The New Moon

The New Moon

UNFINISHED, **PLEASE** DO NOT READ

Episode One, Season One, of Darkening Skies.

Enjoy! <3

Silverpaw leaped at the squirrel and tore it from the bark by the end of its tail. The squirrel struggled wildly, managing to free itself from her grasp and sprint back up the tree. Silverpaw clawed her way after it, managed to grab the squirrel again with her claw and drag it back onto the ground. She lowered her head quickly and snapped its spine, killing the squirrel instantly. She almost felt sorry for her prey.

"Nice catch, Silverpaw!"

Silverpaw turned to see Hawkpaw and Flarepaw standing behind her. Hawkpaw praised her enthusiastically. "That was a great catch!" he mewed. His black-and-white pelt was covered with scars from harsh training that had only started when Icestar became leader.

"Thanks," Silverpaw mumbled, letting the squirrel dangle from her teeth. "We should be getting back; it's almost sunset, and Mosscloud's going to be enraged if we don't arrive in time." The tortoiseshell warrior was the strictest cat in the Clan, and unluckily she was Silverpaw's mentor.

"It looks like a storm's coming on." Flarepaw raised her nose and sniffed. The dark gray clouds in the sky looked like a promising start to a thunderstorm.

Hawkpaw shrugged. "It's probably going to rain this night, so it isn't anything we should worry about."

"I hope," Flarepaw replied. The bright ginger tabby she-cat picked up her finch and mouse to bound off through the pine trees.

Hawkpaw turned to Silverpaw when Flarepaw had disappeared. "Do you think Icestar is going to have us *try* to kill her prisoners again?"

Silverpaw shuddered at the thought. Icestar had recently started to recruit rogues that lived in a group called the 'Moonchasers', but after realizing they were of no use, she'd immediately cooped them up in prison camps, and for battle training, she shoved the apprentices inside the prison camps and ordered them to kill the moonchasers. No one - except for maybe Icestar and the warriors - enjoyed sparring with the tough prisoners.

"I hope not," Silverpaw murmured. "I wish we could stop this for once and for all."

Hawkpaw's ice-blue eyes were bright with intelligence as he rested his tail on Silverpaw's shoulder. "Perhaps we can."

The young gray tabby she-cat shifted uncomfortably in her nest while the storm raged on beyond, thunder cracking and lightning flashing across the dark blue sky. Silverpaw's brilliant blue eyes were wide open and her chin was on the edge of her mossy bedding, staring out through the entrance of the apprentices' den.

It was the middle of the night, as Silverpaw suspected; other than that, she had no idea what the precise time was. She didn't want to sleep; she couldn't sleep very well, unlike her denmates, most of which were snoring. The ones that weren't were tucked snug in their nests, dozing like everyone else. Silverpaw's tail whisked across the ground with impatience as she wondered what to do.

*"Silverpaw."*

The gray tabby sprang to her paws as the quiet, nearly silent whisper sounded far off in the trees. "Who's there?" she demanded harshly, glaring into the pine forest.

*"Come to me."*

A dark, completely shadowed moon glowed in the dark blue sky. Yellow lightning shot across the stars like a long vine. Silverpaw flinched at the boom of thunder.

The voice whispering to Silverpaw in the trees felt like a strong force pulling her closer towards the source. She clutched her mossy nest, unsheathing her claws in doing so, to hopefully prevent herself from unwillingly padding into the night.

*"Silverpaw!"*

The gray tabby she-cat relaxed her grasp on her mossy nest; the calling voice seemed naturally calm and peaceful. She let herself slowly pad out of the apprentices' den, glancing occasionally at her friends to make sure they were still sleeping.

The camp was deadly quiet. Mist rolled lazily around the clearing; Silverpaw wasn't bothered by the thick amounts of fog, as she was used to living here. Instead of pausing, she pricked her ears as she padded through the clearing, listening for any more signs of the whispers.

*This is completely insane,* Silverpaw nervously thought to herself. She pondered the thought. What was actually 'insane' were that the shadows were trying to draw her closer with their whispering.

"Wh - who's there?" the gray tabby squeaked.

*"No one is there, young one,"* the darkness whispered. *"You are alone. It is only the darkness."*

Silverpaw let the words sink into her mind and tried to sound more brave as she mewed, "Why are you calling my name in the first place?"

*"Come with us."* The darkness seemed to whirl and focus on the new moon, a dark, shady gray disc in the dark blue sky.

Silverpaw felt fear clutch at her heart as the shadows encased her. The mist vanished; so did the dens, the forest, the stars - everything disappeared except for her, the darkness, and the new moon.

*"It is time to make a decision."* one of the shadows hissed.

Another spot of shade replied, *She will be one of the Chosen.*

Silverpaw stiffened. "The Chosen? What's that? *Who* is that?"

The darkness hissed, *The dusk and dawn, both sides in battle, shall start the war. Only the Chosen can determine the fate of the Clans...*

Silverpaw stepped back only to fall into thin air. "You can't - I don't want to be in a prophecy!" she screamed as she slipped. Her paws scrabbled on the edge of the slick stone, only to have her fall down, down, down...she expected a hard hit and a flash of pain as she screamed, but she only kept falling.

"We cannot choose your fate, young one. Only *you* can change yourself."

TBC