Shadowstripe's Path

Prologue

The sky was growing dull with dark clouds over a white snow-covered forest. The clouds promised more snowflakes with every passing moment but they didn't release anything. Suddenly the air filled with yowls of cats below the skies. In a bramble protected camp, a dark gray she-cat had collapsed in the nursery. Her stomach was plump with kits and her fur was fluffed out, making her look twice her size. She let out a yowl of pain, her body trembling. Not long after her yowl another she-cat came into the nursery, she was a light brown tabby with stunning silver eyes that seemed to echo what was around her. The brown tabby mewed softly to the queen. "Don't worry Greenblossom... You'll be okay soon." She ran out of the den, going to get herbs. A tortoiseshell she-cat was watching Greenblossom from her nest in the nursery, three little kits at her stomach. All three were awake and watching the queen curiously. "Mommy why is Greenblossom yowling?" A light gray she-cat asked her mother. "Greenblossom is finally having her kits, but I need you three to stay away from her so you don't make her feel uncomfortable." The tortoiseshell queen explained, wrapping her fluffy tail around the her kits. The light brown tabby she-cat came back before too long with a wad of wet moss in her jaws. She laid it in front of the distressed queen. "T-thank you Echosong..." Greenblossom meowed and lapped at it before shuddering. A gray tabby tom rushed into the nursery. "Greenblossom! Are you okay?!" He was sorta panicking at seeing his mate in pain. Echosong growled quietly and flattened her ears. "Ashstar, you need to leave so I can do my job properly without you getting in my way." Her tail lashed as she nudged him out of the den. "If you really want to help her, then you can go find a stick that won't splinter or break." The clan leader looked confused at first but then bolted off. Echosong rolled her eyes, annoyed before turning back to the queen. "Alright Greenblossom, I'm going to need you to start pushing." She instructed. "O-okay..." Greenblossom's voice was shaky but she agreed to do as the medicine cat said. The queen shuddered and pushed, digging her claws into the ground. Echosong watched until the body of a fox-looking kit plopped onto the ground. The medicine cat instantly licked the kits fur the wrong way to warm it up, and set it by Greenblossom's stomach. "It looks like you have two more to go." Echosong informed the queen. Ashstar came back with a stick in his mouth. "Here." He said and placed the stick at his mates paws. He noticed the first kit at her stomach and purred. "Your doing great Greenblossom." The tom encouraged. Greenblossom smiled slightly before shuddering again, pushing. Quickly Echosong held up the stick to the queens muzzle. "Bite down on this." She muffled out as Greenblossom took it from the medicine cat, biting down hard on it. Plop! Another kit was squirming on the ground, it was light gray with darker gray markings. Echosong smiled and did the same to that kit as she did to the other. Just as Ashstar was about to say something, a white tom with light gray markings shoved him out of the way. The toms long claws were unsheathed and his fur was bristling. "I've waited many moons for this..." His voice was filled with hatred and his amber eyes were glowing in the darkness. Echosong growled. "Clawtail! Leave!" She unsheathed her small but sharp claws. Clawtail hissed. "Get out of my way!" He raked his claws down the side of her face, and pushed her towards the tortoiseshell queen. "Greenblossom... You don't deserve happiness! Not after what you did to me!" The angry tom growled at her. "I'm not going to kill you because I want you to suffer the same way I did..." He leaned in to the queens ear and whispered. "I'm going to kill your kits, one by one in front of your eyes." Greenblossom's eyes widened before she shuddering again, unable to do anything else. Ashstar grabbed Clawtail's tail, yanking him out of the nursery and into the camps clearing. "Leave my mate and my kits alone!" He clawed the white toms flank. Clawtail yowled and tackled the leader, pinning him to the ground. "Why should I?!" He bit Ashstar's neck, hard. Blood gushed out of the leaders throat, his eyes widening before clouding over. Clawtail got off and spat out some blood, watching Ashstar lose a life. A bluish silvery she-cat had just come into camp, leading a small patrol back as well. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of the leader surrounded by blood and Clawtail standing over him. "Traitor!" She growled and ran at him, claws unsheathed. The white warrior dodged the she-cat and quickly went into the nursery. Greenblossom was still pushing, trying to get the last kit out so she could protect all of her kits. Echosong was unable to get up, crimson liquid streaming down the wounds Clawtail had given her. The tortoiseshell queen was no where in sight, same as her kits. Clawtail grinned and padded towards Greenblossom. Just before he could snatch her kits the tortoiseshell queen pinned him down, in front of Greenblossom. "Leave her alone!" She hissed and bit Clawtail's throat. The white warriors eyes widened and he turned to see Greenblossom give birth to her last kit, a dark gray kit with black markings. Clawtail's eyes glazed over after a few seconds, the scent of blood filled the air. "Sorrelpelt... You didn't need to kill him." Greenblossom meowed and licked her last kit, placing it by her stomach. Sorrelpelt got off the dead tom and wiped the blood off of her muzzle. "He would've killed you, if I didn't stop him." She padded back to her nest, her three kits coming out from hiding in Echosong's stomach fur. The medicine cat was just now getting to her paws. "G-Greenblossom are you alright?" She couldn't see out of one eye because it was covered with blood. Greenblossom mewed gently. "Yes I'm fine." The medicine cat purred and sniffed the newborn kits. "Looks like you have one tom and two she-cats, they are all as healthy as can be." Echosong dipped her head politely. "Now I must go tend to my own wounds if you don't mind." With that she left the den. Ashstar came in on shaky paws, dry blood covered his neck. He looked at Clawtail's lifeless body and then at his mate. "Looks like everyone's going to be okay." The leader sighed with relief and went over to his kits. "Have you picked out names for them?" He asked her. Greenblossom smiled. "I thought that maybe we could name the tom, Foxkit. Since he looks like a fox, and we could name this she-cat Moonkit." She pointed to the light gray kit. Ashstar nodded. "Of course. That means this one can be... Darkkit?" He tilted his head staring at the last kit. "No, we are not naming her Darkkit." Greenblossom refused to call her daughter that. Ashstar huffed. "Well I didn't know he was actually a she... How about Shadowkit?" He suggested hesitantly. The queen purred. "Yes we will name her Shadowkit." She nodded, finally agreeing.