Warriors: The Dark Path: Dawn

Prologue

Moonlight filtered through the trees as a small dark shape crept slowly through the thick undergrowth. Dead leaves crunched under small paws, and wary green eyes stood out from the shadows.

The small shape emerged into a clearing, his light brown tabby fur fluffed up, and his green eyes wide. He parted his jaws to take in the scents of the oaky forest, his ears angled backwards, listening out for anything that may harm him.

When he felt that it was okay, he sat down and began smoothing his still fluffed-up kit fur down with his tongue. Pausing mid-lick, he glanced over at the big oak tree that sat at the edge of the clearing. After scanning it over and deciding nothing was watching him, he resumed his grooming.

Suddenly, a strange darkness washed over the forest, the kit looked up to see that the half moon had been engulfed in dark clouds. He cowered in terror as he realised he could no longer check his surroundings.

After a few heartbeats, it seemed that the kit had remembered something, and slowly straightened up, trying to look powerful and brave to any intruders that may be lurking in the dark undergrowth.

He lingered in the centre of the clearing a little longer, dispelling any thoughts of other cats watching him.

The kit then padded gingerly over to the oak tree he had inspected before and cautiously sniffed the bark, he could smell stale scents from other cats here, and only two of them had a face to match within the kits mind, Which were himself, and another.

The brown tabby kit whipped around as the sound of a twig snapping reached his little ears. Sniffing the air, he decided whatever was stalking him was downwind, as he could not catch its scent. Fear rippled through him, he knew that if this creature was downwind it was probably watching him.

The kit let out a screech as he was bowled over by another cat, at least four times his size.

Instinctively, he slid under it and slashed at its back from behind, the cat turned and with a strong paw and sheathed claws, battered the kit onto the ground.

But the young cat refused to give up. He leaped at the bigger cat and blindly swiped a paw at his chest, feeling a rush of energy and triumph as he felt his claws connect with flesh. The bigger cat bounced out of the way as the kit attempted to hook onto his back, and after, he just stood there and took the small kits blows, occasionally flinching and grunting in pain.

Then, after a few moments, the bigger cat had had enough and easily pinned the smaller tom. And after he had, the clouds slid off of the moon, revealing the attacker to be a handsome dark grey tabby with the same wide green eyes as the kit below him.

"Get off of me!" Snapped the kit, writhing under the grey tom's strong grip.

Amusement glinted in the grey tom's eyes as he released his hold and sat down. "You sound like a dying bird when you yowl." He commented, giving the scratch on his chest a lick.

The younger tom growled and lashed his tail, staring the other cat down. "You went easy on me!" He whined in a squeaky voice.
The grey tom simply purred. "I have to. You're still a kit, and we haven't been training for that long."

The kit sighed, why couldn't he just fight properly? "Well... When will I become an apprentice?" He asked, calming down now.

"When you're six moons old," the cat explained. "But you already knew that, you're five moons old you don't have to wait long, and meeting with me at Moonhigh involves out of camp activity... I don't see what the problem with being a kit is anyway, join in on the fun and play with your littermates while you can."