Warriorcats: The First Shadow

Chapter 1

         "Nightrunner, Help me!" A yowl sounded in the distance.
    Nightrunner struggled to run through the never ending dark forest pushing his way through the undergrowth and dodging  thick trees.
      "Help me!" The yowl sounded again, although Nightrunner could not tell where the yowl was coming from he kept on pushing forward trying to escape the darkness of the forest.
        A thousand whispers sounded in his head, blood pulsed through his veins, pounding in his ears.
      "You couldn't save her" a voice whispered.
"It's your fault!" Dovefeathers words echoed.

       "No!" Nightrunner shot awake, unable to breath, he sat up and shook his fur, it's been 2 nights since he was exiled from Windclan, blamed for a crime he had not committed. He had that same nightmare ever since he left, unable to escape the dark forest filled with painful memories, and guilt.  Even in his dreams he was unable to save Thislewisker.
           Nightrunners stomach growled, he had not eaten since the morning he had left the clan. He got to his feet and padded a few steps then open his mouth to bring in a sent. Mouse. A few tail lengths away a mouse was nibbling on a berry. Nightrunner crept forward getting ready pounce, with a powerful leap he landed his paws onto the mouse and quickly but it's spine. In Wind Clan they didn't hunt mice but Nightrunner had seen Thunder Clan warriors hunting on the other side of the border, he secretly had practiced these hunting techniques along with River Clan fishing.

       After Night runner ate he continued walking through the forest. He much preferred the open moor but there was no moor beyond Thunder Clan territory, where he crossed through once he had left Wind Clan.
       "Please don't leave,"  Mollowfoot had mewed "I don't believe you did it."
       Mollowfoot and Nightrunner had been apprentices together and were close friends.
         "I didn't do it." Nightrunner growled "I loved her and everyone knows it, you'd have to be mouse~brain to believe Dovefeather."
         "I'm sorry you have to go." Bouncewisker looked down at his paws "I'll miss hunting with you. Be careful."

          Nightrunner shook away his thoughts, it only made him feel worse. Thinking about his clan had made him think of how much he missed his clan mates, and Thislewisker. It's Dovefeathers fault I'm here, she deserves to die! Nightrunner scraped his claws across the ground. I'll kill her if I ever see her again, she has to know my pain, she took away everything I loved, only because I wouldn't be her mate. Nightrunner quickened his pace, swerving along the forest. "Don't worry Thislewisker we'll be together someday" He mumbled to himself.

            A large fence towered overhead, A twoleg place. Nightrunner padded closer, there was no way he could go around so he would have to go through.
      Nightrunner jumped onto the fence. At first it wobbled a bit but Nightrunner kept his balance and walked along the edge. Careful not to fall, Nightrunner walked slowly, keeping an eye out for two legs or dogs.
        "Hey!" An excited yowl sound from the bottom of the fence.
       Startled, Nightrunner fell off the fence into a twoleg garden.
      "Where are your house folk?" The Meow sounded again. Nightrunner looked up to see a plump white kittypet staring at him with wide green eyes "I can take you back if you're lost, I know my way around."

         "Mouse Brain" Night runner growled. He sat up to face the she~cat. "I'm no kittypet."

          "What are you doing in my garden?" She leaned over to sniff at Nightrunner, then wrinkled her nose "You stink!"

       "I wouldn't be in your garden if you hadn't startled me." Nightrunner sniffed "And you don't smell very pleasant yourself."

         "What's your name? Mines Snowball."

       "Nightrunner." He mewed getting onto his paws. "Snowball? You said you know your way around, right?"
         
        "Yes! I can take you anywhere you need to go." Snowball stopped and looked at Nightrunner. "Oh my!" She gasped "You're so skinny. Do you need some food? My house folk.... "

        "No!" Hissed Nightrunner before Snowball could finish "I would rather starve than eat kittypet food. Just help me get out of here. The sooner, the better."

        "I don't know how to get everywhere, just to the monster path 2 houses down. But I know some cats who live in the alley, they know their way around."

       "Can you take me to them?" Nightrunner sounded relieved. "That would be a lot of help."

        "Of course!" Snowball jumped up onto the fence "Come on, let's go!"

       Nightrunner jumped onto the fence behind her. "Careful" she mewed "Those house folk have dogs, and they love a game of cat chase."

        "I can handle a dog." Night runner replied. He remembered back on the moor when he and Mallowfoot where newly apprentices. They were chased by a dog but fought it off with help of  his mentor Quillwhisker. Quillwhisker died 3 moons later from green cough. Nightrunner then had to have Bouncewhisker as his new mentor.  Tho he would never forget his first mentor.

      A loud barking sounded ahead. Nightrunner steadied his pace so he wouldn't make the mistake of falling again.
     The dog was a short, fat little dog with a brown pelt and white muzzle. Nothing he couldn't handle. The dog on the moor was much bigger. Tho the little dog was much more noisy letting out loud yelps when it spotted the two cats walking along the fence top.
         Snowball started to wobble a bit then regained balance. "This fence is a little slippy.... Uh..."
         Snowball then fell off the fence into the dog's yard. The dog let out a yip of excitement then dashed after her clumsily.
        "Snowball!" Nightrunner yowled as he jumped off  the fence into the yard.

       Nightrunner jumped onto the dog's back and clawed at the back of its head. The dog let out a yelp of pain then turned to face Nightrunner. "Run to the fence!" Nightrunner yowled to Snowball.
       Snowball obeyed Nightrunners order and ran toward the fence, then jumped safely onto it.
         Nightrunner clawed at the dog nose then jumped back to avoid its gaping jaws. But he wasn't fast enough. The dog grabbed him and shook him in the air. "Nightrunner!" Snowballs voice yowled from the fence.
       Then a second cat joined the fight clawing at the dog's eyes sending it yelping, tail between its legs.

          Nightrunner got up dazed. His side oozed blood from the dogs sharp teeth. "Snowball?" Nightrunner looked up. The cat standing next to him was not actually Snowball, but a different  she~cat.