A/N: Introducing my AU! You'll learn more about it as we go. Hope you enjoy!
In the darkness of night, only the near-half moon and the stars in the sky broke through the shadows with their bright light. The silence was only broken by the quietly
frothing river, like a lion just learning how to roar. The rocks beside the river were swarming with a small group of cats. Suddenly, another group of cats leapt out of the
shadows of the forest, and within moments, the otherwise peaceful scene turned into a battlefield of screeching cats.
A dark brown tabby tomcat had a reddish-brown tom pinned beneath his paws, growling in his face. "Oakheart," the brown tabby growled, "how dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to ThunderClan!"
Oakheart hissed back up at the dark tom holding him down. "After tonight, Tigerclaw, this is just another RiverClan hunting ground!"
Tigerclaw yowled and brought up his paw for a blow to the RiverClan tom when he was shoved off him. Tigerclaw looked up and saw a black she-cat, anger in her yellow-orange eyes. Tigerclaw hissed and leapt at the she-cat to claw her back, but she nimbly dodged out of the way. The black she scratched Tigerclaw's muzzle. He had to squint as the blood nearly got into his eyes. He unsheathed his claws for another swipe when he heard the scream of a ThunderClan cat split the air. The black cat looked up, trying to find the source of the scream. Now's my chance, Tigerclaw thought. He gripped the she by the shoulders and threw her into a nearby rock. He caught a glimpse of her moving to get up before he ran to help his Clanmate.
A small, dusky brown she-cat was crouching defiantly before a brown tabby tom, a huge gash on her shoulder. The tabby was about to pounce on his opponent when Tigerclaw tackled him, knocking the breath out of the RiverClan warrior. "Run, Mousefur," Tigerclaw encouraged, "while he's down!"
Mousefur struggled to her paws before pelting back into the forest, her wound dripping blood behind her. Tigerclaw turned his attention to the brown striped tabby, who was now back on his paws, hissing. He unsheathed his claws and attacked the tom's side, getting a few good scratches in before the RiverClan cat cuffed his ear with unsheathed claws. Anger fueling Tigerclaw, he clawed the tom's face. The enemy recoiled, bleeding from a wound just above his eye, before turning tail and swimming across the river to safety.
"Look out!" Tigerclaw looked up to see a white and gray she-cat standing on one of the rocks, fear sparking in her green gaze. "More RiverClan warriors are approaching!"
Tigerclaw glanced across the river to see that his Clanmate was right; when that one cat had left, five more had slipped into the river unnoticed until now. They climbed out, anger and bloodlust noticeable in their eyes.
"Tigerclaw," gasped a tortoiseshell ThunderClan tom popping up beside the large tabby, "this is useless! There are far too many RiverClan warriors!"
"No, Redtail!" Tigerclaw protested. "ThunderClan will never be beaten."
"ThunderClan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw," Redtail retorted, "but we will have another opportunity to avenge this defeat, mark my words." The tortoiseshell then leaped up onto a nearby rock, letting out a caterwaul. "ThunderClan, retreat!"
The ThunderClan cats broke off from their opponents, running into the shadowed forest. Tigerclaw reluctantly followed as Redtail leaped down from the rock. The last thing he heard before he disappeared into the shadows was the victory yowl of Oakheart, filling him with rage.
Deep in the forest, a small ravine opened the ground. Surrounded by gorse and brambles, the hollow atthe bottom was deadly quiet. The lone rock that stood jutting out of the center had the only creature in the ravine on top of it; a blue-gray she-cat, with some silver around her muzzle and tail. She sat silent in the night, looking up at the stars. She looked to her side as a pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat clambered up the rock beside her. "Spottedleaf," the gray she-cat greeted, "how is Mousefur?"
"Her wounds are deep, Bluestar," Spottedleaf replied, "but she's young and strong. She'll heal quickly."
"And the others?" Bluestar ventured.
"They will all recover too," Spottedleaf verified.
Bluestar sighed in relief. "We are lucky not to have lost any cats. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf." The she-cat then turned her gaze to the stars again.
"Are you asking StarClan for answers?" Spottedleaf asked, looking up at Bluestar worriedly.
"Yes," Bluestar answered. "Tonight's defeat has troubled me. ThunderClan has not been defeated in its own territory since I became leader. Newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits."
"But the frost has only just begun to melt," Spottedleaf pointed out. "There will be more kits when greenleaf comes."
"True, but training our young takes time. RiverClan has been moving closer and closer to our territory, and ShadowClan has been growing restless. We may not have the time to train them. Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar lamented.
"Not for some moons, Bluestar," Spottedleaf replied. She looked up at the stars. Suddenly, her eyes turned glazed as she stared up. Following her gaze, Bluestar noticed a shooting star. It kept going until it disappeared behind a tree. A cold wind blew across the camp, making Bluestar shiver. Spottedleaf wasn't affected at all.
"It was a prophecy," Spottedleaf whispered, snapping out of her trance. "From StarClan."
"What did it say?" Bluestar questioned.
"Fire and ice will save the Clans."
"Fire? Ice?" Bluestar frowned, confused. "But fire is feared by all the Clans! And ice is nothing special. How can fire and ice save the Clans?"
"I am not sure," Spottedleaf admitted.
Bluestar sighed. "Very well. If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. Fire and ice will save the Clans."
A/N: Before any of you ask, no, the ice is not Scourge. It's another cat. You'll find out soon enough. Also, if you can find out who the white and gray cat is before she is revealed, you get a cookie! Hint: She doesn't end up in the same place in this AU as she does in the canon.
Have a nice day!