Lost Stars (A Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter One

                  Luna had always loved the stars. She stared at them now, sitting perched on the two-leg fence and letting the night breeze brush her fur. The stars were always beautiful to her; tiny pinpricks of light in a never-ending blanket of darkness with a faint, comforting glimmer that shone through the wisps of clouds. 

                  Luna purred softly in happiness, breathing in the scent of the night air; it was sharp and familiar, filled with lingering scents of prey and the constant bitter tang of the thunderpath close by. The white patches of her coat turned silver underneath the moon, as Luna pricked her ears to listen to the forest sounds.

                  A soft rustle of leaves nearby startled her, causing her to stumble back. Her paws scrabbled at the fence to regain her footing, and she flicked her tail in annoyance. But it was quickly forgotten as Luna's eyes narrowed as she focused on the rustling leaves. Underneath the repulsive scent of the thunderpath, she could scent the musky taste of prey. Her mouth began to water, and her small black paws twitched in excitement. 

                There it was! Through the darkness, Luna could make out the bushy tail of a squirrel, a few fox-lengths away. Luna looked down, hunching her muscles to leap down from the fence. The ground seemed far below her. She paused for a second before biting back her fear and leaping down from the fence with a dull thud. Her paw pads stung, but the mossy ground of the forest felt much better than the hard surface of the fence. Tail twitching, she bounced on her paws and stared into the murky darkness, making sure the squirrel hadn't moved. 

                 It was still there. Completely motionless, and less than a fox-length away. Mouth watering, Luna crept through the shadows of the trees. A few more paw steps and...

                 Yowling in triumph, she pounced.

                 "Luna!" 

                  Her mother's voice came from behind her. Startled, she stumbled, crashing onto her side with her paws beneath her. She squirmed, shaking her pelt.  

                 "What are you doing?" Her mother leaped down gracefully from the fence, before bounding over and frantically licking her kit. Luna glanced around, looking for the squirrel she had been hunting. There it was! Only... It was just a tree branch, hiding in the shadow of the bush. Luna ducked her head, shamefaced. 

                  "I told you to stay in the garden!" She scolded when she was sure that Luna wasn't hurt.  Her white tail lashed angrily, though concern still tinged her steady gaze. 

                    "I saw a squirrel!" Luna protested. She dug her claws into the soft forest ground. Here, it was much quieter. She looked around, distracted, at the looming trees and canopy of leaves. Soft shafts of moonlight tuned the forest ground into a swirling pattern of dark green, browns and grey. Entranced, she padded around the dappled ground.

                     "Luna!" Her mother used her bushy tail to sweep her kit towards her. 

                     "Sorry," she whispered, looking at her paws. "I just wanted to explore the forest." Luna pushed her muzzle against her mother's side, letting her comforting warmth envelop her. The forest seemed so big, all of a sudden. The trees loomed over her, and Luna shivered, though she still couldn't shake the feeling that this was where she belonged. 

                        "Oh, my kit," said her mother, her voice thick with an emotion that Luna couldn't recognize as she pressed closer to her. She stared at Luna, and the anger seemed to sweep away from her eyes. Instead, there was only a soft grey sadness that lingered there; it was a broken, shattered dullness that made her eyes glazed and empty. 

                         Luna shivered. "I'm sorry," she repeated, letting her mother's scent wash over the new smells of the forest. 

                        "One day, I'll tell you about the forest," her mother continued, her voice quiet. Her pawsteps were slow as she helped Luna onto her paws, using her tail to guide her back to the fence. With a powerful leap, she scaled the fence and pulled Luna up gently. 

                         "Will you tell me about the Clans?" Luna asked, her voice tentative. The Clans was something she heard her mother talk about sometimes, though every time she mentioned it, her eyes were sad and her voice became tired. 

                         Her mother stiffened, before letting a soft sigh and dipping her head slightly. "I will tell you about the Clans when you're older. I'll tell you stories of chasing prey and my days as a leader named DawnStar." 

                         Her mother licked Luna's head, absentmindedly. Luna thought that her eyes looked far, far away.

                         "But for now, you're still a kit."

A/N: I tried my best to get a picture of Luna; the picture above was the closest I could find! :) Isn't she so cuteeee?