Shadows

Prologue
The wind slashed at the leafless branches of trees as a storm lashed it's way into ThunderClan territory. The silence of the clan was broken by a wail from a cat in the nursery. Cloudshine rushed into the bramble den to see a silvery gray queen lying on her side, her belly convulsing as the kits pushed their way out into the world.

Cloudshine flattened her ears in annoyance as Silversplash's mate, her own brother, padded up beside her. "Will Silversplash be okay?" Cloudshine glared at him. "She won't be if you're in the way of the kitting." Stormheart hurried away.

She wasn't normally this short tempered. But the fact that her brother had mated with a cat from another clan, not to mention that it was Volestar's own daughter, and were having kits together. Silversplash had been on Sunningrocks when a patrol found her and brought her back so that she could kit safely.

Spasm by spasm, three kits made their way into ThunderClan. Glancing at the small lives that lay by Silversplash's belly, Cloudshine's annoyance faded. The kits were beautiful, even if they were the result of a broken code.

"I want to name this one Willowkit." Silversplash pointed at the pale gray she kit. "And this one can be Streamkit." Stormheart gently nudged the blue gray she kit. "Maybe Cloudshine should name the last one." Stormheart turned, his eyes indicating his desperation for forgiveness. Cloudshine looked at the sandy gray she kit that remained.

"She can be named Pebblekit." Cloudshine then left without another word.

Chapter One
Pebblekit stretched her eyes wide open. Her sisters were squirming around, their eyes still closed. It was nighttime. Pebblekit could tell by the sound of gentle snoring coming from a den somewhere outside. Quietly creeping out of the nursery, Pebblekit was amazed at how large the camp was.

It sat in a ravine, with oak trees visible at the top. Dawn was about to break. Pebblekit hurried back inside.

"You've opened your eyes!" Her mother cried. Another cat looked at her. "She's certainly lucky." Pebblekit was confused for a moment. Lucky? She squeezed outside and peered at her reflection in a puddle. Her eyes were a beautiful blend of different shades of blue, sparkling like the sky just before night. Purring, she hurried back inside. Straight into the sight of her dead sister.