The air was unforgettably frosted, that clouded leaf-bare day.
As a light ginger she-cat and her kits stood close to a marshy pine forest, the larger tom-kit's pelt fluffed out against the wind. "It's cold," he whined, "are there any big scary caves nearby?"
However, both the kit's mother and littermate ignored his complaints. "Me and Chive are going hunting," his mother grunted, trying her best not to lash out at her weaker kit, "wait here, and don't follow us."
Though she considered her younger kit to be weak, she still felt some sort of motherly love for him and her she-kit. "Oh, one more thing," she mewed, her voice softer now. "Lynx, promise me you won't ever hurt your sister, okay?"
Lynx was a bit.. confused as to why his mother would ask that of him, but the tom-kit hastily nodded his head anyways. "Promise!"
"Good." The she-cat grumbled, her voice hardening once more. "Now, don't follow us, we'll be back soon." Without another word, Lynx's mother and sister stalked off into the little undergrowth that was left on the frost-covered floor.
Oh, what a lie that was. They were never coming back for him.
However, Lynx didn't realize this as his light ginger paws fumbled cheerfully in the snow, blissfully unaware of the fact that he was never going to be strong enough in his mother's eyes.
Some few hours later, or maybe days, Lynx lost count after he got hungry, a white feline with the strangest markings he'd ever seen approached him cautiously.
"Huh? What.. what's a kit doing out here?" The strange cat's nose wrinkled in confusion at the pale ginger kit, the latter's scent a forceful marigold with hints of ferns.
Lynx stared up at the strange cat, wide, deep brown eyes brimming with curiosity. He sniffed cautiously. The smell of musky undergrowth and pine sap drifted off her fur, though less intensely than one would expect.
The white cat radiated serenity, which he'd never felt before within his mother or sister. However, her expression was a little stern now as Lynx focused his attention as best as he could.
The strangely marked cat stared piercingly across the pale ginger kit, as if he were a piece of prey being evaluated on how plump and juicy it looked. It made Lynx involuntarily shiver, flicking his fluffy tail.
"Hm.. Quite large but still has a kit-like face and disposition. Looks to be about 2 moons. Has quite a bit of muscle to him already. Possibly has potential to be a strong warrior." She muttered to herself, though not moving her cold-yet-soothing gaze away from the young kit.
The strange cat's eyes now showed a bit of.. reluctance? About what? Lynx couldn't possibly think of anything she could be reluctant about.
"This should suffice for Cinderstar's needs, right? Yes, I'm sure he wouldn't mind new kits in the Clan," she continued.
The strange cat then fixed her gaze on the pale ginger tom-kit, however, this time, only the tranquility of her orbs remained.
"Why, hello, there, young one. My name is Opalmoon. Say, could you perhaps tell me what you are doing so close to the ShadowClan border?" She spoke in a clearer tone, emphasizing her words in case the kit couldn't understand things very well.
The pale ginger kit had to stand really straight to be able to meet Opalmoon's gaze. "Hi! I'm Lynx! And, I'm just waiting for my mother and sister to come back from hunting! Also, what's a ShadowClan?" He chirped cheerfully. The white cat noticed Lynx had a darker ginger, star-like marking on his chest. She made a mental note of that.
Opalmoon came to a realization: Wasn't the last border patrol over here a few sunrises ago? She gave the kit a look of sympathy. Oh, the poor little thing. "Would you like to come with me in.. in the meantime? I'll tell you all about ShadowClan and many other things, if you do."
Well, how could Lynx refuse that offer? "Okay!" He squeaked. The she-cat gently coaxed the pale ginger tom-kit in the direction of ShadowClan camp, all while Lynx was buzzing with excitement.
Little did he know that this would be the first step towards his new life as a warrior.