Prologue

Traitors at Heart

It was a cold, starless, and moonless night. There was darkness surrounding the gathering. Shadows leaped and cats scowled. ShadowClan had not yet arrived and they wanted the gathering over with. "Should we start?" Jaystar asked the WindClan and RiverClan leaders.

"We have never done a gathering without." Heatherstar stated, her fur rippling in the merciless wind.

"I know but it is getting quite late and they still have not come." Jaystar meowed, glancing at his Clan.

"Perhaps they will come soon. And how, may I ask, can you tell without the moon?" Heatherstar retorted.

"This does not bode well." Jaystar heard RiverClan's medicine cat, Rippleleaf, mew to the other medicine cats.

"Did you hear my medicine cat?!" Fawnstar, leader of RiverClan, squealed. "Maybe ShadowClan's planning an ambush!"

"Do not panic Fawnstar." Jaystar soothed. "I'm sure they would not do something as drastic as that. Especially with all of us against them."

"What are you speaking about of my Clan?" A voice rang out, and ShadowClan's eleven gathering picked cats marched into the clearing, Cedarstar leading. Fawnstar gulped.

"Don't be so afraid, my dear." Heatherstar whispered to Fawnstar.

"Are we going to start this gathering or will we have to wait here all night?" Cedarstar demanded, and suddenly the other leaders noticed that Cedarstar had leaped onto the rock beside them.

"I will begin." Jaystar paused. "ThunderClan's prey has been plentiful and we welcome the arrival of new kits. There has also been recent warriors made. They have been loyal to ThunderClan for as long as they could walk and their names are Honeyleaf and Oakshade." He spotted the two cats in the crowd and they looked a little nervous. After all, it was their first trip to a gathering as a warrior. "And that is all. Heatherstar, would you like to go next?"

Heatherstar bowed her head. "I'm glad to hear your Clan is doing well Jaystar. And thank you. I would like to report that WindClan has drove away a badger from our territory." Jaystar had wondered why Heatherstar had what looked like recent scars on her flank. "But I am afraid that it may have gone into your territory Cedarstar."

"Thanks." Cedarstar muttered.

"Though we have faced a badger this past moon, prey is well and we are expecting kits from a queen." Heatherstar finished, ignoring Cedarstar's comment. "Fawnstar?"

"Fish supply has grown short due to twolegs in the water. We have had to resort to hunting land prey. Fortunately, that prey is plentiful while the fish is not. Two warriors have retired to the elder's den. The Clans wish you many seasons of rest Acornwhisker and Petalwish." Fawnstar paused, her voice shaking a bit. "And W-w-winterbreeze has been exiled. Please make him leave your territories if you spot him. Thank you." Fawnstar stepped back, allowing Cedarstar to speak.

"I would like to report..." Cedarstar trailed off as there was screams down in the Clans. Suddenly, he was crashed into from behind and knocked off the rock. "Nooo!" Cedarstar screeched. Jaystar swooped down and grabbed Cedarstar's scruff, Fawnstar pulling Jaystar, and together they managed to pull Cedarstar up to safety.

"T-t-thank you." Cedarstar choked out. "For saving my life."

"We can't let a perfectly fine leader die, can we?" Jaystar joked, a little solemn in the circumstances. Then he noticed Fawnstar frozen in fear. Slowly, he turned around and followed her gaze. It was Winterbreeze. His silver and white pelt shone, even with no moon, all of the cats could see him.

"Hello again Fawnstar." Winterbreeze sneered. "Looks like I've got the upper hand, now don't I?" He snickered. "You're trapped on a puny little rock with nowhere to go except..." He paused. "Down." Fawnstar started shaking and Jaystar tried to put her tail on her shoulder to comfort her.

"N-n-n-no! I still have it. You see," Fawnstar quavered. "RiverClan, help!" She called. There were only screeches of terror in reply.

"Looks like your little warriors are a little occupied, aren't they?" Winterbreeze cackled. "And remember that little sacred code of yours! 'The safety of the Clan is more important than one cat.'" He recited and lifted his lip in a cruel half-grin. "How unfortunate for you my dear."

"B-b-but you're b-b-breaking the c-c-code too!" Fawnstar stuttered. " Rule T-t-ten! G-g-gatherings are for truce!"

"Only for cats who follow that little petty code of yours." Winterbreeze sneered.

"You still have your name!" Fawnstar blurted. Then she bit her tongue.

"Only as of now. Soon I will be Winterstar, leader of all the Clans!" He howled with evil laughter. "And I think I'll start with my reign by killing you." Fawnstar looked petrified in fear.

"You'll have to get through us first!" Heatherstar yowled.\

"Easy enough." Winterbreeze meowed. "Scar, Tooth, and Claw, come up here please. We have a little problem, but nothing we can't handle." A black tom, brown tom, and a white tom clambered up the rock.

"What's the matter Winter?" The black tom asked.

"Ah, Scar, can you and your friends distract these pawns?" Winterbreeze asked calmly.

"Sure thing Winter!" Scar meowed, then he beckoned with his tail for the leaders to come forward. Cedarstar and Jaystar moved to both sides of Fawnstar, while Heatherstar moved in the front. "Give up or we'll have to force you too."

"Just g-g-go!" Fawnstar's voice cracked through her icy cold tears that were running down her cheeks. "They'll g-g-get you anyway! J-j-just leave me. I'm ready." She said the last words with confidence. "I know Troutwhisker will lead my Clan."

Heatherstar's voice quavered. "We won't give up Fawnstar."

"Not until the end." Jaystar confirmed.

"ShadowClan will hold strong in this fight." Cedarstar meowed, trying to reassure Fawnstar that even if she died, they would win.

"Thanks Jaystar, Heatherstar, and Cedarstar. But I am ready to face my fate." Fawnstar bowed her head in farewell. A moment later, Tooth, Scar, and Claw had the other leaders pinned to the ground. Heatherstar was struggling viciously. Jaystar was falling limp then pushing up but that didn't even make Tooth flinch. Cedarstar was scratching Claw again and again.

"I suppose it's well to see your fates." Winterbreeze chuckled, his voice deep and menacing, merciless. "Fawnstar, are you ready to say goodbye?"

"Yes, I am. Tell my family that I h-h-had to go. For the good of RiverClan." She was addressing no cat in particular.

"I'll be sure to." The other leaders all mewed at the same time and attacked even more violently at their captors.

"I am ready to leave Winterbreeze. But know, I'll come back. Back to get you." Fawnstar's last words rang in the cat's ears as Winterbreeze plunged his head towards Fawnstar's neck and killed her. Her breathing slowed to a stop. Heatherstar cried out and tore into her captor's skin with her jaws.

"Leave them. Let them warn. I feel we have done enough damage for tonight." Winterbreeze smiled cruelly. "But remember, I'll be back for you unless you leave. Leave in the next three days." With that, the screams in the clearing died and Winterscar, plus his cats, disappeared through the trees. Howls of anguish pierced cat's ears as they heard the wails for cat's lost.

Heatherstar was shaking. "I could have saved her. I know it." She whispered.

"No, you couldn't have Heatherstar. I know we all feel sorrow at Fawnstar's loss. She was a good, young, leader with plenty of life left to live. When they come back, we'll be ready and you can avenge her death, okay?" Cedarstar's words were soft, and that was very unusual by his standards.

Jaystar was pacing in front of Fawnstar. "How can we be ready?" He murmured. "They had the element of surprise and they still have it. I suspect they would attack again on a night like this but you can never be sure. We'll have to unite, and have many guards. Queens, elders, and kits will go with the old barn cat, Hunter. Medicine cats also must be a distance away and maybe they could teach minor things to the rest of us? Then we would all be ready and what about training? Erm..." Jaystar trailed off as he realized he was talking to himself.

"It's okay Jaystar." He heard a soft voice whisper in his ear. "We all do that sometimes and that sounds like a great battle plan." He realized the soft voice was Fawnstar's. "But be warned, they will be stronger with each attack. There is no much to prepare with."

"Thanks Fawnstar." He murmured softly to the wind.

"I have a plan. First, we announce the deaths after we bring everyone in to this place, even queens and kits. They need to know this. Then, we will discuss the battle plans and announce them. Are you ready to defeat Winterbreeze?" Jaystar rallied.

"Yeah!" Cedarstar agreed. It was very rare for the ThunderClan and ShadowClan leader to agree about something but this time things were different.

"For Fawnstar!" Heatherstar meowed strongly.

"For Fawnstar!" The leaders echoed, ready to avenge the death and win this battle.