WARRIORS: Trail of Darkness by Brightfire

Book 1 – Mysterious Forthcomings

Note I do not own anything about warriors, but I came up with all the names below, and if they're similar or the same to other warrior names it's a complete coincidence.

CLANS – StarClan, IceClan, RockClan, BirdClan, SwiftClan

StarClan – StarClan is the ancient clan of deceased cats. Every time a cat dies, a StarClan warrior the newly dead cat knew greets them, and takes them to join the endless amount of warriors in Silverpelt, the band of bright stars where StarClan rests in the night sky.

IceClan – IceClan depend on treading lightly and blending into the background. They live in an icy area that will never thaw. Most of the cats have snow-white pelts, creams, or grey pelts. Rarely there will be an IceClan member who is tortoiseshell or brown. Their prey often consists of fish in the nearby ponds around the icy environment, and occasionally water birds. They are probably the most well fed clan, and also the best hidden.

RockClan – RockClan use an interesting form of sneaking up on enemies and prey. They use the things around them to distract what they are stalking, and then unsuspectingly leap out and pounce. RockClan can jump incredible distances, and heights, and have added strength in their hind legs to perform such powerful jumps, and also their front legs, often to push rocks and boulders of the cliff-sides to distract things. RockClan live on a rocky hill that has lots of caves. Their prey consists of mice and rats, occasionally birds, and often bats. Thousands of bats live on one side of the hill, and are often a good source of prey for these agile creatures. They are usually blacks, mottled browns, tortoiseshells, and greys. White pelts are seen though, but not uncommon.

BirdClan – BirdClan uses stalking among plants, bushes, and leafy undergrowth in their forest environment to stalk. BirdClan often climb up the shorter trees and jump down on their unsuspecting prey and enemies. The colours of these cats are often browns, reds and gingers, blacks, creams, and tortoiseshells. White cats are uncommon in the dark forest they live in. The prey they stalk is usually always birds or mice. Sometimes they manage to catch a snake if they are talented enough to dodge its bites. Another form of prey is possums. There are large amounts of possums in their territory.

SwiftClan – SwiftClan, the fastest but weakest clan. SwiftClan depends on stalking the prey, and once the cat is close enough, or detected, using extremely fast bursts of speed to chase it down, much like a cheetah. SwiftClan cats tend to be shy, and run from fights, considering their small builds are built for running, not fighting, and also because the cats from the other clans are generally much bigger, from more prey. SwiftClan's prey is almost always rabbit. Sometimes an unsuspecting bird, and if they're lucky, a chicken or duck from the Twoleg farm at the edge of their territory. The colours of SwiftClan's pelts are often browns, gingers, and reds. Greys and blacks too, but not as common as the browns and gingers, etc. White cats are extremely uncommon. SwiftClan lives on grassy hills and fields, with only a few trees and shrubs. A warrior not making it to the elder's den is not common, but not uncommon.

ICECLAN

Leader: Sparrowstar – grey eyed almost black, muscular tom

Deputy: Lightstep – snowy white she-cat with sparkling blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Brightwing – white she-cat with medium grey blotches and golden eyes

{xxx}Apprentice: Nightpaw

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits):

Darktail – dark grey tom with black tail

{xxx}Apprentice: Silverpaw

Frostface – thin cream coloured she-cat with white face and green eyes

Longfur – green-eyed, long-creamy-furred tom

Hollywind – golden coloured she-cat with brown eyes

Tinyfoot – unusually small black tom

Daisyflower – small grey she-cat

Sandpelt – creamy coloured tom with golden tabby stripes

Breezeshade – black tom with golden eyes

Apprentices (at least 6 moons old, training to become warriors):

Nightpaw – black she-cat with golden eyes

Silverpaw – long-furred silver tom

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits):

Berrynose – golden she-cat with red-gold face and brown eyes. Mother of Lilykit, Lemonkit, and Bellkit

Whitestream – long-furred white she-cat with grey eyes. Mother of Mistkit, Riverkit, Skykit, and Twistkit

Elders (warriors and queens now retired):

Longwhisker – a chubby elderly grey tom with very long whiskers

ROCKCLAN

Leader: Spiderstar – black she-cat with long legs and tail

Deputy: Greyfur – dark grey tom

Medicine Cat: Blackstep – black tom with white left back leg

Warriors:

Dangleweb – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Tigerstripe – tabby she-cat that resembles a tiger

Smalltail – a re-named warrior tom, with a bobtail

{xxx}Apprentice: Owlpaw

Sparrowfeather – dark brown tom with blue eyes

Hazelwing – grey coloured she-cat with black flecks

{xxx}Apprentice: Leopardpaw

Cloudface – long-furred white tom with grey eyes

{xxx}Apprentice: Hawkpaw

Flamepath – striking red flame coloured tom with glowing golden eyes

Cherrystream – small tortoiseshell she-cat

Mudfoot – mottled brown tom with dark brown eyes

Apprentices:

Hawkpaw – a black tom with dark grey markings

Owlpaw – tawny grey she-cat with green eyes

Leopardpaw – grey she-cat with leopard-like markings and golden eyes

Queens:

Willowcloud – pale grey she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Pebblekit

Bounceleaf – young pale brown she-cat.

Elders:

Poppytail – Long-tailed she-cat, partially blind in one eye

Fernleaf – Dark grey she-cat with very long fur, one green eye, one blue eye

BIRDCLAN

Leader: Jaystar – grey she-cat

Deputy: Mousepelt – pale brown she-cat with grey eyes

Medicine Cat: Brindlesight – grey she-cat with darker grey flecks

Apprentice: Spottedpaw

Warriors:

Mintfur – black she-cat with grey flecks

{xxx}Apprentice: Talonpaw

Brackensage – mottled brown tom

Shadowfrost – black tom with amber eyes

Silverfoot – silver coloured she-cat with blue eyes

Nightleaf – grey she-cat

{xxx}Apprentice: Leafpaw

Barkfoot – dark brown tabby tom

Firefur – bright ginger she-cat with brown eyes

Birchtail – small dusky brown tom

Whitewing – white she-cat with ginger stripes and blotches

Apprentices:

Talonpaw – golden tabby tom

Leafpaw – small ginger she-cat with grey eyes

Spottedpaw – pale grey she-cat with darker spots and blotches

Queens:

Doveflower – pale grey she-cat with green eyes

Dawnspeckle – bright red-ginger she-cat

Elders:

Snowpelt – elderly white she-cat, former queen, with green eyes

SWIFTCLAN

Leader: Leafstar – creamy-white coloured she-cat

Deputy: Runningheart – dark ginger tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Specklewing –small golden she-cat with green eyes

Warriors:

Littleflower –she-cat with dark grey fur with pale grey patches

Rainshadow – dark grey tom

Echobeam – all black she-cat with dark, almost black, brown eyes

{xxx}Apprentice: Sandpaw

Rednose – brown tom with ginger face

{xxx}Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Tigerpelt – Tiger striped tabby tom

Hollyfrond – pale golden she-cat with grey eyes

{xxx}Apprentice: Tanglepaw

Nightbreeze – dark grey tom with dark, almost black, brown eyes

Apprentices:

Sandpaw – golden-brown tom

Tanglepaw – pale brown she-cat with dark brown blotches

Dawnpaw – white she-cat with ginger patches and blue eyes

Queens:

Swanwing – white she-cat with blue eyes

Bluewish – blue-grey she-cat with green eyes

Fernbelly – pale grey she-cat

CATS OUTSIDE CLANS (Rogues, or kittypets)

Lady – ginger she-cat with brown stripes

Shadow – black tom with white socks

Sandy – golden she-cat with green eyes. Daughter of Lady and Shadow

Prologue

The wind ruffled the fur of a dark brown cat. He slipped through the shadows until he met the gaze of a beautiful white she-cat.

"Hello Lightstep," the brown top mewed. The she-cat gave him an icy glare.

"Barkfoot," she spoke through her teeth. The she-cat leapt onto a nearby rock, and sat, eyes closed, in the blowing wind of night. The brown top sat down on the grass where he stood, and waited with the white cat. Soon enough, a meow disturbed the silence, and the tom and she-cat looked up, to see two more tomcats arriving in the small clearing.

"Hello Lightstep, Barkfoot," the dark ginger one meowed. The dark grey tom behind him nodded to the she-cat and brown top. The two new arrivals settled down on the soft grass to listen to what was about to happen.

"Okay, listen up," the white she-cat spoke firmly. "Trouble has hit all our clans hard, and unfortunately our leaders are too stupid to figure out what's wrong."

"We know the situation well, Lightste-" the dark ginger tom began. The she-cat silenced him with a hiss.

"The twolegs are building more and more nests and thunderpaths each day, and we have to act, before the entire forest's prey disappears," the she-cat strolled along the rock she stood upon. Barkfoot, the brown tom, and gazed up at her, and thought how much like a leader she looked. "A newly built thunderpath has been built and is heading for my camp." She looked doubtful as she paused, before continuing. "And soon it will kills us, or drive us out. Then it will probably head for your camp, Greyfur." The grey tom's face went from slightly tired to alarmed.

"But what can we do? The twolegs are stupid and do what they want Lightstep? What can we do?" the dark ginger tom protested. Lightstep hesitated.

"I don't know…" she said quietly. "But we have to do something, anything!"

"They won't stay long, Lightstep," a voice sounded from a bush. Lightstep's upset look turned to anger, and then hatred when she saw who stepped out.

"Well, well," Lightstep said. "A kittypet. And how do you know the twolegs won't stay long, hm?"

A golden she-cat had emerged from the bush, and was staring at the white cat before her.

"These twolegs are only here to build something for Greenleaf," she mewed. "They like to fish, just like you, and use it for their own prey. They give us some, back at the nest."

"But, how do you know they're only going to be here Greenleaf? And why do they need thunderpaths to fish? It'll scare the fish away!" Greyfur questioned. "Even clans that don't fish know that!"

"They don't take monsters on these thunderpaths. They aren't too thunderous," the golden kittypet spoke. "They just walk on these ones. They're too small."

"I see," Lightstep mewed. "Well, I suppose that is a little better. But there is a lake on the other side of the nests, why not go there?"

"How do you know that?" the kittypet asked confused. Lightstep's face was pained.

"I…I used to…I used to live there…when I was a…a…a kittypet," she meowed finally.

"What! You, a clan cat, used to be a twoleg-cat?" the golden cat meowed in astonishment.

"Not one of my proudest moments, so keep that to yourself. Don't blab it to your other little, 'twoleg-cat' friends, okay?"

"Sure, sure!" the kittypet mewed, still amazed.

"So, why don't they go to this lake?" the dark ginger tom asked.

'What's your name?" the kittypet questioned him.

"Runningheart," came the reply.

"Well, Runningheart, I don't know. I suppose they want certain types of fish, just as there are certain types of prey in different areas, these two lakes or ponds or whatever must have different prey," the golden cat meowed.

"Why do they care so much about prey types? Can't they just deal with the prey over at the other lake?" Barkfoot mewed. He had been almost silent all evening, choosing now to finally voice his opinions.

"I don't know," the golden she-cat replied. Suddenly, the cats became aware that the clearing was becoming brighter.

"I should get back to my clan before they realise the deputy's gone," Lightstep yawned. She leapt down from the rock. Runningheart, Greyfur, and Barkfoot all rose as well, and stretched their aching bones.

"I should get back to my twolegs," the golden cat meowed.

"You do that," Greyfur meowed sleepily. The four cats trotted off, leaving the golden cat standing in the chilling wind.

Brightwing shot up straight as a bird called. Her eyelids fell over her eyes when she realised the camp wasn't being attacked. She barely made it back to her bedding, before toppling over.

She looked up, wide-awake. She wasn't in the medicine cat den anymore. She was in the middle of the camp. Brightwing looked around to see the other members of her clan, scurrying about looking nervous. She padded slowly across the snowy floor of the camp to the nursery. She poked her head inside, to see only Berrynose in there. Brightwing strained to see her kits.

There they are! She thought. Wait, where's Lilykit? I only see Lemonkit and Bellkit!

She left the nursery to see herself running across the camp…from the leaders den to her own. But she was over at the nursery. Brightwing bounded as fast as she could to her den. Her apprentice was there, only she was a little bigger. And she saw her other self. And then she realised. This wasn't real. This was in the next Leafbare, only a week or two away. Her apprentice was tending to Lilykit. The kit was bigger.

Obviously, she thought. Her paws trembled. Not because of the cold, but for the small helpless, unconscious kit. But then she saw her other self, turn and run outside the den, and she saw him. Her leader was lying on the floor of the medicine cat den, barely breathing. Her heart pounded. She felt as if she had fallen a great height, and just hit the ground. Brightwing called to her leader, but no matter how loud she yowled, no one could hear her. Suddenly her apprentice came over and began to comfort her by pressing into her side, but then Brightwing became aware of a prodding feeling where the young she-cat had been.


Hey guys! Just a note, I reuploaded the prologue as it was being annoying and not going in bold, spaces were deleting themselves. Ugh. Such an annoyance. So anyways, I forgot to take the kits that haven't been born at the start out of the allegiances. Ah well. I'm gonna leave them in there now. I know that means that now you get to know the names of Bounceleaf's kits early! And also Doveflower & Dawnspeckle..and probs a few others!!! Lol. Well anyways. Sorry I haven't updated the story in AYEEEGES!!! But lucky for you, I'm writing more!!! I've actually figured out plotlines for 6 books! -gasp- and I've even started planning the second series! Oh! That's right. I'm going to give you more then one series!!! Feel special!!!

-N {Brightfire}