Welcome to A Twist of Fate! It is a Warriors Fanfiction, one that I've been playing around with the idea of for awhile now and finally decided to sit down and write today. I thoroughly hope you enjoy this first prolouge and if you find anything wrong grammatically, feel free to note it in your review, as I always go back and fix grammatical errors I may have skipped over.
This story features future versions of the canon clans around the lake, ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan, as well as SkyClan. These characters have direct relations to characters from the actual series, though unless relationships are stated in canon, I will probably leave certain pairings up to your imagination (i.e. in this chapter, I note Dovewing had kits but never stated who the father was. You can headcanon it was Tigerheart or Bumblestripe or anyone else!).
I'm trying to be vague in this prologue in hopes that it will seem mysterious and cause you to form your own theories of what is happening. ;3
If you have any questions (without them being too spoiler-y), feel free to ask questions in the reviews section! I will be doing an answering of reviews after each chapter.
Disclaimer;;; I do not own Warrior Cats or any canon characters or concepts in the series! All rights to those go to Erin Hunter! Fan characters and concepts are all created by me with help from a few friends.
And without further ado, A Twist of Fate!
The moon hung overhead, the light of it's angelic rays hitting the splatters of red blood, which was splayed across the dirt and matted in the fur of those who had died. The sky was starless, but the round silvery disk hung proudly in the air, signaling that whatever had happened, the warriors ancestors approved. A muscular brown-tabby cat stood over the body of another of it's kind, whose fur made it difficult to determine where her thick blood was coming from. Their claws were still unsheathed, signalling the battle had not been won for long. Other living cats stood around the clearing, their injuries covered in the pulp of leaves and cobwebs.
The brown tabby's head was hung in sorrow, despite having won the great war. Another cat, black fur glossy under the light of the moon, walked up beside them, pelt brushing theirs. This black cat was obviously a tom, but to the brown tabby he was unfamiliar. The black cat greeted them like an old friend. "It is okay, winged one. You killed the Moonteller for the sake of the clans. You saved us all."
Then light raptured the world and the dream was shattered.
In the waking world, a brown tabby awoke with a start. His bright amber eyes were full of a fear. Nobody would be able to comprehend what he had dreamed to make him so afraid.
Acornstar had been having the same dream over and over since before the Chasing Winds, when he would sleep amongst his clanmates in the ThunderClan apprentice's den back by the lake. Now, he knew that den would no longer be there if he were to go back. He missed his sister being there by his side in the mornings after he dreamed, comforting him gently with kind words. Duskpaw had always had a beautiful way with words.
Now he didn't even know if she was alive. For years, he had convinced himself she was dead to prevent himself from feeling the pain of asking "what if." He had never even known if she got her warrior name, it had happened so suddenly.
When she left for WindClan two moons after becoming an apprentice, he turned to his mother to comfort him of his nightmares. She would be kind and gentle to her kit. His father would also comfort him sometimes - he had been the strongest, and most loyal warrior in the clan at the time, but he never hesitated to help his son when he was in need. Acornstar smiled at the thought, hanging his head gently as he continued to blink sleep from his eyes.
At least he knew Lionblaze and Cinderheart were dead. They had been at his leader ceremony in StarClan and he can always feel their pelts brushing his, even though he cannot see them.
He missed his mate most of all. Leah had always been his best friend throughout his whole journey. She had died giving birth to his kits - but not before he was able to give her a proper warrior name. He had called her Darkleaf as she made her journey to the stars.
He had been one of the pawful of ThunderClan cats who had actually survived the power of the Chasing Winds. He had watched cats he grew up with and knew and loved all dying before his eyes. Dovewing had died right next to him and he had barely been able to handle himself as the three kittens she had birthed died before his eyes no matter how hard he tried to help them.
All except one.
His best friend was Dovefur, Dovewing's only surviving daughter and the first new member of what was left of ThunderClan after the Chasing Winds.
Molewhisker, Poppyfrost and Berrynose's son had also survived the Chasing Winds. He now rested peacefully in the Elder's den.
Acornstar stretched, now at peace with the nightmare he had so many times before, which began to fade from his thoughts. Stepping from his den, which was a crevice in the smooth rock at the far end of camp, he gazed thoughtfully as the cats he had raised from rogues, loners, and kittypets into fully functioning clan cats began their morning.
Dovefur, who was now his deputy, was ordering cats to their morning patrols. Rockthorn was to lead a border patrol with Crouchmask, Mistygaze, Frogpaw, and Cloudpaw, while Brackenspring was taking Acornstar's daughter Patchpaw, Brightsnow, and Quietwhisper out hunting. The brown tabby leader watched with a smile as Dovefur suggested to Buzzardscar that they take their apprentices to check the other border. Eaglepaw, Acornstar's firstborn daughter and his pride and joy, and Dovefur's apprentice, was eager to go, while Sunpaw, Acornstar's only son and Buzzardscar's apprentice, sent a glare his sister's way. Ever since they were born, a one-sided sibling rivalry had ensued and Sunpaw openly voiced his distaste of his sister and his ambition to outdue her in hopes of being leader. Acornstar had trusted his most loyal best friend with his strong little eldest, while the strongest cat in the clan was fit to recieve Sunpaw as an apprentice.
His heart ached at how much his kits reminded him of former clanmates. Eaglepaw was the spitting image of Duskpaw, but with a personality like Cinderheart's, free-spirited and kind. Pinepaw was like Dovewing, who was quiet and cautious, and Patchpaw was so much like Squirrelflight. Sunpaw was a lot like Crowfeather, who Duskpaw had left ThunderClan to be with before he died.
As he watched his eldest daughter with fondness, he heard a voice speak.
"The Storm will only end if the Bird and the Tree can brave the journey through the Night."
He turned over his shoulder and saw the clan's head medicine cat. Snowlight's eyes were wide with fear and urgency.
"I've received a prophecy," she spoke hastily, every fur on her pelt on end. "It came with visions of Blood and Moonless nights. Something is coming, Acornstar, something that we've never experienced before."
"Are you able to interpret it?" the brown tabby asked in a hushed voice. Snowlight shook her head furiously.
"I saw so many different things in my dream. Only a few were clear. The wind was blowing strong, there were twisted and broken branches and briar ripping into my pelt, holding me in place. It was so dark, Acornstar. And then the blood rose up through my paws and licked up my sides, and-"
She paused for a moment, pondering her words, before speaking quietly,
"And as it drowned me, it started raining eagle feathers."
