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| - A sliver moon shone across the lake, creating an illuminating light that brightened up the trees around it and making the lush grass sparkle. The four Clans of warrior cats slept soundly inside their territories, peacefully snoring away as they dreamed, curled up in their nests. The wildlife of the forest moved about, mice and badgers scampering around in the undergrowth, whilst others slept as soundly and as quietly as the wildcats. Suddenly a rustling in the bushes sounded, making the nearby mice scamper away to hide. Pushing her way out of the green mass of leaves, a black she-cat stepped out into the soft mud that covered the ground. Her paws slipped a bit, but she managed to stand up straight and walk in a straight line silently. Her dark pelt matched the night, camouflaging her against the black sky, only the moon shinning down on her posing a threat to her stealth against the night. Another cat, a tabby tom, stepped out of the bushes and began to follow her, matching the strong and prideful way in which she walked. "Where are we going Night?" the young tabby whispered, carefully looking around to make sure no enemies spotted them. "You haven't told any of us where our new home is going to be." Night looked over her shoulder at her companion. "Don't worry Hornet," she spoke quietly. "You and the others will find out soon enough." Three more cats pushed their way out of the bushes. A small and dirty white she-cat with a huge scar running down the side of her face, a huge black and white tom with amber eyes that shone like the sun itself, and a calico she-cat with a missing green eye and a torn ear. They followed in single file behind their leader, their heads low and their eyes narrowed in concentration. Night came to a halt in front of a small stream that ran through the undergrowth, signalling with her tail for her friends to stop. When they obeyed she turned around to face them. Hornet stared at her with admiration gleaming in his amber eyes. She was such a strong and determined leader, caring enough for her friends to find a better place for them to live. "My friends," she meowed. "There is a small, quiet clearing in this forest that I have found on my travels here. It is away from any of the forest cats' territories and we can hunt freely without any hassle from Twolegs." Hornet's mind flashed back to the group's old home. A dirty, grimy disgusting street in Twoleg-place. He and his companions had to watch out for Twolegs, dogs and monsters that roared past on a hot, pebble path, kicking up dirt wherever they went and were a living death-trap for innocent stray cats. Night had decided that they ought to find a better home, and had said that she had been on journeys to the forest of the cats, and loved the freeness of it, and decided that the endless kingdom of trees was the rightful home for her companions. Hornet had been a wildcat for all his life. His mother died giving birth to him, and Night had taken him in as her own kit due to his dying mother's demands. He was a skilled fighter, battling the other fierce cats that dared try to steal their food. He too, hated the smell of death that the Twoleg-place offered and the hardships that his friends had to face, and had travelled with his foster mother and his friends all the way to the forest. The small scarred white she-cat spoke up, her voice raspy and strained. "Now I can give birth to my kits without any stress." The huge black and white tom pressed his forehead against the she-cat's face. "Our kits will be so beautiful Snow, just like you." He purred. Hornet made a disgusted face. He knew how much the young tom loved his mate, but how he could call her beautiful was beyond him. She was scarred and ugly as a rat, but he guessed that the black tom saw beauty from within her. Snow pressed her forehead against her mate's and purred. "And you will be a great father Spider." The calico she-cat eyed Night with her single green eye. "Are you sure this place is safe, Night?" she asked. "I mean, what about foxes and badgers? Won't they pose a possible threat?" Hornet watched his adopted mother's fur bristle. Her long sharp claws struck the dirty ground, sinking into the earth. "Don't doubt my knowledge Turtle!" she spat. "I know what is best for us!" Turtle's ears fell back against her head. Hissing, her fur standing along her spine. "Don't have to be so hostile, Night." She snapped. "I was only asking you if you knew of any other dangers around the parts that you've visited, that's all!" Without warning, Night sprang at her. Pinning the young cat to the muddy ground, the black rogue raked her needle claws against her face. Spider and Snow yelped in surprise, and Hornet stared wide eyed at the display that lay in front of him. He knew that his mother had an extremely violent temper. Once she had actually killed a scrawny rogue who had entered their alleyway back in the Twoleg place and tried to steal some of their prey. Night had caught him easily as he tried to scamper away, slashed at his throat with one swipe, and the tom was no more. Hornet's mind whirled with unease and fear, making him feel like a scared little rat running away from a hungry bird. What if Night killed again? What if she killed Turtle, a close friend of hers? Surely her temper wouldn't extend too far enough to kill a friend, but Hornet couldn't be so sure. He watched on, fear shinning in his eyes as he watched the fight continue. Turtle squrimed beneath the stronger cat, trying to break free from her piercing grip. Night held on to her shoulders, her claws now digging into the she-cat's calico fur. Blood gushing out from her shoulders, Turtle made another violent jerk to loosen her attacker's grip. "You're fighting like a kittypet!" Night snarled. "Battle like a proper cat!" In anger at her insult, Turtle managed to pull her right foreleg from under the mad she-cat. Eye closed and her claws extended, she slashed at Night without looking. Hornet watched in horror at the pair of fighting she-cats. Night had stopped still, seemingly paralysed. Turtle managed to wriggle free from under the black cat as her grip loosened. The tortoiseshell stood up and glared back at her, then by doing so realized her mistake. Night's neck was slit, blood gushing out of a large claw wound that formed there. She tried to gasp for oxygen, but her slit throat prevented that. In one last gasp she slumped to the dirty floor, her crimson blood pouring out of her mouth and forming a pool beside her motionless head. Night was dead. Hornet felt swear pour down his face like rain. He wanted to scream but only a faint whimper came out. His eyes travelled to Spider and Snow. Snow murmured into Spider's fluffy pelt as he licked her ear comfortingly, his eyes showing about as much shock and grief as Hornet's. Turtle backed away from Night's lifeless body, until she banged into an oak tree behind her. Hornet felt himself padding over to his foster mother's corpse, tears welling up in his eyes. Her sticky blood rain at his paws but he didn't care. He knelt down and pushed his head into her black pelt, tears now pouring out from amber eyes. Night was the very cat who cared enough to take him in as her own son. No other rouge wanted wanted the scrawny, ugly kit, so Night stepped forward and vowed to make him the best fighter the streets had ever seen, and would show the other rogues that he deserved to be alive. Raising his head to the sky, Hornet let out the scream he had held inside him. The birds nesting high in the great oaks flew away, startled awake by the sudden noise that filled the air. Turtle stepped toward the grief-stricken tabby and stood in front of Night's body, looking at him with guilt staining her single green eye. "Hornet," She gasped, as shocked as the other cats were. "I'm so sorry. It was an accident, I..." Before she could explain, Hornet sprang to his paws. Baring his teeth into a snarl, he glared at the calico, hatred shinning like stones in his amber eyes. "This is all your fault!"
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