A/N: I wrote part of this, others were written by people in my warrior role play site. These people were: carrot$, CISASASR, ANGELSTAR. None of them have a Fanfiction account as of 5/22/09. Future chapters will be completely written by me.

Prologue

Silverpaw ran to the Training hollow. There was ferocious growling and snarling. A figure- smelling very familiar was chasing...chasing Bamboopaw! The young cat watched in fascination, but just after the killer had given Bamboopaw a fatal blow, she- or was it a he? - sniffed the air and whirled on the kit. "A witness!" They lunged at the kit. The scent of the leaper was like fox-dung and moss...who was it? Silverkit looked into the eyes of the cat seconds before she died. The pelt color! It was- it was- then all was black for the kit and her throat was ripped out.

Bamboopaw scurried around the Training hollow, but where was her mentor? Suddenly, a strange, yet oddly familiar, scent reached to her noise. The sound of a cat's sharp claws tapped on the ground, rushing right at her. Instinctively, Bamboopaw ran for her life, not daring to look back; she could sense thoughts of claws ripping through fur emanating from the cat. This cat obviously planned to kill her; from the way this cat chased after her, not daring to reveal its voice or to unsheathe its claws. Finally, with the courage of a warrior, the young apprentice turned around and saw..... She gasped. "You? I thought...I thought we could trust you!" Bamboopaw stared. "How could you betray us like this?"
"It's for the best of SnowClan..." the cat whispered. Bamboopaw lunged at this cat, heart pounding. She clawed fiercely at their pelt, shredding fur and watching their blood flow out like little streams. But the cat was too quick; where had this cat learned their moves? This...this traitor....whirled around, piercing Bamboopaw. Something ended then. Bamboopaw knew there was something terribly wrong. "My last moments..." she whispered softly to herself. "They have come..."

Cranedancer had just come back from the river to wash up when she passed through the training hollow. She spotted the pelts immediately and ran back to camp to get Crystalstar and Freespirit. The entire place stunk of a covered fox scent and rotting moss...the killer had disguised their scent well. Why look, Cranedancer thought, Bamboopaw is still alive!

Crystalstar ran as fast as she could sliding to a halt as she faced the bleeding body of Bamboopaw.Yet another death,she thought,but this time, the mafia is unknown... who could it be?

Spottedheart watched from the skies above. "Oh..." she sighed.

Bamboopaw lay on the ground, watching the blood drain out of her. She looked up and saw Crystalstar staring at her, speechless. Glancing around, Bamboopaw spotted Freespirit hurrying towards her, herbs clasped in her mouth. The young apprentice sighed, knowing that no herb could save her now. Looking past her, she saw Cranedancer and Stardust. Suddenly, pain surged through Bamboopaw as death started to overcome her. How could I ever have trusted her? she thought to herself miserably. I should have known... and now, for my ignorance...I must suffer this punishment... But I was so close... so close to becoming a warrior... She shut her eyes as a blend of rage and sadness rushed through her. Her life was ending....and it was all because of...that one cat! And how dare she be standing here, acting like she doesn't know anything about this! Bamboopaw blinked open her eyes and glared at the traitorous cat. Suddenly, she noticed that she could see the stars, but the sun was still shining as brightly as ever. "StarClan...they're coming for me!" she mewed.

Stardust pondered her meeting with Starclan as she walked back to camp. She blinked a few times. Blood? Had there been a battle?

Cranedancer whirled on Stardust. Grief shone in her eyes as she accused the deputy. "You killed Silverpaw and Bamboopaw! Your own apprentice! You're littermates! How could you?"

Stardust stared. What blasphemy was the ex-rouge spouting?
"What?"

"Who else? You told me to get them, and you were gone! What have they ever done to you? Scared of competition for deputy?"

"I was at the Moonpool!" Stardust's head whirled. What was going on?
"Don't lie. You murderedthem!"

Stardust speechlessly stared at the accusation. That...wasn't...true! But who did?
The prophecy! Stardust strained to remember. The nonsense of a few minutes ago was very real now. Who was it? Think, think, who was the killer? Stardust stalked forward to the body. She sniffed at the dying apprentice. The odor of moss and fox dung encased the body. There was another scent that barely clung underneath, but certainly not her own.
"Who was it?" she whispered Bamboopaw tried to squeeze out a word, but blood gurgled in her throat. Something sounding remotely like, "knds."
Cranedancer stiffened. Stardust suspiciously turned to face the black and white cat, but there was nothing to be told from the she cat's eyes.
"Knds." Again Bamboopaw tried to rasp the word out.
Cranedancer's voice cracked as she mewed, "Sleep well little one..."
Stardust's head spun. She raced from the camp. The Moonpool! She had to consult Starclan.

Bamboopaw glared at Cranedancer. How dare that fox-dung admit that she was going to die? Now she had driven Stardust away!

"KNDS!" Bamboopaw continued to shout, with the knowledge that her voice would never return to normal. No one would be able to hear what she was truly trying to say.

"KNDS!" she yelled into the sky, thought it was no use. Crystalstar remained silent, while Freespirit was too busy preparing herbs. They probably assumed that her shouts were simply cries of pain; at least Stardust understood that she was trying to tell her something. Bamboopaw continued to glare at her attacker, soon to become killer, as she lurked nearby, though in shadow. If only I could move, so that I may strike back at her and take vengeance for my coming death! If I could only drag Cranedancer to StarClan with me! But wait…that creature does not deserve StarClan! She deserves the Place of No Stars, to walk alone in darkness for all eternity! But...murdering her...that would make me just as bad as her... But it's just not fair! Why does she get to live, while I must die? Why, StarClan? What have I ever done? Anger burned in the young apprentice, mingled with thoughts of misery; yet a small hope lit inside of her. Would Stardust be able to figure out her true murderer?

Suddenly, blood rose from her throat, and she could feel it starting to choke her. Bamboopaw's eyes started to cloud, and she struggled for vision, yet the stars still shined as brightly as ever. StarClan...she thought. Please...I beg for mercy...please...just end this torture now...

Stardust's feet pounded the floor as she ran to the Moonpool.

Bamboopaw shuddered as the pain continued to consume her. She watched as Cranedancer moaned to Crystalstar, anger evident in her voice.

"It was Stardust..." Cranedancer murmured to Crystalstar. "I know...I'm just as shocked as you are..." A fresh wave of anger came over Bamboopaw. Lies! All lies! It's a scheme...but it was working. The Clan would turn against Stardust, and with few capable warriors in the Clan, the killer could rise to deputy. It's like Tigerstar all over again...Bamboopaw thought.
Suddenly, a strong ray of starlight shone, almost blinding the young apprentice's eyes. As her vision cleared, Bamboopaw saw the stars shining brighter than she had ever seen them before. It was time. A cat padded down from the stars and nudged Bamboopaw. Suddenly, she could move! She followed the starry-furred cat on a path towards the stars. Looking back, she saw her own body lying on the ground; Freespirit was still trying to stuff herbs into her mouth, but it was too late. Bamboopaw, feeling a sudden thrill of excitement, continued along the lit path leading up to the sky. The starry-furred cat turned to her. Bamboopaw felt like she knew this cat, from some long-lost memory, but couldn't figure out who it was. The cat spoke, "Stars will be clouded; fire shall remold it, water shall clean it."

Then the cat paused, and continued. "Here's another one."

"Bamboo will be trampled by a merry dance, regrown by fire, and then burn away the festival."

In the Snowclan nursery, Cranedancer brought in two mewling bundles of fur.

"I found these in the woods, and because of our cat shortage I decided to take them in. Look at how young they are! Wintermoon, could you nurse them?"

Yes! Prologue done. Working on first chapter, it will be up as soon as I get five reviews. So, review! Constructive criticism is fine =)