Prologue

Foxstar sat on the high ledge, staring down at his clan with great pride. As he sat in quiet, peaceful darkness of the night, he was interrupted by Cloverspots, the medicine cat apprentice. "Ah...Cloverspots," Foxstar greeted his clan-mate. "How is Mintflower's kitting doing?"
Cloverspots shook her head. "Not good."
Foxstar looked down at the gray she-cat in shock. "What? It's not like she hasn't done this before."
Cloverspots dipped her head. "It's not that." she mewed. "Her kit, is very very weak and tiny." She paused to lick her paw. "She seems almost...hollow...inside." She placed a paw to her chest. Foxstar's ear flicked. He jumped down from the ledge and walked over to the nursery. Inside, Mintflower lay inside, completely exhausted. Cupped in her paws was a tiny dark brown kit, barley bigger than a mouse. Springpelt stood beside the heartbroken mother.
"Don't name her. It'll be worthless. She won't survive the night." The white medicine cat spoke. Mintflower tried to ignore her and fiercely licked her daughter. Her mate, Watereyes, stepped past Foxstar and into the nursery. He laid beside his grieving mate and licked her ear.
"I told you we shouldn't of had another. We're too old." He meowed softly in her ear.
Eaglekit and Adderkit peeked out of their mother's paws to look at the she-kit. "Can we see her?" Eaglekit asked his mother.
Autumnfur pushed her sons away. "No. She's sick and weak. You won't have this den-mate for much longer." She said with sorrow in her voice.
"That's not fair!" Eaglekit squeaked. Foxstar sighed as he looked from the brown she-kit and his sons. "They're still too young to fully understand." he thought. The queens kept their kits hidden, trying to make them go to sleep.
"FreeClan attack!" A sudden voice shook the quiet night. Foxstar thrashed his head around to see the FreeClan leader, Pinkstar, racing down the hill towards FierceClan territory.
Jaycall looked up at the attacking warriors. "Why do you attack us? We've done nothing wrong!"
It didn't stop the warriors. Foxstar stood in the middle of the clearing. There wasn't any use in trying to talk to Pinkstar. "FierceClan...attack!" The FierceClan warriors counterattacked the FreeClan warriors at once. Pinkstar leaped towards Foxstar who hit her straight on.
Watereyes was preparing to battle until his mate rushed past him. "Mintflower! Get back into the nursery! Now!"
Mintflower turned to face the ginger tabby. "No! I want to fight. If these cats think they can just attack my clan without any reasoning than I'll fight them for it!" Watereyes didn't see the sense in arguing. He pressed after her, mumbling something inaudible.
Wildflower watched as Mintflower leaped into battle. "Is she mouse-brained? She just kitted!" Autumnfur picked up the brown tabby's kit and placed her beside her two sons. She curled up beside Eaglekit, who protectively wrapped his tail around her.
"Whoa!" he cried. "She's so small!" Adderkit pressed against his brother, frightened by the sounds of fighting cats.
Mintflower was heated in battle, refusing to give up until all of the FreeClan warriors were out of her territory. She lunged herself at a dark gray tom, claws unsheathed. She sank her claws deep into his flank, causing the tom to yowl in pain. He twisted around, swiping at her, but Mintflower was too quick for him to hit her straight on. He parted his jaws to taste the air, before stepping back.
"You...you have milk on you!" he shouted. "Shouldn't you be in the nursery?" Mintflower ignored him and leaped at him again. This time, he jumped out of the way. But she turned around and swiped at him, this time getting his neck. Blood poured out of the wound and the dark tom fell to the forest floor.
The wound wasn't deadly, but painful. The gray tom struggled to get up. Mintflower rose a paw in the air, ready to strike. "Mouse-dung!" a new meow halted Mintflower when she was blown over. Above her stood the FreeClan deputy, Lightbreeze.
"Fox-dung..." Mintflower spat.
"How dare you touch one of my warriors!" Lightbreeze cried. Mintflower twisted up, trying to claw at the deputy's neck, but the golden she-cat was faster and bit down on her neck. She pulled away when she felt Mintflower stop thrashing for air. Lightbreeze released the brown she-cat and rushed over to the dark gray tom. "Jaggedfern, are you alright?" she asked, licking his ear.
Jaggedfern pulled himself to his paws and gasped for air. "Why...why is there a queen on the battlefield?" he wheezed.
"A queen?" Lightbreeze sniffed the air and looked down at Mintflower. "Hmm. You should've stayed in the nursery."
"Mintflower!" Watereyes rushed over to his mate, who was bleeding on the forest floor. He leaped at Lightbreeze with fury in his eyes. "You snake-heart!" Before Watereyes could lay a claw on the FreeClan deputy, he was blown over by another cat.
Lightbreeze helped Jaggedfern limp away, before turning back at the cat who protected her from Watereyes. "Rockfall! Don't-"
"I'm fine, Lightbreeze!" the tabby shouted, from on top of Watereyes. Rockfall was already badly injured. His neck was bleeding terribly and he had a torn ear. He lowered his muzzle down to meet the ginger's ear. "Stay away from my deputy." Watereyes thrashed beneath Rockfall's grip.
"What's happening?" Soulkit tried to get around his mother's paws to see the fighting. His brothers, Blackkit and Fogkit crawled onto their mother's flank to get in front of her.
"Get down!" Wildflower shouted, pushing her sons away. "I don't want you to see this."
Watereyes and Mintflower's kit still sat between Eaglekit and Adderkit. Autumnfur licked the dark brown she-kits tiny head. "I can't believe you are not in StarClan yet, little-one..." she purred. She peeked outside to see her mate fighting with FreeClan's leader.
"Pinkstar! How dare you attack us? What have we done?" Foxstar asked as he swiped his claws into the gray and white she-cat's face.
"You think you can steal all of our prey, huh?" she spat. "Without any punishment? The kits in our clan have died because our queens are weak without our prey. Yet look at you, Foxstar. Your clan has more than enough kits. We need more apprentices to become warriors, and because of you we can't have that!"
Foxstar and Pinkstar's argument was cut off by Pinespirit's yowl. "Watereyes and Mintflower are dead!" the dark ginger tabby twisted his head around to see his loyal warriors bleeding on the ground, dead.
"You've gone too far this time, Pinkstar!" Foxstar cried. "Get your lousy warriors out of my territory! Now!" Pinkstar stared at the tom for a while longer before raising her nose to the sky.
"Retreat, FreeClan, retreat!" the warriors of FreeClan all ran out of the territory as fast as lightning.
Weaselflight, who was guarding the nursery, walked over to examine the bodies. His heart stopped when he noticed his former mentor on the grassy floor. "No! Mintflower!" he rushed over to his former mentor's dead body. "Oh, Mintflower...what will I do without you?" the tom put his nose to the queen's fur.
"She...and her mate," Weaselflight's brother, Colddawn put his tail on his brother's shoulder. "...will hunt along with StarClan now."
Weaselflight sighed. "I know."
"Her kit's still alive!" Autumnfur called out. Foxstar pushed away from his deceased warriors and stumbled over to the nursery. He peeked over his mate to see the dark brown she-kit breathing normally and sleeping peacefully.
"How can this be?" Foxstar asked, his eyes widened like an owls. "She was as healthy as any other kit!" Dayfeather glanced at the void-looking kit. "Our ancestors took two warriors, and spared a beautiful kit." Foxstar flexed his claws against the dirt. "You mean to tell me that StarClan took two of my greatest warriors to show mercy on this tiny kit" Dayfeather sank back a little at her leader's tone. "StarClan must have great plans for her." Rainheart suggested.

"Revenge, like some poisonous plant, replete with baneful juices, rankles in the breast, and meditates mischief to its neighbour" - WELLINS CALCOTT, Thoughts Moral and Divine