Prologue

It was a dark and misty night. A river flowed slowly on its carved path. At the edge of the river, a small golden cat emerged from the cattails. The cat sat down and looked up at the starry sky above her. Softly, she whispered to herself.

"Oh, StarClan. I fear for the forest. I fear for ThunderClan, I fear for WindClan, I fear for ShadowClan, I fear for RiverClan. Our time of peace will not last long. There is a new scent on the wind; a scent of battle. Warriors grow ambitious and rival Clans look to them like territory waiting to be taken-" She stopped abruptly, looking down at the ground below her. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm her and she curled her slender tail around her as a means of comfort.

The stars seem so cold tonight, she thought sadly. Almost as if there's no life behind them…As a sudden wave of exhaustion overwhelmed her, the golden she-cat curled up in a tight ball and closed her eyes, sighing sadly.

The she-cat opened her eyes and sat up, confused. Where was she? From the trees and darkness around her she seemed to be deep in the forest. But there wasn't very much forest on RiverClan territory, so what other Clan's territory was she on, and how had she gotten there? Automatically she looked to the sky for guidance, gasping in shock at how bright the stars of Silverpelt were. The cat closed her eyes as the stars grew even brighter, blinding her with their brilliance. After a moment or two (she felt it rather than saw it) the light dimmed and she opened her eyes slowly again, blinking them wide in astonishment as the stars began swirling together, spilling out of the sky like water off the tip of a leaf. Suddenly there was a flash of light in the clearing and the she-cat cried out in surprise, closing her eyes again. A soft voice penetrated her state of shock.

"Reedtail, you can open your eyes now." The voice was that of a she-cat, and the owner was obviously amused. Reedtail obeyed and blinked in wonder at the sight that her shining blue eyes beheld. The clearing was filled with cats whose fur shone with starlight. She was among the warriors of StarClan.

The she-cat in front of Reedtail was absolutely beautiful. Her long grey and white fur sparkled with stars, giving her the appearance of being covered with diamonds. Reedtail dipped her head respectfully.

"Froststar," she murmured, eyes shining with awe. Froststar was a legend among all the Clans. She was the leader of RiverClan until a huge fire had threatened every Clan. Froststar had given her life to save Wingstar, the leader of ShadowClan, Dawnstar, who was then Dawnheart and was a warrior of ThunderClan, and Mossclaw, WindClan's medicine cat. Every kit was told the story of the brave and beautiful she-cat.

Next to Froststar stood a night-black tom. His name was Moonpelt and he had been the medicine cat of ThunderClan until age took him. But now his full youth and vigor was restored and his eyes gleamed with humor. From what Reedtail had seen in her times with StarClan Moonpelt and Froststar were mates now.

"Reedtail, we just wanted to let you know that you should never give up hope," Moonpelt's voice was soothing and Reedtail felt her worries ease. "StarClan will always be with you."

"And someone new will need your faith in StarClan soon," another cat spoke up. Reedtail recognized Iristail, a ShadowClan elder who had died in the fire.

"Yes, someone new," Rockpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice who had been hit on the Thunderpath, added. His short grey fur shone with the light of StarClan. Reedtail looked confused again.

"Someone new? What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head slightly. There was silence.

Froststar stepped forward again. "Reedtail, your musing was correct. The time of peace between the Clans will soon come to an end."

Reedtail sighed sadly, her excitement dulled slightly. "But, Froststar, what can I do?"

The beautiful white she-cat smiled reassuringly at the young medicine cat. "Don't worry, Reedtail." Her outline was beginning to fade, as were the other StarClan cats. "Discuss this with the other medicine cats at the half-moon, and remember," her voice was fading now, "never lose hope." And then she was gone. A nudge at her side caused Reedtail to suddenly wake up, and the golden she-cat blinked her eyes, looking around. A small silver tabby tom was standing next to her.

"Reedtail?" he asked her. "What are you doing out so late?"" Reedtail stood up, yawning widely and stretching.

"Oh, hey, Silverstripe," she mewed a greeting to the warrior. "I was just looking at the stars…I guess I fell asleep." Silverstripe seemed alright with that and turned around, going back towards the RiverClan camp. Reedtail paused, looking back at Silverpelt again with a wistful look in her blue eyes. Silverstripe noticed that the medicine cat wasn't following him and turned around.

"Are you coming?" he whispered softly, following the medicine cat's gaze. Reedtail shook her head, as if clearing it, and nodded, coming to Silverstripe's side.

"Of course," she replied, leading the way.