Shadows of Betrayal

Chapter One (Blood)

The sun was slowly rising, painting the sky with warm hues of orange and yellow. Amberkit stirred in her sleep, feeling the warmth of her mother's fur pressed against her. She could hear the soft sound of her mother's breathing, her flank rising and falling rhythmically. As she started to wake up, she felt her mother's cold nose pressing gently against her forehead, nudging her awake.

"Amberkit," her mother's voice was soft, like the wind in the morning, "Wake up, your littermates are already awake." Her mother's voice itched with the cough she had been having.

Amberkit grumbled, feeling annoyed at being forced to wake up so early. She glared at her mother, but her mother didn't seem to notice. She quickly got up and muttered under her breath, "They're stupid little kits who can't even fight." She felt the cool breeze ruffle her warm fur, Her amber eyes shone and she glanced at her mother, who was lying down in her nest. Her mother's small tail, well half of a tail, twitched. Amberkit sighed, and she started towards the Nursery's entrance.

As she stepped outside, she saw her littermates chasing a butterfly. The butterfly fluttered in circles, causing the kits to get dizzy and stumble over each other. Amberkit watched them with disdain, thinking that they were foolish for playing such a silly game. The butterfly's blue wings fluttered in the sunlight and it glowed red. Amberkit gasped as the butterfly flew towards her and the wings spread out fully. She ducked just in time as the butterfly was almost as big as her head.

She glanced over at the Warriors' Den and saw a strong and tall tom stretching inside. Blackleaf. The handsome tom made her heart skip a beat, and she quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"Wait!" Lilyspot called out, "Where are you going, Amberkit?" Lilyspot looked nervous and her warm grey eyes narrowed at Amberkit. Why do you care about where I go so much!? It's not like I'm going to walk straight into a murderer.

Amberkit turned around and smiled sweetly at her mother, eying the forest. "Oh, I'm going to meet some of the apprentices." She glanced over at Blackleaf, hoping that her mother wouldn't notice, "May I go now, I would love to go see them."

"Yes," her mother sighed, her tail drooping. Amberkit turned around and sped towards the Apprentices' Den. However, halfway there, she changed her course and glanced around. She then slunk into the forest.

The lush green vines and trees were a welcome sight, and she took in the scent of the forest. She felt proud of herself, My littermates have never been here before! With every paw step, she took she felt the soft lush grass crunch under her paws. With every sound that she had not yet heard she would tense up. She observed her surroundings and once in a while, she could find a mouse or a vole. She would try to crouch, like how she had seen the apprentices do, and leap onto the prey. However, each time she would either miss or she would scare the prey away.

After a few miserable attempts at hunting, she finally found the large, leafy tree and sat down beneath it. It was the spot where she and Blackleaf had agreed to meet. It was near the Ancient Oak, which Amberkit had always wanted to see. The sun shone through the tiny gaps in the leaves, creating a beautiful pattern of light and shadow. She was completely hidden by the bushes surrounding the tree, feeling safe and secure.

Suddenly, a black, furry figure exploded from above the bushes, causing Amberkit to stumble back in fear. Her fur puffed out in all directions, and she unsheathed her claws, ready to fight. But then she realized that it was Blackleaf, and she grew annoyed at him for scaring her.

"Blackleaf!" she hissed, her tail lashing out, "Why did you scare me like that!?"

Blackleaf glanced at her pelt and chuckled, "Well, because I don't want to look like I just fell into a bush and struggled back out." Blackleaf pointed a paw out at her ruffled pelt and smiled as Amberkit felt herself heat up with realization.