Hello, and welcome to Tinystar's Beginning: Forest of Secrets! For those who don't know, this story is a "What If" - what if Scourge and Rusty switched places in the beginning? What if other cats did, too?

I'm glad to be back and doing this! I know there was a sizeable gap between this and the last installment, but only because I was working on finishing Blood of the Tiger and doing other things with higher priority, like my comic.

If you're just tuning in to this story, don't worry - you won't be lost. These books follow the same base plot as the originals, but with their own special twist. Just a glance at the Allegiances down below will most likely bring you up to speed. On a side note, I really hate how the Allegiances in the Original Arc were based on the end of the books instead of the beginning. Kind of spoils things. Saw no reason to really change it, though, since it doesn't spoil much in regards to this AU.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! I'll be doing my best to get a chapter of this out at least every week. We'll see how it goes - going to be working on BoT's sequel, and possibly other works, too! Enjoy!

ALLEGIANCES:

THUNDERCLAN:

Leader: Tigerstar – big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws

Deputies:

Oakheart – a reddish brown tom (Bluefur's mate) (acting deputy)

Whitestorm – big white tom (Swiftpaw) (acting deputy)

Medicine Cats:

Yellowfang – old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face; formerly of ShadowClan

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom with an injured leg

Warriors:

Darkstripe – sleek black-and-gray tabby tom

Longtail – pale tabby tom with dark stripes (Brightpaw)

Runningwind – swift tabby tom

Willowpelt – very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

Mousefur – small dusky brown she-cat (Thornpaw)

Graystripe – long-haired gray tom with a dark stripe along his spine (Cinderpaw)

Tinyclaw – very small black tom with one white paw (Cloudpaw)

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices:

Brightpaw – white-and-ginger she-cat

Cinderpaw – fluffy gray she-cat

Cloudpaw – long-furred ginger-and-white she-cat

Swiftpaw – black-and-white tom

Thornpaw – golden-brown tabby tom

Queens:

Bluefur – blue-gray she-cat with a silver muzzle; Clan deputy (mother of Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit)

Frostfur – white-pelted she-cat with beautiful blue eyes (mother of Cinderpaw, Brackenfur, Thornpaw, and Swiftpaw)

Brindleface – pretty tabby (mother of Ashkit and Fernkit)

Speckletail – pale tabby, eldest queen (mother of Brightpaw and Snowkit)

Elders:

Snowkit – deaf white tom with blue eyes

Halftail – big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing

Smallear – gray tom with small ears, eldest ThunderClan tom

Patchpelt – small black-and-white tom

One-eye – pale gray she-cat, eldest cat in ThunderClan; virtually blind and deaf

Dappletail – once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat

Brokentail – blind, long-haired dark brown tabby; formerly of ShadowClan

SHADOWCLAN:

Leader: Nightstar – black tom

Deputy: Cinderfur – thin gray tom

Medicine Cat: Runningnose – small gray-and-white tom

Warriors:

Stumpytail – brown tabby tom (Brownpaw)

Wetfoot – gray tabby tom (Oakpaw)

Littlecloud - small tabby tom

Whitethroat – black-and-white tom

Apprentices:

Brownpaw – mottled brown-and-ginger tabby tom

Oakpaw – small, dark brown tom

Queens:

Darkflower – black she-cat

Tallpoppy – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

Elders:

Brightflower – black-and-white she-cat

Dawncloud- small tabby

WINDCLAN:

Leader: Tallstar – black and white tom with a very long tail

Deputy: Deadfoot – solid black tom with a twisted paw

Medicine Cat: Barkface – a short-tailed brown tom

Warriors:

Mudclaw – mottled dark brown tom (Webpaw)

Tornear – tabby tom (Runningpaw)

Onewhisker – young, lithe brown tabby tom (Whitepaw)

Apprentices:

Webpaw – dark gray tabby tom

Runningpaw – light gray-and-brown tabby she-cat

Whitepaw – small white she-cat

Queens:

Ashfoot – a gray queen

Morningflower – tortoiseshell queen

RIVERCLAN:

Leader: Crookedstar – huge light brown tabby with a twisted jaw

Deputy: Leopardfur – unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

Medicine Cat: Mudfur – long-haired light brown tom

Warriors:

Blackclaw – smoky black tom (Heavypaw)

Brambleclaw – big dark brown tabby tom (Shadepaw)

Loudbelly – a dark brown tom (Silverpaw)

Silverstream – pretty slender silver tabby she-cat

Apprentices:

Heavypaw – stocky, thickset tabby tom

Shadepaw – very dark gray she-cat

Silverpaw – solid silver-gray tom

Queens:

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat

Elders:

Graypool – a thin, very dark gray she-cat with a scarred pelt

Goldenflower – pale ginger tabby she-cat (mother of Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt)

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS:

Rusty – handsome ginger tom with green eyes, kittypet (Fiona's mate, Tinyclaw's half-brother)

Fiona – lovely long-haired white she-cat with pretty blue eyes, kittypet (mother of Cloudpaw)

Smudge – plump black-and-white kittypet

Barley – black-and-white loner, lives on the farm close to the forest

Ravenpaw – skinny black tom with a white chest and tail-tip; formerly of ThunderClan

Blackfoot – large white tom with huge black paws; formerly of ShadowClan

Boulder – silver tabby tom; formerly of ShadowClan