilling feeling followed them through the forest, a ghost that howled a warning of death. The crimson leaves rattled under its words, teased from their branches and lured down to the muddy ground.

Sunpaw froze.

"Hey, Shimmerpaw, did you hear that?"

"I did. I heard it too."

Out of the dark emerged a pair of sapphire eyes. They brought a chill forming in the pitch black skies, swooping down through the treetops to stroke its piercing claws through Sunpaw's fur. She stepped back as the scent of BlazeClan was brought out from those bushes and swept around them. There was a suffocating wind of the stench, as though a mob was hiding behind the drape of dark growth.

"Quick, run!" Shimmerpaw hissed. They bounded though the river of ebony muck, splashing themselves in bursts of mud. But more shadows rose from the gloomy shade, using midnight's colouts as their garments to obscure themselves. A circle stood around them now. Their jaws were unhinged like monstrous serpents, drooling to eat their messy prey.

"We found her, we found the little escapist!" One cackled, her voice maddened.

"Come on," a tom hissed. "Let's take her. Her and this stupid kit who helped her out!"

Sunpaw was trapped. She couldn't dash forward, nor could she spin around and escape. The warriors had her and her sister trapped in a tight circle.

Oh no...

-

The drowsy sun slowly climbed upwards, coming in time for the arrival of dawn. Though it still flew low beneath the horizon, a cerulean flame was beginning to spark and burn upon the sky's edge. The tired, azure wings were rising up and starting their quest to conquer the stars. Sunpaw pressed against Shimmerpaw, the cold bars of the cage digging into her skin like branding iron. Her fear spiked as she huddled in the tight space. She was pressed into a suffocating chamber, unable to move, unable to break her way out.

A shadow suddenly glid the entrance. It was obscured by the shade of early morning, but it's presence was unmistakably clear. The silhouette suddenly swung out their talons and gripped onto the latch, clicking the lock until the door swung open and the metal made a loud bang against the wall.

"Huh?" Sunpaw hissed, confusion spinning in her mind. "Why are you letting us go?"

The cat threw their head back, breaking out into an laughing fit. "No! Of course not!" they hissed in a bizarre mix of annoyance and amusement. "Pebblestar decided we shouldn't have to keep both of you here to get Selenostar. So, he came up with a plan."

Sunpaw's heart plummeted as they were lead out into the clearing. A mob of jeering warriors were gathered around them as they were entrapped in a tight circle. A choir of jeers and amused hissed rose into the air as she and Shimmerpaw stood in the middle of the circle. It was like this was some kind of circus, a play made for their sick entertainment.

Pebblestar clawed his way to the front of the crowd. His talons dug into the earth, ready to claw apart the sandy crust in his aggression. His face was scarred in a monstrous grin, his sapphire eyes alight in a sadistic delight. "Let the battle begin."