Hey Guys,

Thais is my first story put up on Fanfiction, so please Read and Review! Feedback is wanted, and advice recomended, thanks 3 ^-^

Prologue

Night Shadows rested heavily over the forest a lonely call of and a mopoke drifted through the trees. Bushes rustled as two figures emerged into the dark damp forest. One of the figures was a large broad shouldered dark tabby tom. The other tom- this one a snow white tom but with the same broad shouldered tabby body. The snow white tom spoke: "Why did you call me here Tigerstar?" Tigerstar's eyes gleamed with the hunger for revenge. "What would you give to be able to have revenge on those whom have sent us back? To be able to enter Starclan? Have a battle without those weakling clan cats?" The other cat lashed his tail and his ice blue gaze burned into the forest ahead of them. He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly bushes beside them rustled and another cat, this one, a dark tabby tom also, but with a night coloured pelt. The new comer greeted the two cats:

"Hawkfrost, Tigerstar, It's good to see some old friends."

"Brokenstar," Hawkfrost met Brokenstar's gaze with bared teeth. "What brings you here?"

"Same as you," replied Brokenstar, "to take back what is mine- ours."

The three cats approached a small tunnel laced with darkness, and were about to enter, when the bushes beside them exploded; and a skinny silver tabby tom emerged out of the bushes and bowled Hawkfrost over. The white tom had barely enough time to raise his massive paws in defence, when the skinny tom leapt off him and stared.

"Hawkfrost?" A-a-a nd Ti- Ti-Ti-Ti-Tigers-s-s-tar! W-w-w-what are you doing here? B-b-BR-Brokenstar?"

The toms voice was incredulous as he stared up at the cats that he thought he would never see again.

"Stop sniveling like a kit, Darkstripe, unless you're not strong enough." Tigerstar's voice was filled with hatred and contempt.

"Now stop cowering like the kit you once were, and REPORT!"

Darkstripe flinched and looked down at his paws and then his old leader. He took a deep breath and began:

"We have all found a suitable apprentice, cats who know nothing about the Dark Forest. The cats that we've chosen are from different clans, and are strong and young. Every night we train them and teach them about the battle-" Darkstripe paused and looked up at the three cats. His gaze flitting between them: there is going to be a battle, Right?"

"Definitely," answered Hawkfrost, "I know that the last battle has weakened them, this should be mouse- easy."

"Ok," Darkstripe began again. "As I said before, we have all found an apprentice, and we train them every night and teach them that the battle is their destiny."

"Do you actually tell them that we are going to fight the clans again? Even though they are completely mouse-brained, idiotic excuses for warriors, they surely won't be that stupid?" Because-"

Tigerstar stepped in front of Hawkfrost before the snow white warrior could continue talking.

"We have wasted enough time here, Come, Hawkfrost, and Brokenstar. It is time for us to return."

Slowly the small group padded through the undergrowth brambles pricking at their pelts and looming trees shadowing them. Suddenly Tigerstar stopped and turned to Darkstripe. "Send all the apprentices back." He growled

"But-"

"Just do it Darkstripe, I have things to say that shouldn't be over herd. Understand?"

Mutinously Darkstripe nodded and slunk of into the shadows with a reproachful look at his old leader.

The three cats waited in silence. Then after a while had passed, Tigerstar got to his paws and hissed, the contempt easily detected in his venomous words. "That rabbit-hearted coward has probably snuck away to hide,"

Hawkfrost lashed his tail, "I never trusted him, and this is the sort of thing he would attempt." he snarled.

"Even when he was a trusted clan mate-" began Brokenstar, his claws catching the sickly glow and making then shine, as he un-sheathed them.

"Was he ever?" Demanded Hawkfrost.

At that precise moment, Darkstripe slid out of the dark tunnel his dark pelt camouflaging him perfectly.

"All done Tigerstar," he meowed "although I don't see why we have to send them back."

"The reason is that if I say who I am, they will go telling all their clan mates that Tigerstar has returned, and they will wonder after dying 11 times, how could I return?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Darkstripe muttered under his breath.

Tigerstar's amber eyes flashed and his muscles rippled smoothly underneath his pelt: "all will be revealed," he spat and followed Darkstripe into the tunnel.

"Cats of the Dark Forest!" The call from Tigerstar made heads turn and pelts bristle in surprise. Anxious murmuring broke out and comments could be herd rippling through the cats like wind through grass.

"Is that Tigerstar?"

"I thought he was dead!"

"Tigerstar has returned!"

"Is that Brokenstar?"

"And Hawkfrost! Hey! Mapleshade, come over here, they have returned!"

Tigerstar stood on a jutting rock and his eyes surveyed the clearing in front of him: cats streaming out from all sides. Eyes gleaming in the half-light cast by some sort of luminescence, claws glinting cruelly.

"Cats of the Dark Forest!" Tigerstar yowled again and silence settled over the assembled cats like night settling over a camp.

"For too long, we have allowed the clans to think that we have been defeated. But time enough has passed, and it is time for us to change our ways, to do something that we normally wouldn't do; we are going to send a prophecy."

Silence greeted his words; the shock turning into yowls of question. Anger. Scorn. Excitement. Reproach.

"You've gone soft, Tigerstar, sending prophecies is what Starclan do." The snarl that was clearly heard over the yowls, came from a practically transparent she-cat with a burning stare that made her form seem to glow. Her gaze fixed on Tigerstar, as if challenging his place their- once more as their leader.

"If you do send a prophecy, what will it be?" Hawkfrost meowed glancing up at his father.

"A prophecy of the Dark Forest, 10 must become 1 to overpower the darkness that threatens to rival the stars."

Once more the silence that greeted the ominous words of the prophecy caused a reaction of surprise to pass through the cats. Then Tigerstar spoke again, his words ringing with authority and clear to all: "We shall rise again, we shall rise again! We shall rise again! Sharpen your claws, get ready for the final battle that will bring peace!"

The silence was shattered by jubilant meows, vicious words, and the threat of an oncoming battle. Gradually the cats slipped away until only Tigerstar was left, his dark mind a whirl of thoughts as dangerous as a storm the evil playing round like lightning. Planning for the battle the Clans would never win.

Sorry if the prologue was too long, I kinda got a bit carried away... :)