Silenced Nights - wc

[Prologue]

     The cold chill from the sky reached down to embrace the camp in it. Darkness framed the dens, the shadows reaching out to envelop any cat who happened to wander in.

     "Just follow what I do. Hurry up." The ghost-like cat retorted to the younger one, who shuddered, flinching.

     "I- can't do it. This is... wrong." The words trailed from their mouth timidly, glancing away as to avoid the cat's burning gaze, filled with filthy rage.

     "I'll do it by myself then!" They snapped back, venom being interlaced with their words as they had to refrain from lashing out at them. They crept forwards, peering into the nursery, eyes narrowed down as their eyes flicked over the cats curled up upon the laden, pampered moss beds.

     Claws placed firmly on the ground, they slipped forwards, embracing the shadows in the dark of night. It was the best time of the night when the sun was long gone, yet the moon was not lingering in the sky.

     A small, black-furred kit was letting out small snorts as their chest heaved up and down. The kit had somehow made its way out of the nursery, allowing the two cats an easier escape. With a quick swipe of their claws, the kit was hooked in their mouth, being carried by their scruff.

     They started to pad forwards, their vision slipping behind them to stare at the younger cat shivering, claws flexed.

     "Are you coming?" They snorted, padding forwards with the kit placed neatly in their teeth. The other cat fell in step behind them without any words to say. Perhaps it was for the better as to not start a deadly fight between the two, and end up with two cats being dragged away instead of one.

     "They told us they would meet us here." The lack of explanation the one cat gave to the other just proved further that they didn't trust them. Yet, they had been chosen for this assignment for no particular reason, so there must have been some type of trust between the two.

     Moments later, a brown-furred tom padded up, his gray eyes sliding over the kit's feeble, quaking body. "This is the kit?"

     They held their ground, unsheathing their claws, as if awaiting an inevitable fight. "Their brother. We couldn't get them."

     The tom crept forwards, observing the kit with cold and distasteful eyes. "I don't want it. A tiny runt."

     A low, deep growl rose from the one's throat, anger pulsing through them as they had to refrain from pouncing. "Only one we could get. Take it or leave it. Besides, it was the largest one there."

     Letting the matter go, the tom padded forwards, taking the kit in their jaws before it was tugged away from them. "Give us what we want first."

     Shrugging, the tom padded away to behind the large, towering oak tree to return with a red, tasty-looking herb, although it held such power within the tiny seeds. Yew berries. They spat the kit out onto the ground, who let out a jolt, letting out a feeble cry.

     They picked up the berries, watching the tom grab the kit harshly, their harsh eyes glancing up to stare them right in the face. "Until we meet again."

     And then they were gone. Blazekit was gone, and so was the tom. In a blink of an eye, and it was over. The thing that they had stressed over for moons, planned for moons, and it had gone smoothly.

     "Come on. We should return to camp." They both slipped back into camp, waiting before parting their separate ways, as if being separated was not possible.

     "I won't tell anyone." The smaller one whispered, avoiding the other's gaze.

     "Of course. We're lucky it was such a silent night, seeing how cats normally linger around during the night."

     They padded away without any more words, letting the night continue it's sounds, the silence being parted by the chitter of squirrels and cries of birds in the distance.

     A new era of Shade Clan had just begun.