The Peace of the Wanderer

Chapter One: First Contact

Shadow opened her eyes at an unhurried pace and yawned lazily. She stretched, her eyes still half-closed with tiredness. She kneaded her claws into the hay below her body, the hay crunching beneath her claws. The she-cat began to purr with happiness, lying back down. She glanced out the window, wishing for a pretty day in her silence. She was not disappointed-- the sky was the color of the ocean and clouds as white as snow swirled in the sky.

A tiny voice in her head told her that an event was happening on that day, but she couldn't remember exactly what. It was frustrating, not knowing, but alas, she was too groggy to remember what her name was, let alone being conscious enough to recall specific memories.

She yawned once more as she attempted to bring to mind the events of the day before, but her wits were still muddled. As the young cat struggled to wake up, a figure creeped towards her, tail lashing back and forth and an evil glint in his eye. The tom snickered as he crouched, his fur beginning to fluff up, his bright orange eyes narrowing, unbeknownst to the gray kitten.

The memory seemed to slap Shadow in the face, the impact of her epiphany resulting in a small gasp and a strong sense of triumph. She sat up in a flash, her eyes bright with excitement.

Shadow bounced in place enthusiastically, inspecting her surroundings with vigor as she looked for someone who she could tell about her grand achievement, but none of her siblings were awake. She couldn't tell her parents, either, since they were probably out hunting.

She'd have to revel in her pride by herself, which, if she was honest, wasn't too bad. Thus, in her mind, she shouted her memory out.

I'm going outside for the first time in my life!

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen the outside world before, as she often spent her nights with her father, gazing at the stars, but that had been different. She had never been truly outdoors, though it was her greatest wish to do so. At one point, she even had tried to escape from the hay loft to see what was out there, but unfortunately, she had been caught by her parents before she could get out.

Adrenaline coursed through Shadow's veins as she thought about all the things she could do out there. She didn't know why, but she had always thought she was built to thrive in the great outdoors.

Her heart accelerated faster than it had been a few seconds earlier (which was saying something) as she noticed the figure that had been stalking her a few moments ago barreling towards her like a bird swooping down to catch its prey.

The gray kitten stood her ground as she got tackled by the tabby tom, hissing and spitting in rage. The tom pinned her to the ground with ease, an annoyingly smug expression on his face.

"Get off, Tiger!" Shadow growled angrily, kicking at her brother's stomach with her hind-legs as hard as she could.

He didn't seem to be swayed by her attempts to get out of his grasp, but instead seemed to grow more cocky than he already seemed to be.

"I don't take orders from anyone, especially she-cats," Tiger snorted, his tail lashing. He paused for a moment, quickly scanning the area, before turning back to Shadow and whispering in a low voice, "Okay, I'd probably take orders from a she-cat, but you're my sister, so there's no way I'll listen to you."

Shadow hissed at her brother, her tail lashing in annoyance. "You know, sometimes I wish I didn't have siblings when you idiots do stuff like this."

Tiger feigned pain as he dramatically fell on his back, acting as if he had just had an encounter with death. "You've killed me with you harsh words, my sister. I think I deserve an apology."

"Oh, get over it, you wuss!" Shadow laughed in a teasing tone of voice, batting at her brother's face, her eyes twinkling.

Tiger immediately jumped to his paws, tail lashing once more. "Oh, you're gonna get it now!" he laughed with glee as he charged Shadow.