Prologue
A sleek, jet black she-cat shot through the undergrowth, carrying two orphaned kites in her mouth. She could already smell the stink of the Thunderpath. She emerged from the bushes and spotted a fluffy white cat, with a black spot on her face.
"Shadowpelt!" called the cat. Shadowpelt trotted over to the cat, Fife. Yuck, what a horrible name! Fife took a kit from Shadowpelt. There was a black kit, Stormkit, and a white kit, Snowkit. Shadowpelt blinked her eyes, gratefully, and the two cats started warily through the two-leg place. Fife seemed right at home, but Shadowpelt was scared stiff. Fife had been a kittypet for a long time. Now she was going to join Shadowpelt in her quest to start her own clan, far away from the evils of Shadowpelt's former clan, Shadowclan. Finally, they reached the other side of twoleg place. There was a huge, empty wood, just waiting to be occupied by cats; by Woodsclan. Shadowpelt went into her territory, and she and Fife, or Cottonface, as she would later be known, started to build up a camp wall. Shadowpelt had been exiled from Shadowclan, and she vowed she would create her own clan. Her leader had sworn that she would never lead any clan. If she did, he would destroy it. This camp needed to be well protected, because he meant what he said. Soon, more cats came into the forest, and Cottonface and Twigear had kits. Shadowpelt traveled to Starclan's cave, which contained the Starstone, and received her nine lives. She was given the name Shadowstar. Woodsclan had been born.
