A dark silhouette stood motionlessly at the top of a grassy hill, gazing down at what lay below, at the base of the hill, and beyond. Not a single movement, except for the fronds of grass waving gently, as the wind rustled the leaves of the trees in the forest below. And above, the deep red sky was beautifully layered with the pale pink shapes of the sunset clouds as they scuttled above.

And just beyond the forest at the base of the hill, there was water, a clear, placid lake, with not even the slightest hint of a splash or ripple, that reflected the exact colors of the sunset above it. And just beyond that, a group of reeds, a flat moorland, and a pine forest.

And then, the silhouette on the hill moved.

Upon closer look, it was a cat, a dark ginger she-cat with a flawless, almost heavenly appearance, contributed by her sleek, thick fur, brilliant emerald eyes, pale ginger paws and steady form. Her breath was soft and warm, mildly ruffling her lighter ginger chest fur as she took a pace forward.

She was a young cat, probably no more than nine or ten moons old.

The dark ginger cat took a few more steps forward, hesitating, then padded over toward a clump of the tallest grasses. Sighing softly, she paced around the clump, which was about the size of a full grown cat, and circled it once before lying down, curling her plumy tail around her forepaws and tucking her hind legs under her.

Before she closed her eyes, however, she lifted her head. "My name is Leaf, and I have reached." With those words, she lay her head down in the soft, tall grass, and shut her bright eyes, which were now dulled slightly from exhaustion.

Tomorrow, I'll reach the cat, Leaf vowed silently, falling asleep with the image of starry fur in her mind.

The glaring light of the sun scorching her dark ginger fur woke Leaf the next morning, and she sleepily lifted her head upward, to look towards the pale, blue, cloudless sky. Shaking her fur of the grass, she rose to her pale paws, her eyes still clouded with grogginess.

Then it hit her. Today, I'll reach the cat.

It was as though a bolt of energy had struck Leaf. She was immediately steady on her paws, her green eyes gleaming with excitement as she lifted her tail in anticipation. Drawing in a deep, hopeful breath, she padded down the gentle slope of the grassy hill.

Leaf was a shadowpath in a group of cats that lived far from here, called the Guardians of the Shadows, and this journey would determine whether she was ready to become a full shadow guardian or not. The Shadow Guardians were cats who had a drop of spirit in their blood, that is, they were born to help. Each cat had their own way of finding out which were the right cats to guide, and for Leaf, it was starry fur.

So the Shadow Guardians lived as a group, guiding other cats.

And if Leaf succeeded in helping the right cat on this mission, she would become a true Guardian. And she was sent to this forest, to help another cat... she didn't quite know who, yet. All she knew was that the cat who appeared to her to have stars in his or her fur, long enough for her to notice, was the cat she needed to guide.

Leaf swallowed as she padded toward a strongly-scented border, then took a pace back, a little hesitant.

I have to do this, she told herself silently, then padded over the scent marker. Even if it means temporarily joining this group of cats. She tried to act as casual as possible, like an unsuspecting loner, as she swerved around trees, sniffing carefully.

"Stop!" Leaf pricked her ears, a little startled, as a commanding yowl sounded. Heartbeats later, a dark gray tom, a light brown tabby she-cat, and a smaller, golden-furred she-cat, who looked about Leaf's size, stepped out toward her from behind a large clump of bushes. Leaf guessed it was the tom who had spoken. "What are you doing on our territory?"

"I wanted to see your... leader..." Leaf murmured, though she did, very well.

The light brown tabby narrowed her eyes. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"You might say that," Leaf replied.

"Then what do you want with ThunderClan's leader?" the dark gray tom asked, his tail twitching ever so slightly, as his half-hostile, half-curious blue stare met her interested green one.

Oh, Sun Shadows, I hope I'm doing the right thing! Leaf stepped forward. "I wanted to join... uh... ThunderClan. My name is Leaf."

The small golden she-cat stepped toward her, her blue eyes twinkling. And as she did, Leaf stiffened in surprise, eyeing her golden fur, which somehow, seemed to be twinkling with small stars. Stars! Her heart soared as she realized this was the right cat. "We'll take you to our camp!" the she-cat mewed, sounding pleased. "My name's Goldenpaw."

"Very well," the dark gray tom mewed slowly, with the faintest hint of exasperation at the younger cat, as though he was a little annoyed that the she had given away too much information to Leaf. "We will take you to our leader."

"I am Duskfire," the tabby she-cat mewed, stepping forward. "And this is Pebblestorm."

Now, we're getting somewhere, Leaf thought, with a small twinge of anticipation. And I hope the excuse I have to tell the leader is convincing... and I hope I don't have to remain a part of ThunderClan forever.

"Come on!" Duskfire called, and Leaf padded after her, stepping toward Goldenpaw.

"You're Goldenpaw, right?" Leaf asked curiously.

The young she-cat nodded. "I'm an apprentice of ThunderClan!" She puffed out her chest importantly, turning to stare at Leaf, who shot her a confused look. "Oh, that means, I'm learning to become a warrior, and Duskfire's my mentor! She trains me to hunt and fight."

"How old are you?" Leaf asked, hoping the question didn't sound too awkward.

Goldenpaw shot her a skeptical look before replying. "I'm nine moons."

"So am I!" Leaf mewed brightly, glad that the cat she was supposed to help was her own age, which would make it easier to talk to her. "So, what do you think your leader... whoever... will do to me?" Her tail twitched in false indifference, though inside, her heart felt as though it would burst. What if the leader throws me out?

Her worry must have shown on her face, because Goldenpaw purred comfortingly, and pressed against her, before pulling away. Leaf's green eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away. "Don't worry; Cinderstar's a reasonable cat, and I'm sure she'll agree to having you stay. I hope so, anyway." Leaf slightly stumbled over a root, but Goldenpaw moved closer to her, steadying her. "Look; here we are."

"Go on," Goldenpaw encouraged, nudging Leaf slightly in the direction of a small den. "That's Cinderstar's den." Leaf's fur was fluffed up, her eyes wide with anxiety. "She won't send you away without good reason, really." Leaf flashed a shaky smile in her new friend's direction, before padding after Pebblestorm, into the den, while Goldenpaw and Duskfire padded away.

"Pebblestorm." The voice belonged to a she-cat, and Leaf saw a fluffy gray she-cat step toward them. "What brings you here?"

Pebblestorm hesitated, before replying. "This is a cat who wants to join our clan. She says her name is Leaf." I can speak for myself, thank you very much! Leaf bit back the retort, as Cinderstar calmly nodded, her blue eyes not giving away anything.

"Thank you." She flicked her tail dismissively, a signal for Pebblestorm to leave.

Once the dark gray tom left, Leaf started to feel her neck fur bristle with - was it fear? For a few long heartbeats, the two she-cats stared at each other in complete silence. And then, Cinderstar spoke. "Greetings."

Leaf swallowed. "Hello."

"You want to join ThunderClan, yes?" Cinderstar asked, and Leaf dipped her dark ginger head. "Why?"

Oh, Sun Shadows. Leaf hadn't prepared an answer for that.

"Well... I was a loner," she lied, "and I thought the clans sounded interesting, and I want to join ThunderClan." The excuse was weak, but Leaf couldn't think of anything else at the moment. She stared at her light ginger paws, studying them closely.

Cinderstar tipped her head to one side. "Leaf, there was a reason I was made leader. And I can see through your lie very easily. Now tell me, why are you really here?"

Leaf froze. Now, there was no real option but the truth. But her jaws seemed frozen together.

When Cinderstar spoke again, her voice was gentle. "Leaf, I won't be angry or anything."

Leaf gritted her teeth, determined. "I come from far away, from a group of cats called the Guardians of the Shadows." Cinderstar narrowed her eyes in interest. "And our job is to help certain cats. I mean, we each have a different way of finding who is the right cat we need to help. For me, I see a cat with stars in her fur. And that cat is in the clan."

Cinderstar seemed thoughtful. "You say her. Do you have a cat in mind?"

"I already know," Leaf mewed quietly. "It's the apprentice Goldenpaw."

Cinderstar nodded. "I'm not a fool. I will accept help when it is needed. Goldenpaw, you say?"

Leaf nodded. "But could you treat me as a normal cat in your clan? Because I need to return when my job here is done, and I don't want the clan to figure out about who... what... I really am too soon. I only want them to know after I leave. Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's fine. You seem about the same age as Goldenpaw," she mewed thoughtfully, and Leaf dipped her head. "Make sure you tell Goldenpaw later on, though."

"I will... when I'm ready."

Cinderstar dipped her head, slowly. "I don't believe you're lying, Leaf. And I believe you. That's what counts." There was a long pause. "I will make you an apprentice once you get to know everyone in camp."

Leaf's green eyes shone. "Thank you."