Chapter I
A chilly violet dusk swept across the early-newleaf sky, tinting the clouds colors of lavender and gold and scarlet. A few of the trees were still thin and scraggly, recovering from the harsh and stormy conditions of the previous season. However, through the frozen earth and cold land, new life began to sprout, new beginnings began to blossom. Tiny, delicate green buds desperately tried to push their way out of the soil, little leaves springing up through patches of unmelted snow from leaf-bare. A crisp wind passed over and ruffled the few soft leaves and blossoms on the trees, making them dance in a frenzy as they tried hard to keep hanging on.
Through the tall, silhouetted wooden trunks, a dark and swift figure maneuvered around any obstacles with ease. Its silvery outline gleamed dimly against the brighter backdrop. As it trotted forward, its head lowered against the forest floor tentatively and its cautious bright green gaze sweeping from side to side, it finally stepped out of the darkness and revealed itself as a young tabby she-cat, light grey pelt tainted with shadows as she slipped beneath the shade of clouds, trees and the vast sky itself again.
She pricked her ears warily and suddenly froze tensely, four paws planted in place, as if trying to hear an extremely important message. But after a few heartbeats, she shifted and relaxed again, continuing to walk forward at a brisk, unnatural place.
I'm getting closer, she thought solemnly. Her bright eyes darkened and clouded over as she lowered her head, staring at the path in front of her. He must be here.
The grey tabby tasted the air, walking and halting from time to time. Her steps were confident and filled with hope at one point and in a flash, as fast as a bolt of lightning streaking down a stormy sky, that feeling vanished into thin air and was replaced by a look of worry, hesitation and caution. She wondered if she should even keep going, but a spirit, a hasty, foolish spirit that knew right from wrong decided for her in the end.
The familiar scent of the tom she was looking for was very strong. She lifted her muzzle and breathed in the chilling atmosphere, but could not pinpoint the exact location of him. It was almost as if he were here one moment, then there the next, and when the young she-cat finally settled on a destination, that faint wisp disintegrated and she was left confused, lonely, once again. Everything was getting colder and darker as night began to settle in.
"Smokeheart! Smokeheart!" the she-cat called out for her father, gritting her teeth anxiously when she received no reply, not even a faint, dying one, after a long while. "Smokeheart? Where are you? Answer me, please . . . " She sighed, hope diminishing, her paws becoming weaker as time ticked by. "Answer me . . . "
He was ThunderClan's current deputy, and a noble one at that. The strongly built dark grey tom was a role-model for younger cats, always so brave, loyal, fierce, and intelligent as well. His spirit and pure will to defend his Clan at all costs was what made him one of the greatest warriors they've ever known, but he also never gave in, no matter what the odds were. If it was a thousand to one and he was positive it was his blood being shed, he would still fight to the end, that tiny spark of hope leading him and his Clan. Cats of ThunderClan all anticipated the day he would become leader. In fact, she had too, as a young kit. She would gaze up at him beneath a chanting starry night and he would smile down at her, confident, fearless, yet his smile so warm. That day when he would become Smokestar. And she had been proud to call him her father.
But as the young grey she-cat heard a faint rumbling in the distance, the sound of a churning, uneasy stream, she followed the mist it sprayed into the air, feeling her paws automatically carrying her in that way. She had no idea at the time why, but it seemed important. Something seemed important, something she could not miss yet did not fully know yet. But in several heartbeats, when her eyes would widen to the white rim in pure horror and terrified shock, when her paws would freeze in place and she could no longer walk one step farther, when everything she was looking for would all shatter in one second, she would understand at last.
Now lying directly in front of her was the bloody, matted shape of a frighteningly familiar dark tomcat, his body limp, lifeless and ice-cold to the touch. Parts of fur were shredded, dried blood coated the dirty, aged pelt, and some metallic traces of fresh blood still oozed out of the deep gashes and wounds. Distinctive bite marks from sharp fangs lined his neck, giving him the last killing bite as the murderer suffocated them with a gripping lash.
The she-cat felt her senses blurring, her fur bristling and standing up in nothing but fear and horrified shock alone, and her mind screamed so loud it would've split the air, but all that came out of her tightly clenched jaws was silence in the end.
That was the moment she knew her father would be gone forever. That was also the day her sister disappeared.
A/N: Yep, we're going to be starting a new story! We have very interesting ideas for this one, and although it won't be super long, we're guessing it'll have at least 10 chapters or more. I, Red, wrote this chapter, and Rover will likely be writing the next one. Please review and tell us what you think and whether or not you think we should continue. Thank you. :)
P.S. Does anyone know if the season names in Warriors are capitalized or not? I don't currently have the books and I'm not sure. I didn't capitalize them this time because real seasons aren't in capitals and they shouldn't be, but again, I'm not sure.