Elsi: Welcome back! Have the best Elemental prologue I've written yet.

Trek: This is a disclaimer! Have a nice day!

Elsi: Read and review, if you will!

Prologue

Click. Click. Click.

It was the sound of claw on rock that made the tabby tom turn around.

"You haven't answered my question," said the tortoiseshell she-cat. "We can't do anything until you've made your decision."

"I don't want to make my decision," answered the tabby tom. He received groans from the other toms in the clearing: both were huge, muscled cats, each with enough battle scars to cover years of war.

"Can it really be that hard?" demanded one of them. He was a ragged old cat, brown and angry-looking. "You've practically taught that little apprentice everything you know. Have you even bothered to look for other cats to train?"

"Don't bother Hawkfrost, Brokenstar," said the she-cat, twitching her tail in amusement. "He's clearly growing fond of the kit."

"Hawkfrost wouldn't abandon our objective," laughed the fourth cat, thick and grey. "Now tell us, Hawkfrost. Are you choosing Ivypaw as ThunderClan's leader, or aren't you?"

"I think it's unwise to choose an apprentice," scoffed Brokenstar, turning his nose up. He earned a glare from the grey. "Mossypaw seems too young to take on such responsibility."

"Mossypaw is more ruthless than any cat we've trained yet," pointed out the grey cat. "I believe that raising her from her kithood was a good decision. Or are you forgetting who trained Tigerstar?"

"No one's forgotten, Thistleclaw," the she-cat said, before Brokenstar could retaliate. "I agree with you. When she becomes a warrior, Mossypaw will lead legions of shadows into the forest. As will Breezepelt," she added to appease Brokenstar. "As will Redwillow."

"As will Ivypaw." Hawkfrost's voice was very quiet. The other three looked at him, and Brokenstar laughed.

"As expected," he teased. "Very well. I'll take the report in, then."

"I'll do it myself," snapped Hawkfrost. "Now leave me!" Huffing, Brokenstar turned away, his crooked tail waving. Thistleclaw exchanged a glance with Hawkfrost before melting into the shadows, unseen, unheard of. Sighing, Hawkfrost looked over at his only company left.

"Why did that decision take you so long?" asked the she-cat.

"Ivypaw's part of StarClan's silly prophecy," Hawkfrost answered. "I don't want her to turn traitor."

"You're playing her perfectly, though," soothed the tortoiseshell. "If you don't slip up, Ivypaw will be able to use her powers to aid us. She'll destroy that prophecy. And if the prophecy is destroyed, the Clans are destroyed."

"So they can arise," Hawkfrost growled. A demonic grin played on his features; his ice-blue eyes caught the eerie green light and sparkled. "Our time is coming, Mapleshade." Mapleshade laughed in return, her features spinning in and out of focus as she slinked away.

"Our time is already here," she replied. "The shadows are coming out to play."

Elsi: OOOOOOOOOOH. I'll have fun with all of these shadows. They are my little warriors, marching out to fight...doodoodoodoodoo.

Trek: You're terrifying. If you enjoyed the prologue, please tell Elsi so! It gives her a confidence boost and the motivation to write more.

Elsi: I have written the first...what, three? Chapters of this, but they're in poor condition, so I want to boost them up before posting them. Chances are, they'll be up sometime soon. Like very soon. I'm trying to post everything I have for you people so I can run off into the hills for months and have less people yell at me!