ᴡɪɴᴅꜱᴡᴇᴘᴛ

PROLOGUE: THE END OF AN ERA

The wind whistled eerily, humming a lonely song through broken and decaying trees. elderly oaks twisted into the night sky, mingling with the cold stars above.

soft paw steps rang through the clearing.

pale ginger fur turned cream under the pearlescent moonlight, illuminating the forest floor. the molly hissed, her tail lashing slowly behind her.

"i can't stand her!" she growled, digging her claws into the dirt. ivory glinted in the darkness as she shredded an unsuspecting clump of grass.

the young cat sat down sharply, a harsh sigh escaping her lungs.

her ears flicked at the sound of nighttime insects.

"stupid tansymist," she muttered, roughly swiping a paw against the earth. "i didn't even do it. what a liar." she scoffed, rage in her eyes.
"nobody even listens to me."

she trained her eyes on the ground below her, watching a beetle scuttle around her paws. she watched it slow, inspecting the small insect.

a surge of emotion coursed through her, memories of today and the days before. her ears flattened, and she unsheathed her claws as she swiped at the beetle.

her form hunched over as she looked at the tiny insect, feebly crawling away. it stopped moving a moment later.

she lifted her head up, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the stars above her. her heart thumped in her chest, bridled with rage and sadness. she felt like she was choking on the chilled night air, like it was freezing her lungs.

she almost wished it was.

she let out a frustrated sigh through her nose, her claws pricking into the damp earth.

she pondered heavily over her apprenticeship so far, wrinkling her nose at the unpleasant memories.

wisps of dreary clouds flitted across the horizon, slowly shifting to cover the corners of the moon.

feeling a flicker of nervousness drip down her spine, she flattened her ears in guilt. she wasn't always in trouble. she had made it for herself plenty of times.

she nimbly pulled herself to her paws, guilt searing the fur around her neck.

with a last glance at the sky, she took a deep breath in. she would be better, work harder. she would prove to her mentor she was more than some bothersome apprentice.

comfortable with her resolve, she turned herself around and slowly began padding back to the camp of ridgeclan. pawsteps echoed through the forest, a soft continuous rhythm.

the moon rose higher as she walked, signaling the peak of the night.

crickets chirped among the tall grasses. the forest's noises mottled around her, deafening the sound of something much worse.

halfway back, she mused quietly. i wonder if  i could find prey. i'll at least have an excuse to have been out, and maybe then she'll be proud of me. hyacinthbite, too.

she purred inwardly, setting her ears forward as she listened for prey. she opened her maw, curling her tongue as she closed her eyes.

her eyes opened sharply as she caught the scent of a blackbird.

to my left.

she traveled slowly, and her eyes dilated in the darkness as she watched the bird preen. she sat back on her haunches, keeping her tail straight.

i won't even be in any trouble if i can catch this!

she leapt off of the ground, outstretching her paws to grip the bird's wing.

the avian shrieked in alarm, painfully ringing in her ear. she sank her claws into its side, tumbling down back to the ground.

a bit dazed, she immediately sank her teeth into the throat of the panicking avian. huffing with the effort of her catch, she cradled the bird in her jaws as she began to walk home again.

looking at her surroundings, she found a well-trodden path and followed it.

the sky was becoming darker, with heavy clouds coming in. she would not have the moonlight for much longer.

a heavy buzz began to ring in her ears, and she flattened them.

but it changed nothing. her heart beat rapidly, the molly picked up the pace.

i want to get home, she thought miserably. this is creepy. i'm not that far away from camp, am i?

she continued walking along the path, until the scenery began to change. instead of wintry grasses, and frozen earth, the dirt was almost warm.

the grasses tinged red.

her ears flattened against her head, and she dropped the blackbird the had stopped to catch.

"where am i?" she whispered, looking down at her paws. she looked further out, down the path, but only saw darkness. the moon had been covered.

starclan, no!

she hyperventilated, sprinting back the way she came. she did not understand what was happening, but this path was not the usual path that the warriors took home.

she stopped as she heard a sudden growl, so intense her ears rang painfully. she whipped around, her eyes wide with terror.

the world shook beneath her, and she hardly felt anything as she slipped to the ground. slipped away entirely.