Prologue
It was cold and wet outside. Small fluffy snowflakes drifted from the grey clouds. Hundreds of feline paw prints dotted the thick layer of snow. The cats were freezing as the snowflakes melted in their fur, soaking through it and touching their delicate skin. But they refused to stop until they found a place to rest. The large group of cats finally came to an end after what seemed like days of mindlessly dragged their feet. They had found a large area where thick trees sheltered the ground from the snow. All the oldest and the youngest cats, and all the frail ones in between, huddled in the middle, for they were the most vulnerable. The strongest cats stayed on the outside, protecting the weaker cats. A fluffy golden tom climbed on one of the trees to get the attention of the large group, a small, yet muscular, black she-cat trailing behind.
Then a huge, furry grey tom came up as well, with a large, sleek silver tom climbing alongside him. Then a dark ginger tom, a scrawny black tom, and a majestic dark grey she-cat. All of the cats gathered on their own branches of the giant tree. The fluffy golden tom spoke first, his amber eyes focused on the cats below.
"Our large... Hmm... I shall call us a 'group' for now. Anyway, our large group has come far together, and I'm proud of all of the cats, especially my warriors. But one thing remains undecided: What will happen when we find our permanent home? Will we split up? Will we remain together? And if so, who would be our leader? We have eight leaders here; unfortunately one passed during our great journey. Once we have our final destination in mind, we may turn on each other, and I do not want that happening-"
"Enough!" the small black tom meowed, "You are not leader of all of us; some of us still have rights! Let me speak now. All of us here: ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, SkyClan, BloodClan, Ancient lineages, the Tribe, and all the kittypets and loners that have joined along the way; we worked are for this, and we will reach the end of our tiring journey! But for that, we must have a strong, fearless leader. And the only way to determine who that will be, is a challenge!" A few cats cheered, their eyes glinting in excitement. But deep down, it was obvious none of the cats supported this idea. Although many showed their resentment at the nonsensical idea, the scrawny black cat snarled, ready to fight whoever accepted the challenge. Even though all of the other leaders were larger than him, none stepped forward. Fighting was not the way. The other leaders would probably beat him, he had a ferocious courage, and dirty fighting tactics that could give him a chance at victory. Finally, the huge grey tom came up.
"Scar, if you think you would be able to win, you are hugely mistaken. I have learned a lot on this journey, the most valuable lesson being about peace. My Clan's history showed nothing about it. But if you do not back down, I am willing to fight you," he growled.
"Then do it," Scar replied, in sheathing his long claws. He hissed and hurled himself at the grey tom, longing to rake his claws across that thick pelt; nothing could take his leadership away from him. The larger tom leapt out of the way just in time, and his narrow face smashed against the trunk of the humungous tree. The small cat snarled and turned around. He saw the huge grey cat close to the branches end, furry back arched high up in the air. All the cats watched in horror.
"Remember; you brought this upon yourself! You caused a fight in times that should be peaceful! I can't let you win! I will not let ShadowClan down!" he hissed. Some of the younger cats whimpered in fear as the watched the two leaders from below. Scar growled one last time before springing towards the ShadowClan leader, knocking him off his balanced. The grey tom held on tightly as his back paws dangled down towards the groin. His expression was fearful now. His orange eyes were widened with fright as Scar scratched his paws with long, thorn-sharp claws. The large grey paws difficultly grasping the branch were now bleeding, but the bug tom still managed to hang on. With a final blow, his paws were knocked off the branch and he fell on the dirt with a deafening thud. The breath was knocked from his chest, and he lay there, motionless. No cat made a sound. A petite black she-cat separated herself from the ground as she padded toward her mate.
Her deep blue eyes were full of devastation. She touched her nose to his cheek sadly. Her belly was awkward; it was obvious she had been expecting his kits.
"Oakstar... Please no..." she trailed off, her body shaking in grief. Suddenly, his orange eyes flashed open. Oakstar and the black she-cat locked eyes and some of the cats in the crowd gasped. Oakstar chuckled.
"I still have one life left," he meowed, a small smirk on his furry face. Scar hissed from atop the tree; he thought he'd defeated the larger cat. Now he saw that wasn't true. Oakstar stood up boldly and lifted his chin with pride as he padded in front of the large cats.
"When I was losing my life, I spoke with a cat that died when I was a little kit; my father. He told me we must 'Unite or die'." Some of the cats stared at the grey leader; some in astonishment, some questionably.
"Isn't that what was said during the times of the ancient settlers at their Gathering?" asked the golden leader from above.
"Now that you think about it, Sunstar... I think so. No matter what, though, we will thrive in our new home. Wherever that could possibly be."