Prologue

The two of them sat together for the longest time, unsure how to answer each others questions. They'd known for the longest time that they were meant for each other. It was hard to admit that they were in love, yet it was also hard to deny it. His amber eyes glowed with warmth when he looked at her. She met his gaze with the same amount of warmth, until she would feel hot under her fur and look away.

A half moon hovered above the sky, sending brilliant silver rays over their pelts. Her gray fur gleamed silver in the light, and it was reflected in her soft blue eyes.

"I love you," he meowed, unable to conceal the truth any longer.

Her eyes widened, and she smothered a purr. He looked at her suspiciously, but she was already on her paws. "I love you too," she whispered back.

It seemed as though moons had passed since that fateful night. Now Lionblaze was pacing outside the nursery's entrance, casting worried glances. Sorreltail had rushed in to help her daughter, and even Poppyfrost was busy giving advice. Her wail of pain told Lionblaze that the kits had arrived. His ears flattened as he imagined the type of pain that she was in.

Why did I put her through this? he wondered as he glared at the sky. Clouds obscured the stars that would have normally been a blanket of security for him. Now he could only look at the nursery as he waited for news of his kits' arrival.

"Stop fidgeting." A sharp meow from the elders' den told Lionblaze that Sandstorm had been watching. Her normally sharp green eyes had been clouded with grief for the past few moons since Firestar's death. Now they seemed to brighten at the prospect of more kits arriving. "You are only going to scare Cinderheart if you keep acting like this," she added in a raspy purr.

He couldn't help but nod in agreement. Cinderheart would have called him a scared mouse if she saw him now. She didn't care if she insulted him or not, but that was what made her unique. He loved her for her attitude and sense of compassion. She was a good fighter when the time was necessary, and had proved it from time to time.

"The kits have come." Lionblaze's ears pricked forward as a gray tabby head poked through the nursery's entrance. He didn't bother looking at his brother. Jayfeather would have known straight away that he was staring at him anyways. "You can see them now, anxiouspaws," he added.

The golden tabby gave a stiff flick of his tail before padding forward. The nursery had become crowded since Ferncloud's kits arrived, and Icecloud had moved in not long ago. The white she-cat's belly was large, and Jayfeather had said that her kits were due any day now. Despite how full the nursery was, Lionblaze's eyes were set on one cat in particular. Her gray tabby fur was still ruffled from the birthing process. But her eyes gleamed when she realized that he was there.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Sorreltail was crouched beside her daughter, giving Cinderheart a loving look as she stared at the two tiny bundles of fur. One body was laid to the side, still as a stone.

"I'm sorry, Lionblaze," Cinderheart murmured. Sorrow brimmed at the edges of her eyes as she looked at him. "She didn't make it."

Lionblaze swallowed a moan of grief. He knew that leafbare had been hard, and Cinderheart had gone hunting before she moved into the nursery. Perhaps that hunting escapade was what had caused his third kit's death. "She will join Honeyfern in StarClan," he whispered.

Both Cinderheart and Sorreltail exchanged mournful looks when he mentioned their kin. Honeyfern had been killed by an adder that managed to find the camp. When Briarlight and her siblings had been playing, the light brown tabby got in the way before the snake could attack, biting her shoulder and sending venom into her veins.

"Have you thought of names for them?" Ferncloud asked from the far side of the nursery.

"Of course," Cinderheart meowed. "This one will be called Flamekit, in honor of Firestar."

Lionblaze's eyes hardened at the mention of Firestar. The flame-colored tom had died during the battle against the Dark Forest. Tigerstar had gotten his revenge when he managed to catch Firestar by surprise. Lionblaze had gotten his own revenge after sending Tigerstar back to the Dark Forest, where he would forever roam angrily watching the Clans thrive.

"Why don't we name the tabby Sunkit?" he asked when his tail pointed towards the smaller kit.

"Flamekit and Sunkit…welcome to ThunderClan…." Cinderheart's voice broke off in a wistful sigh as she looked down at her two kits.

Once she was resting, Lionblaze grasped the third kit by its scruff. Its tail dangled limply as he padded across the clearing, towards the thorn tunnel entrance. He couldn't help but feel waves of sorrow as he thought of how strong this kit could have been.

The sun was beginning to rise by the time he buried his daughter beside Firestar's grave. A fresh mound of mud had been dug up by his strong paws. It took him a few heartbeats to realize that Jayfeather was there. The gray tabby was staring at Firestar's burial, eyes burning like the moon.

Jayfeather can't see, Lionblaze thought with a twitch of his ears. I don't know why I keep thinking that he can see Firestar's body. His belly clenched at the idea. By now there would be nothing left but bones.

"The ferns are on fire," Jayfeather whispered. "But…it's a strange type of fire…I don't feel any heat coming from it."

Lionblaze stared at his brother in confusion. "How can a fire burn without giving heat?" he demanded.

"It is…an omen." Jayfeather's shoulders shook as he watched the patch of ferns growing on either side of the grave. "StarClan are speaking to us." Lionblaze opened his jaw to tell Jayfeather that he'd gone mad, than shut it. He knew that Jayfeather had been right about signs before. Perhaps there was something about the ferns that involved Ferncloud. "The stars are aligning with the sun, and the fire will continue to grow, until it has consumed everything in its path."

This more than just a prophecy, Lionblaze thought. Jayfeather was right to call it an omen. It was something to fear, and the peace that the Clans had felt wasn't meant to last.

AN: Alright, so I'm pretty excited about this series. Yes, it will be a series. And I know that Sunstar has already been a leader, but lets pretend that has never happened ;) Anyways, this was definitely not one of my best prologues, but don't worry, the story itself will be good. I'm not going to get into high detail with descriptions, just to warn you. So don't expect anything with long paragraphs or things like that I've done in the past. Please remember to review, they are much appreciated...and if you don't...you can imagine the punishment :P