WOOHOO! PROLOGUE OF SCARLET SKY, BOOK FOUR: SHATTERED MOON. Quite exciting, I must say. I am aiming for 5 of these books, ending with Firefall becoming leader. Oh, oh, oh AND ScarFlower is my new co-author. Hoorayz! Thanks ScarFlower! SoOoOoOooooo…here it is, I guess. THE PROLOGUE…dun…dun…dun…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A shining silver monster roared across the Thunderpath, it's black paws spinning furiously, its garish face spread into a leering grin. The ferns on either side of the narrow strip of black stone were worked into a frenzy of swishing and swaying as droplets from a muddy puddle splattered their fronds.

At the edge of the road, peering out from beneath the undergrowth, was a pair of large, staring blue eyes. They belonged to a thin, sleek black tomcat that was crouched in the shelter of a wide berry bush, watching as monster after monster sped past him.

The first taste of new-leaf was in the air, and after a harsh, prey-bare winter, every ray of sunlight was welcome in the forest. Tiny green seedlings were pushing out of the soft soil, reaching up spindly arms into the fresh air; other new life was appearing throughout the Lake territories.

Though he had missed having a full belly during leaf-bare, the changing seasons were the last thing on the black cat's mind. As it was, his thoughts remained as dark as the raging storm clouds that had plastered the sky for many moons. The prey that he was stalking today would be useless as to the ache in his belly, though to him it was far more important. And so he remained for the better part of the day, ignoring the roaring monsters, staring out at the forest across from the Thunderpath, waiting.

When night fell, and a cloak of darkness had finally fallen to hide the cat's conspicuous dark fur, he rose out of the undergrowth and casually trotted across the Thunderpath. The route that he took was not one that was frequently used – it was a path of his own making, and hardly discernible among the wild plants that crowded at its edge. But he knew it well, and soon his destination, the place that lay at the end of the path, was in view.

It was a small clearing, not even 6 yards wide, in the middle of a patch of ivy, encircled by high walls of ferns and trees. There was an open space in the center, and many dens that had been cleared out inside the ivy walls.

The black tom walked into the clearing with an air of stifling self-importance, and then launched himself onto a boulder that took up a large part of the camp.

"FangClan!" he called suddenly. His voice was almost musical, and it might have been pleasant save for the sneering undertone. "FangClan, gather at the Darkstone, your leader has news!"

Slowly, like wraiths materializing out of pure shadow, cats appeared in the clearing, emerging from the dens in the ivy with wary, shaded expressions. The black tom watched them come near with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Ghostface, has the dusk patrol returned?"

A silver tabby tomcat with wide, watery blue eyes loped forward out of the crowd. "They came in a moment ago, Darkfa - Darkstar."

The black cat's eyes flashed. "I'm not called Darkfang anymore, Ghostface. You of all cats should know that." He paused, and then continued, "And does the patrol have anything to report?"

There was hesitation in the crowd, some cats murmured a few inaudible words, but no one made a move to say more.

"What's that? What do you have to report!?" snarled Darkfang. His spine was bristling. "Answer your leader!"

"S-shadowClan has a new ap-pprentice, Darkstar," meowed a small mouse-brown tom in a shaky voice. He did not meet Darkfang's gaze, but merely stared at his paws.

Darkfang flashed a humoring smile. "A new apprentice. Lovely. That might change everything, Shrewtail. Does anyone have anything interesting to report?" he spat.

Shrewtail began to tremble, but someone nudged him forward, and Darkfang's gaze snapped back to the small brown cat. "What!?" he snapped impatiently.

"It-it's not a regular apprentice, Darkstar."

"Not a regular apprentice? Is it a badger then, Shrewtail? Does it have seven tails?" His eyes were blazing now, and one or two cats began to back away.

"N-not a S-shadowClan c-cat, s-sir. D-darkstar," he whimpered, trying desperately now to dive back into the crowd. The other cats kept him at bay, using him as a shield to Darkfang's fury.

But suddenly Darkfang was interested, and the fire in his eyes died out. He sat down, wrapped his tail gently around his black paws, and leaned forward. "It's not a ShadowClan apprentice? What's going on, then? Speak up, Shrewtail."

The brown tom looked immensely relieved, and his words gained more confidence now. "It's a she-cat sir, from ThunderClan."

"From ThunderClan…how interesting. Do you know her name?"

"Twilightpaw, Darkstar. That was it."

Darkfang stared at Shrewtail for a moment longer, and then a queer, cold smile suddenly broke out on his face. "Twlightpaw. I see…Thank you, Shrewtail. You're excused from dawn patrol tomorrow."

Shrewtail's face lit up, and he turned to face the crowd with a triumphant smile. Darkfang dropped down from the boulder. Three cats were immediately at his side – the silver tabby, a long-legged black and gray tom, and a blue-furred tom who had a long diagonal scar across his cheek.

"Twilightpaw. Wanderingsoul's daughter, you remember her, Darkstar?" mewed the silver tabby quietly. There was a hungry look in his eyes.

"Yes, that idiot kit who claimed to be descended from a pure-blood Clan cat. What a dirty lie, no one with rogue heritage belongs in the Clans. She was a mouse-brained fool, that one, won't ever amount to anything." Darkfang was padding quietly to the den at the other side of camp, nestled in the roots of a fallen tree. The other three cats padded a few steps behind him.

"Rumor has it she's caught the eye of the ShadowClan deputy. People say they were good friends while in ThunderClan, now they've met again in ShadowClan," murmured the black and gray tom.

"Gravelstar's getting soft, I tell you, Blacksight. Letting ThunderClan cats into their camp, not to mention Half bloods," Darkfang sneered. He sat down outside the den, his tail lashing. "Still, there's something strange about it."

"Gravelstar certainly never seemed like the soft type," put in the blue-furred tom thoughtfully.

"No," agreed Darkfang. "No, he doesn't. There's obviously something going on. We need to find out."

They all nodded, and a thoughtful silence reigned for a few moments, until Ghostface tentatively spoke up, "And what of ThunderClan, Darkstar?"

Another eerie smile crept onto Darkfang's face, and his blue eyes sparkled. "ThunderClan, Ghostface. Ah, ThunderClan…much has happened. They're doing well, plenty of new kits, many apprentices, and new warriors. Our little heroine still has nightmares, I believe…"

The blue tom narrowed his eyes. "The prophecy? Firefall still dreams with StarClan?"

Darkfang looked up, and his eyes found Silverpelt, glittering in the blackened sky above. "She does."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I know, VERY SHORT, kind of boring, but its just a prologue, don't worry…