Dark Shadows Book #1

Chapter 1

The sun was brightly shining through the bare trees, and there was a small hint of IceGround within the air. The clan was laying lazily in the sun with the occasional shift of the Warriors keeping watch.

OceanStar was sitting upon a small rock overlooking her clan as the wind ruffled her long white fur. She licked her paw and swiped it over her ear casually, looking over at EbonyHeart who was staring intently into the woods. Her ears suddenly pivoted back and her whiskers flexed, a low yowl escaping her throat. EmberSkip and CedarPelt ran to her side and looked out, a hiss growing louder from the three.

OceanStar hopped down from her rock and stalked over to the Warriors. "What is it?" She said lowly, her ears swiveling forwards and backwards, listening for any other movements. The clan tensed, and their hackles raised, heads lowered, and hisses grew louder.

Bright green eyes shone out from the darkness, and the familiar tiny mew of the Medicine Cat echoed through the camp. The Warriors relaxed, as did the clan. OceanStar kept her watch and waited, tensed, as the she-cat moved forward. "OceanStar, I have brought more herbs," she meowed, a little louder. She was not a timid cat, but was very respectful in a way, fearing all ranks, above and below her.

Ocean Star did not budge from her defensive stance. "And I brought a fresh kill." The she-cat added, more confident now that her Leader's eyes had gotten softer. The Medicine Cat padded forward and dropped the fresh kill at her Leader's paws. All the while, OceanStar had not lifted her icy gaze from the she-cat. OceanStar yowled and batted at the she-cat with her claws outstretched.

Her claws caught the she-cat and drew heavy blood trails across her right eye. The Medicine Cat knew better than to swipe at her Leader, so she bowed her head and stalked away to her cave, herbs held tighter within her jaws

"It was awful!" GingerPaw mewed as her apprentice wiped a healing mask upon her scratches. "Well you're lucky," RatPuddle said. "The scratches are deep, but not enough the blind you." He stepped back and GingerPaw stood, looking down at her paws. "I thought she'd be happy about me bringing in a fresh kill, seeing that the pile is getting low." She batted the dead squirrel across her cave and it hit the wall, dark crimson blood splattering against the wall. RatPuddle hissed at his Mentor, and she looked at him with wide eyes. He recoiled and mewed softly, "I'm sorry GingerPaw. But she's more into the fish this time of year." GingerPaw looked around absentmindedly, and stalked out of the cave.

The sun was blinding as she stepped out into the meadow, and she squinted, her ears pivoted forward and head high. She did not dare to challenge the Leader, for she knew she would surly die. She passed HareBranch and the kits as they were playfully nibbling on her ear. GingerPaw stopped and stared at them, a lonely fire burning deep in her soul. One of the kits ambled up to her on wobbly, fluffy, white and grey legs. His black eyes shone up at her and his mew made her heart melt as he purred and rubbed against her long orange legs. She purred softly and nuzzled the kitten. "Yeah, he is a sweetie," a sweet, thick voice said. GingerPaw lifted her gaze and her eyes fell upon HareBranch, the Queen. "Owlkit, come on sweet tom, it's Lunch Time," she said softly and the kitten turned his tiny head and looked at her. He sneezed, a tiny spray of snot coming out and landing on Blazekit, who hissed, "OowlKee not nice!" He looked back at GingerPaw and licked her muzzle, and in turn she licked him back, her whole tongue covering his tiny head. She nudged his side. "Go on now, it's Lunch time." He nodded and bonded back to HareBranch where he started nursing. GingerPaw stood and crossed the camp, where she disappeared into the woods, her dark mood overcoming her once more when her eyes passed the Leader.

"Stupid Leader. Thinks she's so pretty." GingerPaw mumbled as she walked through the woods, kicking any leaves out of her way. "She's just a dumb, mushed up faced bully!" She hissed and kept walking. There was the rhythmic flow of water over rocks as she neared the stream on the outskirts of their camp. She hopped over it, and slid under the thick bramble bush. She came out on the other side and picked the brambles out of her paws. She continued walking, and her nose suddenly twitched. Skin Bag! She thought as she stalked out the smell. It wasn't like your normal Skin Bag smell thought. This one was........rotted and smelled like death. She passed a large Oak Tree and ducked under a berry bush where she spotted the Skin Bag. His skin was ripped up, and the hides it wore were muddy and caked with drying blood. GingerPaw covered her nose at the stench and and a low yowl escaped her throat. The Skin Bag looked up and turned its body toward the bush she was hiding under. She winced at the sight of it - it's jaw was hanging a jar, black, rotted teeth poking out of his mandible, thick mud and blood saliva dripped to the ground. A large chunk of one arm missing and it's ribs exposed very badly - and it stared right at her. It's dark hollowed out eyes staring straight into her large, fearful green one.

It stumbled forward a few steps and the fell. It didn't move for a few seconds, and GingerPaw scooted forward slightly. It's head snapped up and it started moving toward her by dragging it's disgusting body along the ground. She'd never seen Skin Bags before but she remembered the stories the Queen had told her when she was a kit and she remembered them as nice, loving creatures who wanted to hold you, and were always dressed in white. Not brown and rotting, trying to eat you. It's paw reached for her and a sickening, thick blood pumping sound came from it's throat. She hissed and scratched the Skin Bag's hand. Thick black blood poured out from the wound and she turned and bolted through the woods, just barely avoiding running into the trees.

She ran until her paws bled slightly and then she walked, carefully through a stream to rinse out her bloodied paw pads, and kept walking. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care to know. She heard a twig snap behind her and she snapped her head around, thinking it was another Skin Bag. But it wasn't. There was a large grey and white creature. Its fur was bloodied and there was white thick goop dripping from it's muzzle. Great, she thought. A sick MoonPraiser. JUST what I wanted! She hissed at him and it bellowed some sick sound deep in his chest. She lowered her head and flattened her ears, a louder hiss escaping her throat. It lunged at her, spit and goop flying everywhere, some landing in her fur. "That's it buddy you're dead!" She yowled and jumped at him, her long claws outstretched and ready to sink into his face.

Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her as something that felt like a Million Kill Piles hit her side and she hit a tree. Her wimpish body hit the base of a large Redwood and her head hit the dirt, a thick plume of dust showering over her. She coughed and struggled to get up. Her hind leg felt numb. She looked over and there was blood covering the lower half of her leg, and a thick white bone popped up out of the orange and red fur. She screamed and looked right into the eyes of the sick MoonPraiser. His red, bleary eyes looked stupidly at her and his long yellowed fangs stuck out over his swollen tongue.

He went to bite down on her windpipe when she saw a large black shape fly across the air and hit his side like a truck. Her eyes began to droop closed, and she slipped in and out of conciseness, the fight seeming obsolete to her and her pain. She finally closed her eyes all the way and the world went quite. She twitched her ears back wearily and opened her eyes slightly. There was a horrifying sight before her, the large, stupid red eyes of the MoonPraiser was staring into her soul once more, the goop pooling around his jaws and leaking towards her, the small hints of breath escaping his opened jaws, reeking of death and sickness. She closed her eyes for the last time and let the darkness wash over her soul and body.