Prologue
The wind blew, rough and hard. The kits struggled on their paws.
"Mum, can we go home?" One asked in a plea. There was a long silence.
"Mum!" There was no answer. The kits' mother was dead. The kit that called for her mum made her way through thick lush snow to her littermates.
"Gust, Wild, Mum's dead!" There was no answer either. Their bodies were stiff and cold, and they stared distantly into the beyond.
"No! You can't be dead either! This can't be true!" The remaining kit howled rushes of grief and anger surging through her like a lion. A mystical figure appeared in front of her, the cat had blank eyes and a starry pelt.
"They're dead. But they're with us." The starry cat told the kit.
"How can they be?" The kit asked.
"They're with us, StarClan. Gust, Wild, and Snowflake, your mum, is with us." The cat replied. The kit widened her eyes.
"You know them?" She was overwhelmed with confusion now.
"Yes, Red. I know their names. We've been watching over you." Red was even more confused.
"How?" She asked and the starry cat chuckled at her confusion.
"We live up in the clouds and heavens. The ancestors of the tribes and clans." Red sighed.
"If only that were true, now I have to move on in life! I'm going to freeze to death if I don't make it to the tunnels.." she paused and wept silently for her dead family members. Suddenly the cat disappeared and was replaced by three cats. One slim and delicate, the other two were small and playful.
"Mum! Gust! Wild!" She smiled but it soon disappeared when she saw her family's faces were stern.
"Go on, sweetheart. You'll make it under our watch!" Her mum said wistfully.
"We wish we could stay, but we can't. We're with The Tribe of Fallen. That's the place where dead cats go that belong to the three tribes." Red was shocked her mother didn't tell her this before.
"What three tribes? Why can't you stay? Please stay Mum!" She begged but her Mum was gone. Red ducked her head down in grief. Then there was a whisper in her ear.
"Go to the tunnels, take the first turn and head forward till you see the light, and head straight towards it." Red knew it was her Mum. She couldn't see her, but she could hear her. And that was good enough. How can I thank you Mum? Red then raced toward a wide hole in the ground. Take the first turn and head forward till you see the light, and head straight towards it... Her Mum's words echoed in her head. She did exactly what her mother told her. Red raced through tunnels of darkness and coldness. It was a long trip, and she had to take a break in the middle of it.
"I hope you're right Mum..." She whispered to herself. When she was nearly was out of it, she saw a light. Red knew this was her chance to get to her final destination. She raced toward the light and there was the entrance to a new place, a new world, a new life...