After Ever After

Part of Family Business

Chapter One
The noise level was insane.

Cats were yowling, laughing, purring. They giggled in pairs, she-cats cloistered in groups off to the side while the toms tried to outrun, outclimbe, and outswim each other. Blossomnose pulled Shadeheart along, weaving through the exclusive groups and shooting smirks over her shoulder at the dark tom.

"It'll be fun," she had promised.

Instead, it was crazy, loud, and a riot.

When signing up for the Academy, Shadeheart had envisioned nights of studying, staying up until the moon began to sink in the sky, perfecting each fighting move and improving every hunting crouch until his positions were perfect. He had expected hanging out with Blossomnose and a few other friends, lying low for a while and abstaining from partying. He had nailed the studying part, but Blossomnose had other plans when hanging out. She dragged him to every party with all of her giggling friends, and it was safe to say that Shadeheart was completely sick of it. He hated the noise, the brilliant colors, the screams that brought back memories of his mother's death--

No. He would stay happy, cheerful, just this once; just for Blossomnose.

"Come on, Shadeheart," she purred, laughing. "I promised Applefoot we'd meet her at the cherry blossom tree at moonhigh, and it's almost time!" Wrapping her tail around his shoulders, she bounded forward, sighing when Shadeheart followed at a slower walk. Noticing the frown etched on his face, Blossomnose mewed in concern, "Shadeheart, what's wrong?"

Pushing the image of his mother's body going up in flames from his mind, Shadeheart mewed quickly, "Just...nervous...for the interview in a few sunrises. I'm applying for the Negotiation Department, but I haven't told my family about it yet." The lie was bitter on his tongue, but it earned him a sympathetic glance from Blossomnose.

"Try and put it out of your mind," she suggested, picking up the pace again. The orchard was coming into view, the cherry blossom tree at the corner looming in front of the brilliant moon. "Applefoot'll be there with her brothers and Mossclaw, and it'll be fun. You can do whatever toms like to do; climb trees, race each other, whatever. Just...try and forget about it, okay? Let loose for once." She snickered, and bounded the last few tail-lengths to the tangled roots of the tree, where a pretty brown tabby and three toms were waiting. "Applefoot! It's Blossomnose, I brought Shadeheart too."

The night passed in a blur. Applefoot and Blossomnose's giggles lingered in Shadeheart's mind as Mossclaw - Applefoot's potential mate - and Applefoot's two brothers, Firewhisker and Sparrownose, bickered beneath the boughs of the tree. Shadeheart himself was perched in one of the branches, surveying the scene and trying to get the image of his mother from his mind.

"Time to go," Blossomnose mewed what seemed like eons later. "Fun, wasn't it?"

Blossomnose and Shadeheart skirted around the clearing thick with darkness and catmint-drunk yells, eager to get home and succumb to sleep. Though he had done virtually nothing the entire day, Shadeheart was exhausted. Though Blossomnose denied it, her droopy eyes and fluttering eyelids told Shadeheart otherwise, so he sped up his pace and went towards the complex of dens at a trot. Blossomnose padded wearily behind him, tail dragging in the dust.

"Good night," Blossomnose mewed, curling up adjacent to Shadeheart. "Love you."

"Love you too," Shadeheart replied, but even to him, his voice sounded empty. Perhaps it was the fact that it was exactly twenty-two years since the death of his mother, perhaps it was just the heat of the night that got him thinking of his mother, but he couldn't get her out of his head. There was something that was wrong with him, he couldn't--

A rustle jerked Shadeheart from his thoughts.

Raising his head wearily and ignoring Blossomnose's snores, he strained his ears to pick up whatever sound he had heard from the bushes. There had been something there, he was sure of it. But...the sound must have faded, it was probably one of the catmint cats plodding blindly home.

There---

Shadeheart lunged from his nest, claws extended. He fastened his teeth into the cat's shoulder, pushing it over and sending it sprawling to the ground. It would be an easy fight--and then Shadeheart was on his back, soft underbely exposed to the full extent of the cat's teeth and claws. Shadeheart struggled, but a hiss through the darkness erased all doubts.

"Will you shut up?"

He was silent a moment, then--

"Quailclaw?"

"Took you long enough," his brother said dryly, stepping back into the moonlight. Shadeheart narrowed his eyes. His brother looked vaguely the same; golden-brown tabby fur and green eyes shining with the ghost of a smirk. Quailclaw had always been the less intelligent - he was intelligent, but brawn was more his suit - of the brothers, used to getting his way based off of his looks alone. He had charmed his way into the hearts of many she-cats, something Shadeheart had doubted he'd stopped doing.

"Why didn't you turn up earlier? It's the middle of the night." Shadeheart yawned pointedly.

His brother said nothing. He turned and strode into the center of the clearing until his pelt was bathed in moonlight. Shadeheart cocked his head - Quailclaw was always one with words, but seeing him so speechless was slightly off-putting. Following the golden tom into the center of the complex, Shadeheart noticed the fear that laced his brother's eyes. Opening his mouth, concern creasing his face, Shadeheart was about to speak before his brother interrupted him.

"Dad's missing," Quailclaw mewed. "Something's wrong."

Chapter Two
Coming Soon!