Prologue
It was very, very dark out. A completely moonless night, the forest was all shadow and even cats with the sharpest, most acute eyesight were half blind. Instead of turning in early and waiting for the relief of daylight, however, two of the five Clans were about as active as it was possible to be.
Indeed, in the swampy marshland that was the ShadowClan camp, the air was filled with the deafening sounds of writhing, hissing, spitting warriors. Every ShadowClan cat, save for the kits, were fighting desperately against a surge of EarthClan warriors who had launched a surprise attack on their bitter enemies.
"Leafstar!" gasped a broad gray tom, after a quick slash of his thorn-sharp claws sent a thin brown warrior wailing into the darkness.
A huge, orange and white tom whipped around at the sound of his name. "What is it, Ashcloud?"
A shriek of rage sent a mangy looking she-cat flying onto Leafstar's shoulders out of nowhere. The EarthClan leader roared and threw her off easily with one forceful heave of his enormous shoulders. She hit the ground with a dull thud and didn't get up.
"We need to get to Murkystar! Hailstorm and Fawnstar are both hurt. They had to run before Clawscar killed them!" "I know," grunted Leafstar, swiping at a charging apprentice with only a slight amount of force. Only the shadow that momentarily crossed his eyes betrayed his worry for his warrior and his daughter.
"Look!" Ashcloud pointed with his tail. It was immensely difficult to see, but Flamefoot's brilliant orange pelt made him easier to make out in the darkness. He and another cat, a burly, muscular brown tom were circling each other, tails thrashing and teeth bared. They seemed almost completely unaware of the cats heaving and clawing all around them, some fighting for their lives.
"Flamefoot," hissed Ashcloud, neatly dodging a pair of slashing claws. "Get him!"
"He's so young," Leafstar growled, sounding worried. "He shouldn't be facing Murkystar alone." He moved forward, as if to run to Flamefoot's assistance, but was instantly accosted by a pair of snarling ShadowClan warriors. As Ashcloud jumped to his leader's side to offer his assistance, he caught a glimpse of Flamefoot and Murkystar out of the corner of his eye.
"Leafstar!" he yowled, over the roar of the battle. "Flamefoot is-"
But he didn't need to say another word. It was as if StarClan themselves had lowered a starry paw into the battle and ceased the fighting instantly. Flamefoot was no longer skulking around the ShadowClan leader, looking for an opening to attack.
He was crouched on top of Murkystar, who was now a pathetic lump of grimy fur. Blood pooled, thick and sticky on the grass. It was coming from an enormous, fatal gash in Murkystar's throat. Every cat stared in disbelief.
"He's dead," whispered Flamefoot, backing slowly off the body. His voice quivered with shock. "I killed him."
His voice sounded distraught and stunned rather than triumphant. A pretty black she-cat, Mossflower, came padding cautiously up to him, her fur stained with blood from a long cut across her flank.
"Are you hurt?" she murmured. Flamefoot shook his head, and the she-cat gave his cheek a gentle lick.
"Murkystar is dead?" Clawscar, a vicious ShadowClan warrior stalked up to his leader's body and sniffed it carefully. His cold black eyes showed no remorse, or even the slightest hint of grief.
"So is Cinderclaw," whispered a russet-colored ShadowClan she-cat, her mew stricken with horror. Sure enough, a limp bundle of black-gray fur that had once been the ShadowClan deputy was crumpled on the grass. Several ShadowClan warriors had gathered around it; apparently Cinderclaw had been better liked than Murkystar.
"It seems," Leafstar yowled, commanding the attention of both the Clans with ease. "That our work here is done." He paused, seemingly uncertain about what member of ShadowClan to address with both the Clan leader and the deputy dead. Clawscar stepped forward.
"You will pay for what you did to Murkystar." He glared at Leafstar, then at Flamefoot, who pulled back his lips in a snarl of defiance. Mossflower bristled nervously.
Leafstar remained perfectly calm. "Murkystar has done all the Clans wrong. Including us. Stray from his example, and you will have nothing to fear from us, at least." His words were a clear, direct warning. Clawscar didn't even flinch.
"Leave our territory," he spat. A few of the stronger looking ShadowClan warriors growled, echoing his threat. Leafstar tossed his head, completely unconcerned. Despite Clawscar's barbed words, ShadowClan seemed too shaken and injured to even lift a paw in their defense.
Still, Leafstar nodded. "Very well. We have done what we came to do - teach Murkystar a lesson." His light green eyes fell upon the former ShadowClan leader's body, which had stained the grass around it reddish-brown.
Without a word, he swept his tail and the cats of EarthClan stalked over to join him. Some of them limped or showed signs of nasty wounds, but they were nothing compared to the devastation EarthClan had wrought upon ShadowClan.
The ShadowClan cats parted to let them through. Some looked angry, others defiant, still others were looking slightly relieved. Murkystar had been a cruel cat who had treated his Clan poorly, and it would be reasonable to assume that most cats would not be very sorry to see him go.
The warriors of EarthClan wasted no time in streaking out of the battle-scarred camp across the remainder of ShadowClan territory towards their home. A few of the stronger warriors, including Ashcloud, lagged behind to help those who had been injured too badly to properly run.
Leafstar raced beside Flamefoot, whose initial expression of shock and uncertainty had morphed into one of euphoria. "Murkystar is dead!" he crowed in exultation. "He's finally dead!"
"And you killed him," Leafstar meowed, proudly. It was true that the Warrior Code did not look kindly upon killing cats from any Clan, even in battle, but with treacherous leaders like Murkystar, it was sometimes the only option.
Flamefoot was a young warrior. He had been an active, energetic apprentice who sometimes was difficult to control. But Leafstar could tell that his former apprentice was one of unusual strength and skill. Not many senior warriors, much less ordinary ones could take down a cat like Murkystar, and wipe out his remaining lives with one death blow!
When the Clan finally arrived back at camp, after pacing through thick, marshy swamp and weaving through their familiar forest, Leafstar's first sight was Greenspirit. Another young warrior, she was sitting nervously over by the pond with Flamefoot's two kits.
Mossflower, the mother of Flamefoot's kits, had left them behind with her friend in order to fight alongside her mate.
One of them, a small fluffy orange tom who looked nearly identical to his father, came marching over to them at once, leaving his shy sister behind.
"Did we win? Did we win?" he squeaked eagerly, looking up at Leafstar and Flamefoot with giant, orb-like eyes. As Flamefoot launched into an enthusiastic explanation of the battle without hesitation, Leafstar couldn't help but notice...there was something strange about this kit. He had never really noticed him before.
It was his eyes. They seemed to hold an expression that Leafstar would have expected to see in a much, much older cat's - one of knowledge, perception, skill, and...strength. This was not a normal kit, Leafstar know this from the pit of his belly.
This kit was going to be just like his father. Strong, brave, powerful, and good-hearted. But Leafstar had a strange, nagging feeling that he would be something more than that. He couldn't explain it, not even for all the lives StarClan had given him.
But what this small, seemingly unimpressive little kit had was something that could potentially have an impact on not just the future of EarthClan, but even the fate of all the Clans in the forest.