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Prologue

**

“I am not uncertain, my lord.” An elderly cat spoke, his deep bass voice shaking a bit. In front of him sat a black cat with deep green eyes. The black cat was thoughtfully staring at the elderly cat, whose light gray fur was cleanly groomed. A royal blue cloak donned his broad shoulders, the symbol of kingship.

“So, a prince is to be born the night of the eclipse? I do not understand, Aldine, I never mated, nor have I slept with a female.” The black furred king spoke slowly, uncertainty soaking his tone. His eyes shimmered with questions.

“I know. The prince is marked, though. A bolt of lightning dons his face. I know of nothing more. Good day, my lord,” Aldine the Elder turned on his paw, “I have things to do.” The king pondered the prophecy. He watched as Aldine slipped out the fern curtain of the cave.

“So a prince is coming at last. My court has been coming to an end, but how shall I protect this coming king?” Acapois, the King of Heronia, spoke aloud.

“Do not protect him, my friend. He shall come on his own if he is to be king. The prophecies would be useless if the kings depended on luck and fortune!” Herav, the King’s advisor and friend had appeared unnoticed.

“Aye, my dear friend… Let him come… Let him come…”

**


Chapter One
*
A Howl in the Night

**

“A beauty he is, General.” The kit yowled for food as his glossy black-furred mother walked away. He growled as she continued on her way out of the birth cavern. Another cat passed his mother, a she-cat with light gray fur.

“Milady, I know you are the General of the Dark Knights, but this is no way to treat your one and only kitten!” The female’s voice shook with exasperation. General Kuton, mother of the kit, turned around and hissed at the newcomer.

“Then you take care of my prince! It is your appointed job anyway, Darknurse! And clean up this mess immediately!” Kuton briskly strutted away with her assistant. The Darknurse Maybirk turned towards the yowling kitten, sighing. This was her appointed job, her only job until she gained a promotion. Then she would become a Darkpage, the lowest fighter of all. Earlier, she had been a Darkworker, and before that, a Nightkitten. The society of the Dark Knights was confusing, but it worked. The highest positions were General, and Nightlord or Nightlady. The only ones above that were the positions of the Shadowking and/or Shadowqueen. Kuton was on her way to impress the Shadowking Yatra so that she might become Shadowqueen. She was heading for the Knighting ceremony for several Darkpages, and her first time becoming a Shadowqueen. The kit that Maybirk was nursing was the result of two cats. General Kuton and Shadowking Yatra were officially bonded eternally because of him.

“Ugh. Can’t wait ‘til this little brat is grown up. Then I won’t have to sacrifice my milk for him! Some prince…” She cleaned the birth mess and let the tiny black kitten suckle. “Some prince you are, and you don’t even have a name…”

**
One month later…
**

“Mother, I don’t want to become a Dark Knight! I wasn’t even a Nightkitten. Or a Darkpage! Just Shadowprince! I’ve never even heard my name! I want to go through the stages, and besides! I hate being Shadowprince this and Shadowprince that! And no! I won’t find a mate now!” The young Shadowprince hissed at his mother who in return smacked him across the face, claws extended. Her claws raked across his right eye, reopening a nasty scar across his deep blue eye.

“There! You wanted a name? How about Disobedience? Or shall we call you Scarface? Never mind that. You do have a name, and we keep it from you for a reason! It is tradition to not have a clue of what your name is until you are knighted! And your ceremony is in an hour. Go to the Darknurse Maybirk for something to treat that scar of yours. It opened again.” The Shadowqueen left her son sitting on the ground, nursing the old wound. It was the fifth time she had reopened the scar. Maybirk was his one and only friend he trusted with healing.

“Shadowprince? Has she opened the birth scar again? How many times can she pretty much rip your face open?” Maybirk rushed over from the shadows. Upon seeing the dark red blood dripping down his face, she led him through the sunlit clearing. She brought him to the cliff side where her medicine den was. His birth scar was a scar he received from his mother when he was born. Her anger was unleashed unintentionally on him. She loved him with a dark love. He never knew anything else, except Maybirk. She loved him with a strong, light-hearted love that was only available in secret.

“Thank you, Maybirk! This is tiresome. I hate being the Shadowprince! I wish I could just run away from it all…” Shadowprince growled. Maybirk sat, looking quizzically at him.

“I wondered when you finally realized that you don’t belong here! I’ve been planning an escape for you and me a month ago, when you were born on the night of the eclipse. I noticed radiance to your eyes; a love deep and strong. You don’t belong here, but you can’t go without assistance.” Her green eyes glittered.

“Where will we go?”

“To the kingdom of the King Acapois; Heronia.” She quickly gathered travelling herbs. “Quickly, young one, we must hurry!” Maybirk thrust a bundle towards the prince. She led him through a tunnel and out a back entrance, into the surrounding forest.

“Be ready for anything, young prince, for your adventure is just beginning!”

Chapter Two
*
The Hunt

**

“Hurry, Maybirk! I can smell the guards!” The black prince whispered to his fluffy gray friend. Maybirk quickly became alert, smelling and tasting the simmering hot afternoon air. Trees surrounded the pair, covering them with the sweet, thick sent of vegetation. The prince backed away from a certain tree, his blue eyes wide with terror. A dark brown Dark Knight crept out of his hiding place behind a thickly growing hedge.

“Tut tut, Master Prince… I would have killed you on sight, but being under heavy watching, I couldn’t. Maybirk, the Darknurse?” He purred, “You’ve got to be kidding me! The Shadowqueen expects you two to come back without a fight…” The Dark Knight purred loudly, like a motor caught in his broad chest. Suddenly, he was thrown across the small clearing, landing with a sickening thud against an oak.

“How-“

“No time, Prince! We must hurry!” Maybirk grabbed the Shadowprince by the scruff of his neck and ran. Trees zipped by as if they were running in the opposite direction. The prince closed his eyes, terrified. He heard yowls emitting from the Dark Knights that were chasing them. Suddenly, the noises stopped. He opened an eye, seeing nothing but darkness. He started to squirm, but Maybirk hushed him. He caught sight of a Dark Knight tasting the air for them. The sand colored Knight turned on her paw and hissed something to the rest of them. The Knights disappeared. The Shadowprince poked his nose out from underneath Maybirk, breathing deeply of the air. He didn’t think that air could taste so sweet.