Prologue
It was a moonless night. Even the stars, usually so bright and beautiful, seemed too distant to shed any light on the lakeside forest below. In the depths of the forest, in its very center, was a stony hollow.In it, nothing moved, and the only sounds were the whispering trees and the quiet conversations of chirping crickets.
Suddenly, a shadow shifted. It was not a shadow; it was a cat. In the gloom, her pale blue eyes glowed. They were filled with confusion and despair as she looked up the midnight sky. No other cat accompanied her, but she was murmuring to the empty night.
"The stars are not with us tonight… What is it supposed to mean? Are you really abandoning us in this way? StarClan, please tell me!"
The stars gave the she-cat no answer. She lowered her head. But her ears twitched as the breeze slowly picked up. It whistled around the hollow. The she-cat's eyes widened in alarm as it formed whispering words, and she strained to hear. A soft voice spoke.
"Littlebrook... Do not be so afraid. We are always with you... You must know... A new darkness is coming. When the shadows form, only the Brightest can conquer the darkness…" The hushed voice faded.
The cat's spine bristled, her eyes full of relief and fear. She rose to her paws with a little more confidence, watching the golden dawn sunlight flood the hollow around her. The darkness was lifting, butshe still looked very concerned.
"StarClan have shown us a new way… They are still with us, but… What is yet to come?" She murmured only to herself now.
Looking around the hollow, she seemed worried.
"…only the Brightest can conquer the darkness…"