FORWARD (THE PROLOGUE FOLLOWS THIS FORWARD, SERIOUSLY YOU CAN SKIP THE FORWARD IF YOU WANT)
The author of this fanfiction wishes to clarify a few points before publishing her story.
When she was young, she read the original Into the Wild series, as well as FIrestar's Quest, and half of the New Prophecy. She had lost interest when the perspective was shifted from Firestar's POV. Then, years later, she reread the original Into the Wild series, and was inspired to finally write her fanfiction, which she had conceptualized many years ago and finally had the inspiration to bring it to life.
This is that fanfiction.
All of that being said, some facts regarding "the sun-drown-place" and the "Tribe of Rushing Water" may not match up with Erin Hunter's story. She apologizes, because she did not reread anything past the original Warrior's series. She really does apologize. Like, seriously. But it was all necessary in order to truly link her fanfiction with the original story, even if some details (like the landscape) were changed. She hopes you don't mind and can read past the things that may not line up in that way.
The entire story is finished; 330 pages on microsoft word which she will upload as she edits them. The story is FINISHED, although all of it may not be UPLOADED yet. She asks for time :)
When starting the story, she drew her own map. She decided to upload it to make it better sense and will be uploaded in chapter one with an explanation. She is seriously sorry about the map: there's a reason she writes and doesn't draw. Seriously. Really sorry about the map.
A lot of research went into her fanfiction. She based the "sun-drown-place" (AKA the Clifflands), the main setting of the story, in the Florida Keys, in order to use the nature of the Keys (marsh lands, mangroves, sand dunes, dunnarts [kinda like mice],tayon berries, glasswort, and other things relevant to the Keys) even though, obviously, cats don't have to swim major lengths of the ocean to reach the sun-drown-place. She asks you to please allow yourself to use your imagination because otherwise nothing will make sense and the week she spent researching the Florida Keys will be for nothing. :D
And last but not least...That's it. This is just the prologue...obviously, the true story starts at chapter one. The writer sends her best wishes as you read the story...writing it kept her bipolar in check, her addiction under control, and her depression alleviated. It was written after she moved back in with her parents, after dropping out of college and quitting her jobs due to her suicide attempt following three years in active addiction. Reading has always saved her...and now she's allowed it to again. There are adult themes in the book, hence the rating. Some may be sensitive to younger readers, despite the demographic of the novel (HARRY POTTER AND WARRIORS ARE FOR ADULTS TOO!).
LAST FOREWARNING: THERE IS NO LEMON IN THIS BOOK. NONE. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT EVEN APOLOGIZE BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T EVER WANT TO READ OR WRITE ABOUT CATS HAVING SEX. JUST NO. PLEASE NO.
And without further ado...
Please enjoy Warriors: The Nighttime Cats.
Prologue
Shapes of lithe cats dressed in the sparkle of stars and the shine of the moon sprang into the clearing, a clearing which was otherwise empty of life. The four trees incasing the dirt-cladded hollow stood quietly, emerald-green leafs rustling despite a lack of wind. The clearing had not been visited in many seasons, and the trees welcomed the visitors under the rise of the full white moon. A tom, pelt black like the coldest night and white like the gentle glow of the moon, leapt upon a boulder jutting out at the end of the hollow.
"We have not met here in many moons," he remarked comfortably, settling into a seated position, his long tail curling around his forepaws.
A blue cat pelt whisked with the shine of the stars appeared next to him, matching his relaxed composure. "That we have not, Tallstar." the she-cat agreed with a small purr. Two other cats met them on the smooth top of the rock, each giving a small nod in agreement.
The darker of the two, brown stripes hugging the night of his pelt to case his muscular frame, spoke darkly. "But for the right reasons, Bluestar?"
The last cat, the largest of the four with his sand-colored pelt flicking with the sun on each grainy hair, gave a slight mrrow of laughter. "Does she ever, Raggedstar?" he too, wrapped his tail around his legs, a teasing tone in his voice. "Bluestar is always carrying us to our next noble cause!"
Bluestar cocked her head to the side and faced the darker cat questioningly. "I wonder where your anger stems from, Raggedstar?"
Raggedstar returned her stare with one equally as searching. "Hardly anger," he meowed simply. "Though I do wonder what next quest you wish to send our cats on. They have settled into the lake territory nicely. I do not wish to disturb this period of peace any sooner than we have to. I would not think Crookedstar is eager for the change you imminently bring either, Bluestar."
"Rich, coming from ShadowClan." Crookedstar retorted, his fur bristling. He unsheathed his claws. Though StarClan cats never resorted to battle, the tension filled the clearing and rustled the leaves of the trees surrounding them.
"Enough!" yowled Bluestar, her voice bringing a quiet even to the trees. "Are we falling back to petty jibes? We have not met in many seasons; let us not mark it a dark occasion. Let us instead celebrate the evolution of the Warrior Code as we see it."
This piqued the interest of the cats. Tallstar spoke first after a lapse of silence. "And by this, you mean these four kits, Bluestar?"
Satisfied with their attention, Bluestar straightened her back, sitting tall among the cats larger than she. "The Tribe of Endless Hunting has watched over the sun-drown-place for many, many ancient seasons, as many seasons as we have watched our own warriors. The have witnessed the destruction of their tribe, cats scattering into hostile states of seclusion. The cats no longer have any purpose, fighting each other needlessly." Bluestar paused, dipping her head to the four black kits on the ground of the living far beneath them, mewing helplessly and bumping blindly into each other. "These four kits are to be the solution. They are to bring the Warrior Code to the sun-drown-place."
It seemed to take many moments for Bluestar's words to sink in. "The Tribe of Endless Hunting?" Crookedstar echoed.
Bluestar spoke confidently, as if having rehersed her words many times before this meeting of ancient leaders. "We have watched the spectacular growth and progression of our clans for many seasons. As Raggedstar said, they have reached a period of peace. Their leaders noble and wise, warriors strong and loyal, apprentices eager and intelligent. There is peace among the clans, for the first time in a long time. We should guide them to share the noble code that has allowed them such peace."
"Using these four kits." Raggedstar meowed doubtfully, looking down at the exposed, vulnerable kits on the island, alone but for the stars looking over them.
Bluestar spoke animatedly now, with the excitement of a young cat being heard by her elders. "Read the possibilities of the future carefully," she urged them, jumping down from the boulder to pace in front of them, as if the enthusiasm in her voice extended to her paws. "Each raised in different clans, the cats will know clan loyalty and the importance of four clans, while the bond of blood will be strong enough to lead them to their futures when the time comes."
"Bluestar." Crookedstar spoke quietly and subdued, as if pacifying the excited dreams of a kit. "Four sibling could never know separate clan loyalty. Time has proved over and over again, the same blood in separate clans causes distress and difficulty. The future you read for these cats is noble, indeed, but simply not plausible."
Bluestar lost the sparkle of excitement in her eyes, the dark blanket of night covering them. She sat down once again, still on the ground in front of the other three ancestors from the prime of the forest. There was a small ripple in her starry pelt, but she forced her hair not to bristle. Bluestar had been prepared for hesitation, and the patronization, but she was certain of the fate for these four kits.
"I have considered this as well, Crookedstar. And have felt your doubt. But I implore you to read deeper into the stars. Cats with warrior blood, have without a doubt, been unable to ignore their patronage." Bluestar paused, wrapping her tail around her paws and raising her head to meet the eyes of each leader. "But history shows that cats brought into the clan from the outside have always been the ones to challenge themselves, to prove themselves worthy. If these kits are each brought up and apprenticed by the clan leader, taught not only the ways of the Warrior Code, but what it means to lead a clan…they shall be prepared to bring peace with the Warrior Code to the sun-drown-place. StarClan has an opportunity to stretch their paws farther than we ever have, to mingle with ancestors never met, to expand our knowledge and wisdom in a way never considered. This is that opportunity."
All was quiet for many moments as Bluestar's words were considered. Tallstar was staring at Bluestar searchingly, Crookedstar out to the swatch of stars that made of Starclan, and Raggedstar to the boulder beneath his feet, eyes pulled together in immense thought and concentration. It was Tallstar who spoke first.
"And that is why you chose to meet here, Bluestar?" he didn't speak in a tone that gave away his position on the matter, only understanding to one of the many mysteries surrounding them. "To remind us of the noble Firestar?"
Bluestar blinked in acknowledgement. "Firestar serves as an excellent illustration of non-clan blood rising to save all of the clans from a mortal peril. Just as these kits shall serve as leaders of a new generation of clans."
"Cats have made the journey to the sun-drown-place almost many times now. It would not be impossible." Crookedstar considered, mainly to himself, still watching the swatches of stars surrounding the hollow, lighting the stardust in the cat's pelts. "Nor improbable that the cats could be successful."
Instead of speaking, regardless of the first words of fickle support to her readings, Bluestar simply stared at Tallstar, willing him to speak. And so he did. "Bluestar is right. This is a favorable chance to extend the will of StarClan and the Warrior Code. Who knows of the advantages this could present in the future?"
Bluestar resisted the urge to wiggle in excitement like an apprentice being praised, instead jumping up on the boulder to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the other ancient leaders once again. She took her place next to Raggedstar, the only tom who hadn't spoken a word of consent, however wavering Crookedstar's was. She forced herself to put on an air of patience, while inside she was itching to bound across the sky in anticipation.
"What say you, Raggedstar?" Crookedstar finally asked for her, tearing his eyes away from the stars and peering into the inky black midnight of Raggedstar's eyes. "Shall we give these kits a chance for greatness?"
"Will our assistance," Raggedstar spat the word, looking up from the boulder with frustration bristling his fur. "even be welcomed by the broken Tribe of Rushing Water? Shall we risk wasting so much precious time and energy of the clans, who have finally met peace for the first season in many, for cats who may rebuttal against the Warrior Code? Shall we, too, waste limited words and guidance on the assumption they shall be successful?"
"Your concerns are valid, Raggedstar." Bluestar conceded with a flick of her tail, meeting his angry gaze with a level one. "We shall have to place trust in the Tribe of Endless Hunting to allow their cats to be touched by the will of StarClan. But can you foretell the greatness in the future, should these kits be successful, should the leaders appointed to the protection of our beloved clans provide them the tools to be so? Can you see ShadowClan's future, deep in the stars of the sun-drown-place?"
At the implication of ShadowClan's future greatness, Raggedstar's hackles relaxed, his piercing gaze turning thirsty. Even in StarClan, ShadowClan still exemplified its truest trait: a thirst for caliber and distinction. He considered her words for only a moment before dipping his head. "Very well," he growled, as if assenting grudgingly. But a new sparkle of stars in his eyes as he finally glanced into the future gave away newfound motivation for the four kits. "I expect you shall make sure each kit is placed appropriately in each Clan, Bluestar?
"So it shall be." Bluestar said contently, relaxing completely for the first time since meeting at the ancient Four Trees above. She peered down as the first cat of the Gathering approached the island where the kits mewed piteously; a sleek gray tabby she-cat from RiverClan. Bluestar nodded approvingly. As Crookedstar and Raggedstar bounded away to meet the other ancient cat spirits as the Gathering began, Bluestar watched over the kits for a few moments more. As cats crowded the island, she couldn't help but let a purr escape her.
"I can't help but wonder about your dedication to the future of these kits, the future of the broken Tribe of Rushing Water, Bluestar." Tallstar meowed pleasantly, settling down closer to her, observing the cats crowd the kits, sniffing them curiously. A few looked up to the cloudless night sky, looking for answers in the stars. "Are you truly so sure in the expansion of the Clans?"
"I am, Tallstar." Bluestar responded, licking the stars imbedded in her glowing blue fur for a moment before continuing. "Are you not impressed by the future written for these kits?"
"I am," he consented. "Though it shall be difficult to guide them down such a certain path. It shall take an ever stronger bond between the Clans and StarClan to bring them to success."
"Which is what makes now the perfect time, while there is peace and complacency among the clans. They shall work together, yet apart, to bring these kits up in the manner prescribed by us. I have faith that our Clans will be successful in this." Bluestar sounded certain in her words, finally bounding off the rock, peering down to the cats below them. The moon brightened, and a single cloud in the formation of an even-sided cross slid over it.
"You put much faith in the cats." Tallstar observed, pointedly looking at the ominous message Bluestar decided to send. The cloud settled in front of the moon, sliding away slowly. One moon, broken into four even quarters, providing a bright light in the dark night sky.
"Do you not?" Bluestar questioned, but not in a way to challenge Tallstar. She found him to be the most sound-minded of the ancient leaders, always open to interpretations of the Clan's futures, observing it with gentle claws.
Tallstar blinked in affirmation. He could sense the fly-sized point of concern and worry in Bluestar that the cats, in fact, would not meet the destiny that she so desperately hoped they would. But Tallstar did not say anything of comfort, knowing that if any cat could guide the cats into a new, prosperous future, it would be Bluestar. And with that thought, he bounded from the rock and into the forest, dashing through the stars to the island where the Gathering was now in full swing, leaving Bluestar to her thoughts, her hopes. Her reverie.
"One becomes four and four will lead one," she whispered quietly, as if to herself. "To the sun-drown-place and beyond."