Prologue
It was a silent night. The only sound breaking the peaceful night was the roaring of a waterfall. The air was crisp; leaf-bare was coming. A golden tabby she-cat with green eyes slinked across the large rocks. Her eyes blazed and cut through the night. She was heading to a large forest. Once she reached it, she sat quietly at the edge. She flicked her tail impatiently. Suddenly, a gray tabby tom with gold eyes appeared. A tabby tom kit with orange eyes and a brown and gray tabby she-cat kit with yellow eyes trailed after him.
"You came!" The golden tabby meowed. The gray tabby's gold eyes blazed with anger. The golden tabby cocked her head. "Is anything wrong?"
"I've been exiled!" The gray tabby snapped. The golden tabby took a step back.
"What?" She gasped.
"You heard me, Sunshower! I've been exiled! Quietstar found out you and I are mates and that Vinekit and Goatkit are half-clan. Then I tried to attack her; I couldn't help it, I was furious, so she exiled me! Has Twilightstar found that out yet?" The gray tabby snarled. Sunshower shook her head slowly. She felt terrible! She loved him, but she knew they couldn't be mates. She had made an awful mistake. There was a large knot in her belly. A lump rested in her throat. She gulped, trying to make it go away, but it didn't help.
"No, she hasn't. Tanglescratch, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I wasn't so stupid..." Sunshower dug her claws into the dry grass below her. Her head spun. She had ruined their lives!
"Sorry doesn't help it! I'm leaving!" Tanglescratch growled.
"Where will you go?" Sunshower queried. Tanglescratch sighed.
"The only place I can go. The Twolegplace. And the kits will be coming with me," Tanglescratch gestured to the two kits. They stared back up at him, fear in their eyes.
"But, Tanglescratch-" Sunshower started, but Tanglescratch cut her off.
"No! They will not go with you. I don't want you to get exiled too. If they go with you Twilightstar will question you, and although I don't know her very well, I know she is very good at detecting lies." Tanglescratch lowered his voice. "Also, I'm not Tanglescratch anymore. I'm Tangle. They are Vine and Goat." Tangle turned and started walking away, the kits following him. "Oh, and one more thing." He turned back to Sunshower. "I love you." After that, he trotted away with the kits, vanishing into the darkness, leaving Sunshower sitting their in the calm night, pain like a claw in her heart.