Warriors is © to Erin Hunter.

P R O L O G U E

The sounds of battle cries and furious screeches filled the air. Amberkit pressed herself closer against her two brothers, her tiny body shaking as she tried to make herself smaller. Maybe if she made herself smaller, the gray she-kit reasoned, she could just disappear altogether and the scary cats would go away.

"Where's Brightheart?" Amberkit felt Dewkit press closer against her. On her other side, though he was pressed close to the bottom of their nest, Snowkit growled. The sound was soft and almost inaudible; Amberkit wouldn't have heard it had she not been so close.

Amberkit's wide eyes swept the nursery before she replied, "She went outside to fight." Ferncloud stood shoulder to shoulder with Daisy just inside the nursery entrance, keeping an eye on the five kits. Seedkit and Lilykit were with her and her littermates as well. Seedkit was quivering so hard Amberkit was sure she was going to shake off her red tabby fur.

"I'd like to see those Dark Forest warriors try and hurt us!" Snowkit growled beside her.

Amberkit flashed her littermate an annoyed look. Couldn't he see that they were in danger? Amberkit could see it on the faces of her Clanmates, even if they tried to make it seem like things were okay every time they caught her staring. Before she could reply to Snowkit, Dewkit interrupted. "S-stop talking like that, Snowkit!" Dewkit muttered.

"Shh!" Startled by the sudden sound of Daisy's sharp warning, Amberkit turned to find that the queen was glaring at the three of them. "Stop muttering and keep quiet!"

Amberkit was sure that the queen would have said more, but she was suddenly thrust aside as Brightheart scrambled into the den. Dewkit began to scurry up and out of the nest, but was pushed back as their mother clambered in and curled herself protectively around them. Deep claw marks lined the old scars that marked Brightheart's face, and blood trickled freely through her downy-white fur. Amberkit must have been staring, because when Brightheart glanced down at her, the queen's face slid into one of warmth, replacing the fear.

"I'm okay." Brightheart meowed, leaning down to touch her nose to Amberkit's forehead. "These are nothing compared to the injuries I gave the other warrior."

"Did you kill him?" Snowkit shouted aloud, wriggling in between Amberkit and Dewkit to stare up in awe at Brightheart. "Did you claw out his fur?" The white tom-kit bared his teeth in a growl and lashed out with a clumsy forepaw.

Brightheart pushed Snowkit down closer to her belly with a front paw. "Hush." She told the little tom. The warmth had faded from Brightheart's single eye, and now it gleamed with obvious fear. Dewkit was shaking all the more now, and Amberkit pressed against him in an attempt to soothe her frightened brother. Amberkit's own heart hammered inside her chest like a constrained hummingbird, waiting to be freed from its prison. Just as Amberkit opened her mouth to say something to Dewkit, the sudden sound of screeches outside broke her train of thought.

The blue and white she-kit turned her head in time to see a broad-shouldered tabby shouldering his way in through the nursery, shoving aside both Ferncloud and Daisy as if they were nothing but small mice. His amber eyes were cold, and gleamed as they scanned the nursery. When they fell on Amberkit and her siblings, he grinned.

Without a word, the tabby tom suddenly lunged at Brightheart. He hooked his curved claws into her patched coat, tearing at fur and flesh alike mercilessly. Amberkit heard her mother cry out, but fear rendered her useless. She, along with the rest of the kits, crouched helpless against the nest.

With a cry, Amberkit was forced to watch as Brightheart's still and lifeless body was cast a side. Beside her, Snowkit let loose a snarl. "What have you done?"

Dewkit whimpered as the tabby slide forward, his eyes once more on the five of them. "Three great destinies…" The tom muttered to himself. His eyes traveled from one kit to another, before they finally came to a stop on Amberkit. "Destinies that will be lost here."

A frightened scream wrenched itself from Amberkit's throat as the tabby tom lunged forward. He grabbed her by the scruff and shook her like a mouse. As the pain became unbearable, Amberkit slid into the welcoming embrace of the dark that enveloped her with welcoming arms.

-x-

This is a bit short, but it's just the prologue and only the beginning. Chapter one should be longer. Each chapter may be from the perspective of either one of three characters. At this point, I'm not sure how I'm going to format it.