A/N: Actually, writing this story isn't hard at all. What is hard is all the research I had to do to write this. I mean, I wanted everything to be accurate, so I had to check out all the books from the library and make sure everything was okay.
So now the allegiances are basically pretty accurate. I may have made a few mistakes and changed some stuff (like Egg's name is now Egglight and how there is no Birdpaw because her/his gender was undetermined) but mostly it's right.
Please review! :D
The Departure
Allegiances:
SkyClan
Leader:
Leafstar~ Brown and cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Deputy:
Sharpclaw~ Dark ginger tom
Apprentice: Stormpaw
Medicine Cat:
Echosong~ Silver she-cat with green eyes
Frecklewish~ Mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs
Warriors (toms, and she-cats without kits):
Patchfoot~ Black and white tom
Petalnose~ Pale gray she-cat
Sparrowpelt~ Dark brown tabby tom
Waspwhisker~ Gray and white tom
Shrewtooth~ Skinny black tom
Bouncefire~ Ginger tom
Apprentice: Honeypaw
Rockshade~ Black tom
Apprentice: Harrypaw
Tinycloud~ Small white she-cat
Sagewhisker~ Pale gray tom
Apprentice: Birdpaw
Mintfur~ Gray tabby she-cat
Apprentice: Firepaw
Nettlesplash~ Pale brown tom
Creekfeather~ Gray tabby tom with bright blue eyes
Plumwillow~ Dark gray she-cat
Rabbitleap~ Brown tom
Eggpelt~ Cream colored tom
Daylight Warriors (cats who come to the clan at day and go back to their Twoleg nests at night):
Ebonyclaw~ Striking black she-cat
Billystorm~ Ginger and white tom
Harveymoon~ White tom
Macgyver~ Black and white tom
Harveymoon~ White tom
Apprentices:
Birdpaw~ Black she-cat with scar over left eye
Honeypaw~ Light gray she-cat
Stormpaw~ Gray and ginger she-cat with amber eyes
Harrypaw~ Gray tom with dark amber eyes
Firepaw~ Ginger she-cat with green eyes
Queens:
Fallowfern~ Pale brown she-cat (expecting Waspwhisker's kits)
Clovertail~ Light brown she-cat with white belly and legs
Cherrytail~ Tortoiseshell and white she-cat (mother of Sharpclaw's kits: Streamkit and Pebblekit)
Elders:
Lichenfur~ Gray mottled she-cat
Tangle~ Ragged tabby tom loner
Cats Outside the Clan
Hutch~ Dark brown kittypet, formerly known as Shortwhisker
Oscar~ Black kittypet
Bella~ Tabby and white she-cat with amber eyes
Rose~ Elegant brown and cream Siamese kittypet with slanting blue eyes
Lily~ Rose's sister
Ancient SkyClan
Cloudstar - pale gray tom with white patches and very pale blue eyes
Buzzardstar - ginger tom with green eyes (deputy when SkyClan left the forest)
Fawnstep - light brown tabby she-cat (medicine cat when SkyClan left the forest)
Birdflight - light brown tabby she-cat with long fluffy fur and amber eyes
Fernpelt - dark brown tabby she-cat
Mousefang - sandy-colored she-cat
Nightfur - black tom
Oakstep - gray tabby tom
Spiderstar - dark tabby tom (last leader of Ancient SkyClan)
Honeyleaf - ginger tabby she-cat (last deputy of Ancient SkyClan)
Brackenheart - brown tabby tom (last medicine cat of Ancient SkyClan)
Swallowflight - black tom
Skywatcher - dark gray tom with pale blue eyes (lived in the gorge before Modern SkyClan was formed)
Rainfur - light gray tom with darker gray flecks (killed in the battle with the rats)
Prologue:
The shimmering river water reflected the glowing pale moon. A warm night breeze gently swayed the tall grasses. Somewhere far off, a cricket chirped.
A light brown tabby she-cat stepped out into the forest clearing. Her eyes scanned the clearing, and they landed on a bush that was swaying too wildly for the breeze.
Two green eyes were flashing warily from the bushes in the darkness,, but seeing that her location had been pinpointed, she cautiously crept into the clearing with the other mysterious starry creature. Her silver coat shone pale under the moonlight.
"Echosong," The brown she-cat broke into a purr. "I'm not going to hurt you, for StarClan's sake. I could smell your fear scent from a couple tree lengths away!"
The silver she-cat blinked once. "F-Fawnstep? I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you! I assumed it was a rogue or something. Am I dreaming?"
"Yes, it is me. Don't worry- I'm not calling you to the grounds of StarClan yet. Yes, you are dreaming." Fawnstep lightly touched her tailtip along Echosong's pelt before whisking it away. "But I cannot stand and chat- I don't have much time here. Echosong- I have come with a warning."
Echosong shivered unconsciously, and tried to push down the panic that was beginning to rise in her chest.
"Echosong- SkyClan is thriving. You drove out the rats, and faced the threat of Dodge in the Twolegplace." Fawnstep's warm and proud meow suddenly turned serious. "But there have always been five clans in the forest. Now ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan must accept you back. I know you think the gorge is your home, but you must head downstream and find the other clans."
She paused, and her voice changed once more into an ominous tone. "Four must become five in order for the Sky to thrive. If not, you will be lost in darkness. Beware!"
Echsong's eyes widened and her neck fur began to bristle. "But Fawnste-" She cut herself off, seeing that Fawnstep's gaze was fixed on something behind her.
Whipping around, she saw many cats with stars in their fur chatting and hunting happily. The fur on her neck began to lie flat again until one cat- was that Rainfur?- suddenly stopped short and froze in place. The cats around him froze, too. One by one, each cat suddenly froze, until the last of them stood in place. Then, almost as if on cue, each one of them let out a piercing wail and shattered into a stream of blood. The stream became a river, no, too wide for a river, a lake, an ocean...
'StarClan help me!' Echosong wailed silently as the blood stream choked her, drowned her. 'I can't breathe... Can't think... Maybe I should just give way to the dizzying blackness...'
With a snap, Echosong's eyes flew wide open. Mintfur was snoring quietly- the young gray she-cat had hurt her leg the other day saving her mischievous apprentice, Firepaw, from falling off the gorge.
'It was only just a dream. Just a dream...' Her relief was almost immediately flooded again by horror.
"Great StarClan! We have found a home here... Why must we leave? Is the threat really that strong?" Pausing for breath, she vowed. "I will protect my clanmates at all costs. If this is the destiny you have lay down for us, then I will follow."