Hey eevoynre! Frsit, I wnat to tahnk you for rnadieg tihs, and prsesnig the riveew bouttn at the bttoom! Wait, you are going to review this, aren't you? Good, cause if you do, you get a savage dog plushie! Yeyuh!!!

Anywayyyyy..... this is a fanfic written by me, of course, and the MARVELOUS girl and authoress Willoweth!!! We are also writing another fanfic together called 'A Tulip In Danger' please read! also, check out the fanfics me and willoweth have wriiten indepently, which can be found on our profiles!!!oou

thank you, and enjoy!

Prologue: unwinnable

The late green-leaf moon was almost at its highest point in the sky. Birds sang, crickets chirped, and grass rustled as a handsome pale ginger tom slid through the stems. Palestar was his name. He had traveled most of the day to get to where he was on the moor, and wanted nothing more but to catch himself a meal, lay down, and get some well-needed sleep. But he was no fool. He knew that he could not lie down here, not sleep here, and definitely not hunt here. He would simply have to wait. He continued on, resisting the urge to stop. He sighed with relief as a small pool came into view. Not only could he rest, he would hopefully make contact with his warrior ancestors. Even though the harsh seasons of leaf-fall and leaf-bare had not yet arrived, Palestar couldn't help being worried about his clan. It had been an unusually cold season for ShadowClan, and one of their kits had come down with Greencough, however unlikely it may be in green-leaf. He drew closer and closer to the pool, which shone like a star itself. He finally, he reached the edge of the stony area around it, and as he approached, he felt his paws slip into the ancient paw prints left by cats long before him. He settled down beside the pool, lapped up a few drops, and let sleep take him.

Palestar sat up and looked around. Behind him he spotted a bright ginger she cat with the same shiny, smooth fur and bright emerald eyes as he had.

"Flamefur," he purred, "It's good to see you. Do you have a warning for me, or do you bring good news?"

"It's good to see you to, my son. ShadowClan shall not suffer from any sickness this for at least 4 seasons, but there is something else to worry about," Flamefur meowed.

"Do you know what that will be?"

Flamefur shook her head. "We only have a small warning, but it may critical, so listen closely. Beware of a stolen heart."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it says; beware of a stolen heart. Oh, and one last thing. Always remember StarClan doesn't give permission, only forgiveness. Now, your clan needs you. You must return," Flamefur padded up and gave her kit one last lick, and then faded until she was no longer visible.

"Flamefur, don't go yet!" Palestar yowled, but it was to late; she was already gone. Palestar felt the dream fade away into reality, and he sat, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He sighed and rose to his feet, arching his back in a tremendous stretch before setting off toward his territory again. He passed rock after rock, each one looking the same. Each hill led to a dip and each dip led to another hill. It seemed that Palestar's trek through WindClan would never end. Palestar let his thoughts drift away, thinking about the warning Flamefur had given him.

Suddenly, Palestar heard a earsplitting yowl, the sound of a cat in pain. Making sure he was headed in the right direction, he took of toward the source of the sound. As he reached the summit of a particularly high hill, he figured out why a cat would be making such a loud sound. Down below, WindClan's leader, Dapplestar, was pressed against a rock face, kept their by a dog. It was snarling a most vicious snarl, and saliva was dripping from its mouth. The eyes held an unspoken message, Move and your mine! and the ribs were protruding so far out it looked as if the dog would do anything for so much as a mouthful of food.

"Help!" yowled Dapplestar, seeing Palestar, her electrifying blue eyes wide with terror.

Without a word, for he didn't talk much, Palestar leaped onto the dogs back, hoping to distract the dog, which would give Dapplestar a small amount of time to flee to the top of the steep rock. His plan worked, and he couldn't help sighing with relief as her dappled shape reached the top where it was two steep for the dog to follow. He was about to leap of the dog and run himself, but he heard another yowl before he could do so. Trying his best to land on to one of the narrow ledges on the rock, he sprung of the dog re, he landed and sailed toward the rock. To his pleasure he landed on the ledge he was aiming for. He scrambled up the rock, not wanting to waste a heartbeat.

"Help me! I'm hanging over the rock!" Palestar heard the cry and turned his head toward the direction from which it came. He noticed to white paws with little black and tan spots on the very edge, right where her claws would go.

"Hold on for just a minute; I'll be right there," Palestar soothed. He took a step forward, and slipped a bit. That must be why she slid over, she got up to the top only to slip on the wet rock. Palestar kept on, he stepped slowly and carefully, making sure not to slip. Finally, he reached Dapplestar, his mouth dropped open. The land on this side of the rock was a lot lower; if Dapplestar would've dropped, she probably wouldn't have survived without a least a life gone. Palestar felt fear well up inside him as he saw another dog waiting below, a wild light in it's eyes.

"Please help me! I'll do anything, just don't let me fall, please!" Dapplestar yowled. Palestar was as frozen as a puddle in mid leaf-bare. He had always admired Dapplestar. Her fearlessness and intelligence, the way she would never back down from any challenge, how she had become leader when no cat could ever think that anything of the sort would happen. But Palestar had seen them, the qualities of leadership, in her all along. Though she had a hot temper and didn't take well to being bossed around, she was still a fine leader. As looked at her half black half golden tabby face and into those stunning blue eyes, he realized he couldn't let any harm come to her. He leaned his head over the edge and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. He then pulled her up and they both collapsed on a rock in one heap.

"Thank you so much! I can't ever thank you enough!" Dapplefur flashed him a look of gratitude that took his breath away.

"Y- your welcome," he mumbled.

"You might want to get back to your clan now, I think the dogs took off," she hinted.

"Yea, I'll just be going,"

"Yes, you don't want to keep ShadowClan waiting. So this is goodbye," she meowed.

"I'll see you at the next gathering," they both got up and went their separate ways, "or hopefully before then. Goodbye, Dapplestar," he mumbled, to low for any cat to hear.

Brought to you by a very happy (about to go sleding) Emily!!!