"What?!" Sky thundered.

Mask flinched, backing up a few pawsteps.

"There was no trace of him anywhere, it's as if he disappeared into thin air!" Mask defended, glancing to his fellow assassins for support.

"So now you're just making excuses to save your miserable hide!" The BloodClan leader sneered, raking her claws across Mask's face.

He didn't move a whisker, just bowing his head in acceptance. Blood dripped from his face onto the ground, mingling with the dust to create a sticky, maroon puddle.

Sky turned her back to the assassins, hauling herself into the Big Stone.

"Every cat old enough to shed blood gather by the Big Stone!"
Most cats were already in the clearing, a few cats came out of their dens and gathered by the Big Stone.

Shadow had been resting in the shadow of a leafy bush, she padded over to where Spark was standing by the Big Stone.

"Every patrol leaving the camp must keep an eye out for this cursed cat, no one escapes BloodClan alive!" The warriors surrounding the Big Stone yowled in agreement, before breaking off into small groups to gossip about the strange tom.

"Who do you think that tom was?" Spark questioned, furrowing her nose in thought as she turned to her sister.

"I'm not sure, I've never seen a cat like that," Shadow responded, remembering the tom's piercing silver eyes sweeping over the BloodClan cats.

"Maybe he was a-" Spark glanced around to make sure no one was listening and continued in a hushed tone, "a clan cat?"

Shadow took a step back, head spinning with thoughts. "Maybe, I- I don't know... This is all just so confusing, I'm going to my nest, it's almost dark anyway."

Spark nodded sympathetically, watching her litter-mate pad to the apprentice den.

Shadow fell into a troubled sleep, filled with dreams of silver eyes and strange cats.

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Brilliant silver eyes bored into her, piercing her soul, uncovering her darkest secrets. The tom moved forward slowly, each step making a dull, pounding noise.

Shadow opened her maw in a noiseless shriek of terror. She tried to flee, but her paws had become entangled in vines and thorns.

She scanned her surroundings desperately, searching for an escape. She saw nothing but shadows and trees everywhere, blocking out the sky.

The cat moved closer still, leaving a trail of smoke and mist. He suddenly pounced forward, clawed unsheathed, fangs glistening with blood.

Shadow's eyes flew open, she looked around with a wide, terrified stare for any intruding cats. She realized it had just been a nightmare and started licking her damp fur, trembling.

She took a few moments to calm herself and looked through the entrance of the apprentice den, seeing the moon had already climbed high into the night sky.

The apprentice tried to fall asleep again but her mind was buzzing with confusing thoughts about her nightmare and the silver-eyed tom.

Shadow stood up and walked towards the entrance of the den, careful not to disturb the sleeping apprentices. She glanced around before stepping outside, hiding in the shadows next to the den.

She quietly snuck to the dirt-place, cautious to stay out of Thorn's view, who was in charge of keeping watch that night. No one was allowed to go out of camp at night without permission from Sky. The punishment would be harsh, no one was allowed to disobey Sky's rules.

Shadow squirmed her way through a small gap in the thorn barrier, wincing as the sharp points hooked themselves into her long fur. She finally got to the other side and looked back to make sure no one had followed her.

The dark-furred apprentice then padded off into the forest.

"I needed this fresh air," Shadow muttered quietly, "Maybe this will help clear my head."

Her paws led her to the training hollow, well lit despite this late time due to the bright moon. She settled herself at the edge of the clearing and looked up towards the sky. The moon was visible in the gap of trees the clearing created.

Shadow stared up at the beautiful, orb of silver in the dark sky. The moon reflected in her eyes, filling her with a tingling feeling. She breathed in the cool night air, forgetting everything that had happened that day.

Snap

A snapping twig tore her from her peaceful trance, she flicked her eyes back and forth, trying to discover the source of the sound.

Her eyes snagged on two identical orange eyes. Only one cat in BloodClan had those eyes. Blaze blinked slowly at her before lifting his eyes to the sky, staring at the moon like she had been only heartbeats earlier.

They watched the moon together in silence, on opposite sides of the clearing. Not a sound was uttered yet a thousand words were spoken.

Sorry for the short chapter! I had writer's block but I felt like I had to get something out. At least you guys got a nice quote at the end, right? Don't forget to vote and comment, you guys make my day!! <3

(Word count: 855)