Prologue
It was a warm, breezy night. The air was thick with the smell of rain, and dark clouds hung low on the horizon. Two cats walked side by side along a narrow forest trail. The long haired grey tabby broke the silence between them.
"Finchwing?" she asked timidly. "Are you sure I'm ready to become a full medicine cat?"
Finchwing, a reddish brown tabby with white paws and belly, gave a small chuckle. "Of course I am, Featherpelt. You're more than ready."
Featherpelt let out a sigh. "I hope you're right. I'm just nervous."
They paused for a moment to look up at the night sky. The stars were slowly being swallowed by dark grey clouds. The half moon's light could still be seen glowing from behind them…
Suddenly, a piercing cry split the night air, making both cats jump in surprise. The silhouette of a hawk appeared from the trees, and as it passed the light of the moon a vision flashed in both cat's eyes. They saw a small light brown tabby kit, her face blurred. It looked as if her eyes were a blue green color. Words were whispered from deep within the consciences of the medicine cats, a prophecy yet to come true.
A she cat whose birth is shrouded in lies
To the greatest of her ranks she will rise
Surrounded by allies, loyal and true
To face both evils, old and new
When a dark king has fallen, throne stolen by his son
All hope will be lost, for evil has won
But this chosen cat, with the help of all
Will tackle this darkness and cause its downfall
The vision cleared, and heavy drops of rain were starting to fall from above. They exchanged a glance, and then stood up together. "We must alert Eaglestar." said Finchwing. Featherpelt nodded, and together they bolted off down the trail towards their camp.
A few minutes later, closer to camp…
A queen, white as freshly fallen snow, ran hurriedly through the trees. She could sense her pursuers were close, the thought sending shivers up her spine. She was running through puddles, the mud and rain staining her glossy coat. Three newborn kits dangled from her mouth, an admirable feat for one cat. Tears streamed from her eyes, she just had to make it! For them, for their own sake.
As she rounded a bend, one of the kits fell from her grasp and landed heavily on the ground. Her only little tom. A few yards away she stopped dead and whirled around, only to see the shape of the cat bending to pick the dark grey kit up, another running past, straight towards her. A fresh stream of tears welled in her eyes, and shutting them tight she turned and ran, ran as fast as she could, in the direction of the place she once called home.
When she burst into a clearing, she stopped and listened. She felt she had lost her hunter, but not for long. She then trotted forward, at a slower pace, until she found what she was looking for. It was a large hollow, going deep into the ground, unseen from a distance. She was standing at its rim, and slowly jumped down onto a ledge outside of a small cave. She gently laid the kits onto the ground.
"Blossomstar? Are you in here?" she called, peering inside. The darker brown tom that appeared form the darkness was not Blossomstar, and he was just as surprised to see her as she him. "Eagleheart…" she said, her voice only a whisper.
"It's Eaglestar now." He corrected, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Oh, Snowmist, I knew you'd return!" He purred, licking her cheek. Snowmist felt her fur grow hot at his touch, but sadness kept her from smiling.
"I'm afraid I can't stay." She said, looking at the two kits at her paws. Eaglestar looked taken aback.
"Why ever not? You're always welcome, you know that."
"Yes, I do. But me being here puts the whole Clan in extreme danger. I've only come to leave you these two." She gestured at her kits. "The white is Riverkit. And the tabby is Hawkkit. There was a third, but…" her voice trailed off.
Eaglestar glanced at them, a thought coming to his mind. "Who… whose are they?" He asked, looking into her blue-green eyes.
Snowmist looked at the ground, her eyes clouding over. "They're Jaglan's. But I didn't want to Eaglestar! He made me! He said he needed an heir! Just please treat them like they were your own. And here, when you think they're old enough, give them these." She pulled off the lengths of string from around her neck. Attached to one was a hawk's feather, on the other small blue stone, and the third the fang of a dog. "This one was for the tom, do whatever you want with it." She pointed at the dog fang with her tail.
Like they were your own… Her words stung him, but he nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes to make them happy." he said, a sad smile on his face. She smiled in return, but froze when she heard a cat yowl in the distance.
"I must leave now. Take care, Eaglestar." She licked his shoulder, then sprang back to the rim of the hollow and ran out of sight, towards the sound. Eaglestar watched her go, and then glanced down at the kits. The tabby let out a small mew, her sister soon following. He picked them up one by one and laid them down in his nest of moss and bracken. Then he took the necklaces and put them in a crevice at the back of the den. Slowly he curled up around the kits and fell asleep.
After the medicine cats had returned to camp and the rain ceased its downpour, the screech of a cat in pain echoed throughout the forest.
