Something was moving in the shadows... The small, russet she-cat crouching at the edge of Spark's vision hissed silently and took a step back. Through the fogs and the night, Spark made out the she-cat's trembling form.

  It was a starless night, with a tiny, crescent sliver of the moon hanging in the sky, like the curled claw of a cat, waiting to pounce.

  Spark shivered.

  Just then the shadow moved again, its unnaturally tall and crooked shape shifting in the fog, and the russet she-cat turned her head around frantically, looking for an exit. The she-cat had made out the menacing figure through the fog, and the shadow slithered silently, waiting to pounce. However, before Spark could stalk closer, she felt sharp, yet undefined prods on her flank, and her vision slowly melted...

~~~

  ...Into bright, warm sunshine.

  "Come on, sleepy slug!" the prods on her flank solidified, and Spark sat up groggily, pushing her brother, Amber, away. She blinked open her eyes one by one, still adjusting to the daylight. It couldn't be more different from her dream. One more push from her brother and she stood to attention, shaking off her sleepiness.

  "Okay, okay! I'm awake," she yawned one last time before she faced her brother, "What do you want?" Amber rolled his eyes before nudging Spark away from her den of mosses and ferns, toward a large, feminine figure crouching at the edge of the bushes. The she-cat was a gray tabby, with white and black swirls and silver-ish blue eyes. It was Spark's mother, Fog. The small family had lived inside what the twolegs called a park, a place that twolegs frequented, yet not as much as the streets and alleyways, which are always bustling with twoleg energy and monsters. The unattended evergreen bushes the three cats had called home was one of the more restful areas, where kind-hearted twolegs would frequent and put down scraps and pellets for the cats. Spark didn't like the strange-tasting, bitter food - she enjoyed mice and voles much better.

  Yet it was the only life Spark had ever known, and the one she loved.

  The russet she-kit shook the strange thought away, and snapped back into the present, where she heart Amber's voice chatting behind Spark.

  "-Do you think we should?" he mewed excitedly before noticing Spark's faraway expression, "Hey, are you even listening?"

  "No, you mousebrain!" Spark gave a mrrow of laughter, "You're boring enough to make anyone fall asleep!" An idea dawned on her just then, as she leapt to her paws.

  "Hey! How about we hunt with Mom?" she suggested, wanting to do something.

  "That, is exactly what I was saying!" Amber hissed good-naturedly, and raced off towards Fog. Spark gave a cry and rushed after the ginger tom, almost crashing into Fog. The gentle she-cat purred happily at the sight of her kits, and nudged Spark back onto her paws.

  "Now, now, kits," she whispered as she kept her eyes on a mouse nibbling on a piece of twoleg crowfood, "I am going to teach you how to hunt." Spark gave a squeal of excitement, but it was cut off by Amber, who stuck a paw in her muzzle, silencing her unsuccessfully. She gave a yelp of surprise.

  "What'd you do that for?" she glared at Amber, who was stifling his laughter at his littermate's fluffed-up pelt. The mouse tensed and gave the cats a sly look behind its shoulder, before scampering off into a twoleg den, kicking up minuscule clouds of dust.

  "So you'd be quiet, you mousebrain!" he snapped, raising his head arrogantly, "I am going to be a great hunter one day, stealthy and powerful, hunting all the mice there is!"

  "And I'm going to be the best fighter the world had ever seen!" Spark boasted back, slashing at Amber's ears playfully with her claws sheathed.

  The gray tabby she-cat couldn't help but purr once again, knowing they will both grow up to be the bravest, cleverest cats there is. None of them have seen the dark sides of life, and I hope with all my heart they never will.

~~~

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment any thoughts, ideas, or possible improvement here! You're awesome :3

~River

Edited by Spirit.