Prologue

"May Harespring's spirit hear and approve my choice," Onestar took a moment to catch his breath, as he had not yet recovered from the bought of Greencough that had swept through his Clan in the past two moons, but he needed to perform this ceremony before moonhigh, "Eagleleap will be the new deputy of WindClan."

The young tabby tom's amber eyes stretched wide with disbelief, "But, but Onestar, there are much more experienced warriors than me. Why not one of them?"

'Are you que-" Onestar tried to growl, but was interrupted by a coughing fit that wracked his entire body.

Hareflight, the medicine cat apprentice, rose to his paws to help, but Onestar shook his head. He would be strong enough to lead WindClan through this sickness; he had to be.

"Eagleleap, you should be honored and Onestar is our leader, he knows what's best for the Clan," Sedgewhisker, Eagleleap's mother scolded him.

Eagleleap licked his chest in embarrassment, 'Thank you Onestar, I will try my best to follow in Harespring's steps."

Onestar nodded and the rest of the Clan began to yowl their congratulations for the new deputy.

"Eagleleap! Eagleleap! Eagleleap!"

Two sunrises after WindClan had lost its deputy, their medicine cat Kestrelflight lie in a moss nest, his body shaking with every breath. Why StarClan? Why must we lose so many cats to this sickness? The faces of all that had succumbed flashed in Onestar's mind: Nightcloud, Whiskernose, Gorsetail, Sandkit, Harespring, now Kestrelflight. And Breezepelt had left after his mother had died, not wanting to be in WindClan even though Onestar had forgiven him for fighting with the Dark Forest all those moons ago. Onestar was distracted from his thoughts by Hareflight's low meow of anguish.

"Kestrelflight, please don't leave me here by myself. I'm not ready!"

The medicine cat weakly raised his head, "You have to, StarClan is calling me. Take care of WindClan Hareflight," Kestrelflight's heaving chest finally stilled and his head fell to the moss.

Onestar padded up to the mottled gray body and touched noses with the medicine cat for the last time then turned to address Hareflight but stopped when he saw the glittering outline of a cat's body in front of Hareflight.

"Beware," the cat's voice seemed to be one with the sounds around them, but that ominous word was understandable and it sent chills down to Onestar's bones.

Hareflight gazed at him, worry undisguised in his gaze, "What are we going to do? We've lost so many already, what are StarClan planning?"

Onestar steeled himself, not showing that he was just as terrified for his Clan as Hareflight was, "We will survive. We always have," he meowed firmly and walked away to tell his Clanmates about the newest death.

At the edge of the medicine den, Onestar stepped on a purple flower petal and it snagged on his claw. What's this? He bent down and pulled the petal off with his teeth and went to sniff it to figure out what it was, but a sudden breeze kicked up and blew the petal away before Onestar could stop it.

Hareflight was sorting herbs in the newly empty WindClan medicine den when he scented his old mentor next to him.

He turned toward the scent, at the corner of the den, "Kestrelflight?"

His heart sank when he found that the starry cat wasn't there after all. He took a deep breath as a fresh breeze swept through the den and tried to relax when a petal floated in front of his face and he caught its scent.

"Nightshade?" he wondered out loud, 'What would that be doing here?"

The breeze seemed to carry the same warning that Kestrelflight had given him when he left to join StarClan, "Beware." Hareflight shivered, not wanting to think about the troubles that await WindClan. His thoughts were broken off by a yowl from Heathertail, the cat who was guarding the camp entrance. Hareflight raced out of his den, hoping that no one was injured too badly. It looked like most, if not all the Clan was huddled in the center of camp, their tails fluffed up in distrust.

"So you've come back, have you?" Crowfeather hissed as he stalked through the circle of cats to the center.

Through the opening, Hareflight could see the dark gray warrior staring down two black cats. One was pure black and the other had one white paw.

"Yes father, I've returned to WindClan," the pure black cat meowed formally.

Father? Hareflight thought. Oh, Breezepelt must have come home.