AN: Boy, it feels weird returning to my Starry Skies series. The funny thing is it felt weird writing about the Marked when I started the Ancients, but that was because I left it for a long time. So here's the first chapter; nothing exciting really happens, but it does get more interesting later on in the series.

Chapter 1

The forest seemed so silent. Snow was falling heavily as cats padded across the fields. Their eyes were filled with wariness as they looked for shelter.

Moons had passed after the rogues found their new home. They knew the territory like the back of their paws. Yet for some reason, the valley seemed to be in worse shape than ever. This leafbare was harsher than others had been. The ground underneath felt frozen. Leaves crunched underpaw as the rogues touched them. Yes, the terrible grip of leafbare had come.

"We need to find shelter soon," one of the rogues said as he joined his mate. Her belly was swollen, showing signs that she was about to give birth.

"This storm will not end," a dark tabby hissed. "It never ends in this valley."

"Enough, Cedric," the older tom spat. "There is a tree over there we can hide in. The roots are big enough for a small group."

The three cats padded towards the tree, ignoring the blustering winds that tore at their pelts. The queen was suffering the most. Her teeth were clenched together as she staggered beside her mate. The tom glanced at her worriedly.

"If we don't get through this, no cat will survive in this valley," he meowed as he circled the roots.

…

Sunstorm awoke with a start. She was gasping for breath, her eyes wide in panic as she looked around the warriors' den. Beside her was Cedarclaw, his breathing normal. Her paws shuffled in embarrassment when she realized that visions were haunting her once more.

It's been so long since my last vision, she thought as she looked down at her nest.

She thought back to what had happened during the past two moons. The Clans had arrived at the valley. Her brother had returned, and what had shocked her above all else was that he became leader of a newly formed Clan. FlameClan, as it was called, had become part of StarClan and the warrior code. The other Clans were uneasy with the newly arrived Clan. She knew that it was only a matter of time before fights broke out near the borders.

Her pelt shook as she rose to her paws. It was morning, a time when she took Ravenpaw out for battle-training. She knew the apprentice was eager to learn his fighting skills alongside the cats that had recently joined SkyClan.

Thistletail and Roseheart were fairly new to the warrior code. Both cats had been rogues in the past. Their lives had changed drastically when Thistletail discovered the Moontree. The Moontree needed a proper sacrifice, and it put cats asleep for protection until the right sacrifice was found. Sadly the sacrifice that was required had belonged to Brownwhisker. Despite all of her efforts to keep him happy, he'd died anyway.

"And so a new life has begun," she whispered, reciting what the voice of the Moontree had said.

The golden tabby padded out of the warrior's den, shaking scraps of moss from her paw. The sun had only just risen. Birdsong wasn't evident anymore. A cold chill seeped through her fur as she padded across the clearing. To her surprise, Sagestar was already awake. The pale gray tom gave her a nod before returning to his grooming.

"I see you're awake already," he meowed as he finished working on what appeared to be a difficult patch of fur.

"I had another vision," she admitted.

His eyes lit up with interest when he looked at her. Sagestar was one of the few cats who knew about the visions she received. The powers she'd been given were unusual. She could see visions of the past and future. Visions of the future were rare—she only received them when the Clans were in danger.

"I could see these cats, and they were trying to find shelter from the snow," she explained. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt a tail touch her shoulder. She turned around to see that Thistletail had woken up. "One of the cats said his name was Cedric."

Thistletail's eyes widened in understanding. "Ah, I remember Cedric," the tabby said in a wistful tone. "He was always a challenge to work with. But he knew what he was doing."

"Do you think this is an omen?" Sagestar's curious look faded to worry.

"I doubt it," Thistletail replied with a shake of his head. "Cedric may have known what he was doing, but those visions seem radical. I'm sure there is nothing to worry about."

With that, the tabby waved his tail goodbye and picked a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. Sunstorm exchanged looks with Sagestar before joining her Clanmate. Thistletail looked at her before picking a sparrow from the pile. Sunstorm herself picked a mouse that looked scrawny compared to the other fresh-kill.

She chewed slowly at first, savoring the flavor that seeped between her teeth. Despite the fact that the mouse was a day old, it still tasted freshly caught. Once she was finished chewing the last remains, she buried the bones outside the clearing and approached the apprentice's den. To her surprise Bloompaw was already awake, grooming her fur like Sagestar had done earlier. The silver tabby looked up from her grooming, her tongue still sticking out when she noticed she wasn't alone.

"Ravenpaw is just getting up," she mumbled as she went back to her grooming.

Just as she started the black-furred apprentice emerged from the apprentice's den. His blue eyes blinked away sleep when he saw that Sunstorm was waiting for him. Bloompaw looked over her shoulder before she returned to her nest.

"Ready for some training exercises?" she asked when Ravenpaw looked up at his mentor.

"Sure," Ravenpaw replied with a shrug.

The two of them made their way out of the gorge. The steep cliffs that surrounded them provided the perfect sanctuary for SkyClan. It protected them from the wind as well. Sunstorm shivered as she felt a breeze rip through her fur. She looked up to see that the sky was covered with clouds.

Ravenpaw's pelt was ruffled as he followed Sunstorm towards the training area. The ground underpaw was soft there, and covered in moss. The moss was collected by apprentices when they were cleaning out the elders' den or the nursery. Sunstorm and Ravenpaw often came to this spot to collect herbs for Echosong and Leafpool as well.

Once the two were settled in their usual spot, she began instructing him on a move that she'd learned in ThunderClan. The move was a bit more difficult, but Ravenpaw's strong back legs would give him the support he needed. The golden tabby she-cat dropped into the usual hunter's crouch. Ravenpaw watched her curiously as she stalked forward, her paws inching towards the intended target. Once she found herself in a good position, she sprang forward with her front legs outstretched. The branch that loomed in front of her snapped under her weight.

It took Ravenpaw a little longer to fulfill the move she'd just shown him. He struggled during the pounce, his front paws were unsheathed the first time. The second time he tried it his tail flicked from side to side. Sunstorm knew that an enemy would know what he was up to if they heard his tail brushing against the undergrowth. She continued drilling him until the move was perfected.

"Well done," she purred after he sat up. Dust had covered his pelt. Dawnwind wouldn't be happy when they returned from their training session.

"It's gonna be a hard leafbare, isn't it?" Ravenpaw's sudden question made Sunstorm jump in surprise.

"What makes you say that?" she countered.

"It feels colder than usual," Ravenpaw replied with a shrug. "I…I just have this feeling that we're in for a tougher leafbare than before."

Sunstorm looked at her apprentice sympathetically. Her tail brushed against his shoulder as she tried to come up with a normal response. "I won't let anything happen to SkyClan," she said in a low whisper.

"It's not just SkyClan I'm worried about," Ravenpaw murmured.

She looked across the trees that led into ThunderClan territory. Part of her knew that Ravenpaw was right. The air already felt colder than before, and leafbare had yet to start. She didn't want to believe that her apprentice was right.

Her whiskers trembled slightly as she rose to her paws. "Come on, let's catch something before we get back," she meowed.

OoOoOoOo

Their hunting had ended in less success than she'd hoped. Ravenpaw had managed to take down a vole and a mouse. She found a mouse hiding under a patch of moss that she had to dig up with her claws. After that there was nothing left for her to find. Most of the prey was hiding from the cold winds. By the time they were finished more clouds had covered the sky. The scent of moisture filled the air as she led her apprentice back to camp.

Sunstorm's tail lashed as she dropped the mouse on the fresh-kill pile. Dawnwind was outside the warrior's den speaking softly to Firestorm. The queen looked uneasy as the ginger warrior spoke. She looked up when she noticed Sunstorm's arrival. Firestorm looked over his shoulder and grimaced.

I'll never understand what's going on in his mind, she thought as she joined Leafpool and Crowfeather.

Her mind continued drifting until she saw Cedarclaw return with Rockfall and Roseheart. All three of them looked exhausted as they filed into the clearing. Cedarclaw's eyes lit up when he spotted Sunstorm. She looked down at her paws, feeling half-embarrassed that she was excited to see him. Ever since she'd begun to feel strange around Cedarclaw the excited feeling continued growing stronger.

"Hey," he whispered as he approached her.

"Hey." Her reply was curt, and for a moment she regretted what she said. Cedarclaw didn't look hurt like she expected.

"Did you go hunting?" he asked after sitting down beside her.

"Ravenpaw's skills have improved drastically since I've awakened," she admitted.

"I think losing you made him realize that he would be losing a valuable mentor," Cedarclaw murmured. "I know losing you made me realize that…" It was his turn to look embarrassed when he realized what he'd just said.

A purr rose within her throat. "You're acting like a love-struck kit," she mewed.

"Sorry." Cedarclaw rose to his paws.

"No." Sunstorm clamped his tail between her teeth. "I didn't mean that in a bad way," she added more softly.

Cedarclaw's eyes widened when he realized what she meant by that. "Does this mean…" He broke off when she nodded.

"It doesn't mean that I love you, but it does mean I forgive you," she whispered.

A look of relief mixed with annoyance filled Cedarclaw's gaze. He gave his chest a lick before padding off to the warriors' den. Sunstorm watched as he dipped his head to Eaglefeather, whose eyes were narrowed in concern. The tabby looked up at Sunstorm before following.

At least that's done and over with, she thought. Leafpool and Crowfeather had slipped away during their conversation. For that she was relieved, but now she wondered where the pair disappeared. She shrugged the thought away as she felt another irritating sensation wash over her. She hoped that within time the feelings would fade away. If they don't, I'm not sure what will happen.

AN: And so the fun begins between Sunstorm and Cedarclaw. I bet you were hoping the two would fall in love :P Well, it would be too soon for that, and a tad unrealistic. So this time I will just add a bit of forgiveness in Sunstorm's heart. Hope I get some reviews, it would be nice to see what readers think of this series :)