The Outlaw

Chapter 1

"They Shall Come"

It was night. Moonlight flittered into the clearing, causing the small pool in the center to glisten brightly in the darkness. Bracken and other plants swayed in the cold wind, causing a gentle rustling to stir in the quite night.

It did not stay quite for long. Approaching pawsteps crushed many dead leaves and a cat entered the small clearing. It was a huge, brown tom, amber eyes glistening with the hope of revenge. He swept the clearing with his harsh gaze, alert and searching for a sign of another presence. There was none.

He stepped forward, his muscular paws sinking into the soft mud around waters edge. Hawkfrost's eyes lit up, and he raised his head to the heavens, calling out words of a strange tongue as he did so.

The pool before him began to shimmer, forming a picture of another cat before him. But he stopped midway and the picture vanished. Hawkfrost's eyes narrowed as another cat stepped into the clearing, her blue pelt glistening like the pool, giving her a ghostly appearance.

"Bluestar," the cat hissed venomously. The former leader nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hawkfrost, you must stop. You are attempting the impossible and bringing harm to the forest while doing it."

"No!" Hawkfrost cried, his ambition, as also, clearly visible. "I will succeed! I have not done harm to the clans; I have done them a favor! Soon my father and I shall be free of this terrible curse!"

"Even if you are free of your curse, you cannot join Starclan hunting grounds! Where will you go then, Hawkfrost?"

Hawkfrost gave a smirk so malicious that it sent shivers down Bluestar's spine, and the she-cat's eyes grew wide, her voice but a tiny whisper in the vast forest. "No Hawkfrost, you haven't."

"I have!" roared the tom. "And I will! Soon I shall be as free as a newborn kit! The Prophecy has been written Bluestar, there's no stopping it now!"

Unfortunately, he was right. But Bluestar wasn't one to back down. Even if it couldn't be stopped, she could guide the cats along the way.

And that's exactly what she would do.

A slender figure hurried across the clearing, paws pounding against the ground. She moved swiftly, eyes contorted in concentration, and continued on through the sticky mud.

She wasn't alone. A group of cats pursued her, each muscular and menacing, fur matted down with fresh, scarlet blood. The closest one let out a yowl, signaling to the others to get the job down, and they picked up their speed, catching up quickly to the younger cat.

The nearest one leaped, claws at the ready, towards her, but the she-cat ducked, her pursuer flying overhead. Another cat came running forth, white foam dripping from his snarling mouth. This time, the she-cat rolled out of the way, his claws slicing the spot she had been moments before.

She wasn't done yet. With her hind legs, she kicked up, striking the cat under its chin and causing him to stumble backwards in surprise. Quickly she pushed herself up as her first attacker recovered, running forward with his amber eyes narrowed dangerously. She stepped aside and he ran a little farther out before circling and come back. The she-cat chose to also running in a circle, making the two look like wolves readying to fight.

She didn't complete her circle, for when she reached the spot her other attacker was recovering she leaped onto him, forcing his skull into the mud. Wasting no time, she jumped toward the other cat, landing on his back, making him collapse beneath her. She grabbed the tom's ears firmly with her teeth, stretching them slightly, before she attempted to fling the cat away. This half worked, as the cat was much bigger than she, but she still managed to throw him slightly to the side.

By now the other had recovered and, rather than fighting, trotted over to his leader's side casually. The last cat too stood and join the other. She relaxed a bit, emerald eyes taking in her pursuers.

There were five, only of which two had attacked. Each was white with splotches of black and the blood on their pelts. All wore sneers and smirks, and the leader stepped forward.

"Storm the Outlaw," his voice was icy, as expected, and the light caught his eyes just enough to give them a glint of pure evil. "One of the Legendaries in training, we have been given orders to 'exterminate' you for treason."

The she-cat, Storm, glared, her green eyes like thorns, but she still wore an amused sort of expression. "Treason? Guess you found out about that little plan of ours. Tell me, have you already 'exterminated' the others?"

"Most," the leader spoke in a controlled tone, yet something about his voice made Storm suspect he was going to leap at any given moment. "But you…you've been expecting us, haven't you?" He grinned, his yellow teeth glistening oddly in the night.

"Maybe," shrugged Storm. "But you're not going to beat me either way. As you said, I'm a Legendary in Training, and you are exterminators. You don't stand a chance." Storm's face was now covered with a triumphant smirk.

The leader's eyes narrowed. "So you think," He flicked his head and his troop spread out into a circle, each prepared for bloodshed.

The leading cat gave a loud yowl and began-he kicked into motion, jumping forward and tackling Storm to the ground. Storm hissed and rolled sideways, causing the cat to slightly loosen his grip. She quickly kicked him off her and ran past, through the opening he had left.

Two more cats moved in and blocked her passageway, but Storm was prepared and took a mighty jump, landing on top of another cat. He fell and Storm quickly raced off of him and through the clearing, searching for a hiding spot.

She found one. The she-cat was quickly approaching a large wooden house with large creatures they knew as horses roaming within a fenced area. Storm scurried under the fence and across the untidy lawn; to Storm's relief the barn doors were wide open and she sprinted inside, ducking behind a rather large barrel of hay to conceal herself.

The Exterminators were quick to follow. They prowled around; noses high and claws unsheathed, but luckily for Storm the stench of horse was so great that it clouded their nostrils.

Finally, after many minutes of cats coming to close for comfort, the leader growled and sighed in defeat, "She's not here. We must hurry. She could have gone back to hide with her other comrades by now." Upon hearing this, the cats briskly exited without another sniff.

Storm waited several seconds before stepping out of her hiding space and taking a few steps outside into the cool, misty night. Stars twinkled down from the heavens, reflecting oddly in Storm's clouded green eyes.

She stood there for a few minutes before a strong yet gentle voice called out, "Storm,"

She jumped and turned abruptly, hissing out, "Who said my name?"

"It was I," the voice said again and, again, Storm glanced around but saw no one.

"Who are you?" Storm asked, wondering if perhaps she had gone mental. The voice replied by chuckling, and then a strange light glowed in front of her and suddenly there was a cat there. Her coat was blue, as Storm's was, her eyes determined and she had a sense of authority above her that made Storm wonder whether she should crouch down at her presence, as she did to her previous leader. But there was something different about this cat; she seemed vague, almost ghostly.

"Who are you?" Storm asked, her voice quivering.

"I," meowed the cat, strong and with pride, "Am Bluestar. And I am here to guide you."

"Guide me?" repeated the smaller she-cat. Bluestar's response was a nod.

"Yes. You have a great destiny to fulfill Storm, and I shall guide you through it. And right now, I need you to go and seek shelter in a tribe of cats known as ThunderClan. They may refuse, but you must insist that you stay. There is where your destiny will begin. Understand?"

"ThunderClan?" Storm meowed, bemused. "Destiny? But-"

"ThunderClan," Bluestar interrupted, "Is that way." She flicked her tail toward a wide, long stretch of land that extended, Storm thought, very far until in reached a forest. "Inside that forest you shall find your new home, ThunderClan. And there, you will work with others-some may have traveled far, and some not, but they will come and together your destiny shall be fulfilled."

Storm was prepared to bombard Bluestar with question, but she never got the opportunity, for when she had turned from the path she was to take back to Bluestar, the cat was gone.

She was quickly approaching a large wooden house, horses roaming within a fenced area. Her new discovery was a farm, and she scurried under the fence, hiding amongst the long grass under a nearby horse. The larger animal was oblivious.

The Exterminators were quick to follow. They sniffed and prowled around, poking their noises and claws everywhere. They were nearing here, but if this worked out the way Storm planned, the horse's scent would disguise her own and the tall grass would hide her blue coat.

Her planned was failing. The leader was fast approaching her hiding spot, claws at the ready. He sniffed once more and moved towards her, eyes scanning the grass for Storm's blue pelt. Storm could hear her heart beating faster, faster in her chest and she tensed, again prepared to fight this cat.

That didn't happen. The horse seemed to suddenly notice him, and its eyes widened as he kicked up, calling out loudly in fear. The leader shrank back and away from the horse, sinking into the grass, but the horse continued its fearful rant, kicking up grass and still screeching in terror.

They shall come, the chorus of voices whispered in his ears. He thrashed uncomfortably. The tom and struggled to open his eyes for a glimpse of her surroundings, but his eyelids seemed tons heavier than they were, and wouldn't budge.

They shall come and

The good they do shall be vast,

But the terror they bring will be great

And the forest will cry at there work and

They shall come.

And two shall fight for the heart of a traitor,

And one shall bring the downfall to another,

And only when the darkened one opens his eyes to the light,

Shall the banished one return,

On the cursed night the Moon is swallowed by darkness,

He thrashed some more, unable to wiggle more than a few tail lengths before he dropped to the ground in tire. Murmurs all around him in strange, far-off voices whispered eerily, they shall come,

Jaypaw's eyes snapped open though nothing came into view. He gasped, and pushed himself to his paws, padding outside into the clearing. Jaypaw inclined his head slightly upward, checking on the whether conditions.

It was cold, and the whipping wind that bristled Jaypaw's fur made him suspect the first of winter's snow was on the way. Although all Jaypaw noted was darkness, he suspected that the first patches of blue sky were beginnings to edge their way through the night sky.

Usually, when Jaypaw was awake early, he wished that he could watch the sunrise, and from then on spent the morning and most of the day fantasizing the beautiful sky being painted with vivid colors as the sun emerged, but today he thought only of the puzzling dream.

"That had to be a prophecy," he murmured, "but what of?"

Author's Note: Short and sweet, I intended to make it longer but didn't get the chance. Anyway, what do you think? It's my first Warriors epic I've written for awhile, but I think this will turn out to best one yet.

Warriors is property of Erin Hunter and I do not own it. It is used without permission, but hey, isn't everybody else's too?