Prologue

A firey ginger pelt gleamed in the starlight as FIrestar padded slowly throught the forest of Starclan. He took in the thick scent of prey, a scent that made him purr, even though he never got hungry anymore. Many seasons had passed since his passing and he was still glad that the Dark Forest remained empty, free of Tigerstar forever. Firestar caught scents of some of his fellow Starclan members nearby. Bluestar, Sandstorm, Yellowfang, all cats who had great meaning and influence in his life. They were there for him, they helped to guide him to where he was now. A great leader of Thunderclan, savior of all the clans, a proud father of two daughters and grandfather of many kits. Even in his death, Thunderclan flourished under Bramblestar's leadership and he only prayed that it would stay that way.

He continued on, his paws stepping carefully through the misty forest. It was serene and Firestar felt a great bit of peace here. Over to his side he recognized the black and white pelt of Swiftpaw, a young apprentice killed by dogs long ago. Swiftpaw wanted to prove to Bluestar that he and Brightheart were ready to be warriors. It left Swiftpaw dead and Brightheart scarred, but she had found companionship in Firestar's nephew Cloudtail. Now Swiftpaw was faint and transparent. No doubt he would soon be reincarnated and rejoin the clan, maybe even Thunderclan. Firestar hoped Swiftpaw would finally earn the warrior name he deserved. The ginger cat padded on, leaving the wandering apprentice who couldn't even see Firestar. Onward he saw many other transparent cats. Bluestar was seated on a large flat stone, watching a transparent gray and white kit bounding around in circles.

Firestar stepped up beside her. "Is she the kit you lost?"

Bluestar gave a curt, sullen nod. "My little Mosskit." She averted her eyes downward in shame. "It was my fault she died so young."

"You did what you thought was right," he reassured his former leader and mentor. "You believed that Thunderclan would weaken under Thistleclaw's leadershi and you were right." He pressed his nose to her pelt to comfort her.

Bluestar purred lightly and nodded. "I'm thankful that she's going to be reincarnated soon. She deserves the chance to be warrior like Stonefur and Mistystar were. Thank you, Firestar. I'm just going to wait until she's reborn."

"Alright. I'm going to go find Sandstorm and hunt for a while."

He padded away when she nodded and made his way around starry trees that lay on all sides of the tom. He took in the scents and the peaceful air and smiled to himself. He yowled in surprise as the ground gave way under his paws. He shouted as he fell into darkness. He was surrounded by black on all sides . He looked around, ears flattened against his head and claws unsheathed. "Who's there?" A musty, but familiar scent struck his nostrils. "No.." He tasted the air to be sure about the scent. "No. This is impossible."

"Oh is it?" Through the void, a large dark tabby appeared, causing Firestar's eyes to go wide. The large paws, the brown tabby pelt, the deep amber eyes, the scar over his nose, all these were unmistakable traits of one cat he could think of. "Tigerstar," he whispered in shock. "No. I killed you! You're not only dead, you're gone, gone forever. You no longer exist!"

Tigerstar moved nose to nose with the orange cat, sneering in his face. "You can't kill the dead. We're not gone, not permanently. You can neber get away from me, kittypet!" The large tom spat the last word, driving home the slur Firestar endured for a long time. "You may have removed me from the Dark Forest and influence of the clans, but I can still make an impact in someway. Oh, by slaying me, you've unleashed a force that I will make you regret over and send you wishing you had your precious twolegs to protect you."

"Your taunts don't bother me anymore," Firestar snarled, his claws angrily scratching the ground beneath him. "I know who I am. My kittypet blood means nothing. Leading my clan for many seasons had proven to me that I am a warrior through and through. No matter what you say, you can't change that."

Tigerstar laughed loudly and flexed his claws. "I have found a way."

"What?"

Firestar suddenly staggered, feeling dizzy. His head swam and he hit the ground, blinking slowly at Tigerstar. "Wh-what..."

Tigerstar turned, disappearing into the darkness. "Sleep tightly, kittypet."

Tigerstar's mocking voice followed Firestar into unconsciousness.

He groaned as his slowly opened, beginning as slits, then opening fully. He could not longer smell Tigerstar, but his voice echoed through his mind, nothing, but menacing taunts and empty threats. Perhaps Firestar had dreamed it all, from his and Sandstorm's nest in Starclan. He stood on shaky paws, his claws feeling the bed beneath him. He stopped, not feeling moss, but something else. He bent his head down, taking a deep sniff of the bedding and cringed. Twoleg scent! He jumped off the bedding, feeling the wooden floor, his paws sliding a bit. His eyes adjusted to his surroundings.

He felt his heart begin to race as he looked around frantically. His worst nightmare stood before him, the one thing he feared since he became a Thunderclan cat. He quickly ran to a nearby window, gazing at his transparent reflection. His green eyes were stretched wide with fear as he stared at the collar around his neck in which a tiny bell dangled from. He was back in his old kittypet home.

"No," he murmured. "it's not real, it can't be real. It just can't be." He shut his eyes and focused, picturing the lush forest of Starclan, thinking of the smells he was familiar with. He opened them again. No change. He was still in the kittypet nest. The twoleg scent was strong and stung his senses. His paws began rushing him around the nest. "Help! Bluestar, Sandstorm, someone!" he meowed loudly, scratching at the door. "Help me!"

His twoleg came walking out their room yawning. "You want out, Rusty?" As soon as they opened the door, Firestar bolted out, fleeing into the forest as fast as his paws coud carry him. He still knew the old forest before the lake. He almsot felt happy to see it, but not with the circmstances. He had to find the camp, maybe Bluestar would know something, maybe she could help him. He hoped, prayed to Starclan. Ignorign all the prey scent, he passed the Sandy Hollow and into the ravine. He paused to catch his breath from his run, panting hard. He glanced up at the other side of the ravine. Only the sounds of singing birds greeted him to his horror. He climbed up and drank in the air. The scent of Thunderclan was stale. He gulped, praying he was wrong. He pushed his way through the thorn tunnel and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

This fanfic takes a lot of planning and work. I hope you all like. Will have the Allegiances and First chapter up soon.