PROLOGUE
"Dewfur?"
A shadowy gray tom slipped into the nursery, his large muscular frame towering over the queen. His hard brown gaze was centered on the she-cat as his anticipation mounted.
"Oh Ashenstar, she's beautiful…" Dewfur sighed between licks.
The ginger splotched queen lay on her side after labor. Breathless and worn, the she-cat glanced up at her mate with pure joy. Curled near her belly was a single kit, snuggling against her mother's fur in her blindness. Dewfur groomed her newborn kit lovingly as her mate looked on.
"…She?" Ashenstar growled, a surprised edge to his voice.
"I'm sorry Ashenstar, there was only one kit. I know you wanted a son, but…" Dewfur paused, still unable to dwell on her mate's negative thought.
"I'll call her Aspenkit in the similarity of her father." Dewfur sighed, still caught up in the joy of her young one. Her green eyes sparkled with happiness as she bent over Aspenkit again. Eyelids closed over that serene gaze, letting Dewfur slip into simple oblivion of Ashenstar's reaction.
Ashenstar's ears lay flat as Dewfur continued her gentle licks, his tail lashing.
"Aspenkit…" the tom murmured with distaste. His whiskers twitched as he took in his daughter's scent, finding the new she-cat smell repulsive.
Without another word he turned and left the nursery. As Ashenstar padded away from the queens' den, his anger continued to flare. A daughter? This could not be! A sharp growl emitted from his throat as he stalked through camp under the moonlight. His claws dug into the earth with each step as he paced in thought. Silently he cursed Dewfur, along with the newborn Aspenkit. Yet, his anger fell harder still upon another victim. His now fierce brown gaze looked up menacingly at silverpelt, his veins pumping with rage.
"You continue to taunt me StarClan, but I will have my way. This…thing will not hinder me. I will rule this clan!" Ashenstar hissed venomously. Fur bristling and eyes blazing, the tom turned away from the darkened sky. His ears lay flat against his skull as he padded swiftly to his den and settled himself deep into his bed of moss. Ashenstar's cold eyes flicked closed, destined for a fitful sleep. StarClan remained silent through the night, as they had for Ashenstar every night.