Scarletberry's eyes opened wide when she heard a yowl from the clearing. Her head rose from her nest as she stared at the entrance in confusion. It was in the middle of the night; the stars were shining at their highest, and the moon, almost halfway full, was casting its brilliant light in the ditch where the ShadowClan camp was located. There was no reason for a meeting to be called so late in the night.
"Is Lunarstar mad?" a slim brown tom with large paws muttered angrily. Scarletberry gave the warrior a concerned look. "I don't think that was Lunarstar. At least it didn't sound like him." she replied, her voice edged with worry. The brown tom heaved himself onto his paws and shook out the moss clumps that was clung to his fur. The little pieces of moss flung across the den, landing on some of the other sleeping warriors that did not hear the call. They awoke with a hiss of annoyance, and gave the brown warrior a harsh glance. However, the brown tom had already left the den, and had not noticed the hostility being aimed at him. Scarletberry gave the warriors a weak smile of apology, then stood up and quickly left the den before another argument could arise.
When Scarletberry stood outside, a rush of cold, night wind blew up against her fur, sending a shiver running down her spine. She thought it was too cold to be out this late for a Clan meeting, but something inside her head told her that it was more important than just an announcement. Scarletberry glanced up and saw the brown tom in a frozen stance, just staring. Her amber eyes looked past her clanmate, and her fur immediately began to rise. The rest of the warriors had dragged themselves from the den, their eyes sagging and their minds still half-asleep. They all turned their heads to the clearing, and like a snap, their minds were fully awake and their claws unsheathed. Several hisses escaped ShadowClan as they stared at the inhospitable, WindClan warriors standing in their camp clearing.
"Ivystar, what is the meaning of this?" a voice demanded from up high. All eyes turned to the right where the back of the camp was. A large stone grown from the ground was placed in front of the back wall of the ditch. It was made out of black crystals that made the inside half hollow and the outside layered in jagged points. The bottom of the stone came out of the ground while the back of it out from the wall. Two, narrow, slopes curved down on both sides had just enough space for a cat to climb onto it. At the top of the slope, there were two passages. One way was into the leader's den, which was a cave in the wall. The other was a slope that led to the tip of the stone where the largest, jagged edge was pointed to the stars. At the tip stood a large, dark gray tabby with blazing, hazel eyes that looked enraged.
"WindClan has been pushed around too much by the other Clans!" a white she-cat with silver paws yowled back the response. Her chin lowered so her green eyes were narrowed back at the dark tabby. "ShadowClan has especially been the one to cause the most trouble." Scarletberry called back a protest, and all of the other ShadowClan warriors joined in. The WindClan leader shot them a silencing glare, then turned back the tabby. Her lips curled back into a snarl as she growled, "Well, Lunarstar?" Lunarstar unsheathed his claws and scratched them against the surface of the black crystals. His whiskers twitched mockingly as he spoke. "Why worry about something that happened many moons ago? Why start a fight now?" Ivystar hissed with bitterness in her tone. "Because ShadowClan stole our prey!"
"What?!" Lunarstar gagged, staring wide-eyed at the WindClan leader. Scarletberry couldn't help but to gape. The brown tom standing next to her lashed his tail. His blue eyes were burning with an angry fire that wouldn't die. Continuously, his claws would flex into the ground, loosen, and flex again. The other ShadowClan warriors were yowling and spitting insults as the WindClan warriors supported their leader with cheers and encouraging mews. Scarletberry could see that some of the warriors looked uneasy about the accusation; her guesses were that they were nervous about what StarClan would think of them now.
"Ivystar, you first come into our camp in the middle of the night, you then offend my warriors by reminding us of something our ancestors did long ago, and now you accuse all of ShadowClan that we've been stealing your—your prey!" Lunarstar spat the last words like a piece of crow-food. While listening, the WindClan leader was looking angrier and angrier by the second as a deep grudge opened in her heart. She snarled again, her ears flat against her head. With a flick of her silver tail, the WindClan warriors crouched down into battle position. Their eyes were aimed at the ShadowClan warriors, each of them looking for their own target. Lunarstar took one glance at WindClan, then to his own warriors. His tail went straight up into the air, causing them to fall into position. Lunarstar's furious, hazel eyes turned back to Ivystar, and his lips curled back into bared teeth. "You want a battle?" he asked coldly. Ivystar let out a hiss of annoyance. Lunarstar narrowed his eyes into slits. "So be it." ShadowClan's leader lashed his tail down.
Scarletberry let out a battle cry, and flung herself at the nearest WindClan warrior. The warrior, a brown tom named Ratwhisker, weaved to the side before Scarletberry's claws could tear his flesh. Scarletberry, not expecting the dodge, crashed into Birchcloud, the tabby warrior behind Ratwhisker. The two, shocked she-cats rolled with each other until their fighting senses returned. Birchcloud pushed her weight onto Scarletberry, pinning the ginger warrior to the ground. Scarletberry began to struggle, but could not escape Birchcloud's grasp. Ratwhisker slowly approached, his rat-like, amber eyes glistening in amusement when he saw the ShadowClan warrior on the ground. "I thought ShadowClan trained their warriors." he sneered. Scarletberry gave one last attempt to escape, then fell back, panting. Her amber eyes narrowed as she hissed back, "We train everyday with our claws unsheathed!" Birchcloud smirked. "Really? Is that so?" she mocked, "So do we!" Scarletberry glared at her, then turned back to Ratwhisker. "What are you planning to get out of this, anyway?" the ginger warrior demanded. The light brown tom scowled. "Respect!" he roared. His claws lashed down, scratching Scarletberry's cheek. The wound instantly began to bled, sending droplets of blood to soak into the ShadowClan warrior's fur.
"Let her go." a familiar voice growled. Scarletberry was relieved when she saw the brown tom, her clanmate, standing close by. "Bearstep!" she called the tom by his name. Ratwhisker's ears went flat against his head when he turned around to fix his eyes on the newcomer. His whiskers began to twitch in a scornful manner. "Look at that! Bigfoot is brave enough to join the fight! Too bad his head is as slow as his paws!" Bearstep came close enough so that he was standing face-to-face with the WindClan warrior. His blue eyes were searching, as if he was looking for a hidden expression deep within Ratwhisker's gaze. Then, the eyes narrowed, and a humph escaped the brown tomcat. Ratwhisker's eyes widened, paralyzed by his opponent's cold look. "Too bad the scrawny rat is small enough to get crushed by my paws." Bearstep growled back. In a blink of an eye, the ShadowClan warrior's left paw lashed out, claws extended.
The large paw hit Ratwhisker on his cheek, the claws curved down to touch the flesh. The points of the claws clung on tight as the paw continued to swipe across the WindClan warrior's face. Three open wounds formed from the curve of Ratwhisker's mouth, up the right cheek, and across the warrior's nose. As blood was beginning to pule from the open wound, the enemy tom let out a screech of surprise. Ratwhisker's head leaned down to block his face, and Bearstep's claws hooked up to end the wound at the WindClan warrior's forehead. After the ShadowClan warrior's paw lifted away, Ratwhisker blindly turned around and began to run. Birchcloud shortly leaped after him, guiding the injured and defeated warrior away from the fight. Bearstep waited until the two warriors were out of sight before helping Scarletberry to her paws.
"Thanks." the ginger she-cat whispered through nervous gasps. Bearstep bent over and licked the blood off of her cheek with his tongue. "It was no big deal. Clanmates look after each other." he simply replied. Scarletberry opened her mouth to speak, but the brown tom had already walked away to help another warrior in need. The ginger warrior's eyes softened on her clanmate as she turned to look away, and suddenly met the mysterious orange eyes of another WindClan warrior.
"Don't you think he's a bit too—loyal?" the WindClan warrior began, flicking his tail toward Bearstep. Scarletberry couldn't help but to stare at the enemy's eyes. They were so strange, so—orange. It seemed like its look gave off a feeling of complete trust, though they belonged to a cat from another Clan. When the eyes looked straight at Scarletberry, her thoughts turned from curiosity to fear.
"Are you afraid of me?" the pale golden-pelted tom asked, his orange eyes widening. Scarletberry hung her head down and closed her eyes, forcing herself not to stare any longer. "Yes." she replied in a small whisper. The WindClan warrior's eyes softened with pity. "Though I may not hurt you tonight, I am still your enemy." Scarletberry lifted her chin up to him, only to find the golden tom with his back facing her. He flicked an ear, and added, "Don't you want to know who I am?" Scarletberry felt like she was in danger, but somehow she knew that no harm was going to come to her. The only way she thought could make her safe was by running, yet, her paws could do nothing but tremble. Oh StarClan, Scarletberry thought in panic, Please help me through this!
"My name is Gorseleaf," the pale golden warrior continued, "I came into battle so I could find you." Scarletberry flinched as she was struck with confusion. "Why me?" she asked in a slight stammer. Gorseleaf turned back around, his eyelids closed to cover his eyes from being seen. Though the orange couldn't be identified, Scarletberry could still feel his gaze burning on her as he spoke. "You're good at keeping secrets, even better than the rest of your clanmates. By the words spoken by the Shattered Stars, I was told to give you a prophecy that must not leave your lips."
"What will come if I do tell someone of the prophecy?" Scarletberry inquired. Gorseleaf gave her a hard, dark look. "If the words I say get told to another Clan member, then all four Clans will end in annihilation, including traditions." Scarletberry gaped, her eyes stretched wide in apprehension. As if Gorseleaf could feel her concern, he mewed, "But there is a way to stop it. Are you ready to hear the prophecy?" Scarletberry closed her mouth and looked at her paws with uncertainty. "I—I'm ready." she hesitantly answered. Gorseleaf gave a quick, unnoticeable smirk, and began to speak.
"Though the Survival of the Clans was a blessing, War still bounds each to their borders. When peace has settled in for too long, dark feelings begin to arise, and a shadow is born. With each secret and feeling of lonesome, the shadow's powers will burst and bring an old enemy back into existence. The blood of the Clans will no longer run pure after a forbidden love creates a forbidden birth. Clanmates will go against clanmates and Clans against Clans, unless the bone of a lion is sacrificed to seal the shadow away for eternity."
Gorseleaf's eyes opened as he finished speaking. Scarletberry lifted her chin to examine the WindClan warrior, and saw him facing the battle with a fierce look. "Is something wrong?" she whispered, stepping closer. Gorseleaf flashed a look at her, and instinctively, Scarletberry skidded backwards. The pale golden tom blinked in shock when he saw her, then bowed his head respectively. "N—No," he spluttered, "But it's time for me to go." Scarletberry couldn't help but to look away from him. Taking that as a sign to leave, Gorseleaf began to pad away toward the battle, his movements getting faster and faster. "I will see you again, right?" Scarletberry demanded. The WindClan warrior came to a halt, and after a moment, let his head hang down. "No." he responded. They stood in a moment of silence until Gorseleaf slowly slipped away into the shadows, leaving Scarletberry to think alone. Only did she realize when she looked up, he was gone.
Dark clouds began to gather overhead, and a flash of lightning reflected the faces of the battling warriors. Only the loud echo of thunder made them freeze under the wrath of StarClan. No more stars were visible in the night; the storm was the single thing that kept ShadowClan and WindClan from fighting once again. But as the ShadowClan warriors looked around for their leader to get their orders, they found that Lunarstar was nowhere on the battlefield.
"Where's our leader?!" Bearstep roared, his eyes accusingly fixed on Ivystar. The white she-cat found her sense to glare at the brown tom. "I didn't do anything with him, mouse-brain!" she spat. Bearstep crouched down into a battle position, his tail lashing. Ivystar snarled, preparing to defend herself with unsheathed, blood-stained claws.
"Stop!" Lunarstar shouted at his warriors from the tip of the black crystal. Bearstep, surprised at the appearance of his leader, stepped back obediently. Ivystar gave one last snarl at the brown warrior before looking up at the dark gray tabby above. "Just because you get to stand taller than all of my warriors does not mean you are more superior!" the WindClan leader sneered. A few voices behind her yowled in agreement. Lunarstar ignored her comment, narrowing his eyes into slits. "The battle is over, WindClan. Enough blood has been spilled today, and two deaths is certainly enough for a fight that should have never happened."
"No WindClan warrior has died today!" Ivystar insisted, curling her bottom lip in defiance. Lunarstar turned his head around and leaned forward, obviously gripping something. The ShadowClan leader hauled a lifeless body in front of him, and dropped it at the edge of the black crystal. The body's head hung over the point, its orange eyes lost as it stared at something that wasn't there. Scarletberry almost choked when she recognized the bloody, pale golden fur of Gorseleaf. His mouth was opened slightly with a small stream of blood trickling from the edges. There was a new tear in his left ear and a new wound on the tender skin of his throat. From the appearance of his injuries, there was no doubt about it that he was murdered.
"You—You killed Gorseleaf?" the WindClan leader faltered, staring in horror at the dead body. Lunarstar closed his eyes and bowed his head down sadly. "He slaughtered Mistfang in front of my eyes and then tried to get me next. I had to do it. You do understand, don't you, Ivystar?" Ivystar had her face hidden as she looked down at the ground. Teardrops fell from her eyelids and mixed in the blood below her paws. A wail escaped the she-cat as she flung her head to the sky, her saddened voice getting into the minds of the warriors around her. Scarletberry could feel the WindClan leader's grief as she remembered the golden warrior speaking to her directly. "Remember the prophecy!" The ginger warrior clenched her teeth in pain. Is that what you meant by never seeing me again? Your death? Tell me, Gorseleaf, did you throw your life to waste, or was it all worth it?
Lunarstar raised a paw and pushed against Gorseleaf's body. With the weight hanging off the side, the WindClan warrior dragged forward, the point of the stone digging into his back as he fell with a sickening thump to the ground. A ginger WindClan warrior padded forward and lifted Gorseleaf onto her back, his blood dripping into her fur. Ivystar watched the she-cat walk past her and out of the ShadowClan camp. The rest of the WindClan warriors followed, including the apprentices. Lunarstar and Ivystar stared at each other with challenging looks. Then, Ivystar turned her back on the ShadowClan leader and followed her Clan without looking back. Once all of WindClan was gone, all of the ShadowClan cats began to gather beneath their leader.
"Mistfang is dead?" a beautiful silver she-cat mewed, her almost clear, blue eyes blinking in surprise. Lunarstar looked longingly back at his den. "He rests within there. Everyone must go and say their last words before we bury him." A small tortoiseshell stood up from the edge of the cats. There was confusion in her green eyes as she caught the attention of her leader. "Aren't we supposed to perform a vigil for Mistfang?" she asked. Lunarstar's hazel eyes darkened. "No. Because this battle and death was not meant to be, Mistfang will not be settled within the ranks of StarClan." Thunder erupted in the air, and several gasps escaped from the ShadowClan cats. Scarletberry felt troubled by her leader's words. Why can't Mistfang settle in StarClan? He was a quiet, intelligent warrior, and he never did anything wrong.
"Has anyone seen my kit?" Goldenpool called out as she golden queen withdrew her head from the nursery. The tortoiseshell tilted her head in confusion. "Which one?" she asked, padding over. Goldenpool started to look worried. "The golden one with the amber eyes." The tortoiseshell blinked. "No kitten that young would ever be able to walk out of the nursery alone." Turning back to the crowd of cats, the tortoiseshell yelled, "Has anyone taken Goldenpool's kit out of the nursery?" There were a few muffled whispers, and Lunarstar replied, "No cat has been to the nursery since yesterday."
Scarletberry rose from the crowd and joined the two she-cats by the nursery. The ginger warrior slowly padded inside and poked her nose into Goldenpool's nest. The other golden kit with a white underbelly gave out a squeal when it felt Scarletberry's wet nose touch her flank. "Be careful in there, Scarletberry!" Goldenpool exclaimed. Ignoring the queen's motherly instinct, Scarletberry kept sniffing. To her please, she managed to dig out of the nest a small, hidden clump of bluish-black hair that gave off a satisfying, fresh scent. Walking outside on three legs, the ShadowClan warrior revealed her find to the two she-cats. When Goldenpool sniffed the clump, her amber eyes stretched wide in panic. "WindClan stole my kit!" she howled, alerting all ShadowClan warriors.
"WindClan again?" Lunarstar snarled. Scarletberry could feel her leader's fury as his neck fur began to rise. The silver she-cat below leaped onto a small ledge out of the side of the black crystal and looked up expectantly at Lunarstar. "We should go and get the kit now before dawn arrives." she reminded.
Before the ShadowClan leader could give out any orders, another bolt of lightning lashed down and met the side of a tree. The bark surface exploded into sparks that scattered along the camp floor, sending cats fleeing to their dens. Scarletberry gave in a gasp, and a musky, choking scent went up her nostrils. The ShadowClan warrior couldn't help but to cough. She knew it was definitely smoke. Heat burned against her face when Scarletberry looked up against the ash-filling air to the tree. Fear prickled at her pelt when she recognized the flowing wave of orange and red colors along the side of the black-scorched tree. It was the one thing that only knew how to destroy, and it was an enemy to all four Clans. Fire!