Cruel Season

Chapter One: Light

Light bounced up and down excitedly. It was her test! If she passed, she would finally be a real colony cat. She stopped jumping and glanced around, wondering what career she should pick. She could be a fighter and spend her life hunting and protecting her colony. She could be a keeper and take care of the dens, hunt, watch and take care of other cats. She could be a caretaker and watch kits. She might choose to be a mentor and watch over young cats training. She could become the next lorekeeper, and learn so much and know everything there is to know about her colony. She knew she definitely didn't want to be an herbalist- that was her sister's job.

As if summoning her by thought, her sister Rusted burst through the herbalist's den and swiftly raced towards her, her paws stained green from herb juices running over her fur. "Congratulations!" Rusted said, purring and rubbing her muzzle affectionately on Light's forehead. Light smiled and licked Rusted's orange-red shoulder in return. "You are going to be a fighter! Or will you choose a different path?" she said thoughtfully, her eyes gleaming in curiosity.

Light suppressed a purr as she responded. "I think I'll be a mentor. The thought of training young cats and being well respected makes me happy," she said, licking her paw and drawing it across her red head fur. Light bushed out her already giant tail in pride as her mentor, Blackfang walked over to her. He grinned warmly and winked. "C'mon, you'll be late for your test!" Light flicked her ears in response and blinked at her sister again before getting up and gently trotting after her mentor as he led her towards the chief's den. Somehow a large branch had fallen from a tree but was caught hanging on two vines, and now plants covered it. It held firmly, floating in the air, and the chief made her den inside of it. Rednight emerged and climbed to the top of the log, overlooking her colony.

"May all cats gather here for an announcement!" she yowled across the clearing, heads already poking out of dens. "It is time for Light's test to become a true cat in her colony. Light, do accept the tasks I shall give you? They may be hard, and you may fail." Light gulped and stared up at her chief. "I accept," she said loudly, her voice ringing across the clearing. Did I say that too loud? She wondered, glancing around. Rednight nodded. "Very well. Your three tasks are- catch five pieces of prey, with your eyes closed, find your mentor hidden somewhere in the clearing, and climb the Great Oak."

Light grinned- this might be easy after all. "Alright, do I start now?"Rednight nodded and headed back into her den.

Light walked out of camp, her paw pads brushing the sandy ground. Her nose had picked up an earthy scent- mouse. She crouched down low and flicked her eyes to a fern moving more than it should in the breeze. Very carefully setting down her paw steps, she silently crept up to it and pounced, killing it with a bite to the neck. She then marked her scent on the fern she found it under and hid it there to retrieve later.

After an hour, she had found a starling, a squirrel, a thrush and a plump dove. She happily buried them next to the mouse and bounded back to her camp, her eyes shining. "Can someone help me carry back all my prey?" she called loudly. The other fighter apprentice, Winter, ran over to her and nodded. She flicked her gaze over to the entrance and exit to the camp and walked in front of him, leading him to the fern. "So, you like my sister, huh?" she said teasingly, resting her tail over his back as they walked. He blinked at her and looked away. "A little bit, yeah..." he said quietly. Light chuckled and continued walking. "Why'd you randomly bring that up?" he said, still a little embarrassed.

She laughed again. "Just letting you know that if she likes you back, I'm totally fine with you two getting together." Winter blinked in surprise, then tilted his head. "I'm not even a fighter yet though, I'm not thinking about kits or anything like that yet, at least," he said. She shrugged and trotted faster- they were at the fern now. She grabbed her mouse by the tail and laid the dove and the starling she caught on her back carefully. Winter tossed the squirrel in the air before catching it again and grabbing the thrush by the wing and the squirrel by its tail.

After a short walk, they arrived once more at the camp, dropped off Light's prey and she headed out again so Blackfang could hide in the camp somewhere. A couple moments later a voice yowled, "He's hidden!" and Light closed her eyes as she walked into camp. His scent flooded her nose- too obvious, he must have marked all the dead plants near the fighter's den to trick her. Instead, she followed a less strong scent trail and stopped at the nursery. She jumped inside, opened her eyes and found him behind Lavendermist, who was suckling her two kits, Bright and Mist. The kits looked at her, wide-eyed. Blackfang then slid out and touched his nose to Mist's fur and walked out with Light. "Welp, you found me- quickly too! That fake scent trail didn't trick you," he said happily, nudging her with his shoulder happily.

"Now I climb the Great Oak, right?" she said. He nodded and walked

her towards the large tree that grew in the middle of the camp. It was a massive oak- very tall and full of leaves, but it had soft and rough bark, good to climb on. Light leaped onto the first branch and scrambled up the trunk, dunking under twigs and bunches of branches. She had reached the top now, and for a moment she stared, the sight of the camp so far below her breathtaking. She felt like an eagle soaring across the sky, looking down at cats the size of ants. Blackfang was hopping from foot to foot and yowling, then Rednight came out of her den and yelled at her to come down. Light scampered down the tree and leapt onto the pebbly ground beneath her, her claws flexing in and out in anticipation.

"Light, you have passed your test, so I will give you your full and true

name. You will now be called Lightbeam, for your warmth, energy and life that cheers others up like a beam of sunshine," Rednight said, her voice ringing across the clearing. Her colony cheered her name to the sky, and Lightbeam felt happier than she ever had in her entire life.