Umbrous-sun

PROLOGUE. MAGNETIC BONDS.

A long-line of Seekers plagued Pond's bloodline for moons before his birth, no exceptions and no faliures to speak of. The very notion of even thinking of another role was enough to be disowned nevermind actually following it to completion. This is where Pond stood at a crossroads, following the Seeker path with pure misery with no joy from it. He was a big tom, a fighter with a violent streak, and the only cat who seemed to understand his plight was a feline a few moons older than him. Viper. Any cat who'd ever met the prickly dark molly knew not to speak to her, a sharp tongue and often dangerous habit of aimlessly wandering meant that she was either not around to deal with or too critical of others to have an enjoyable conversation with. This bluntness was like catnip to the aloof Pond, fascinating him endlessly. She was graceful, confident, and completely uninterested in his existence.

Things continued moving on though and with encouragement from Flood, his brother, the tom finally made the jump from seeker to-be, to a fighter's apprentice. He thrived despite the disappointment of his family burning holes into his pelt like brands, pushing ahead of his peers with nothing but a smile and confident barks of laughter. He was ruthless, volitile but skilled in the places that mattered. What he didn't have? Was Viper's affections.

Flood of all cats had mananged to befriend the molly early on with both of them appreciating the calmer points in life. Pulled in by his quiet nature, and soon with some nudging finds herself enjoying the much louder Pond's company when he isn't making a fool of them both. As a trio the group train as a unit despite their differences and it isn't long before they earn their titles in tandem: Flood becomes Patientflood, Viper becomes Glidingviper, and Pond becomes Roaringpond. It takes another few moons before Glidingviper get's tired of waiting and asks Roaringpond to be her mate - apparently his approach of carefully laid gifts and waiting around wasn't quite to her style. Patientflood, far too smug, claims responsibility for their courtship.

With time though comes responsibility. Roaringpond is named the new fighter champion as the late one passes on. His focus turns from his mate to trying to prove himself to his clan, pushing himself in hopes that his family will revoke their disownership of him - he has to make them proud. Whatever it takes. Moons of neglect follow as Glidingviper grows sicker and sicker of being ignored, prepared to abandon her mate for the behaviour he's exhibiting only for news to break. Kittens. She's expecting kittens, Roaringpond's kittens. The look in the tom's eyes when she tells him is positively feral, unlike the cat she'd grown to love and the molly turns to his brother for comfort. Patientflood acts as a support, a crutch in the time leading up to their birth. What could she do but wait?

CHAPTER I. FRYHOOD.

"The Fry peers at you, eyes wide. They ask if you're a seeker like their ma?"

Small and unusual, the twins lay beneath the Shoal's moon with nary a cry from their identical maws. Curled tight to their mother's stomach with claws outstretched to knead at the soft fur there, shocks of white against a midnight pelt. The pair were born outside of the Shoal's camp with no help from their Mother's clanmates, too proud to allow herself or her kits to be so vulnerable within those walls; too free to let her offspring be born into constraints. So, for the night they remained out in the open air where Glidingviper whispers breathless stories about their new home to her kits. Murmuring tales of their ancestors and the proud lineage they were born into, telling them of the stars and the sky - of how the moon shone so bright just for them. So full and pure, the star's sparking impossibly bright. Bathed in the silver light, she named them with a gentle touch to their foreheads.

The stars and the moon, never to part, born beneath their mother's night sky.

Life continued on as the sky followed its endless path. The kittens were raised mostly by the Den-Guards and their Mother, their Father an idle figure watching - waiting - for their first few moons of life. Glidingviper often enough disappeared from camp for days without notice, startling her offspring until they grew to realise that she would return to them eventually no matter how nervous her explorations made them. Too young to understand her duty or her yearning, but kind enough to realise that it made her happier than being stuck within camp did. Once or twice she brought them with her, sneaking them past the guards to wander the territory with her though never for more than an hour or two. Even she was wise enough to know that kits that young couldn't handle the environment as an adult could. Each time they returned Patientflood became more fretful and their Father became darker. Irritable.

Two and a half moons. That's how long it took for him to grow impatient with waiting. With watching his offspring stray further and further from the path he'd wanted for them, falling into the claws he had once fallen into. He couldn't watch them make the same mistake - wouldn't allow it.

Each night he'd take them from the Nursery, claiming they were 'bonding'. Each night they'd be forced to run the course until they shivered from exhaustion, until they sniffled and sobbed for their Mother but were sworn to silence each time. 'Growing strong' he'd claim, snarling at them to keep this from their mother and their peers.

Things came to a head swiftly with their final attempt at running the course. Had Glidingviper not woken frantic to find her kittens missing it's likely it would have gone smoothly for the two, but with her arrival and immediate rage at their Father things quickly spiralled. Their parents' yelling led to Star missing a leap, paws scrambling for purchase until they plummeted just short of the finish line - Moon could do nothing for their sibling but watch. Entirely helpless as Star hit the ground with a pitiful yelp of pain, no blood spilt but limbs twinging painfully. Only Roaringpond held Glidingviper back from rushing to her kitten's side, snarling at them to get up and finish as he held his estranged mate back much to her anger. Only able to watch as Star dragged their body up, shivering all the while as they forced themselves through to the finish line.

Had Glidingviper been any quieter, it's unlikely that any cat would have known what was occurring. The she-cat's snarling yowls awakened many to stumble into the scene of two kittens far too young - one battered and bruised - hauling themselves to the finish as their beloved Champion watched with violent glee. A paw set on his mate's shoulders holding her still as they completed the course - the kittens returned to their spitting mother.

CHAPTER II. TRAINING.

"Where are they? Seems little Star has disappeared into the woods again!"

reshly made to-be following their mother's pawsteps to become Seekers, proud of their achievements though shaken by how they attained their new ranks. Shaky but oh so proud. Roaringpond's a disgraced feline, living up to his name as his temper rages across The Shoal like a tidalwave as mutters of his insanity ripple through their peers like a drop of water; but he's their father, what could he possibly do to harm them?

Too young to understand, too naive to realise the danger the adult tom-cat posed, the two allowed themselves to be led out into the forest with the promise of something they'd enjoy on their father's tongue. Excited just to be allowed out of camp without their mother by their side. Had she known about the excursion it's unlikely she would have allowed it. He led them to to a fox, one he'd found and slaughtered prior to their visit not far from what had once been it's set attempting to appeal to his offspring's more... morbid nature. They're too young to have made up their mind! Too young to realise that they should be fighters. This would be a learning oppertunity, a chance for them to guage their skills.

They approach, cautious but interested in the buzzing corpse as a shadow passes overhead. Roaringpond hadn't taken note of the vulture lazily circling overhead patiently waiting for it's meal, and once the kittens grow close it dives. Sweeping down it launches an attack on the curious to-bes. Roaringpond, quiet, only watches as his kits struggle to fend for themselves against the large foe. Their yelps and screams echoing off of the nearby trees - hoping that some instinct will be unlocked within them if he leaves them be.

It doesn't.

Instead, a nearby patrol of fighters is alerted to the chaos. Rushing in to kill the bird as the bleeding apprentices curl into eachother in shivering panic, hyperventalating and stained red, sobbing and terrified as their Father is berated by The Shoal. In their return to camp the bulky tom is stripped of his title for his recklessness, shunned and ignored by his peers for placing the kittens in danger. Unworthy of the honour.

Life continues on, as it always does though. Star pushes onwards becoming quieter and quieter as days go by, until only their Mother and sibling are privy to the sound of their voice. Unwilling to extend that trust to their fellows despite being pushed to do so - only staring back with bright, solemn eyes. Not a breath exhaled. Always seen but never heard, a morbidly calm predator never without Moon at their side. The twins were inseperable in an almost eerie manner with little regard for those attempting to teach them how to live independantly of one another - Star would not be without Moon. It was an impossibility.

Almost as impossible as their Mother falling pregnant oncemore moons into their training, adulthood on the horizon for the duo. Their Father, disillusioned by his lack of power, pursued their Mother relentlessly. At her beck and call no matter how much she hissed and spit, no matter how much she avoided him. Star and Moon only able to watch the exchanges solemly with negativity rolling off of them in waves whenever the grey tom dared get close. Terror and rage circling dangerously around their minds.

As she had with them, Glidingviper disappears into the territory without warning as her due date approaches. Disappearing for days before Roaringpond slips out of camp with a thunderous expression on his face. Concerned, Patientflood follows behind tailed by Star and Moon. Worried for their family and overly anxious for what is to come. By the time the to-be's catch up to the full Seeker a fight has already broken out. Brother against Brother with their Mother no-where to be found, likely having fled as Patientflood hits the ground with a dull thunk bleeding profusely from the face. Roaringpond flees after his elusive mate leaving the two to clean up their uncle with panicked wheezing, fussing over his wounds with their herbal knowledge as best they can.

Reluctant, it's left to them to deal with the threat their father poses. A trap, taught hastily by the blinded Patientflood, is laid solemly by the pair. Leading their father away with snide remarks and misleading volume until it snaps into place and... the two don't glance at whatever remains of the dark tom-cat. Rushing to their Mother's side where she lay with a single kitten tucked to her stomach: Their Sun, the third of their whole. Together, the broken family return to camp and no one dares ask where their ex-champion is. Not even when his corpse is dragged back into their camp, buried and forgotten. It hadn't meant to kill him, just to capture to calm their Father down - to hold him still until he wasn't a threat anymore but... they were young, hadn't planned for the sheer damage they'd do if they made it wrong. Not a soul that was in that forest that day dares bring it up, and the twins scarcely speak of who Roaringpond had once been.

CHAPTER III. ADULTHOOD.

"Umbrousstar's quietly chatting with their sibling, contently listening."

Was there any time between their to-be moons and the invasion? A bare blink and it was upon them, no life for a new Seeker.

CHAPTER IV. INVASION ON THE SHOAL.

"They're both coated in gore but unharmed as they rejoin The Shoal."

Cautious, careful, deadly. Vipers in the grass. It was impossible to ignore the sounds of the war raging in their home, their clanmates and family being slaughtered within earshot with nothing to be done but watch and wait - they were a seeker. Not a fighter, ill-prepared to cope with the true violence that an invasion would bring as blood stained their pond crimson. Is this what The Shoal had come to? Peace shattered by outsiders with no right to their homes? Their Mother somewhere out there fighting for her life? Is their uncle likely gone already? The not knowing was maddening.

The first casualty had been an accident. They'd been fleeing an enemy, having taken to the trees hoping that weaving their way through the branches would lose the cat chasing them. Before that even happened, though, the cat slipped from the branch and fell, hitting the branches with sickening cracks as they fell. That would spark an idea within the twins' brain, a plan to deal with their enemies in a less... conventional way.

Traps are placed skilfully, carefully, in the tree line. Brutal but efficient as their sibling lured their prey into their triggers as Umbrousstar set them free - silent but luminous eyes taking in the scenes before them, a last sight for the invaders unlucky enough to stumble into their path - those that didn't perish immediately left broken and suffering for what they had done to their home. They wouldn't hurt their family or friends again, that was for certain: They wouldn't be hurting anyone again.

Star enjoys the creation, the danger these traps pose as they create them in tandem. In the revenge. They allow themselves to get lost in it, the methodical motions of pushing the pieces together. Hiding their rage behind locked bars in fear it would consume them. It screams behind their ribcage, clawing at the floor and their skin, when Star and Moon return from their excursion to find- It's their Mother and the littlest Sunshine. Slaughtered without mercy and left to rot in the open air with no time to bury their dead. The two are forced to abandon them as well, leaving the only home they've ever known, reforming with what's left of the Shoal in the aftermatch of the invasion. There is nothing left, no cat in their camp for them now with only pain lurking in the shadows of what had once been. All they have now is eachother.

CHAPTER V. THE JOURNEY.

"The ex-Seeker trails behind them, sticking close but morbidly silent."

Where are they going?