Prolouge

The she-cat lay on a rock inside a hidden cave. Sunlight filtered from the entrance to the cave, reflecting the warmth onto the she-cat. Next to her were three newborn kits; a black tom, a grey-and-white tom, and the smallest, a pure white she-kit. The she-cat smiled, and started licking her kits.

She lifted her head and twitched her ears at the sound of pawsteps. She was relieved when she saw it was only her mate--a huge grey tom with rare blue eyes. As her mate drew closer into view, she noticed he had a nasty scar in his leg caused by another cat. She wanted to ask what had happened, but instead, she kept her jaw shut.

He limped toward the she-cat. "How are the kits?" He asked worriedly, staring at his kits. He couldn't help but notice how thin they were; the mother hadn't given them enough milk.

"Well, they're alive," the she-cat responded. "I can't seem to get enough milk for them. Its hard chance for them to survive." She went back to licking the kits. "Or for us," she quickly added.

"It's okay, Rain," her mate meowed and nuzzled her gently. "Just don't give up."

"I know, Hawk, but--" Rain started, but was interupted by her mate.

"Just try. These kits are counting on you. I know you can do it," Hawk comforted. Then he suddenly stepped away from Rain and limped into his nest. He lay down and started licking his still bleeding leg.

Rain sighed, Hawk's words ringing in her head. Just try. These kits are counting on you. Relaxed a bit, she curled up in a ball with her kits by her side, and fell into a deep sleep.

When she awoke it was night time. All was quite, except for the sound of the water running through the streams in the cave and the sound of crickets chirping. But she heard something else too...

She moved her ears to listen, but the sound came from all directions. It became more louder and clearer. She could make out a voice around her, calling her name. Rain turned around and looked at Hawk; he was still curled up in that same spot, his nest, not awoken by the voice.

Everything happened too fast. There was a bright light around her. Whats happening? She thought worriedly. Then there was a bright flash and she saw a light grey tom standing in front of her. "Wh-who are you?" She asked.

"Name's Jay," the light grey cat meowed. "I've come from the Dark Forest to give you a message."

"The Dark Forest?" Rain looked at Jay in confusion. "What kind of message?" She didn't trust this cat. She didn't even know who this stranger was. She had many questions. What was the Dark Forest? What message? Why did this cat come to her, instead of another cat that could handle stuff like this easier?, and so on.

"You see, I'm a spirit, and I'm not really here," Jay explained. "Well, you know your new kits?" He stared at Rain. Rain took a small step back when she thought, or found out, that the message was about her kits. "You'd better get rid of them before something happens."

"Get rid of them?" Rain repeated in shock. "Why would I do that to my own kits?" She looked back at the three helpless creatures. These kits are counting on you.She shook her head.

It was quite obvious Jay purposely didn't want to put in any major details. What would this cat be hiding?She wondered.

"One will rise while the other will fall. It won't be clear which one, thought, and its your choice to listen to me, or..." Jay scratched the soft but rocky ground.

"I will never listen to you," Rain hissed. "I barely even know who you are."

"If that's your final choice..." Jay meowed. Mist gathered around him, and he disapeared.

Rain looked around. There was no sign of Jay anywhere. She sighed and jumped back onto her rock, and fell back asleep.

Chapter 1

Wolf chased his brother, Thorn, across the cave inside a mountain that they called their den. His sister, Snow, sat in the corner of the den watching Wolf and Thorn run around the cave.

The kits were about four moons old now, and they were already up and running around. Except Snow. She would always sit there while her brothers played. Whenever Wolf asked her to come and join him and Thorn, Snow always had exuses like that she didn't like the games her brothers played, or that she was too tired.

Wolf always wished to go outside the cave and beyond the mountains, but Mother always said it was too dangerous. He also always wondered what sort of "dangers" were out there. Father was almost never at the den, either.

He always pictured what outside the cave would look like. All he'd seen of it was the view from the entrance to the cave, but nothing else.

A gentle swat of a paw on his ear brought him out of his daydreaming. He turned around to see Thorn, who was staring at him playfully. For the first time, he didn't feel like running around and chasing his older brother all day. Snow was still sitting in the corner. She had her tail wrapped around her body, and her blue eyes stared at them. She muttered something to herself, but Wolf couldn't make out what she said.

"Come on, Wolf! You haven't been paying attention to anyone today! Why?" Thorn asked, then he glanced at Snow. "And Snow of course is just a l--" He stopped talking when he saw Mother looking at him as if saying 'you shouldn't talk to your sister like that!'.

Wolf sighed. "We've been doing this all day." He looked at the entrance to the cave. "Mother, when can we go outside?" He added with quick glance at Thorn.

Mother got up and walked toward her two sons. They'd been over this before; they weren't ready to go outside because it was "too dangerous". "Not until a while," she meowed. "You never been out there. You don't know how dangerous it is."

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know. Just outside the cave?" He asked pleadingly. He already knew the answer. Its not even worth it, he thought.

Mother sighed. "Just outside the cave," she agreed. "But I have to go with you guys." Wolf stared at Mother in excitement. Never before had she agreed to let them go outside, or anywhere away from the heart of the cave.

He bounded to the cave entrance, but stopped as he looked at the steep way down to the grassy ground from the high cave inside the mountain. Thorn walked up next to him. To both of their surprise, Snow followed too. Mother led the way down the steep rocky "pathway" down to the field.

Wolf heard a small cry from Snow. He looked behind him. "Are you okay?" He asked, walking up to his sister.

"Yeah, I just stepped on a sharp rock," Snow responded. Mother also walked up to Snow. Mother started studying the injured paw. Before Mother could say anything, Snow said, "I'm fine, it just hurts a bit." Then she started limping down the hill.

"If you insist," Mother muttered and followed Snow. They reached the end of the hill and emerged into a endless field of tall grass.

"Wow," Wolf said in admiration. He sunk his claws into the soft but wet ground. Taking a minute to get used to the strange surroundings, he sniffed and took in all the new scents that came from all around him.

"Hey Mother, can we go to that place with a lot of trees?" Snow asked, staring beyond the long field and into the forest.

"That's the forest, and no. We have to stay in the field. Out there, in the forest, is too dangerous. I'm serious, kits," Mother responded.

"Your no fun!" Wolf complained. He didn't care if it was dangerous; he knew that he could face the dangers, even if he was a four-moon old kit outside for the first time in his life.

"Yeah," Thorn piped in, "What are we supposed to do in a huge boring field of grass?" He let out a soft hiss as a unsturdy piece of grass fell on his snout.

"Oh and a small boring cave is funner than a huge open field full of lots of surprises?" Wolf spat. He took a few steps forward carefully, and kept his ears alert for any signs of "dangers".

Thorn rolled his eyes but said nothing. Snow watched Wolf and Thorn argue, then she started sniffing around herself.

Mother turned her head toward the sound of pawsteps. Wolf did too. Was there another animal coming to attack them? He wondered. A huge brown tom appeared. My father? Wolf felt a bit disapointed but relieved at the same time.

Father stared at the three kits. "What are they doing outside the cave? I told you to keep them inside!" He spat.

Mother looked as if she was about to protest, but she didn't. "T-the kits wanted to come outside so badly...and you know...they need to learn about the outside world around them sooner or later. Besides, its just right outside of the cave."

"Rain, remember what I told you. You can't let them out like this! Something could happen. And believe me, I know a thing or two about that," Father hissed. "Take them back to the cave. Now." Mother just nodded and started leading her kits back to the den.

Wolf looked at Thorn. He looked behind him. Where's Snow? He stopped. "Snow is missing," he pointed out.

Then there was a yowl. It was Snow, he realized with a jolt.

Chapter 2

Without thinking, Wolf turned around and hurried toward the cry. Mother was straight behind him. It was hard to see anything in the tall grasses. Where had Snow gone? He thought, speeding up his pace a bit.

He heard some unfamiliar sounds coming from where he had heard Snow's cry. He sniffed the air, trying to track down his sister. There were too many scents to take in--after all, it was his first day outside ever. He shook his head. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his sister. Father was ahead of everyone else.

Father suddenly stopped when he reached the edge of the field. Wolf was close behind him. About a fox-length ahead of them stood a large white-and-brown She-cat, who was pinning down Snow.

Wolf took a step back, unsure of what to do next. Thorn showed no sign of fear; he confidently walked forward to the stranger, trying to make himself look as aggressive as possible. Snow helplessly looked toward her brother. "Leave my sister alone!" Thorn spat. To all of their surprise, the She-cat got off Snow and stared at the intruders.

"Fallenleaf, you know not to mess with kits," Father hissed. The kits stared at Father in confusion. How did he know who this cat was? Snow quickly turned back and ran to Mother. Thorn just stood there and watched, still no fear in his eyes.

Fallenleaf hissed back at Father. "And you know not to intrude on ThunderClan territory. You know our laws. Get out." ThunderClan? Territory? Laws? It was too much for Wolf.

"Look, you know this was a misunderstanding..." Father started. A misunderstanding? Wolf watched helplessly.

Fallenleaf stared at the other cats. "Remember that deal we made?" She asked. "Well, that kit is mine now." She quickly walked up to Snow and picked her up. "This isn't over," she hissed, and walked away.

Wolf looked at Father in worry. "Father...who was that cat? What will she do to Snow? Will Snow be okay?" Wolf asked. This never would have happened if I never begged Mother to take us outside, he thought. Part of him felt like it was Snow's fault. After all, she was the one who had wandered into the forest.

Father sighed. "I don't know," he meowed quietly and started leading them back to the cave. Wolf slowly followed. Mother paused, looked back at the forest, then followed her mate.

Wolf couldn't sleep that night. He still regretted going out there, to the field. The forest. He was still wondering who was that mysterious cat who had taken Snow. And how did Father know who she was?

He turned around to the sound of pawsteps. Thorn was walking towards him. "What are you doing up this late?" Thorn asked, sitting down next to Wolf.

Wolf looked up at the clear night sky. "Its my fault.." he thought out loud. "I shouldn't have let this happen to Snow..." Then he looked down at his paws. A few seconds later he looked up at his brother.

"Wolf, it wasn't your fault," Thorn comforted. "Everyone makes mistakes." Wolf stared at the forest. He knew his brother was right. Maybe I should just let it go, he thought.

"I know but...maybe Mother was right. It is too dangerous out there. I..I just didn't understand..." He wished Snow was there beside him. He looked back to the rock that they always slept on, every night. He, Thorn, and Snow.

Now Snow was gone. All because of him. Maybe he wasn't ready to face the dangers in the outside world. This all made him feel like a useless little kit. Maybe that was just what he was.

Chapter 3

Wolf had finally gone to sleep that night, but when he woke up in the morning he was still tired. He hadn't gotten much sleep, since he spent most of the night talking to Thorn. He was a bit relieved about Snow getting kitnapped after that night, but he was still worried for his sister.

He remembered that moment clearly. He hadn't came to the thought until now; why hadn't Father--or Mother--try to stop that warrior from taking Snow? It really occured to him a bit odd. He wanted to ask Father about it, but whenever he asked him about anything, there wasn't an answer. It also didn't occur to him that his Father was hiding something. But what? He wondered.

He got out of his nest, carefully trying not to wake up Thorn or Mother. He walked toward the cave entrance, then stopped. No. He couldn't go outside. Not after Snow got kitnapped. Even though he only encountered one "danger", he understood the dangers of the wilderness now.

I don't care what Mother, Father, or Thorn says, Wolf thought bravely, I'm going to find Snow, whether they like it or not!He was about to hurry out of the cave when he heard Thorn waking up. "What are you doing, Wolf?" Thorn asked. "You know your not supposed to go outside."

Wolf sighed. "But after hearing what you heard, I regained my confidence." He looked at Thorn. "I think I'm ready to do this on my own." He knew Mother and Father would never let him find Snow at this age--or ever, if that was the case.

"I'm glad you did, but you can't just go off like that! What if you get hurt out there? Or..or...worse?" Thorn said worriedly. "All I'm saying is I don't want anything bad happening to my only remaining brother."

"You're starting to sound like Mother and Father. From when did you care so much about me?" Wolf spat. He dug his claws into the rocky ground. I never get to do anything I want to.

"I always cared about you, Wolf! If you don't want my help, then fine. If something happens to you, don't come crying to me." Thorn started walking away. Wolf knew he shouldn't have gone so hard on his brother. He just wanted to rescue Snow. It wasn't the same without her.

Mother slowly woke up. She stretched then leaped off the rock she was sleeping on, then looked at Wolf. She sat down and started licking her paw. "What's wrong?" She asked, noticing Wolf's broken expression.

"Nothing," Wolf lied. He was sick and tired of his family worrying about him so much. He sat down next to Mother and sighed. "Mother, are we going to get Snow back soon?" He asked.

Mother put her paw down and stared at her son. "I don't know..." Wolf could tell that she cared for Snow as much as he did. It still didn't explain why they actually let that stranger cat kitnap her.

"Aren't we going to find Snow and take her back, Mother?" Wolf couldn't help it but ask that. There was a long moment of silence. He and Mother both stared at each other.

"We can't," Mother said softly. Wolf figured she was somehow hiding something from him. She probably knows Father's secret. If he has one, that is.

"Why not? I know you want Snow back. I know you miss her as much as I, Thorn, and Father does. If you want her to survive, we have to find her." He knew he wasn't convincing his mother one bit. It was worth a shot, at least.

Mother got up. "Didn't Snow getting stolen teach you enough? You can't just go sneak into the camp of many cats and steal a kit, Wolf." She paused, then looked at Wolf worriedly. "It might be too late. Snow might already be gone."

Wolf was started to feel irritated. "Its not stealing! Its taking back what was OURS! I don't care what you guys think. I'm going to find Snow, no matter what you guys say or what you do to stop me!" He hissed. He stood there for a few seconds, then suddenly dashed for the cave entrance as fast as he could before anybody could stop him.

He heard Mother's calls telling him to come back, but he ignored them. All of this was her fault. And Father's. He slipped down the rocky "pathway" down to the tall field of grass. He let out a hiss of annoyance.

He risked a glance behind him as he started running again. He was relieved to see Mother was still calling for him, and watching her son leave her. I don't need anyone to care for me. I can make it out on my own. I'll show them!

He stopped. He was on his own now. He came upon a new thought. Am I right? Can I actually survive in the unknown wilderness, trying to track down my sister, which would be impossible?