Thunderstruck

Prologue
Once we've seen it,

there's nothing we can do to stop it.

The light struck the quaint little town of Sallyworthes. It startled everyone who lived there, as well as the spirits that roamed the area. Those brave enough would barge out of their homes to see what was going on. But as soon as they had stepped outside, they soon retreated to the safety of brick and cement.

The thunder roared overhead. Adults would curse when the internet broke down and the telephone wires malfunctioned. Children would stare gloomily out of the window at their gardens, now so wet the mud had turned slushy.

But as the night raged on, everyone was in bed and could no longer hear the noise. Dogs and cats were curled up in their baskets, dozing peacefully. Only the very few hamsters in the village were awake.

The morning came and once they were ready, the citizens slowly opened their doors. The gasps filled the air.

What the storm had done was horrendous! Tree branches scattered the area. Fences littered the ground, which were wrenched out of gardens.

A scream filled the village.

People rushed over to see what it was. A woman was crouched over something, sobbing. "What is it?" they asked. The woman moved aside to reveal the dead carcass of a ginger cat. Its fur was singed; it's whiskers completely burnt off and no tail. Only one ear remained.

"I wondered why he hadn't come back last night," she choked, "I thought he might have stopped by with Jessie, seeing as he sometimes visits. I didn't want to go out in the weather to look for him and the telephone wasn't working so I, I... kinda forgot." She burst into tears again.

Another woman comforted her but her husband was inspecting the dead cat. It had a deep burn down his side, dyeing its sodden fur. He considered something for a moment, then stood up and stared the cat's owner in the eye. "There's only one explanation for his death." He said. "He got run over, didn't he?" someone asked.

The man shook his head. "He can't have, see here. Covered in burns, singed fur, it's obvious he's got struck by lightning."

"No, the trees in our village only have branches at the very top. There's no way that Melon could have climbed all that way with just his claws?" someone countered.

"Perhaps he was on top of someone's house?"

"Nah, the tiles would've been so slippery he would have slid right off!"

"Well were else could he have gone? There are no electric towers here in Sallyworthes."

The man lifted up his hand to silence them. Then he sighed, "I know it seems impossible that this cat got struck by lightning, but listen. What else could have happened?"

The woman stopped crying suddenly, "I guess you're right" she sighed, "He was either struck by lightning or someone set him on fire, which can't have happened cos the rain would have put the match out."

"Exactly," the man concluded.

Chapter One
Silence,

the one thing that makes me cry.

''"Ha! I've got you now! Rouge." The kit had hissed teasingly.''

"Not for long Ravenkit" the other had struggled to escape.

Sunflower's wounds seared as she shifted herself into a sitting position. Why couldn't she stop thinking about those two random kits play fighting? She had nothing to do with them?

She sighed, her breathe ragged. She had worse problems to deal with.

•	Heal wounds

•	Then worry about strange thoughts

Worriedly, Sunflower looked up at the sky. Clear blue with a few clouds. Perfect. She just hoped it would stay that way.

"Ha! I've got you now! Rouge." The kit had hissed teasingly.

NO! Sunflower forced the thought of the little black kit out of her mind. Who was he anyway?

"Not for long Ravenkit"

Ravenkit? NO! Focus on healing wounds first.

Sunflower looked around. A few plants were familiar. Borage leaves, horsemint, poppies. Poppies! Aha, a few seeds should take away some of the pain. Sunflower dragged herself over to the sweet smelling plants, feeling a bit sleepy just by looking at them. She ripped a flower of its stem and pulled of a few seeds. She felt some of the pain go away as soon as she gulped them down.

It wasn't much but it was something at least.

Now, cobwebs.

A cluster of horsemint had some abandoned webs on them. Sunflower wrapped them round her leg wound. The others weren't so bad.

Thank StarClan I'm a medicine cat! She thought to herself. Otherwise I'd surely be dead by now.

...the other had struggled to escape.

Sunflower could have screamed. Whatever she did she could not stop thinking about the two mysterious kits. Who were they? Where were they? What were they doing? And how come they kept working their way into her mind?

Chapter Two
Bravery is something to be proud of,

Cowardliness is something to improve.

Sunflower blinked wearily. Her dreams were filled with those strange kits, even though she tried not to think about them. But anyway, there were worst things on her mind.