PROLOGUE

Risingstar patiently waited, as he always did when he woke in dreams, for StarClan to appear. A long, skinny yellow queen with the stars seeming to replace the stripes in her tabby fur painstakingly made her way down the forest's path toward him.

"Yellowfeather!" he exclaimed. The cat raised her stormy orange eyes, a smile and a twitch of her whiskers forming on her face. Risingstar ran to the cat that had raised him and buried his face in her muzzle, purring like a young kit again. The familiar pang of guilt and grief came back as he observed the long scar down her belly that had cost her life…protecting her son. Even StarClan could not cure some wounds.

"My beautiful Risingstar, greatest leader in ShadowClan's recent memory," Yellowfeather began. Immediately, sensing she had an important message to deliver, the handsome white-and-gray tom straightened up, perked his ears, and listened closely.

"The fifth greenleaf of your leadership is coming." Risingstar nodded, wondering why she was bothering to point out such an obvious benchmark of time. "There will be two kits born to symbolize night and day. In time, the heart of the darkest will be revealed, and a great evil will befall your Clan should you choose the wrong warrior."

Risingstar's fear-scent began to enclose the small space he and Yellowfeather occupied. Kits, bring a danger to ShadowClan?! Of course, kits forever they would not be, but how would he know which was "the heart of the darkest"? What evil was coming, and how could he prevent it? His mother only licked his nose in farewell as the silver trees slowly began to fade from his sight…

ALLEGIANCES

SHADOWCLAN

LEADER

Risingstar – large white tom with gray patches

DEPUTY

Tigerlily – black and orange calico she-cat

MEDICINE CAT

Skylark – small black she-cat with orange eyes

Apprentice, Goldenpaw (handsome golden tabby tom)

WARRIORS

Blackwing – skinny black tom with long legs

Icestorm – brilliant white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Lightningpaw (small white-yellow tom)

Redpelt – small, thick-furred dark red tom

Apprentice, Silverpaw (silver tabby she-cat)

Spottedflower – light brown she-cat with dark brown spots

Dawnbreeze – pale orange tabby she-cat

Spiderfoot – gray she-cat with black paws

Apprentice, Featherpaw (bright yellow tabby she-cat)

Poppyfire – orange she-cat with white muzzle and paws

Ripplefrost – dark brown striped tom

Apprentice, Eaglepaw (dark golden striped tom)

Dappleface – light gray she-cat with white spotted face

QUEENS

Ivystep – pretty brown-and-white tabby

Bramblelight – bright orange she-cat, expecting Ripplefrost's kits

Grayshade – smoky colored she-cat, mother to Mintkit, Bluekit, and Sweetkit

ELDERS

Darkleaf – small black tom

Longstripe – pale she-cat with brown stripes

THUNDERCLAN

LEADER

Timberstar – small, reddish-brown older tom with yellow eyes

DEPUTY

Beetleclaw – massive black tom with large claws and a long scar over his left shoulder

MEDICINE CAT

Rainheart – small, cream tabby she-cat with deep green eyes

WARRIORS

Blizzardfang – thick-furred white tom with a very long tail

Fernsky – chubby sandy-colored she-cat with large paws

Apprentice, Nightpaw (black she-cat with golden eyes)

Stripetail – gray tabby tom

Toadleap – black tom with white paws and white tail tip

Apprentice, Hawkpaw (golden tom with orange eyes)

Harepelt – tall, skinny orange tom with long ears

Apprentice, Milkpaw (small white she-cat with tufted ears)

Applenose – light red she-cat

Wolfheart – dark gray tom

Apprentice, Amberpaw (dark orange she-cat)

QUEENS

Wrentail – black and white she-cat, mother of Toadleap's kits: Smokekit and Lizardkit

Nettlefrost – small gray she-cat with white stripes, expecting Harepelt's kits

ELDERS

Blueleaf – blue-gray tom

Whitewhisker – gray tom with white face, nose, and whiskers

Shorttail – small brown she-cat with a stump of a tail

WINDCLAN

LEADER

Sparrowstar – dark brown striped tom

DEPUTY

Frostheart – thick-furred white she-cat with piercing orange eyes

MEDICINE CAT

Robinflight – red-and-brown tom

Apprentice, Mossypaw (light blue-gray she-cat with orange eyes)

WARRIORS

Runningfoot – orange tabby tom

Apprentice, Briarpaw (brown tabby tom)

Thistlefur – gray tom with fur that sticks out at all angles

Grassflower – blue-gray she-cat

Coldtalon – white and brown tom

Apprentice, Fuzzypaw (pale gray tom with green eyes)

Coalpelt – black, thick-furred massive tom

Rabbitflight – skinny brown she-cat with very long legs

Apprentice, Gorsepaw (thick-furred black tom with blue eyes)

Heathernose – yellow and black she-cat

Apprentice, Emberpaw (pretty orange she-cat with yellow eyes)

QUEENS

Ravenwing – small black she-cat with a white tail tip, expecting Coldtalon's kits

Patchtail – orange and white calico she-cat, mother to Woollykit and Cloudkit

ELDERS

Molenose – dark brown tom with yellow eyes

Silverclaw – white-silver she-cat

RIVERCLAN

LEADER

Sleetstar – white she-cat with black ears and black tail tip

DEPUTY

Maplefur – dark red she-cat

MEDICINE CAT

Lilypetal – light brown she-cat with deep green eyes

WARRIORS

Pineclaw – black tom with stormy gray eyes

Troutwhisker – gray tabby tom with white muzzle

Apprentice, Rowanpaw (gray tom with black patches)

Blazepelt – bright orange tom

Apprentice, Foxpaw (dark red tom with a thickly furred tail)

Nutfur – light brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Shellpaw (white she-cat with black spots)

Smoketail – dark gray tabby she-cat with a black striped tail

Pikefin – sandy-colored she-cat with green and golden eyes

Apprentice, Brackenpaw (red tom with large white paws)

QUEENS

Mousetail – dark brown she-cat with piercing yellow eyes, expecting Nutfur's kits

Nightfoot – white she-cat with one black paw, mother to Fishkit and Greenkit

ELDERS

Stormheart – blue-gray she-cat with dark gray paws

Ratpelt – brown tom with orange eyes

Wildclaw – large black tom with massive white paws and claws, scar over right eye

CATS OUTSIDE CLANS

Bessie – dirty white, thick-furred she-cat

Sammy – small black tom with a scar where his left eye should be

Fluffy – skinny brown tom with black stripes

Author's Note: Yeah, so it's kind of hard to continually come up with new warrior names when old cats die, new kits are born and apprenticed, and all that sort of thing. If anyone wants to leave OCs, or just suggestions for new names, I'm open to that. As well as reviews! I'm open to those as well. ;)