Allegiances

Cats

Blaze—ginger she-cat with white front paws and blazing emerald eyes.

Bright—black and brown patched she-cat with amber eyes.

Slash—grey-blue tom with darker chest and paws, his eyes are a deep brown.

Mountain—dark grey tom with dull amber eyes.

Dusk—black she-cat with bright hazel eyes.

Ice—dark blue-grey tom with front white paws and icy eyes.

Spark—brownish-orange she-cat with amber-green eyes.

Meek—small brown tom with only half his tail and misty grey eyes.

Water—silvery-grey she-cat with hazel eyes.

Leaf—dark brown tom with dark green eyes.

Sparkle—black and brown tortoiseshell queen soft green-blue eyes.

Speed—lean reddish-brown tom with dark amber eyes.

River—silvery-blue queen with soft brown eyes.

Forest—dark brown tabby with burning grey-blue eyes.

Bash—young grass-stained white tom with dark eyes.

Other Animals

Amaya—young mountain lion she-cub that lives at the gathering place of the FourStreams.

Mindheart—old he-owl who lives with Amaya and has learned to speak many tongues including cat and twoleg.


Prologue

"Tell me a story mom, what happened to the ancient cats." A little ginger she-kit begged, her bright green eyes gazing at the sky.

"Okay, okay, settle down little Blaze and I'll tell you." Her mother shifted behind her "Many, many years ago four clans lived on the other side of this twoleg place. They were called ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan and they lived in the forest. One day twolegs brought huge monsters and tore up the forest, the clans were forced to leave their homes but one cat from ThunderClan refused to go. That cat eventually fled to twoleg place but he refused to let the story of the clans disappear from this place, he began to spread the story and soon all of twoleg place knew the truth of the wild cats. That wasn't enough for the former clan cat though, he wanted to rebuild the clans here but there wasn't enough room on that side of twoleg place. He traveled across the twoleg place to here, the valley between the ancients, but no one wanted to help him build a clan. He was growing old by his time and knew he had little time left so when he chanced upon and owl egg he decided to raise it. And while he raised the owl, he taught it all he could about the former clans, hoping that one day new clans could be created in this valley."

"Do you think they will? Where did the owl go?" Blaze yawned and twisted to gaze at her mother.

"Maybe one day they will but no one knows what happened to the owl." Her mother stroked the kit with her tail, still gazing at the stars.

Blaze yawned again and curled down by her mother's belly "What was the cat's name?"

"His name was Riverblaze…"


On that same night on the partial island by the gathering place of the fourstreams, a young mountain lion cub sat in the highest tree with her tail curled loosely around the branch and her misty blue eyes trained on the stars.

After a few moments a quiet yet strange hooty voice murmured behind her "It comes soon, the new set…"

The cub turned her eyes away from the stars to gaze at the ancient owl perched on the branch behind her "Soon, yes Mindheart, but will it be in time?"

Mindheart turned his head towards her as he spoke again "It will, what makes you doubt Amaya? I and Riverblaze have carried the story far enough, StarClan will not let it go to waste."

"I have seen much in my few moons yet you ask why I doubt?" Amaya shook her head and rose to her paws. "Come, it is time we speak with Riverblaze again." She leapt down from the tree and raced towards the jut.

Mindheart followed more slowly, gliding just above her as she leapt the jut and took off around the lake and towards HighIsland.

Amaya paused at the entrance to the StarTunnel, her tail flicking slightly before she plunged into the dark tunnel. The owl followed behind with his almost silent wing beats. Her paws seemed to race down the well-known path into the darkness, one ear slanted back to listen for Mindheart.

Down and down they raced until finally a faint beam of light appeared ahead, breaking the darkness and revealing a starlit carven deep under the center of the lake. The light seeped through a large hole in the roof that was covered by a strange, thin sheet of clear sapphire to keep the lake water out.

Amaya stopped beside a large rock that jutted out of the center of the cavern, her eyes scanning the place as she called out "Riverblaze, we need to speak!"

Nothing seemed to happen and finally Mindheart murmured in a low voice "Has the moon already passed?"

Before an answer could even be thought up though the cave was awash in moonlight as the half-moon slide over the hole in the roof and a voice replied "Speak of what?"

Amaya twisted to see the old starry pelted blue-grey tom sitting on the MoonRock above them. She watched him a moment before answering "Speak of the clans that are to come."

The StarClan cat smiled faintly before replying "I tell you again, soon will come young from the forest and from the place of twolegs. You must teach them of the clans and of us in StarClan, you must make them into a clan. But that will not be what makes them a true clan, they must learn to suffer and depend on each other. For when the old clans left, a single cat stayed in the place of twolegs and refused to forget the struggles of the past."

Amaya closed her eyes, soaking in the ancient cat's wisdom as Mindheart landed on her back.

Riverblaze's voice softened and his eyes grew distant as he continued "But beware pain only breeds more pain…blood will be spilled in the days of peace and the one who knows will never tell…"

"The one who knows, what does that mean? Why will blood be spilled?" Amaya opened her eyes in confusion but the moonlight was beginning to fade around them.

"By the end many will know but none will tell…find the one…" The words were so faint she barely caught them as the shape of Riverblaze disappeared along with the last of the moonlight.

Amaya sat down in the dark carven and shifted her confused gaze to the hole in the roof, murmuring quietly "I think we just heard another prophecy."

"One for us or for the clans?" Mindheart questioned but no answer came.