Chapter One - Messages From StarClan

A lean and wiry tortoiseshell she-cat with a narrow face was slinking along a tall stone wall, weaving back and forth to avoid getting her paws soaked in the puddles from the last night's rain. Her ears were pressed back nervously and her large yellow eyes were glinting in the moonlight. Every dog barking in the distance, every car that drove by, any noise at all had her fur prickling uneasily.

Ebony had lived with Twolegs when she was young, but then she'd run away from them and gone to live with the cats of the alleys. But now she was running away from them, too. She'd liked it with BloodClan at first, but when Bane, their leader, had vowed to make her his mate, she could stay there no longer. Following Bane was different than being expected to bear his kits, and the latter was something she refused to do.

Leaving, however, when she was supposed to be Bane's mate, meant that the cats of BloodClan would be none too pleased. They'd do whatever it took to stop her, and Ebony knew it. She prayed that she'd be able to escape to the forest before any of them noticed. She'd heard of ruffians in the forest, cats who lived together as a family, sharing prey and fighting skills. A much more organized way to live; a far more pleasant way, too, from Ebony's point of view.

Pausing to drink in the scents around her, Ebony's fur fluffed up as the recognized the scent of cat. It was nearby, and looking around frantically she realized she had nowhere to hide. But when she pulled more air over her scent glands, she realized that it was only one cat, and in fact was one she was familiar with. Ebony turned to face her pursuer, a large brown tabby.

"Marble," Ebony greeted emotionlessly, sitting down on the hard ground and looking at the other she-cat with inquisitive eyes. "May I help you in any way?" she asked coolly.

"Where are you going?" Marble meowed without preamble. "And where's Bane? You shouldn't be out here without him, you know how dangerous it is. He'd protect you from anything, you know. He really does love you."

Ebony scoffed. "He doesn't love me, he just believes that I'm the only cat fit to be his mate. Thinks I'm strong enough to raise his kits properly. But…" she hesitated, not sure whether or not to confide in her friend or to lie to her.

If she told her the truth, Marble would be in danger if she stayed because Bane would question every last cat for Ebony's whereabouts. She couldn't tell her unless Marble was going to come with her. Since that clearly wasn't an option, she'd have to lie.

"Never mind. In any case, Bane knows where I am," Ebony mewed, bending down to lick her ruffled chest-fur. "And I can take care of myself, for that matter. I don't need a bodyguard."

Marble looked confused. "I never said…" she shook her head in frustration. "But you didn't answer me. Where are you going?"

In lieu of responding, Ebony turned her penetrating gaze upward to look at the sky. She was silent for a long time, her tail curled neatly around her paws. Unlike most kitty pet-born cats, Ebony had an unusual link with the cats of the past. She'd only heard rumours of StarClan, mothers telling their kits tales about it, but ever since her first dream that had encouraged her to leave her Twolegs she'd understood that they had chosen her for something. It was them who had told her that staying as Bane's mate would be unwise.

She asked them now if telling Marble would be the right thing to do. As if in response, a cloud drifted in front of the moon, casting the streets into shadows. StarClan's silent No was as loud as if all the cats of the world had yowled it to her.

"I cannot tell you," she meowed sadly, lowering her eyes back to her friend as the cloud moved on to reveal the moon again. "Please, don't tell any cat I've gone, or that you ran into me. You're my friend, and I wouldn't want any harm to come to you on my behalf."

Marble seemed even more bewildered, but she nodded numbly. Ebony leaned forward and licked her friend's ear affectionately.

"I will miss you, but I promise to come back to visit eventually," she mewed, rising to her paws and shaking out her pelt. "Now I must be off. Go and find something productive to do. Tell Bane nothing."

Marble grimaced. "That's easier said than done, Ebony, keeping things from Bane, but because you asked I'll try."

"I appreciate your loyalty," she replied, dipping her head in gratitude. She then purred a final farewell before turning and taking off at a brisker pace. She knew better than to think for certain that Marble would do as she'd asked, and if she intended to tell Bane, Ebony didn't have long before she'd have at least half of BloodClan on her trail.

She'd tried to keep close against fences and walls as she travelled, occasionally darting across Thunderpaths when necessary. She was glad that not too many monsters were out after moonhigh; it made the going easier on her. Not far off now, Ebony could see the outline of trees against the dark sky. Hope flared in her chest – maybe she'd make it after all!

By the time she reached the edge of the trees, however, her hope had turned into apprehension. What if the forest cats tried to kill her? She'd never been the best fighter, and so if they attacked they'd definitely have the upper-paw. Sighing heavily, Ebony veered to the right, skirting the trees rather than plunging into them like she'd planned.

If Bane or one of his cronies tried to get her, she'd risk it, but otherwise it was probably a better idea to stay out of the strange cats' forest. As she darted around the forest, she heard the soft scuffling of prey further in. She was tempted to stop and hunt, but the strong scent of the cats' border held her at bay.

As the day wore on, Ebony grew tired and hungry. By sunhigh, hunger was positively clawing at her belly and her paws were so heavy she was sure that if she stopped moving they'd fall off. It felt as though it had been nearly a moon since she'd last hunted. She needed to eat, but if she tried hunt in the forest she'd be chancing the wild cats catching her. Instead she drank in the smells around her, searching for a rat or bird on her side of the border.

Sadly, no prey came, and Ebony felt her strength waning. Much longer and she was sure she'd collapse. She picked her way along the edge of a Thunderpath, her legs shaking with the effort of placing one paw in front of the other. Yet she pushed on, determined to find a good place to rest that didn't reek of the acrid tang that was a trademark part of the Thunderpath.

She walked for so long that her pads became shredded and bloody. No doubt they'd become infected, but what could she do to stop it? Upon finding a tunnel that ran under the Thunderpath, Ebony could go no further and hunkered down inside it, flopping weakly onto the cold, unfriendly ground. She fell asleep almost instantly, and while she slept, she dreamt.

She found herself in an unfamiliar clearing. In the clearing were four towering trees, with thick powerful trunks that gave the impression the trees had been standing there for many, many moons. She was at the base of a large rock, and above her were the stars of Silverpelt.

Three of the stars seemed brighter than the others, coming ever closer. Ebony yowled in surprise when they landed in front of her, but then her shock turned to awe when the bright stars shifted into the forms of cats.

One of them was a large silver tabby with a sturdy body and handsome pale green eyes. The other tom was a white tabby and wide-shouldered with amber eyes that seemed to take in everything. The last was a black she-cat with blue eyes and a finely shaped head. All of them were partially transparent, shimmering with a white light.

Ebony cowered before them, her ears pressed back. They were not acting hostile, and yet they had an aura of power that made her feel as though their presence was something to be feared.

"Do not fret, young one," the silver tom meowed reassuringly. "We mean you no harm. By now I am sure you have guessed that you were not supposed to have been born in Twolegplace?"

Ebony blinked, her yellow eyes full of question. "W-what… what do y-you mean?" she stammered. She then pressed herself closer to the ground nervously, as if expecting rebuke for her question. "I-I… I'm sorry, I…"

"There's no need to be afraid, Ebony," the she-cat mewed warmly, coming over to nudge the other cat to her paws. "We come here to deliver a message."

"A… a-a message?" Ebony mewled, confused and, despite them telling her not to be, frightened.

"Yes, young one, a message." The white tom stepped forward now, his paws making no sound as they padded across the earth. "I am Whiterapid, he" – Whiterapid flicked his tail to indicate the silver tom – "is Shorestar, and she" – he flicked his tail again, gesturing this time to the she-cat – "is Runningwater. We are members of StarClan, previously of RiverClan, and we are here to guide you."

"What do you mean, 'guide me'?" Ebony asked, her fear ebbing some.

"You will understand soon enough," Runningwater told her, brushing Ebony's shoulder with her tail as she went back to stand beside Shorestar. "We'll help lead you in the right direction."

The three cats began to dissolve, and Ebony dug her claws into the ground, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Wait! What? That's it?! You're not going to tell me anything else?" But they were gone, and when Ebony opened her eyes she was lying in the stone tunnel again. She scrambled to her paws and spat in frustration. "You can't just give me tidbits of information and then leave!" she yowled. There was no response, and she knew that she had no choice but to continue. But where was she to go?