Prologue
The bushes rustled as a small she-cat slid her way through, she leaped and landed lightly on her paws. A pool of a water faced the she-cat and she sighed as she wrapped her tail around her paws.
The bushes rustled again and a golden tabby tom crawled quietly behind the first cat.
"Even if I can't see you Yellowstripe," said the first cat, "I can hear and smell you perfectly fine."
"I do not approve of your choice of cats, Smallstar, and I think the others agree." Snorted the second cat. With a flick of his tail two more cats entered the clearing where the moonlight shone on their pelts. A huge tortoiseshell she-cat and a white tom.
"Spottedfire and Whiteclaw!" gasped Smallstar, "I thought you approved of my choice!"
"You only want to please yourself," snarled Whiteclaw distainfully, "we just wanted to let you know there are others who think loners are useless! They'd forget to pass the message!"
"Look," said Spottedfire gently, who was very unlike her clanmate, padded to the pool and dipped her nose into it. The surface rippled for several heartbeats before settling itself to reveal an image of a white cat, "We must consider this cat to pass on a message with great meaning. And if it fails the whole forest falls apart."
She padded back toward Yellowstripe and Whiteclaw.
Smallstar let her unnerving blue gaze fall upon each cat before she glanced back at the pool of water. The moon reflected onto the surface.
"You know I trust this cat, Yellowstripe." She said finally, looking at the tom, "and we must believe in her."
Smallstar dipped her nose into the water, letting it ripple for a moment, then lie still.