Universal Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, I'm broke lol haha funny joke.

*This Prologue has been just recently rewritten; it is now a thousand times better, or so I think.

BTW, "Rated T for language" wasn't gonna fit in the description, so, as a warning, there's unrealistic swearing and unnessecary violence.

Also, every chapter now has a quote from a song or a TV show or a movie or something. I don't own any of those. If you happen to notice that it's like the wrong lyrics or something, please don't rage.

-FuturisticVampire

"Guarding yourself with the love of another left you with nothing tonight. Why does it sound like the devil is laughing, leaving me haunted tonight?"

Guarded, Disturbed

Prologue

All day, the sky had been sad and grey over the heads of the ThunderClan cats. Ciderstar had travelled to the Moonstone and received her nine lives with Stonewhisker, the medicine cat that was much too young for the job that rested with him alone. The warriors in the Clan accepted Ciderstar's return celebratiously, and if their joy was a bit muted, it could be because of the fact that Spiderstar had died yesterday. Or, if one were to be indelicate about it, because most of the warriors thought she wasn't a good fit for leader. She had run from a fight one time too many, and no one really trusted her to have their back. However, Spiderstar had been hopelessly in love with her for whatever reason, and she was made deputy in a desperate attempt to grab her attention.

Nighttime came far too quickly, and Ciderstar found it impossible to sleep in the den that still smelled of her former leader. Even if the nest had been cleaned and a fat piece of fresh-kill was plopped next to it, its death-smell clouding the air. No, she would never think of this as her own den. It would always be Spiderstar's.

So she was resting half-asleep outside the Den That Wasn't Hers, when a sudden, revolting smell reached her. ShadowClan, her first reaction. Leave it up to Jaunestar to make these kind of cheap attacks on a sleeping clan.

But, no. The smell was different from ShadowClan's, just by a little. The smell of death was a bit more profound, and it smelled like blood, and it smelled like smoke.

Ciderstar backed into her den as the small black cat entered the camp through the tunnel. His golden eyes flashed in the darkness, and Ciderstar knew instantly the identity of this cat.

So it is ShadowClan...

She could take him. Ciderstar was a good fighter, better than good, and the cat was just an apprentice. Her problem was her cowardice. The reason why she wasn't confronting this cat. The reason why she would never be able to properly defend her clan. She could fight, but she preferred not to if she could help it. Besides, where there was one ShadowClan cat, there were twenty more.

So right now, she waited. She wouldn't be the first to confront him.

The air turned cold as the cat wandered deeper into the camp, and darker somehow. Shadows lengthened and surrounded the camp, centered themselves around the cat and massed themselves into something resembling a solid being.

"I still am unsure that this is the best plan," the black cat said quietly, directing his words to the amassed shadows.

Ciderstar pressed herself against the wall of Spiderstar's den, now watching from a tiny parting in the vines. She internally pitied the cat who finally noticed the cat and his Shadows.

The Shadows seemed to whisper, a sound that could be mistaken for a breeze drifting through the trees, but at the same time was similar to the screeching sound of claws being scratched on a flat, smooth surface.

Ciderstar couldn't make out words, if they were in fact even words, but the small black cat seemed to understand.

"I understand what you need," he said, "but what I'm saying is that there are better, more orthodox ways of going about this.

"No, of course I'm not having second thoughts. I'm not a coward!

"Yes. What do you think I am, an idiot? But, wait-"

The sound came again, sharper this time, and definitely comparable to the sound of screeching cats.

"Yes, I understand," the cat sighed, obviously defeated. "I will."

The shadows melted back into the ground and the cat turned away.

Before Ciderstar could turn to see where he was going and why he was going there, something behind her caught her attention. A small sound. She froze, knowing she should look, but too scared to.

Ciderstar, darling, a Voice whispered.

Ciderstar, look behind you.

Ciderstar's breath came out in white puffs as the air took on an intense chill.

Ciderstar...

A faint crackling noise came from behind her. She turned her head apprehensively, her eyes wide and her muscles tense.

The den behind her was quickly darkening, and ice climbed the walls. Ciderstar's breathing became short and hurried, and as she watched, the rabbit that had been left for her was rapidly deteriorating, the fur falling off and the flesh becoming brown and leathery before the Shadows swallowed it completely.

Ciderstar, there you are!

"Stop it. Show yourself," Ciderstar said weakly, with a shaky voice.

Oh, trust me, dear, you don't want that.

The den continued to darken. Soon Ciderstar was encased in pitch-black foul smelling air, and she backed up panickedly.

"Get away from me..." She swiped at anything that seemed to move, and cried out in pain as her claws hit cold, solid rock. She backed into a wall and pressed herself against it, hissing and growling and swiping.

Oh, Ciderstar. You should know better by now, the Shadows laughed.

Ciderstar...

..

Three warriors died that night. In the following days, three more from lasting injuries and low medical supplies. Nobody was exactly sure what happened, just that there was bleeding and pain and ice.

Within the following seven days. Ciderstar lost three lives. Rumor has it she did that to herself. After all, the only one with blood on their claws was her. In reality, or at least Ciderstar's reality, the demon in her was tearing her apart from the inside out.

By the time Whitekit and Rockkit are born, three moons later, she has lost seven lives.