Prologue
Rain steadily dripped from the sky, pouring onto the earthen ground in a relentless deluge. Clouds had rolled in, causing the sky to become a horrendous, monochromatic heap of darkness. The sound of rain spluttering and thunder roaring its agonized cries did little to ease the chaotic atmosphere. Darkness tainted the spirits' ground, making the greenery become dull colors and the ferns to become laden with rain water.
Four cats stood in a clearing, their dampened paws reflected on the surface of a mirror-like pool. Frost-tipped stars leaped off of the crystalline water, making it appear as if the night sky was captured within this one pool of pure water. The starlit pool reflected the faces of the felines, revealing their grave expressions. Amber, green, and blue eyes sparked fire into the depths of the pool. These felines had gathered around for a terrible situation, a situation that could not be fixed.
"Monarchstar!" A dark, burly warrior stepped forth, his amber eyes sparking daggers at a lithe, ginger tabby. "How do you expect us to deal with this situation? StarClan's falling apart!" the tom-cat spat, his gruff, rumbling voice ringing through the clearing. "I'm sure you have some smart ideas, former leader of ShadowClan."
The ginger tabby's gaze lingered upon the pool for a moment, and only the steady breath rattling in his chest could be heard. Finally, as if the silence was too much to handle, a screech of thunder deafened the silence. Monarchstar dipped his head, his hazel eyes showing the flame of confusion and anxiety. "This is unlike anything StarClan has faced. We've dealt with the Dark Forest, but we have never met a living adversary that could be predisposed to seeking the destruction of our very existence. Not to mention, this could destroy all four clans around the lake. I think we need someone who can actually help us, but they need to be living. If anything, they must bear the burden of their clans."
A slender, blue lynx point stepped forth, her sapphire eyes glistening as they locked with the former ShadowClan leader's hazel orbs. "As the former leader of RiverClan, I believe that my descendants are the best choices for that. We have the ability to swim through the most spiteful rapids, and no other clan can do that. What if we turn the tides and go against these rapids, too?" The pale, gray-blue she-cat lifted her head, puffing out her chest. "Besides, my clan is the most well-fed. We'd have the best chances of surviving."
The dark tom-cat stepped forth, spitting and hissing at the blue lynx point. "Don't get so full of yourself, Dewstar! Remember, this involves all of the clans. If anything, you fishbreaths should be the first to go down. Though I hate to admit, we all have to unite against this danger. What does Monarchstar propose?" The dark brown tom turned to Monarchstar, his emerald eyes looking inquisitively at the smaller tom-cat.
Monarchstar swished his tail, stirring up the once-still waters of the reflective pond. His head swiveled to look at the dark brown tom. The former ShadowClan leader's gaze was drowned with remorse and exhaustion, and his fur was unkempt and dirty. "We will send a sign to all of the medicine cats from all four clans. It will be vague, though. Perhaps they can unravel this omen of destruction. Dewstar, you tell RiverClan's medicine cat. Oakstar, you tell WindClan. Featherstar, you tell ThunderClan. The prophecy goes like this:"
"Terror brews under the disturbed waters; a shadow lurks beside the bank. Thunder crackles nearby, causing the wind to stir restlessly. Once again, a void will swallow everything whole."
A whisper on the wind. A fine-tuned breath. That's what the prophecy was to these felines. However, it stood for life or death. It stood for the clans' destruction or survival. It was everything now.