Bloodshed

Chapter One

"You are strong, kit. You have the ability to rule the island one day." A voice spoke softly in Shadekit's ear. He turned, looking over his shoulder.

"Who are you?" Shadekit asked, leaping to his paws. "Are you from StarClan?"

"Do not speak of StarClan here, kit." The she-cat leaned back, her massive body towering over the kit's.

Shadekit was unfazed by her size. "Am I dreaming?"

"Yes." She stood, "My name is Frozenwater. You can call me.. Frozenstar." She purred at the idea of being a leader. "And one day, Shadekit, you will be Shadestar."

"Is that a prophecy?" He stood on his hind paws to play with her whiskers. Frozenstar turned away, her white ears flat against her head.

"No, you fool! I am not from StarClan." She turned away from him, setting off along the path that they stood in. It led deeper into the dark forest, seeming to go on forever into the darkness.

Shadekit followed her, his tail held high. "So who are you?"

"I was a GreenClan cat, not long ago." She said. "But I died before Stormstar could make me deputy. I was going to be a leader, Shadekit, one day."

"Really? How come I never heard of you?" Shadekit stopped to sniff at a leaf. "Where's all the prey?"

Frozenstar ignored his questions. "When I realised I was too old to become deputy, I began to train my son, Cheetahleap, to do so. But he changed his mind.. And he killed us both, throwing us off a cliff."

"Ouch." Shadekit winced. "Why'd he do that?"

"I made him kill the deputy so that he could rule in her place. But then.. Well, he didn't appreciate that." She laughed. "He thought that stopped me from rising to power, but he was wrong. You, Shadekit, are going to rule the island for me."

"I am?"

Before Frozenstar could answer, her image began to break up. Then Shadekit was awake in the nursery, blinking sleepily up at a face staring down at him.

"What do you want?" He mewed, cuffing his sister over the ears. "I was having a dream, you know that?"

Echokit rolled her eyes. "We're sneaking out of the nursery."

"Says who?" Shadekit challenged, edging away from his mother. Their brother, Rainkit, was still asleep. He was the smallest of the litter, and naturally their mother's favorite; she slept with her paw over him to protect him.

"Rainkit, wake up!" Echokit squealed, biting her brother's ear. The silver and white kit groaned, nuzzling further into his mother's fur. "Get up, furball! We're sneaking out."

Cautiously, Rainkit sneaked away from his mother, and the three kits bounced out of the nursery. The first light of dawn was just appearing in the sky; the kits didn't have much time if they were to leave before the dawn patrol left.

"Follow me." Echokit whispered, creeping out of the nursery. She stayed low to the stone floor of the cave, careful not to step on any twigs.

Shadekit followed next, then the not-so-quiet Rainkit. He nearly trampled Shadekit's tail, earning a hiss from the white kit.

"Sorry.." Rainkit muttered. "How do you think we'll get past the guard?"

Echokit stopped, signaling with her tail for her brothers to stop too. "Who's guarding?"

"One of the warriors." Shadekit shrugged.

"Looks like Jaytail." Rainkit suggested. "He's the only one that looks like me!"
Echokit shot him a glare. "So how do you suppose we get out, smarty whisker?"

Rainkit scanned their surroundings. "What about the sun hole?" He suggested. A hole in the roof of the cave was the only thing that allowed light to trickle inside. "Or through the waterfall."

"The waterfall is easier to get to." Shadekit pointed out.

"Yeah, if you want to get all wet!" Echokit growled, "I say we climb the rockfall up to the sun hole."

"And what if we fall?" Rainkit questioned, whiskers twitching uneasily. "We'll never be apprentices if we die."

"Well, I'm the leader, so follow me." Echokit began to lead the trio towards the rockfall, but Shadekit stopped her.
"I think I should be leader. I will be some day!" Shadekit announced.

"Says who?" Echokit scoffed.

"A cat from StarClan. She visited me in a dream." He announced proudly.

"You've got bees in your brain." Rainkit said, "How about we vote. Who says we go through the waterfall?"

"Me!" Shadekit said. Echokit narrowed her eyes; never before had her brothers challenged her leadership.

"Me too. You're outnumbered, Echokit." Rainkit bounded out of the way just before Echokit clawed his whiskers off.

Cautiously, the three crept to the waterfall. Shadekit wiggled his bottom before he jumped through the water, earning a laugh from Rainkit. He leaped, only to land in water on the other side, rather than the stone that he expected.

He was going to call a warning to his siblings, but his head was underwater before he could. StarClan, help me! He could see the blurry outline of Jaytail trough the surface, unaware of what was going on.

I'm going to drown!