Star-Crossed Warriors
Prologue
A full moon glowed on the rocky surfaces of the moors, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the rush of the river that flowed powerfully through the gorge.
A few lone rabbits bounded out from their shelters, but retreated back to their burrows after a while. No creature, neither prey nor predator, was mouse-brained enough to leave the safety of their nests for more than a few moments.
The air crackled with tension. A storm was brewing - and not just from the sky. ThunderClan had been posing a threat to all of the Clans for a long time now. Only WindClan had been able to carry on their lives unhindered by ThunderClan. But it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened…
ThunderClan was preparing to attack.
There was a stirring in the shadows outside the WindClan camp. The dark shape of a cat emerged from a patch of heather, sniffing the air cautiously.
"Are you sure that it is wise to carry out a raid on another territory with a storm so close?" the cat whispered into the darkness. "It could all go wrong so easily!"
A large tom stepped out of the ferns behind him, growling softly. "ThunderClan has waited for long enough, Sunfur," he snarled quietly to his companion. "I will not back down!"
Sunfur looked uncomfortable as he surveyed the quiet camp below him. "But WindClan have done nothing to provoke an attack," he meowed doubtfully, keeping his voice low. "Why should we risk the safety of our warriors for a needless battle? As your deputy, I really do urge you to wait!"
The other tom turned his head, narrowing his eyes into slits. "Who is the leader of ThunderClan, Sunfur?"
Sunfur sighed. "You are, Brackenstar," he meowed resignedly.
Brackenstar turned away again and fixed his icy gaze upon the entrance to WindClan's camp that was half-hidden in the dense gorse bushes.
The two warriors waited silently for what seemed like moons until the dark outline of four cats emerged from the entrance, their ears pricked. The evening patrol.
"Go back and alert the other warriors," Brackenstar murmured, his tail twitching in anticipation, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "WindClan's camp is unprotected now."
Sunfur hesitated for a brief period but the habit of obeying his leader's orders got the best of him. He turned and slipped stealthily through the dense, prickly gorse that dragged at his long pelt and wrapped around his paws.
The brewing storm had not been the only reason that Sunfur had not wanted to go into battle against WindClan - it was a full moon. The warriors' ancestors decreed that every full moon the Clans should gather in peace at Fourtrees. There was supposed to be no blood-shed on the night of the full-moon and Brackenstar was going to break that truce.
Sunfur felt torn between respect for his leader and respect for the warrior code. He knew that StarClan would not approve of this battle but he could not disobey a direct command from his leader. So he continued on his way to the sheltered clearing where the rest of the ThunderClan warriors waited for the signal to strike.
The warriors were still pacing restlessly round the clearing when Sunfur emerged. "It's time," he meowed solemnly. "Brackenstar is waiting."
The large patrol of warriors streamed out of the gorse bushes and slunk silently to their leader's side, their lips drawn back to reveal sharp rows of gleaming teeth - Fernclaw, Nightstreak, Amberhaze, Fawnpelt, Dustfoot and Iceblaze.
Brackenstar unsheathed his claws and raised his tail.
Sunfur tensed, shrugging off the wave of guilt that washed over him. He had to go through with this - it was either fight or die.
The leader's tail suddenly slapped down again and the warriors raced down the slope, tearing through the gorse barrier surrounding the WindClan camp.
There were angry yowls of shock as the patrol burst through. WindClan warriors streamed out from their dens, screeching their defiance.
A huge tabby tom crashed into Sunfur's side, knocking him off his paws. The camp was no longer silent. As he battered with his hind paws at the WindClan warrior, Sunfur heard cats crashing through the undergrowth all around the clearing. Brackenstar grappled with Ashstar, WindClan's leader; Amberhaze clawed viciously at a large black WindClan warrior that Sunfur recognised to be Ravenheart, as the camp grew alive with writhing warriors.
Sunfur managed to throw off his opponent and scrambled to his paws. He could no longer see Brackenstar. Sunfur was surrounded by a thick mass of cats; he was amazed at how swiftly chaos had descended upon the once-peaceful Clan. He glanced around wildly and spotted his leader battling fiercely with another warrior - he obviously did not need any help. Breathing a sigh of relief, the ThunderClan deputy threw himself back into the combat and dragged a WindClan cat away from Fawnpelt, sinking his teeth into the warrior's neck. The warrior tore himself free and fled back into the heaving throng of bodies.
Sunfur sprang into the battle again. Iceblaze flashed past him, pursuing a warrior, and he caught a glimpse of Fernclaw fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Nightstreak.
Sunfur spun around as a cat paused beside him. "Brackenstar!" he gasped in shock. "We're losing!"
The leader snarled furiously and thrust his way over to the side of the camp. "We will not be beaten!" he spat.
Sunfur hissed with frustration and dove back into the fray, slashing and clawing at every cat he could reach.
Fighting his way through the crowd of screaming warriors, lashing out with teeth and claws, Sunfur found himself face-to-face with the WindClan leader, Ashstar. The gray warrior launched himself at Sunfur, his teeth digging deep into his shoulder. Sunfur twisted free and scored his claws down his opponent's unprotected belly. The weight vanished as Ashstar yowled loudly and retreated.
Sunfur panted heavily and looked up at the sound of Brackenstar's commanding voice.
"Retreat!" he yowled, his voice raised above the tumult of the battle. "We have taught them a lesson!"
The ThunderClan warriors yowled their triumph and followed their leader out of the ravaged camp. They raced back across the moorland, not slowing until they reached the border.
Brackenstar turned to his warriors with glittering eyes. "We have given WindClan a warning that they are not likely to forget! ThunderClan is the most powerful Clan is the forest and there is nothing that any other Clan do about it. We are unbeatable!"
Fernclaw, Nightstreak and Amberhaze yowled loudly in support of their leader, while Fawnpelt, Dustfoot and Iceblaze looked on silently, their sharp eyes keeping watch for any revenge-seeking WindClan warriors.
As Brackenstar lead his warriors away, Sunfur turned back to the open moorland and gazed up at the sky. Silverpelt was invisible behind thick storm clouds.
If there was one thing that Sunfur was sure about, it was the fact that this battle was going to be the first of many. They may have won this time but it wasn't over yet…
Ashstar gazed at the ravaged WindClan camp, only his eyes betraying the fury that threatened to overwhelm him.
A flicker of movement in the peripheral vision of the gray warrior's eye caught his attention. His deputy, Ravenheart, had come to stand next to him. Ashstar only recognised him by his narrowed green eyes - the rest of the black tom's features were lost in the darkness.
"Is every cat fit to go to the Gathering?" Ashstar asked flatly. He already knew what the answer would be.
Ravenheart's eyes blinked regretfully. "Only three of our warriors escaped serious injury," he growled. His voice was laced with fury as he added, "Brackenstar will pay dearly for this. I doubt that StarClan will be pleased with him for breaking the truce of the full moon."
Ashstar snorted bitterly. "What can StarClan do about it? So they covered the moon - what good will that do us?."
There was no answer from his side and Ashstar knew that his deputy did not have any answers either.
A shrill yowl of pain echoed through the camp suddenly. Every cat jumped in alarm and turned their heads towards the source of the sound - the nursery.
Ashstar pelted over to the entrance of the nursery with Ravenheart hot on his paws. Shoving his way into the warm den, he drew in a long breath.
"Blood," Ravenheart breathed anxiously from behind him.
A shadow moved in the nursery and Thrushwing's soft voice floated out of the gloom. "Dawnpelt's kits are coming," she whispered.
Ashstar felt a prickle of unease trickle through his body at the medicine cat's words. "You said that they weren't due for another few suns!" he gasped.
"The stress from the battle must have unsettled her." Thrushwing turned back to one of the nests where Dawnpelt lay, her tawny pelt only just visible against the dark surroundings of the nursery.
Dawnpelt's sides heaved suddenly and she let out another chilling wail. She panted heavily and flicked her eyes over to Ashstar. Her eyes seemed to grow calmer as she gazed up at her leader.
Ashstar held the queen's gaze calmly, trying not to betray the anxiety that coursed through him.
"That's it," Thrushwing murmured encouragingly. Ashstar tore his gaze away from his mate to look at the tiny bundle of fur that was laying next to Dawnpelt. "Just two more."
The queen turned her liquid eyes upon the kit and blinked lovingly before another tremor passed through her body.
The rest of the birth passed in a foggy haze as Ashstar watched.
Finally, Thrushwing and Dawnpelt set to work licking the three small kits. They licked against the lie of their fur to warm them up.
Suddenly, Thrushwing sniffed the closest kit anxiously, then moved onto the second one and sniffed that one, before she sniffed the third and shook her head sadly. She turned to Ashstar and beckoned with her tail for him to follow her into the corner of the nursery.
Ashstar strained his ears as Thrushwing whispered, "They're stillborn."
There was a gasp of horror from the nest. Dawnpelt had heard, and she was gazing at them in panic.
"N-no!" she gasped breathlessly. "They're not! They can't be! They're my kits… My…" Her voice trailed off as she sniffed all three of the kits, her eyes alight with grief. She threw back her head and parted her jaws to throw a shrill, agonised wail of anguish up to StarClan. "No! Please, StarClan, no! You can't do this! They're my kits!"