Nightshadow's Past



Nightshadow, a loyal MistClan warrior and loving father, wasn't always the courageous warrior he is today. Read on to      find out what he was like before he met the Clans!













Night crouched at the edge of the bush hollow. His sister, Snowberry, tumbled on the ivy-covered ground with his other sister, Starling. They squeaked and squawked and gently growled and swatted at one anothers ears. Night's much larger and more powerful brother, Cricket, scowled and leapt into the tumble with his sisters. He yowled and kicked at them, much harder than his sisters. "Play nice, Cricket!" chirped Snowberry, who was scrabbling to her paws from the edge of the hollow, charging to bowl over her brother. Night, the runt of the litter, watched wordlessly. The shy kit flattened his ears as he looked at his beautiful, silky-furred mother who was striding towards him.



"Go play with your littermates, my sweet kit." She meowed and licked Night between his ears.



"But mama, I don't want to play with Cricket, Snowberry, and Starling! They don't play nice!" he cried. Night's father padded over to him. 



"Ivory, can't you give him a break?" he purred.



"Oh, just this one time, Rush. Next time he's going to go play with his littermates, and there's nothing you can do about it!" She teased and leaned over to lick his cheek.



"I think the kits will be getting hungry soon, what do you think?" Rush meowed with a quick change of subject. Ivory simply nodded. "Can I take Night hunting with me? He must be bored, just sitting here." Night scowled.



"You don't have to speak for me, dad!"



"You don't usually speak for yourself, fiesty kit!"



"Oh, stop bickering you two. And yes, Night can go with you if he wants." Ivory mewed smoothly. Night nodded timidly. A shiver ran down his spine, though he tried his best to hide it.



"Come on then, Night. I'll show you around while we're out." Rush purred.



"Okay." Night got to his paws shakily, padding over to his father. Rush waved his tail and padded to the narrow opening of the hollow bush. Night quietly padded after him.













Night's hackles stood on end at every sound and thing that touched him. His icy-blue eyes



were wild. "D-d-d-da-dad?" Night stammered timidly.



"What?"



"Its s-s-s-sc-scary h-h-here.."



"Once you get to know it, its not so bad."



"Th-th-the noi-noises a-and smells a-are s-so sca-scary.."



Rush sniffed the air slowly, parting his mouth.



"We have to get back to the hollow bush, now."



A shiver ran down Night's back. "Wh-why?"



"Now!" Rush hissed and scooped up Night by his dark gray tabby scruff. Night squeaked as he beat against Rush's chest as he sprinted back to the hollow bush.








"You didn't catch any prey?" Prompted Ivory as the duo plunged through the brambles, by the time they were there Night's face was laden with tears, the tears dripped from his cheeks and chin. "What happened?!" Ivory stiffened as she saw her sobbing kit.



"D-d-da--" Night was cut off by his father.



"We have to move, now." He meowed after setting down Night.



"Why, dad?" The other 3 kits, Snowberry, Starling, and Cricket inquired in unisen.



"Now. No questions. Who wants to be carried?" He raked his gaze across the kits.



"M-mme..." Night whimpered.



"I want to!" squealed Starling.



"Aww!" squeaked Snowberry.



"I can walk the whole way!" Cricket boasted.



"Ivory, you carry Night. I'll take Snowberry. If Starling or Cricket wants a ride, they can go on one of our backs." Rush explained. "We leave at sundown."








Night stirred from the edge of the bush, where his mother was. He was curled up under her tail while his siblings were near their mother's head.



Night blinked open his eyes and it was the milky light of dusk. He outstretched his forepaws in a luxorious stretch and yawned, quietly slipping out from under his mother's tail. He licked his lips and felt his belly rumble and a stinky scent washed over his nose. Instantly, fear sparked from his pelt and rolled off in waves, he was frozen in fear. He whimpered and skittered over to his father, prodding him in the side.



"D-d-d-dad..?"



Rush stirred and stretched out his forepaws above him, and brought them closer to his chest.



"What?"



"Something smells... s-s-s-scary.."



Rush carefully sniffed the air.



"Go wake up your mother, right now. No questions."



Night obeyed and skittered over to his mother.



"M-m-mama?"



"Yes, dear?" She drowsily said with a yawn.



"D-dad says we h-h-have to.. go."



Ivory's icy blue eyes widened. Her jaws parted in another yawn and she stood up, shaking her jet-black pelt out. Cricket, Starling, and Snowberry stirred too.



"Whats going on mama..?" Yawned Starling.



"I was having the best dream!" Cricket scowled.



"Im sleepy!" Squeaked Snowberry.



"Kits, your father says we have to go now."



"But why--" Cricket was cut off by his father scooping up Starling. Ivory did the same with Night just after.








Night's eyes were watery with tears, his paws, tail, ears, and nose were freezing. The moon peered overhead, the light dispersed through the trees overhead. "We will rest here." Rush declared, his meow muffled by Starling's scruff. He bent over and set the kit down. Night blinked, and tears streamed from his eyes, and Ivory set him down.



"You sleep with me, Night." She whispered.



Night nodded timidly and stepped close to his mother's paw. She licked his ears and padded over to an overhanging bush, settling down while Night hobbled over to his mother's chest. He curled up and Ivory held him close. He coughed and sniffled, trying not to moan. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.



He dreamt that he was in the mountains, a pretty transparent calico with greenish caribbean blue flashed at the edge of his vision, then was gone. "H-hello?" Night asked shakily. No reply. Wind whirled and howled above his head, and then snapping hello teeth flashed before his eyes.



Night woke with a gasp, looking around at the light that dappled the clearing floor. Rush paced around. He muttered something that Night didn't understand. Rush's gaze flitted to Night.



"Oh, you're awake."



Night nodded.



"We're going out, and I don't want Cricket to tag along. You know him... Always being proud of himself..."



Night nodded again and gently slipped from his mother's forepaws. He walked timidly over to his father, who led him into deeper woodland. He stopped at tiny footprints in the mud.



"Do you see these tracks? They're mouse tracks. You can see where the mouse has gone by them." He gestured his paw around a track, and pointed in the direction they were going. He bent down and sniffed the tracks carefully. "Can you smell the scent? Does it smell fresh or old?" He instructed. Night sniffed the ground carefully and awkwardly.



"F-f-fresh..?"



"Yes. Now go follow the scent and let your instincts take over from there."



Night shyly nodded and crawled into the undergrowth, soon, he spotted a little brown creature scurrying and nibbling around. Night tensed, becoming still. The mouse still scuttled about until it found a pinenut. Night flicked his tail softly and brought a paw forward, he wiggled his haunches and pounced, landing squarely on the mouse. He closed his jaws gently over the mouse's head, padding timidly back to his father.



"Exactly." Night tensed as Rush saw the brown furry shape twitched. "Did you kill that?!" Rush hissed.



Night shook his head.



"Why not? You're supposed to kill it!"



"I ddnt wnu!" Night meowed over his mouse.



Rush padded over to Night and took the mouse out of his son's jaws, snapping down on its round body. He let the limp creature drop. "There."



Night's eyes widened and he gagged.



"We can go back now." Rush declared.



Night picked up the mouse he captured and walked close to Rush, and the two padded side-by-side.








Night suddenly got uncomfortable. It felt like eyes were burning into his pelt. He looked warily around. "D-dad?" He managed around his mouse.



"What?"



"D-d-do you f-feel l-like y-y-your b-being w-watched?"



Rush paused, but kept going.



"C-can we r-rest?" Night suggested.



"Fine."



Night rounded a fern and settled down in a small mossy clearing. He set down his mouse and started to warily groom his paws.



Then a firey red shape flashed in the forest.



Night stiffened, and called "D-dad?"



"What?" He looked over at his kit.



But it was too late.



The firey figure crashed through the undergrowth ontop of Night. He yowled and kicked up at the shape's white belly. Rush gasped and hurled himself, yowling and raking his claws down its snout. Night was crouched in fear, his eyes already wet with tears and he shivered, gasping for breath. Rush was clinging to the fox's muzzle, and pummeled its neck. Jaws flashed in Night's vision.



Long yellow teeth snapped at his father's belly.



Saliva dripped between the jaws.



Menacing brown eyes with slit pupils glittered.



The jaws got a hold on Rush's flanks, and the menacing creature shook him. Rush yowled and tried to land a hit on the fox's ears or eye. The fox sunk his teeth deeper into Rush's side and rush caterwauled. Night watched in horror as the fox threw Rush to a tree, and went to pick up the limp cat. The orange figure plunged into the undergrowth with Night's father in his jaws. He sat there like a stone, stunned and sobbing heavily. He tried to yowl but could barely manage a squeak. “Da..-d..” he managed to choke out, but the forest was silent. No birds chirped, no prey scuttled in the undergrowth. He could hear the blood in his ears. A small scratch was stretched out across his flank, but other than that, he was fine. He closed his eyes tightly and continued to choke, gasp, and cry.








-Ivory’s point of view-



Ivory paced around the bush, while her kits seemed not to notice how long their father and brother has been gone. Her tail flicked from side to side impatiently and she angled her head down. Where are those two? They should’ve been back by now! She silently worried in her head. The thought was tugging at her, pondering whether she should stay with the kits or if she should go.



“Kits, I’m going to go look for your father and Night.” Ivory declared.



“I’m going with you!!” Cricket yowled and launched himself from Starling’s head, sending her flying backwards into her other sister, Snowberry, which sent them both tumbling to the other side of the hollow bush. Cricket clung onto his mother’s jet-black shoulder fur, his tiny claws digging into her skin slightly.



“Hey! Not nice! I’m going too!” Starling yowled and shook herself out, then bounded over to Ivory. Snowberry followed closely after.



“I’m also coming!” Snowberry cheered, her wide pink eyes (she’s albino) glimmering with excitement.



Ivory sighed. “Okay, kits. You can come. But behave yourselves, or you cant come with me anymore!”



Cricket instantly let go of Ivory’s fur, standing up straight with his tail straight up in the air. Starling and Snowberry tumbled over to his side, trying to copy his pose.



“Okay, kits. You can come now. Follow me carefully, we don’t know whats in this forest. We’ve never been here before. If anyone wants a ride, just tug on my fur and I’ll give you a lift.” Ivory nodded to her kits and padded out a small crack in the branches of the bush. The branches that were overhanging and were close to the gap tugged at her pelt, just like the anxiety that was bubbling in her chest. Ivory looked from side to side, sniffing the air carefully. She detected the faint scent of Rush and Night, she was confused when she also detected the sickening stench of fox. Her heart dropped like an egg that fell from the nest. What if they were killed by the fox? Ivory thought with a shiver.



“Okay, here we go.” She meowed shakily and plodded towards where she smelled her mate and kit. She had rounded bushes and leapt logs and streams, helping her 3 kits that were with her over, under and around obstacles.



The scent of fox, Rush, and Night grew stronger with each tail-length.



Her heart quickened as she could pick up the faint sound of sobbing and choking. She felt a tiny tug at her belly fur and looked down to see the scowling gray face of Cricket, who flicked his tail over to Starling and Snowberry, who were lagging behind tiredly. She paused impatiently and waited for Starling and Snowberry, her eyes filled with distress and discomfort. Her tail tip twitched, another sign of annoyance.



A little bit later, Snowberry and Starling had finally caught up. Ivory set off again, to where the sobbing was still going on. She was trotting quite fast now, and even Cricket was having trouble keeping up, and even though he was the biggest of the litter, his little legs would soon be tired. Ivory slowed to a walk, and didn’t even look back when she heard the squeak of Starling, who had been caught in a bramble. Ivory leapt over a mossy rock and ended up in a mossy clearing, with a  small bush-thing on one side of it, towards the middle, where there was a sobbing behind it. She padded over and around the bush.



“Sweetie?”



No answer except a sob.



“I’m here now, it’s going to be okay.” her eyes filled with partial relief, but the other half was still sick with worry for Rush.



“Where’s your daddy?” She asked softly.



“F-..” Night choked out, then Cricket leapt into the clearing triumphantly, Snowberry and Starling following him, unintentionally stumbling every few steps.



“Haha! I told you fools we would find her!” Cricket yowled triumphantly.



“Mama! Why did you leave us?” Snowberry groaned, while Starling stayed silent.



“Hush, kits. Don’t worry your little brother.”



The kits stayed silent.



Ivory bent down and sniffed Night’s scratch, and she made up her mind.



Okay, we’re going. Rush can find his way… He has a great nose.



“Kits, come along. We’re going to the mountains.”



Instantly, Cricket protested.



“We can’t go without daddy!” he screeched.



“Be quiet, Cricket!” Ivory hissed, “Your father has a great sense of smell, he can come find us. He is the best tracker I know.”



Cricket scowled, like usual, but kept quiet.



“I’m going to carry Night, he’s in shock, do any of you want to be carried?”



Snowberry shyly mewed. “I do…”



“Okay, hop on my back.”



Snowberry padded over and clambered onto her mother’s back, and she dug her tiny claws into Ivory’s fur, clinging on like cobweb to fur.



“What about you, Starling?”



Starling shook her head.



“No, thanks.”



“I guess we’re off, then…” Ivory meowed and stood up, and then scooped up Night by his scruff. Ivory waved her tail and hastily padded towards the acute silhouettes that were outlined by the falling sun.








-Back to Night-



The wind howled and buffeted his fur into a part, he swayed from his mother’s jaws with the combination of wind and her clambering over and around boulders. His eyes were watering as dusty stuff met his eyes, and even a feather flew at him.



He suddenly heard a bloodcurdling squeal as Starling slipped off a slippery patch of rock near a puddle, but luckily, Cricket was behind her and on a flat rock, stopping her fall.



“Clumsy!” He had hissed as he swatted his paws around to not fall over. He dodged around his sister and scrambled confidently up to Ivory, who seemed intent on finding pawholds to hear anything.



-Ivory-



Cricket tugged at Ivory’s long black belly fur and scoffed; “Starling is being a hold up again!” as she looked at the source of the tiny yank. She shifted her eyes to Starling who was gingerly feeling around with her paws to make sure there was solid ground. Ivory set down Night on a firm rock, then padded over to Starling and nudged her onto her back. She carried on over to Night and scooped up his limp, tired body. Ivory guessed he’d fallen asleep.



Ivory took a risk as she wrapped her tail around Cricket’s rump, herding him along and up the rocky slope. She found a small path cutting through the boulders, paler than the rest. The path was gravelly, and Ivory was sure it would take at least some strain off her paws. She swished her tail off Cricket, then back on, shooing him along infront of her. She kept close to the sheltered side of the snaking path.



The boulders eventually thinned out to a grassier area, where a Twolegplace loomed before the family of cats.



The scent of mingled cat scents hung in the air, and Ivory prayed that none of them would come attack her family. She veered sharply to the foothills of the mountains, and padded forwards, nudging the dreary and confused Cricket along.



“Do you want to rest, dear?” Ivory mewed softly, nudging him gently as he stumbled over a pebble.



“No… mama… I can go…” He yawned drowsily and trudged through the short, spiky grass that brushed his paws.



“You need rest too, Cricket.” she mumbled over Night “Look, there’s a little bush over there. And a rock, and a tree. We can stay there for now. The sun’s going down.”



Cricket didn’t protest for once, but instead he veered towards the bundle of shelter. Ivory padded after him drearily. They eventually reached the hollow, settling down Night on a flat rock and laying down, while Cricket clambered onto the rock where Night was, too tired to find any other place. Ivory licked at a pawpad, which had a piece of flint jammed in. She bit down on a little bit sticking out, tugged and almost knocking her daughters off her back. Her head jerked back as she took out a small, flat and smooth dark rock and spit it out, blood welling from the slit in her paw, which was sore and cracked.



They rounded a thicket of sagebrush, pausing as they saw a spotted ginger cat with piercing green eyes and a smaller she-cat with a stunning calico pattern and a strange pink vine wrapped around her neck. They were sharing a rabbit.


"Okay, kits, keep quiet. We're going to sneak around those cats. If they catch us, who knows what they'll do?"
She ducked under some branches, wincing as thorns and twigs snagged her sleek, long pitch black fur.
The kits followed behind more.. clumsily until a sharp thorn stabbed Ivory right in an intense, icy blue eye.
She screeched, popping up above the bushes and rearing back, catching the immediate attention of the ginger and calico cats. Ivory looked at them with blazing eyes, ducking back below the sagebrush while one of her kits, Snowberry, shrieked as one of Ivory's paws landed on her tail.
"Sorry, sweetie!" she hiss-whispered.
But the smaller calico kit came bundling over, crashing through the sagebrush.
"Hello!" she said in a cheery tone, the pink vine glimmering in the dusk light.
Ivory simply stared at her, one eye closed and oozing blood.
Cricket leapt forward, his chest puffed out proudly.
"You're just a little baby kitten! You shouldn'tve come here, lil'.. lil'.... rat!" he hissed, raising his head.
The small kit was clearly taken aback.
The ginger cat came over, her green gaze raking over the family of cats.
"You, mama cat- Do you want us to get you some food?" her eyes drifted to Ivory's flank, ribs jutting through her fur.
"N-no, we can hunt."
"No, you can't. Follow us and I'll get the thorn out of your eye. We'll get you food and if you're too exhausted then I'll teach your kits how to hunt."
"I can h--" Cricket started.
"SHUT UP!" Starling screeched, tackling her brother.
Night nervously looked around while Snowberry's gaze was following a moth.
Ivory sighed. "Fine..." She was clearly defeated. She wiggled out of the bushes, following the ginger she-cat while the calico kitten chatted with Ivory's kits.
"Sooo.... Whats your name??" she bumped Snowberry with one of her shoulders.
Her pink gaze instantly snapped away from the sky. "Snowberry! What's your name?"
"I'm Canary!! What are your siblings names??" her gaze shifted to Cricket, who was proudly marching after his mother.
"That's Cricket." she nodded to the proud gray cat. "and my sister is Starling." she looked back at her.
"And the tabby over there is Night. He doesn't talk much.." she mewed, her gaze fixed ahead.
Canary bounced around.