A dark-felled Brute stepped out into the shallow moonlight. He felt the warm, damp moss under his paws and looked up to the starry sky. As he took a step forward, the sound of the waterfall sharply churned in his ears. He flinched slightly, curling up his long tail. The two black spikes on either side were tinged with red, the same colour as his eyes.
The Brute had claw marks down his flank, they left red scars that were even more vivid in the small light.
A tan-coloured Vixen growled behind him. He turned around and uncurled his tail. The Brute saw she had unsheathed claws and bared fangs. He lashed his tail and she sheathed her claws.
"Basking Falls has not failed in disturbing prey, Redshadow" the Vixen growled.
Redshadow smiled. His tail curled again. He spotted the Vixens white spikes, they were tinged with a hazel colour. The Vixen curled her tail then turned her head to the side, showing hazel-coloured scars on her muzzle. Redshadow showed his vivid red scars. They had both passed.
"What are you now to be refered as?" Redshadow asked.
"Hazelsand," she answered.
Redshadow nodded and smiled. He was happy she had made it, she was always a good kit. They trained together with their scholar for an eclipse. Redshadow sat down and looked up at the sky. Two more moonrises and the amber life would open, raining upon them and rising the river. Black Death had passed and left them with a drout further up stream. The water would be flooding in right now, Redshadow thought.
He nodded kindly to Hazelsand.
"Well, Hazelsand, do you want me to walk home with you?" Redshadow offered then added quickly. "Just for company."
The black Brute knew only too well that Hazelsand could handle anything fine on her own and that she didn't like to hear otherwise. Hazelsand shook her head. She turned and raced to the back of the waterfall and begun climbing up it. Redshadow tilted his head. No doubt she wanted him to follow. No. He would remain strong.
Strangly and subconciously he began climbing after her. Hazelsand looked over her shoulder at him. Redshadow glared back. He wasn't supposed to follow. He was supposed to lead.
Redshadow sighed before realising that Hazelsand was glaring back at him. He smiled weakly before she smiled back.
Before he knew it they were both standing at the top of Basking Falls, the wind blowing through their fells and watery spray blowing in their faces.








