First Lights

I remember when we first met; it was along the border of the four Clans that live near the lake; we were young kittens back then-with small families that lived on the farms.

In fact, our first encounter was a fight over a small mouse-not enough to feed anyone, and certainly not the reason why we were fighting, but it was more of a refusal to back down.

A battle of prides.

Nobody ended up getting the mouse; it was broken and battered beyond a point where it could ever be eaten by the time we were done with our battle of claws and teeth.

We were about four moons old when that happened.

The two of us didn't run into each other again until we were six moons old.

And that time we didn't end up clawing, and sending each other back home in a messed up state of blood, patchy fur and extreme wrath.

In fact, our second meeting was rather friendly.

It was at dawn, around the days first lights when we ran into each other my the large stream that lies close to the border of one of the Clans.

I was there to get a quick drink and who knows what she was doing there-it almost looked like she was trying to fish, which was quite a ridiculous thought.

Needless to say, we recognized each other immediately.

It's not very easy to forget the face of a cat who nearly shredded you.

"Hello," I had meowed cautiously.

"Hello," Was the terse reply I had received in return.

And those were the only words we exchanged with each other until the sun had fully risen and the silence began to kill us both.

"It's a beautiful morning," She commented.

"Isn't it?" I agreed, gently licking my pelt, as the sun shined brightly before us, "It's such a relief that leaf-bare has finally ended."

"It is."

We didn't exchange any other words-I left just a short while later, but there was a strange feeling surging through me as I returned, and this time it wasn't anger.

I don't know if it was fate but we met the next morning-right before dawn in one of the large fields the very next morning as well.

The conversation was a little less awkward but still we hardly exchanged any words-and not much was remarked except for the weather.

I didn't see her for another moon after that.

But, during that moon many other things happened.

My family decided to move away-they were growing sick of the old farm where we lived and they wanted to travel towards the mountains they saw in the distance.

I refused to go with them, and they appeared to be just fine with that.

So before I reached the age of seven moons I had been abandoned by my family; and it wasn't likely that I would ever see them again.

After that I began to grow closer to her.

We would meet occasionally and it would usually be before the first lights of the day. We had more conversations that grew to be longer and longer.

And we began to spill more and more to each other.

She had been abandoned by her family too-except she hadn't been given the choice. One morning she had woken up to find her family had just disappeared.

And it wasn't long before I realized we were friends.

She was my only friend.

The only one in my life, now that I had been separated from my family. A friend.

It was a pleasant moment when I realized that.

And one morning, while we were hunting together as we occasionally would do I allowed her to realize how important she was to me.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?" She asked, her blue eyes widening.

"Being my friend," I claimed.

She seemed a little stunned, "You're welcome."

I nodded gently, smiling at her, "You are actually the only friend I really have... And my best mornings are the ones I spend with you. Because there is no one else I would rather see the beginning of the day; the day's very first lights with than a friend."

She dipped her head a little shyly, "Then why don't we come here every morning," She swiped her tail over the large fields where we sat, "Every day we can be together when we open our eyes to the sun's very first lights. To the day's first lights. To our own first lights."