Prologue
A dark gray tom emerged from a curtain of bracken where he stopped a light brown tabby she-cat. The she-cat looked at him in surprise. "Greetings, Stormstar. What brings you here, to find me? Don't you belong to SkyClan's section of StarClan?" There was a hint of challenge in her mew.
"Listen, Fawnstar," Stormstar commanded. "We don't have much time. I-I've made a big mistake. And now the entire forest will be in danger because of it!"
"Mouse-brain!" Fawnstar snapped. "What are you talking about?" She flicked her tail. "SkyClan broke into rogues and loners and whatnot when the Twolegs destroyed their territory. SkyClan is no more. How can you have made a big mistake? There is no one for you to make a mistake to."
Stormstar stepped back, stung. "SkyClan still has its pride!" he snapped. "Even though there is no more SkyClan, the memory lives on!" He shook his head. "Not for long," he muttered. "I-I've went into the dream of a cat. H-he must have been a SkyClan descendant for me to have entered him. B-but he asked me where I was from...I-I explained everything to him. Everything about the forest and the Clans, and StarClan. He looked at me kind of funny and asked, 'Why are you telling me this?' I-I told him to rebuild SkyClan. I told him to gather his friends, family, anybody, and build SkyClan again to become a part of the forest once more."
Fawnstar gaped at the gray tomcat. "You-you WHAT?" she spat. "You idiot! You feather-headed, owl-chasing, mouse-tailed idiot! Do you know what you just did? First of all," she snarled, "you have told a rogue or a loner or...whatever...about the forest. Then, you ask them to take over the forest?"
"It's not like that," Stormstar stammered. "I asked him to rebuild it, not take over the forest."
Fawnstar glared at him and hissed, "That's not the point!" Her anger subsided as she asked softly, "Do you know what cat it was?"
"Rogue," Stormstar mewed pitifully. "He-he looked strong. He had a strong build, long claws, and warrior-sharp eyes. That's why I chose him. But too late, after I saw him, did I realize that he was an ambitious cat. I could see the evil spark in his eye, the hunger for blood and battle like I told him..."
Fawnstar stiffened. "Yes," she muttered. "This is definitely a wrongdoing."
Stormstar walked around, his tail sticking straight up in the air. "Help me, Fawnstar! What do we do? When-when he's done building SkyClan, he'll attack ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan for no reason! The forest will be in chaos! StarClan will be forgotten!"
Fawnstar dipped her head sadly. "What can we do?"
"Maybe I can talk to him again," Stormstar suggested rapidly.
"What, and he'd listen to you?" Fawnstar growled dryly. Stormstar flinched at her scathing remark. "Listen," the light brown she-cat went on, "We can't do anything. You've already made a fatal mistake to a dangerous, evil cat." She looked down, where an image of the forest appeared. Close by it, near the Twolegplace, was a dark brown tabby tomcat washing himself. Fawnstar squinted and saw why Stormstar had trusted that cat-he had broad shoulders, a proud, leading expression, pricked ears, and sharp, bright eyes. His tail flicked commandingly. But inside those bright eyes was a spark of evil. A smirking, mocking sign as if the cat knew that StarClan was watching him and could do nothing about his ambitions.
Fawnstar shook her head. "All is lost. If that cat commands a Clan, then we are doomed."
"Perhaps the four Clans could unite," Stormstar meowed.
Fawnstar glared at him. "And hedgehogs fly. Have you ever seen the Clans be friendly to each other unless they had a debt to pay? Do you know how proud leaders are? Aren't you a leader? Don't you know the feeling when a pawful of cats are expecting you to lead them?"
Stormstar dipped his head. "It was worth a try," he muttered. "Nothing is too wrong to suggest."
Fawnstar hissed ill-temperedly. "There is only one thing we can do." She stared down at the forest, and this time the image switched to thick undergrowth, and led her eyes towards a camp-ThunderClan camp, by the looks of it. The image changed and showed a den filled with several cats.
"The ThunderClan warrior's den," muttered Stormstar. "Why there?"
Fawnstar didn't answer. She stared at the image until something glinted in the background-a shimmering pool that rippled as the sunlight hit its surface...
"That's it!"
Stormstar jumped at Fawnstar's outburst. The light brown tabby nodded. "The answer is clear. The ThundreClan warrior Sunpool will save the forest."
"Hmph. One warrior? While you smirk about my opinions on four Clans?" Stormstar growled.
"This is not about power or strength, Stormstar. I think you've learned that enough. That tabby that's starting SkyClan cannot be stopped by the Clans alone. But perhaps if StarClan lent power to a warrior in the forest..."
"You're the mouse-brain!" spat Stormstar. "StarClan lends its power to everyone, not just some shiny golden tabby warrior!"
Fawnstar ignored him and continued to stare at the yellow pelt of the ThunderClan cat. "May you vanquish the evil that lies in your path," she muttered quietly, closing her amber eyes, "before you are destroyed by it." Without another word, she turned and padded away from Stormstar.
"Great skies!" Stormstar growled. "Must everything be so confusing?"
