Dawn Light on a Sunset is the first book in the collab series Shadowed Light by IcewrathXFeatherswirlXCraneheart and DarkstreamMountainClan.
Chapter 1: Lightpaw[]
Snow cracked between Lightpaw's cream-colored paws. The ShadowClan apprentice walked with her mentor, Rosethorn, a ginger tabby she-cat.
"Lightpaw, what do you smell?" Rosethorn asked her. Lightpaw sniffed the air.
"Stale fox scent," She reported. "And frog!"
"Fox scent?" Rosethorn's pale green eyes went wide.
"Stale," Lightpaw told her, "A few days, I think."
Rosethorn shook her head. "Okay." She meowed. "What about that frog? You said you smelt it."
The frog scent was more clear now. Lightpaw could see a frog sitting by a marsh. Leaping to it, she took it out with one quick bite. She held it in her jaws, her eyes shining.
"Good job," Rosethorn praised. "We should get back to camp now."
Lightpaw dropped her fresh-kill into the fresh-kill pile.
"Hey, Lightpaw!" A familiar voice called. It was Amberheart, the medicine cat apprentice. He used to be a warrior until the medicine cat, Nettletail, got an omen telling him to take Amberheart as an apprentice. Amberheart's thick dark brown tabby pelt was fluffed up, and his front paws prodded the ground.
The white tom Cloudfrost was behind him, the young warrior had claw wounds and blood smudged the white fur on his back left leg. "Can you help me put cobwebs on Cloudfrost's leg? My border patrol found a fox near the Thunderpath."
"Mouse-brain," Lightpaw grumbled jokingly as the two cats held cobwebs on Cloudfrost's wounds.
"Now go get some fresh-kill," Amberheart told Cloudfrost.
"Okay," Cloudfrost replied, limping over to the fresh kill pile, "Thank you, Amberheart." As the senior warrior and Lightpaw went to get fresh-kill, Lightpaw noticed the frog she caught wasn't there.
"Wonder who took it," She mumbled.
"What?" Cloudfrost looked up from the fesh-kill.
"Oh, er.. the frog I caught wasn't there," Lightpaw answered, shuffling her paws.
"Yes it is," Cloudfrost pointed one paw at the frog. What? The frog wasn't there, but now it is! "The frog is right there," he mewed.
"Oh." Lightpaw breathed. She picked up a lizard from the pile and brought it to the Apprentices' Den. "Maybe I should tell Nettletail about what I had seen." She thought.
Walking over to the Medicine Cat Den near the Clanrock, she smelled two cat scents. One was Nettletail's the others was a cat she didn't recognize. She could hear small voices. Walking into the entrance, almost into the den. She could see Nettletail. The dark gray tom was lying in leaves, and his light blue eyes were gleaming. "Flamewing, this secret could destroy the whole Dark Forest," he growled.
Chapter 2: Darkpaw[]
"No, Darkpaw! No! You don't kick off with one leg!" Darkpaw's Dark Forest mentor Jaggedfur growled as he shook himself off Darkpaw. Jaggedfur shook the dust off his matted light brown fur. Jaggedfur was dead, and the evil Dark Forest cat was from RiverClan. He went to the Dark Forest for attempting to poison one of the apprentices and taking away one of the nine lives his former leader had.
"I can do the battle move how I want to!" Darkpaw snarled. "I'm trying it out, so I can determine how I do it, not you, Fatfur!"
Darkpaw whipped around and stalked off, leaving Jaggedfur near the clearing. "Don't expect your wanted conclusions, Darkpaw." The pale tom called after him. "Arguing with your enemies and running away won't make you win a battle!" Darkpaw didn't listen, just walked away from his mentor. If the WindClan elders at the Gatherings said that RiverClan was annoying in battle, it was nothing compared to this. The ShadowClan apprentice walked over to a clump of stones where Flamewing the orange tabby and white tom was watching two apprentices train.
"Darkpaw." Flamewing's green eyes narrowed. "Would you like to come and join Badgerpaw and Spottedpaw in their training?" Darkpaw nodded. "Ok." He mewed. He looked at the two apprentices. Badgerpaw was a half-Clan cat, but he lived in ThunderClan. His father was a WindClan cat, and the black-and-white apprentice wanted revenge on his broken heritage, and was getting it by training in the Dark Forest. Spottedpaw lived in RiverClan, and was an older apprentice, close to becoming a warrior. She joined the Dark Forest because she felt it was safer than to stay in RiverClan.
Flamewing walked beside Darkpaw to the two fighting apprentices. "Spottedpaw, Badgerpaw," The young RiverClan warrior raised his tail so they would stop fighting. "The Sunningrocks will be ThunderClan's." Badgerpaw growled to Spottedpaw, whose cream-and-brown fur bristled as the apprentices sat up. "I have brought Darkpaw in to be part of your training," Flamewing continued. "Now you will learn how to surprise your enemies. You must hide and lash out at each other by surprise, and then start fighting. Now go."
Darkpaw ran up a tree. When he reached a low branch, he caught scent of the other two apprentices. Flamewing was lying down in a clump of ferns. "Attack!" He announced. The next heartbeat, Darkpaw had jumped out of the tree and landed on Spottedpaw, who had jumped out of a river.
He was ripping out clumps of her cream-and-brown fur the same moment as Badgerpaw jumped out of a gap between rocks and tackled Spottedpaw. Knocking Darkpaw out of the way, he jumped back to his paws.
Darkpaw jumped into the air and pushed Badgerpaw out of the way. The black ShadowClan apprentice scratched Spottedpaw over and over. As Badgerpaw regained his breath and was about to jump, Darkpaw rammed into him, pushing him into the river.
Badgerpaw jumped out of the river and tried to catch his breath. "Flamewing," He whispered. "I can't fight this anymore. Let me leave." But Flamewing wasn't listening. Only watching as Spottedpaw leaped onto Darkpaw and pounded his belly with heavy unsheathed brown feet. Darkpaw shot up and knocked her away, and Spottedpaw collapsed beside a stone, panting. "Time!" Flamewing yowled.
The three apprentices walked to Flamewing. Spottedpaw dragged one foot, and Badgerpaw had an open wound on his back. "That was a good training session." Flamewing told them, his pale green eyes shining. "Badgerpaw, you must get extra training. When your medicine cat sees your wounds, she'll tell you to rest in the medicine den. I'll bring you here when you fall asleep early. Spottedpaw, you did good enough to go to the next step of your training. Pebblespeck will train you. Darkpaw, you did the best. I am giving you permission to recruit another cat. It's still night, but I will awaken you now. You will take a ShadowClan cat and bring the cat here in your dreams."
Darkpaw nodded. "Ok. Send me back now." After a glare from Flamewing's eyes, Darkpaw woke up, finding himself in the apprentice den. The cream-colored she-cat Lightpaw slept in a corner, the gray tabby tom Smallpaw slept a few mouse-lengths away from Darkpaw. Finally, the Persian tortoiseshell she-cat Leafpaw was sleeping in the back of the den, her fluffy dappled tail around her nose.
"Who should I send into the Dark Forest?" Darkpaw thought. "Smallpaw? No, he'd be too scared. Leafpaw? Can't get her, she'd rather die than join the Dark Forest. Lightpaw. Yes. I'll take Lightpaw."
Darkpaw crouched his way over to Lightpaw. He started shaking the apprentice with his paws. "Lightpaw," He whispered. "Lightpaw, wake up." Lightpaw's eyes opened. "What is it?" She bared her teeth in a short, tired growl. "It's night. I should be sleeping."
"I'll walk in your dreams, Lightpaw." Darkpaw told her quietly. "We must sleep again, but I must tell you that I will find you in your dreams and take you somewhere." He narrowed his deep golden eyes. "You'll be rewarded."
Chapter 3: Lightpaw[]
Lightpaw woke up into a bone chilling gloom and she shivered. She knew she was in a place where no stars shone.
Darkpaw stop! she gave an inward wail. For the past half moon, in her dreams, she had woken up in the Dark Forest. She had to endure many long nights, just sitting, bored, as Dark Forest cats threw harsh words at her, including Darkpaw.
Tonight, though, the clearing was eerily silent and she didn't see the ring of Dark Forest cats. Surprised, she padded deeper into the gloom, her eyes trying to focus and refocus in the dark gloom and light flashes. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to try and find Darkpaw and save him from this ghastly place.
A twig snapped, and she moved her paw, all four of them. There was no broken twig beneath her paws. Some cat was near. Her eyes flicked around wildly. Her heart started to pound and her adrenaline kicked in.
"I can smell your fear," a voice sneered. It was a rather young sounding voice, which was almost rare here. Many apprentices came here, but they didn't speak much, except to other Dark Forest cats. None of the apprentices here had taunted her. They had been busy doing things for the older cats.
"But your pelt is the biggest giveaway," the voice came again. Darkpaw stepped from the bushes.
I knew it!
Lightpaw remained silent.
"Look at how it glows with light, little Lone Star," Darkpaw purred, his eyes glittering with a horrible triumph.
"You wouldn't kill me," Lightpaw mewed, almost inaudibly.
"Nobody would ever know," Darkpaw gave a dry chuckle.
"You would... and you would feel guilty," Lightpaw countered.
Darkpaw half-flinched, then snarled, "Who says?"
"I know it," Lightpaw whispered.
The last thing she saw was a flash of light swirling the darkness as Darkpaw lunged at her.
Chapter 4: Darkpaw[]
Darkpaw's black claws tore out small patches of Lightpaw's fur.
He felt weight go out from under him as Lightpaw ran, leaving Darkpaw to fall to the ground.
"Hey!" He snarled. "What happened?" He looked over his shoulder, where Lightpaw was running, but struggling to run in the sticky, wet ground.
Darkpaw dashed up to Lightpaw, tackling her again. They rolled, tussling on the ground, growling, spitting, hissing.
"You would never kill me," Lightpaw snarled. "I know how you feel about me. You would never let me die." Her green gaze flamed and her fur bristled. "You don't want me to kill you, do you?" She threatened.
"I would kill you, easily!" Darkpaw yowled.
"Try to, then." Lightpaw scratched his left eye, and grasped his back. She rolled on the ground, and Darkpaw felt wet river water cling to his black fur. Lightpaw had dragged him into the water.
Darkpaw opened his eyes briefly, seeing Lightpaw swim to the top.
I must live.... Should I kill her to keep me alive? 'I' don't know.
He tried swimming, put his bulky weight kept him down. Lightpaw was succsesfully swimming to the top of the river.
This is the end...
But a rush of energy struck in him, like lightning. He swam to the top quickly, leaping out of the river.
"C'mon! Are you too scared to fight me?" Darkpaw yowled, shaking the water off his fur. But Lightpaw was out of sight.
Suddenly, the flash of cream fur whirled as Lightpaw leaped out from under some rocks, and pinned Darkpaw to the ground. "You will stop taking me here," She growled, her voice rough and low. "And, you will not be giving me these lizard-brained threats."
"Stop!" A new voice yowled. Lightpaw stepped of Darkpaw, claws still unsheathed. Darkpaw's yellow eyes were glazed with exhaustion, and he was panting heavily.
A light brown tabby tom stepped out from behind a pine tree. Jaggedfur.
"You're good at fighting, Lightpaw." Jaggedfur mewed. He turned his head to look at Darkpaw. "You too, Darkpaw. You caught some good prey."
Darkpaw broke out into a purr. "Plump prey." Lightpaw checked her belly-weight with her paw when Darkpaw said that.
"How would you like to become a Dark Forest apprentice?" Jaggedfur asked smoothly.
"No!" Lightpaw yowled angrily. "No, I don't want to become a Dark Forest apprentice!"
Darkpaw stood up and padded over to Jaggedfur, slowly. "Jaggedfur," He whispered. "We might have to do this by force."
Lightpaw was about to run. Darkpaw ran after her, and pinned her to the ground. "Hey! Sootear! We need some of the Snake Leaves!" He called. Snake Leaves were herbs with poppy seeds and honey one them, which made you pass out.
Sootear, who was nearby, sitting on a rock, ran over to Lightpaw, and pushed the herbs in her mouth with his huge gray paw. The tom ran off, his gray-and-black fur almost blending in with the black night.
Darkpaw lay down under a pine tree, with two other cats beside him. One of the Dark Forest cats, Cedarstep, a dark gray tom with large paws walked towards a cream shape.
"We have another apprentice to join us!" His booming voice woke up Lightpaw.
"What? What's happening?" She growled.
"Lightpaw," Cedarstep dropped his gaze to her. "You are now one of the Dark Forest. I will apprentice you to Addertail."
"What? No!" Lightpaw yowled, standing up. "I don't want to be part of the Dark Forest!"
"Well, you are now." Darkpaw growled. "This is your destiny. I just know it."
"I didn't want this to happen!" Lightpaw ran out from the group of cats, muttering. "I'm sorry, StarClan."
"We are stronger!" Cedarstep yowled, and Darkpaw cheered along with the other cats.
Darkpaw woke up in his den. Lightpaw was sleeping far in the corrner of the Apprentices Den.
"You're one of the Dark Forest now." Darkpaw whispered.
Lightpaw opened her eyes. Both cats were wet, and had wounds from the Dark Forest.
"No!" Lightpaw snarled. The other apprentices weren't in the den. "I'm not part of the Dark Forest, and I never will be!"
"Believe all you want," He sneered. "Nobody can hide from the dark truth, though." He walked out of the den, flashing a tinted, glimmering, golden stare over his shoulder as he left.