Warriors: The Sun and the Moon

Prologue

The sun rose slowly across the horizon, the familiar call of chickens echoing in the distance. Starlings chirped as they flew from one tree to the next, their eagerness evident. Soft babbling of a stream wasn't far off as ferns dipped peacefully into the crystalline pool of water connected to it, dragonflies flitting by and causing the tiniest ripples upon the water's surface. Not far from there, a Twoleg nest stood tall, casting lingering shadows across a rather large field dotted with cattle. A solitary deciduous tree hung over the small pool, the leaves and branches making peaceful sounds as the wind disturbed it. The long, drawling call of a cow had disturbed the sleep of a feline resting in the roots of the tree, its bleary eyes looking rather cross.

"Dumb creatures," She muttered, her black and white fur ruffled from her sleep. "Always have to wake me up at the crack of dawn." The feline let out a sigh as she stood and shook out her pelt, golden-green eyes beginning to focus on the land sprawled ahead of her. The line of treetops off in the distance yawned into the sky like a cat's back, while the golden rays of the rising sun caused it to seemingly be lit ablaze. Though, despite the beautiful scenery, she couldn't yield a scowl at the thought of entering those woods.

Many many seasons ago, two rather large groups of cats had formed overtime. They were once ruthless and had no laws, with blood being constantly shed at the slightest hint of hostility. They all had seemed to live in fear of one another while kittypets and farmcats lived peacefully amongst one another, almost like neighbors with no particular boundaries. They had nothing to fight over, and all had a source of food whether it was from the mice crawling in the barn or the endless supply of kittypet food in the Twoleg nest--but the thought of eating that rotten stuff caused the she-cat to shudder. How could they ever stand to eat that stuff all the time? She wondered, recalling the last leafbare that had rendered every farmcat hungry and in need of food. They all had to resort to going up to the Twoleg nest where the kittypets Charlie and Nergal lived, slipping in and taking bites at a time from their bowls.

"Snowy, hey!" A new voice called, causing the black and white feline to turn her cranium. In her field of vision was that of a sandy colored tabby tom, his amber eyes vivid from the dawn light.

With a purr and a lift of her tail, the she-cat stood and trotted across the soft grass to greet her friend. "Hey there, Lyric," she responded. The two had nuzzled one another's cheeks in a friendly manner, causing Snowy's purrs to become all the louder.

"Well well, someone is certainly happy to see me!" Lyric teased, his tail waving slowly through the air. Snowy snorted.

"I'd rather see you than listen to those cows drone on for another minute." Her gaze grew more serious as she said, irritation a little too obvious in her expressions. Lyric let out a mrrow of amusement as he brushed his body around her, going in a circle before leaping in front of her once more.

"Hey! I was wondering if you'd like to go take a look at the forest with me!" Immediately, Snowy cringed and pulled away, giving the tomcat a glare.

"As if." She snorted and began to turn back toward the tree. "Those cats in there are nothing but trouble. It's bad enough they come here to talk to invisible cats!" She turned her head toward the pool of water where the dragonflies were still buzzing around, a look of disdain crossing her features. She had no idea why they had to come here of all places, since they could go be crazy in their own homes! She shook her head as she sat at the roots of the oak, lifting a single paw to begin washing. "It's just not worth it. You hear them too, when they fight, those shrieks can be heard clearly across the farm. You know it's gotten so bad that the cattle aren't even spooked anymore? It's just like birdsong." She scoffed as she turned her body to try to get at her flank, rough tongue working furiously to get her fur clean.

Lyric had followed her every step of the way, looking faintly in thought as his friend rambled about the groups of cats. For all he knew, there could be so many of them they could take over the farm if they so pleased! Faint fear pulsed through his blood as he shook it off, joining Snowy in her grooming. "There's no harm in being sneaky and not getting caught," he drawled, "after all, it's not like they're constantly out and about. They have kin to tend to, just like us." He tried to catch his friend's attention, but her frustration caused her to be too intent on cleaning her already shining fur. Humming to himself, Lyric stood and trotted over to the clear pool of water, slipping beneath a dew soaked fern tendril. It swept across his back as he got closer, allowing a shiver to travel through him. His amber eyes scanned the water slowly as he sat, chuckling and shaking his head slowly. "Really, you worry too much, Snowy."

With a few more soft pads against the wet soil, the she-cat had joined him by the water. A scowl twisted her lips as she spoke. "I worry just enough. Don't you remember Rye's stories? Before he passed he told us all about how those stupid cats would raid the farm sometimes when it got cold just because they were hungry. That was our prey, not theirs! They feel so entitled to everything and it gets on my nerves." Her gaze thinned to a glare as she shook her head once more. "They're savages and don't deserve any kind of sympathy from me."

Lyric's ears flattened as he listened, shoulders drooping. "I get it if you don't come, really--but that doesn't stop me from going." He stood up then and checked the sun's location overhead, carefully judging where it should be for his return. As he began to slip back through the vegetation, he heard a deep sigh and more paws follow suit.

"Just because I hate the idea doesn't mean I'm just going to let you go alone," Snowy growled, her ears pointed back somewhat. Her statement caused Lyric to grin.

"We'll be back before nightfall, trust me. I only want to do some exploring, is all!" With that, he broke off into a run, heading in the direction in which the sun was rising above everything.