Prologue
A full moon shone down into the camp, illuminating the eyes of a single warrior keeping watch over his clan. The gathering had not gone well, the four clans of the forest growing more hostile every moon. Now all that stood between a battle between the cats of the forest was the ever-weakening clan borders. Thunderclan was not an innocent party in the matters of clan rivalry, and in fact was often the cause of most fights at gatherings. Snakestar was well known for his ruthless accusations and disrespectful mannerisms, both being traits that other clans despised.
As a slight breeze ruffled Bluetoes' shaggy fur, silent pawsteps approached the great gray warrior. He nodded a greeting to the new cat, glad to have his company. Littlestep was an accurate name for the Thunderclan medicine cat. He had a small stature, and was easily mistaken for an apprentice or young warrior. As a cat who found sleep hard to find, he often wandered his way out into the camp at night, providing company for whichever cat was on guard duty.
"As sleepless as ever, I see." With a blink of his deep blue eyes, Bluetoes waved a feathery tail towards the nursery. "I don't mind guard duty these days. From here, I can hear my kits sleeping."
Littlestep purred in amusement as he sat down, wrapping his tail over his small white paws. "They won't be kits for too much longer. They've grown fast despite the harsh struggles of leafbare. They're strong and healthy kits. They will do well as apprentices."
A warm night breeze rattled the branches of bramble that formed the Thunderclan entrance, a gentle reminder of the coming months of newleaf. "My kits have always been strong."
Littlestep twitched his tail. "Not all of them. One has always been small."
The broad-shouldered tom nudged Littlestep gently. "That's true, you were a tiny kit. Your brother outgrew you in a blink of an eye. But you've found your place in Thunderclan. No cat could serve as a better medicine cat."
The clearing grew silent as the two cats listened to the nursery side-by-side. As the moon passed by overhead, the shadows lengthened across the ground, the stars glimmered in the sky, and cats of Thunderclan slept quietly.
"I've had something to tell you, but I haven't been able to put the right words together yet." Littlestep spoke quietly, still unsure of how to proceed. His father's warm blue eyes promised an open mind, and a willingness to listen. "The sky has seemed dark to me recently." Littlestep had always wondered about the mysterious Starclan that existed only in nursery tales, but as he continued his role as a medicine cat, the more he had begun to believe that the cats in the stars actually existed. Most cats didn't believe in the nursery tales, so Littlestep had held in his thoughts for many moons. But too long had he been silent.
"A poison has gripped Thunderclan, but if nothing is done, our clan will be lost into complete darkness."