Author's note: Hello again, people! This would be my first Warriors fanfic and I'd like to dedicate this story to my kittypet, Tiger, who has gone to hunt with StarClan years ago with his mate, a stray white cat. Also to his kits and grandkits, who now have become fathers and mothers themselves. Inspired by his true story.
Prologue
The crescent-shaped moon was shining brightly, painting the forest trees silver. In the forest, wild cats live together and fended for themselves. A pale golden tabby tom sat in the middle of a grassy clearing. His muzzle, chest, underbelly, tail tip and paws were bleached white. Around him were hundreds of strange cats he did not recognize. His lime green eyes showed confusion, which means he had no idea where he was, who these cats were and what they want from him.
One of the many cats, a black and white tom stepped forward. The tabby tom and the black and white tom stared at each other in the eyes. Green eyes met with yellow ones. After a long moment of silence, the black tom spoke up in a voice that sounded many; as if all the cats around were talking together at the same time, though his voice, a deep one sounded the clearest.
"The tame tiger becomes fierce and cleanses the blood that stains his home."
The tabby tom looked even more confused. "What? But my name is Tiger!"
The other tom seemed to ignore his words and continued, "Acknowledge your power within and fulfil this prophecy. You will need it in your upcoming battle."
"Battle? I'm going to a battle?" Tiger asked, eyes wide.
"Though you might not know it, warrior blood runs in your veins," the black and white tom said. He paused. "Your father was a fierce fighter."
"My… father?"
"His spirit is here with us."
As he said that, a golden tabby tom, just like Tiger himself, appeared from the crowd. Though Tiger had never known his father, he knew immediately by smell that this cat was, in fact, his father. His mother once told him, when he was a little kitten, that his father died in a fight.
"Are you… my father?" Tiger asked, excitement rising from his gut.
The tabby tom did not speak, but he nodded. His handsome golden striped coat was shining. As a matter of fact, all the cats here had beautifully shiny pelts. Tiger wanted to move over to his father and touch noses with him as a respectful gesture but for some reason, he was held down by an invisible force. He sat in the middle of the clearing, not being able to move.
"By the powers of StarClan, I grant you courage and speed. Tiger, use these abilities for the sake of goodness," said the black and white tom, stepping back into the crowd of forest cats.
"The tame tiger becomes fierce and cleanses the blood that stains his home," said his father, repeating the first cat's words and stepped back into the crowd as well.
"Father! Wait! What do you mean? What can I do?" Tiger asked desperately. In a sudden, everything seemed to be going distant. Tiger and all the other cats were not moving from their positions, yet they were backing away from each other. It was as if the forest floor was moving itself.
Tiger yelled for his father and demanded to know what was going on. Not one cat answered him. Once they were all well out of Tiger's sight, he woke up. A dream. That was what it had been. He looked around wildly, expecting to see the many cats surrounding him or the forest trees looming over him but all he saw was his house folk's living room, dark, unlit by the lamps.
A small beam of moonlight filtered from the window. The tom sighed and rested his head on his outstretched paws. He could not go back to sleep. He rose from his sleeping place in the basket and walked over to the cat flap installed on the front door. His owners were still asleep. It was still night anyway.
Walking around to the side of the house, he went to his favourite resting spot; an old, battered beanbag which his owners had meant to throw away. He settled comfortably on it and stared upwards into the starry sky. The same moon he saw in his dream appeared here as well. He closed his eyes and thought about the dream.
What had the black and white cat meant? Prophecy? Battle? How did my father appear in my dream when I have never even met him? Even as Tiger asked those questions, he knew he would not hear the answers. At least not now.
