"It's a "what-if the DF won" story. I love the idea of that concept, but the only ones I can find are Hunger Games/Warriors crossovers, or something else that just can't keep my fleeting attention. But I have this new story idea and... I love it." - PM to Jeffrey Dahmer, Feb. 4, 2015.

Prologue

So the Dark Forest won, right.

Yeah, I know, what a shock.

Because good always triumphs over evil and the conquering heroes are granted immortality, and queens tell their kits stories about their bravery for generations, and everyone lives happily ever after. That's how the story is supposed to go.

Plot twist! This story is going to be a just a little bit different.

But before I get too ahead of myself and confuse you, I'll go back and start from the very beginning; back when the Clans were fighting oh-so valiantly against the Dark Forest, and everything looked like it was leaning in our favor. We were holding our own pretty well. Victory seemed to be just on the horizon.

Then Tigerstar killed Firestar, and everything fell apart.

Firestar was a legend. Everyone knew his story, how he was the first kittypet to ever join the Clans, how he'd become leader of ThunderClan, and so on. In the eyes of his Clanmates he was immortal; he couldn't be killed. So when Tigerstar broke his neck it threw the Clans into shock. They just… stopped fighting; couldn't believe what had happened. By the time that twilight rolled around, the news had spread across the lake and the Dark Forest was victorious.

Immediately after their victory, they set off to make sure that the Clans understood who was in control now. They slaughtered cats in every Clan, no matter if they were queens or kits or elders. All four Clan leaders were killed that night, and so were their deputies. The Dark Forest chose who would lead the Clans (they couldn't risk anyone too strong, y'know?). They also killed the previous medicine cats because of their connection to StarClan, but more on that in a moment.

So yeah, the Dark Forest won the battle and began their tyranny. I don't really know how it used to be when they first took over, but from what I know there was a lot of blood. Just because they won the battle didn't mean the war was over, and like when anything changes, there were a lot of rebels. The Dark Forest had their paws full trying to establish complete control and weeding out any threats.

A lot of cats were tortured or beaten and bruised.

A lot more were murdered.

And then there was the issue with StarClan. That's a bit harder to explain but from what I've overheard, the Dark Forest completely banned the topic of their better half. You were guaranteed a beating for even breathing the word 'StarClan', and sometimes they went so far as to kill over it. I think it's because StarClan were kept alive by their memories; as long as there were cats to think about their warrior ancestors, they existed. Sooo if no one ever thought about StarClan, then they would just cease to ever exist.

That was exactly what happened. After seasons of death and blood and torture, StarClan became an abstract thought; a myth. Maybe at one point it had been real, but now StarClan is gone. Nowadays, no one knows where cats go when they die.

So... yeah. It wasn't exactly a good time.

That went on for seasons. Eventually the Clans just accepted the fact that StarClan was gone and this was their new way of life, and tried to do the best with what they could. We still had the same Clan structure and routines; patrols were still sorted, kits were still made into apprentices, and Gatherings were still held. The Dark Forest checked in every few days to make sure we were behaving, and sometimes they killed a cat to keep us in line, but they even grew accustomed to that. Life was scary and dark, but oh well. There was nothing they could do about it.

Until two warriors decided they'd had enough.

They were a tom and she-cat from ThunderClan, and they'd just found out that they were expecting kits. How could they bring kits into such a dark, uncertain world? It was a question that haunted them for days, and then one day they realized their answer: they couldn't.

So they decided to rebel against the Dark Forest. They rallied their Clanmates in ThunderClan, and then found like-minds in ShadowClan. RiverClan was harder to sway but eventually they too agreed to join. WindClan, skittish like the rabbits they chased, refused to join the allegiance. After three of the four Clans had come together they carefully planned a surprise attack. The planning lasted for a few moons to avoid suspecian from their Dark Forest overlords.

It was decided that the ThunderClan tom and she-cat would lead the charge. However, the morning of the attack and things were already falling apart: the she-cat went into early labor. She insisted that her mate go without her, and when they defeated the Dark Forest he would have a new family to return to.

It didn't quite work out that way.

The Dark Forest had been expecting them.

No one really knows how, but we suspect that they had a spy, or they tortured the information out of someone. The details don't really matter. What's important to the story is that they didn't appreciate the Clans plotting against them, so when the tom led the attack into their camp they were already prepared. Dark Forest warriors outnumbered the ones that had followed the rebellion, and they were on their own territory; the element of surprise had been the Clans' only advantage on a battlefield where the enemy had every other one. In the end, the battle didn't even last all evening. They never stood a chance.

The real action took place that night.

Dark Forest patrols escorted the surviving warriors to their Clans, and then they were forced to pay for their treachery. Despite WindClan refusing to join the allegiance, the Clan leader was slaughtered as well as his mate. From RiverClan were several warriors and, as a fatal strike, kits. ShadowClan tried to defend themselves back in their own camp, but didn't stand a chance. Many of their warriors and queens were slaughtered.

Aaand then there was ThunderClan: heart of the rebellion.

The Dark Forest leader, a ferocious tom named Lionslayer, instructed each of his warriors to grab a cat - queen, kit, elder, warrior, etc - and slit their throat. So that's the story of how over half our Clan died in one night, but it isn't over yet.

He went into the Nursery and dragged out the she-cat, along with her newborn daughter. He forced the new parents to watch as he snapped their daughters neck. Then he had several of his warriors hold down the tom, while he commanded one of his warriors to kill the she-cat. She didn't put up much of a fight as she sobbed over the broken body of her daughter, and it wasn't long until her own blood stained the ground.

The tom, distraught by the murder of his newborn kit and mate, attempted to kill Loinslayer, but he didn't stand a chance. Lionslayer's mind wasn't foggy with grief and his pawsteps weren't heavy with sorrow, and he easily outmatched the tom. Within moments, the tom was murdered as well.

And when those two warriors died, the rebellion died with them.

Lionslayer, satisfied with his work that night, prepared to lead his patrols back to camp when one of his warriors informed him of something most interesting: the tom and she-cat had another kitten. A sickly tom no bigger than the size of a mouse.

With no queen to care for him the kit was sure to die during his first night, and so Lionslayer let him live, deciding that starving to death in his sleep would be just as agonizing as having his neck snapped.

Three days later and the kit was still alive and seemingly stronger. Lionslayer was perplexed. It was impossible for such a weak, sickly kit to survive the night, much less three nights. And yet…

So Lionslayer got creative. Instead of slaughtering the kit like he had done to the rest of his kin, he celebrated him. He dropped the small kitten in the center of camp, the very place his kin had bled to death, and announced that the tom would symbolize the night of The Massacre; he would symbolize every single life that had been stolen; he would symbolize their tortured cries and their pleas for mercy. Every single drop of blood fell on that kit's paws.

Whenever his Clanmates would look at him, they would be reminded of how hopeless and pathetic they were. They would be reminded of what happened when they tried to rebel.

My name is Flamepaw, and I am that kit.

My parents are the tom and she-cat that inspired a rebellion, and ultimately brought on a darker, more servere way of life for those they cared about. Their names? I couldn't tell you. ThunderClan refuses to speak of them.

I'm not very popular in ThunderClan either. I guess that's not much of a shock, all things considered. I mean, my parents only thought of rebelling once they found out they were going to have kits, so technically you could say the entire thing was my fault - which is exactly what my Clanmates do.

As far as my Clanmates are concerned, I'm not one of them. They go out of their way to avoid me, to remind me that I should've died seven moons ago. As I kit I wasn't allowed to play with the other kits, or share a nest with anyone. A Dark Forest warrior forced one of the queens to nurse me, but she made it very clear that I wasn't her.

As an apprentice, my mentor, Jumpfoot, rarely takes me out for training. He leaves me to my own devices mostly, so I tend to wind up in trouble.

Back when I was young and believed in StarClan, I used to pray that they would send me a friend. Obviously I've gotten used to my Clanmates' treatment but that doesn't make life much easier; we've all adjusted to Clan life now and we understand that there's nothing we can do about the Dark Forest's reign, but it doesn't make life any less dark and depressing.

I used to have a friend. Well, he wasn't really a friend, but he was the closest thing I'd ever had: Sparrowpaw. He would tolerate me and talk to me because the Clan wasn't exactly fond of him either (too lazy and antisocial, in their opinion), but he was dead. Probably. The Dark Forest selected him at the last Culling, and from what I've gathered, ThunderClan apprentices don't last very long in the Dark Forest. Even before the Rebellion, we were never their favorites.

Whenever there were no lurking figures, the queens told stories about what life before the Dark Forest took over. They said that ThunderClan used to be the Clan of heroes and nobility. And thinking about it now, it makes perfect sense as to why my parents risked everything on the slim chance of victory; who wouldn't want to restore the golden days?

The days when ThunderClan were noble, ShadowClan were powerful, WindClan were bold and RiverClan were graceful.

But those Clans are dead now. They died many seasons ago, and they don't have a hope to be resurrected and restored. The Dark Forest is too powerful. The Clans are too weak.

Even if StarClan themselves arose from the ashes, they wouldn't be enough to banish the Dark Forest back into the Place of No Stars.

This is life now. We're not satisfied with it, and our days are spent looking over our shoulders and fearing for our lives. But we don't have a choice.

The Dark Forest robbed us of nobility, power, strength and hope; and without those, the Clans will never stand a chance.

As for me? I will never belong here, and no one will ever let me forget it.

ThunderClan

Leader: Birchtail - White and brown tom

Deputy: Sootface - Lean, ashen-black tom

Medicine Cat: Rosewhisker - Tortoiseshell she-cat - infertile.

Warriors: - Bramblestep - Large brown tabby tom with a nicked ear (Apprentice: Rowanpaw)

Meadowlark - Gray and white she-cat

Owlwhisker - Light brown tom (Apprentice: Adderpaw)

Jumpfoot - Muscular black tom (Appprentice: Flamepaw)

Mothdappple - Creamy tabby she-cat with darker paws (Apprentice: Specklepaw)

Thorntail - Dark ginger tom

Blizzardfur - Mottled white tom (Apprentice: Echopaw)

Nightmist - Black she-cat with white paws

Ravenclaw - Lean black tom

Apprentices: Adderpaw - Ginger-and-black tom

Rowanpaw - Brown tabby tom

Flamepaw - Fire-colored tabby tom with darker paws; green eyes

Echopaw - Silver tabby she-cat

Specklepaw - Small tortoiseshell she-cat

Queens: Willowsong - Creamy she-cat (Expecting Blizzardfur's kits)

Greeneyes - Ginger she-cat with bright green eyes (Expecting Birchtail's kits)

Reedshine - Pretty sleek black she-cat (Mother to Sootface's kits: Berrykit - Creamy she-kit; Quickkit - Light brown tom)

Larkfeather - Ginger tabby she-cat (Mother to Thornstrike's kits: Bouncekit - Dark ginger tom; Grasskit - Tan she-kit; Greenkit - Black she-kit with striking green eyes)

Elders: The Dark Forest does not allow elders.

ShadowClan

Leader: Lakefog - Dark ginger and brown tom

Deputy: Scorchgaze - Russet-colored tom (Apprentice: Crowpaw)

Medicine Cat: Smallcloud - Elderly white she-cat

Warriors: Driftstorm - Pale gray tom (Apprentice: Icepaw)

Flintfoot - Gray and white spotted tom

Weaselfur - Ginger tom with gray legs (Apprentice: Briarpaw)

Pinefrost - White and brown she-cat

Amberdusk - Creamy tabby she-cat

Waspsting - Pale ginger tom with black stripes

Foxblaze - Dark ginger tabby tom (Apprentice: Sleetpaw)

Badgerpelt - Brown tom with a scar going across his back (Apprentice: Marshpaw)

Raggedtail - Russet-colored tabby tom

Apprentices: Sleetpaw - Jet black tom with ice blue eyes

Marshpaw - Large dark brown tabby tom

Briarpaw – Pretty white-and-brown she-cat

Crowpaw - Dark gray tom

Icepaw - White and gray she-cat

Queens: Blossompool - Spotted brown and white she-cat (Mother to Foxblaze's kits: Mousekit - Small brown and gray she-kit; Fernkit - Light brown she-kit)

Cloudwing - White she-cat (Mother to Scorchgaze's kits: Brackenkit - Brown and white tom)

Goldenblaze - Golden she-cat (Mother to Driftstorm's kits: Russetkit - Fluffy russet-colored she-kit; Minnowkit - Pale gray she-kit; Dustykit - Brown tom)

Mistystream - Pale gray she-cat (Expecting Badgerpelt's kits)

Elders: The Dark Forest does not allow elders.

RiverClan

Leader: Pikefin - Silver tabby tom

Deputy: Shadedsky - Lean black tom

Medicine Cat: Bumblehive - Brown tom with thick black stripes

Warriors: Lizardtooth - Black tom with brown tabby stripes (Apprentice: Splashpaw)

Nettlepelt - Gray tabby tom

Breezestep - Gray tom with lighter markings (Apprentice: Duskpaw)

Gorseflight - Dark gray tom with white markings

Frost-tail - White she-cat

Boulderfur - Dark gray tom (Apprentice: Springpaw)

Cindermouse - Small gray tabby she-cat

Voleclaw - Brown and white tom

Frogspots - Gray and white tom (Apprentice: Brightpaw)

Thrushfoot - Dark ginger tom

Ottersplash - Dark brown tom (Apprentice: Hollypaw)

Featherwing - Silver-stripped tabby tom

Pebblefall - Blue-gray tom

Dusttail - Tan tabby tom with brown legs

Apprentices: Springpaw - Light brown she-cat with darker markings

Brightpaw - Creamy-colored tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Duskpaw - Sleek golden she-cat with a white underbelly and chest

Hollypaw - Black and gray she-cat

Heatherpaw - Ginger and white she-cat with brown paws

Queens: Softsky - Pale cream she-cat (Expecting Pikefin's kits)

Squeaksong - Small tan she-cat (Expecting Dusttail's kits)

Honeyflower - Golden she-cat with ginger paws (Expecting Frogspots's kits)

Flowerpetal - Sleek dark cream she-cat with a lighter underbelly (Expecting Breezestep's kits)

Maplefrost - White she-cat with brown markings (Mother to Shadedsky's kits: Nightkit - Black tom; Poppykit - Light brown she-kit)

Elders: The Dark Forest does not allow elders.

WindClan

Leader: Swiftpounce - White tom with brown patches

Deputy: Stonefoot - Dark gray tom

Medicine Cat: Yarrowleaf - Tan tabby tom

Warriors: Mistywing - Silver tabby she-cat (Apprentice: Bluepaw)

Vineclaw - Pale brown tom (Apprentice: Beetlepaw)

Skyfeather - Gray tabby tom

Hazelspots - Light brown she-cat

Moorerunner - Pale gray tom (Apprentice: Graypaw)

Aspheart - Lean ginger she-cat with gray paws

Mumblewhisker - Black tom with one brown paw (Apprentice: Poppypaw)

Brownnose - Lean brown tom

Apprentices: Graypaw - Lean gray tom with a darker tail tip

Beetlepaw - Gray and brown tom with a bobbed tail

Leafpaw - Ginger and brown tom

Bluepaw - Blue-gray she-cat wither darker paws

Queens: Birdsong - Pretty dark brown she-cat (Mother to Stonefoot's kits: Mintkit - Black she-kit; Toadkit - Brown and black tom)

Tawnyheart - Tortoiseshell she-cat (Expecting Swiftpounce's kits)

Fallowtail - Gray and white she-cat (Expecting Skyfeather's kits)

Elders: The Dark Forest does not allow elders.

The Dark Forest (Training Camp)

Leader: Lionslayer - Huge golden-brown tom; covered with scars; missing half of an ear.

Second-in-Command: Blisterwing – Dark brown battle-scarred tom, with a lighter underbelly and paws

Medicine Cat(s): Nettlewhisker - elderly dark ginger tom; formerly of WindClan.

Warriors: Shredwhisker - Brown and black tom

Clawstick - Sturdy brown tom (Group: Ratpaw, Toadpaw, and Pantherpaw)

Snowtuft - Small white tom with a long scar across his side

Swampclaw – Dark brown tom with ginger legs

Hollowgaze - Plain brown tom with pale eyes (Group: Splotchpaw)

Silversmoke - Pale gray tabby tom

Maggottail - Gray and black tom

Talonclaw - Large brown tabby tom (Group: Snarepaw, Stainpaw, and Glintpaw)

Wolfmask - Gray tabby tom with darker markings

Onestrike - White tom with brown paws (Group: Sparrowpaw)

Forestpelt - Black tabby tom

Toadtooth - Brown and black tom

Apprentices: Ratpaw - Dark gray tom

Slatepaw - Lean steel gray she-cat

Toadpaw - Black and white tom

Snarepaw - Large brown and orange tabby

Glintpaw - Light brown she-cat with orange spots

Stainpaw - Red tabby tom

Splotchpaw – Dark ginger tom with russet spots

Sparrowpaw - Long-legged brown tabby tom

Breeders: Vixenheart - Striking ginger she-cat (Mother to Blisterwing's kits: Cherrykit - Calico she-kit; Ivykit - Silver and black she-kit)

Petalfern - Pale cream she-cat (Mother to Silversmoke's kits: Tallkit - Small brown she-kit; Sandkit - Dark red tom; Cederkit - Gray tom)

Snowdust - Beautiful white she-cat with a pale gray mask; barren (Foster mother to: Barkkit - Dark brown tabby tom; Whimperkit - Fluffy brown she-kit)

Robinsong - Small, golden she-cat (Mother to Clawstick's kits: Turtlekit - Blue-gray she-kit; Galekit - Light cream she-cat with brown splashes)

Sagefoot - Long-legged brown-and-white she-cat (Expecting Leafwind's kits)

Whitepool - White she-cat (Expecting Talonclaw's kits)

Creekmist - Blue-gray she-cat with white paws (Expecting Onestrike's kits)

Prisoners: Deadgaze – Blind, dusty brown tom with a bobbed tail (Formerly Snakeclaw)

Brokensong – Scrawny gray she-cat (Formerly Streamstone)

Darkspirit – Brown tabby tom (Formerly Brownpaw)

Cursedsoul – Black and white she-cat

Cats Outside the Clans

The Tribe of Rushing Water

Ohhh boy. There's a story behind this one, I promise.

Written in the Shadows (or WitS, as I call it) has been my brain-baby for roughly four years. Over the last four years I've written about twenty outlines for a story, I've revamped and recreated the characters, I've re-written countless chapters and one day I finally decided that WitS would just never come to fruitation; I loved the concept and the characters, but I would never be able to write it and feel like I did it justice.

That latest for about a year.

A few weeks ago I started thinking about WitS again and everything I had planned for it, and... I fell in love with it all over again. I haven't been able to get it off my mind or focus on writing How to Come Home or The Impossible Life of a SkyClan Warrior, and I decided to just sit down and try writing it one more time. This is the 'prologue' I ended up with, and it's drastically different from the first prologue I wrote. In my opinion it's messy and a bit unorganized, but if I spend anymore time editing it my brain will explode (not kidding).

I don't have a solid updating schedule for WitS, and I most likely never will. I didn't even want to post this, but sheer curiosity won me over; I need to know what you guys think of it! So I'll let this just sit in the archives for a week or so, and if I'm blown away by the response then it will become my top priority. If only a few readers take the time to review (in my opinion, if it isn't worth others taking their time to leave a review than it isn't worth my time to write it) then it could be weeks before I update it again, if ever. I've got too many ideas floating around to focus on one that readers won't enjoy.

With that being said, I absolutely adore this fic and the cast and I hope you will too :) The prologue doesn't explain much, but the next couple of chapters will dive into everything and really flesh it out (assuming we get that far).

So without further ado, welcome to Written in the Shadows! :)))

(note: I may change the title, as I've never loved it, so be aware of that!)

~ Katie