Thank you for the reviews so far. =3 It might be wise of me to mention that the first book was written in my freshmen year and is already done. My writing style has improved...I'm just too lazy to redo it...heehee...but, I am reading through the chapters and searching for spelling errors. Now...onto chapter uno!

Ember lifted her head and sniffed angrily. She had had that strange dream about the ginger tom named 'Firestar' yet again, though, this was the first time she had picked up the guts to actually speak to him…for the past few nights, she had been having that dream, and it had stuck with her for days and days…She wanted to know more about this mysterious tom, and what…StarClan and ThunderClan were.

And what did he mean by saying that she had a Prophecy to fulfill…? She was just a normal house cat. Nothing more, nothing less. She sighed and got to her paws, stretching before giving her calico pelt a few swift licks. She blinked her emerald eyes before climbing out of her bed to eat the breakfast her house folk had put out for here, before they had left the nest.

She ate a few pellets before she sat back on her haunches. The food didn't taste good…that was for sure. She ran her paw along her muzzle and glanced back at her nest.

If I go to sleep…will I see him again…?

She hesitated, lifting her orange paws repeatedly, her whiskers twitching. She wasn't tired…but…

Shaking here head, she turned and leaped onto a nearby counter in the kitchen. She leaped out of the window, landing on her nimble paws in the garden.

The sky was a soft shade of blue and the grass was a crisp shade of brown instead of the glittering blades of emerald that she had seen in her dream. A few birds chirped and she saw a squirrel or two scatter as she approached.

"Hello, Ember."

She flicked her ears and looked around.

A huge tabby with dark brown fur, streaked with ebony stripes and burning amber eyes sat on the fence behind her, watching her carefully. "You're out early today."

"Hello, Stripe," Ember mewed to her neighbor. "And you're out late. Don't you normally get up earlier to hunt?"

"I've been out, but prey is very good right now, so I was hunting a few..."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you hunt animals when your house folk give you plenty of food?"

He snorted angrily. "Because that slop my house folk feed me is disgusting!" He growled. "Prey is delicious…especially mice." He swiped his tongue over his lips and Ember scowled.
Sure, she didn't like the food that her house folk gave her…but killing and eating another animal…

"…I'm thinking about leaving here."

She lifted her head quickly and stared at Stripe. "L-leave…? Like…leave your nest?"

He nodded. "My house fold are probably going to take me to the vet soon…I don't want to stop being a tom." He got to his paws, balancing on the white fence that separated their gardens, and shook his pelt angrily. "You should do the same."

She blinked. "What?"

"I'm sure they'll be taking you to the vet soon as well."

She frowned. "What's so bad with that?"

"Do you never want to have kittens?"

She blinked. "I doubt my house folk would do that."

"Trust me, they will…" Stripe gave her a look. "A lot of toms would go after a she-cat like you…and I have the vaguest feeling that your house folk don't want a bunch of little ones frolicking about."

Anger mounted inside of her chest. "Whatever!" She hissed, turning her back on him and flicking her tail angrily.

"Ember…" Stripe leaped down from his fence and landed behind her. He approached, tracing his tail along her spine and standing beside her. "I'm only speaking in your best interest. I'm trying to protect you."

She cast him a frustrated glance. "I don't need protecting."

He dipped his head. "Yes, yes…of course. But you can at least take the opinion of a friend, right?" He rasped his tongue over her head, giving her a warm purr.

She sighed, fur burning with embarrassment at how be babied her, like she was his own kit.
"I'll see you 'round. I'm going to hunt a bit more." With that, and one more flick on her ear with his tail, Stripe turned and leaped back onto his fence, before vanishing into his garden.

Ember stared at where his tabby pelt had vanished before shaking her head. She never understood Stripe…

He had been like a brother…or a father to her, ever since she had moved in with her new house folk, only two moons ago. He was already her closest friend, but…

Her ears twitched as she heard the fretful scurrying of a mouse. Turning her gaze, she spotted the tiny brown creature ducking beneath some leaves and chewing on a blade of grass.

"…." She gazed at it for a moment for lowering her body to the grass. She felt the blades tickle her belly as she stared at the mouse. She hesitated, before creeping forward, her paws making little sound on the tall grass.

Her body froze as the mouse lifted its head. She stood completely still, holding her breath…and then it looked back down.

Flicking her tail, she leaped into the air towards the mouse, but instead of catching it beneath her small claws, it darted away and she slammed face first into the fence.

She let our a painful morrow and leaped back, rubbing her nose with her paw. "…" Sighing, she turned and stalked back towards her nest, tail drooping.

-

Ember was still angry about failing to catch the mouse and ramming into the fence by dinner. Her house folk filled her bowl with food, but she only sat there, glaring at it.

She had wanted to discover what was so good about eating another living creature and why Stripe preferred to hunt then eat the food he was given, but she had failed miserably.

Not hungry, she padded over to her basket and curled up, resting her tail over her nose before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, completely forgetting about the ginger tom that walked within her dreams…

-

When she woke, she found herself in the glimmering grass once more, and her calico pelt in the moonlight made her look like she was made of starlight herself. She looked around, and this time, she saw a beautiful silver pond before her that reflected the sky above and her own face as she stared into her.

She blinked in shock as another pair of green eyes and a flaming ginger pelt appeared on the other side of the pool. She raised her head sharply and gasped in surprise.

"Firestar!" She mewed.

A purr rumbled in his throat. "I am honored that you remembered me, young one."

"Okay, this time, I'm gonna stay awake!" She told herself and him. "Now, explain everything you've been saying to me these past nights! What are ThunderClan and StarClan, why is your name so weird, why am I dreaming about you, what Prophecy were you talking about-"

He brushed his tail across her nose. "Calm yourself, young one." He said gently. "You have many questions and you are curious…that is good. You have waited patiently, so I will show you what you wish to know."

She stood there expectantly.

"Follow me." He turned and walked past the pool, into the shimmering distance.

Ember paused before hurrying after him.

"I suppose you have never heard of the Four Warrior Clans," Firestar meowed as they walked, side by side.

Ember shook her head.

He blinked slowly. "Once in the forest, there were four clans who lived along side each other. ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan. They lived away from Twolegs, house folk, in your tongue, and hunted for themselves. Wild cats who lived by the laws of StarClan." Before she could speak, he meowed; "StarClan is the heavenly Clan that sits in the sky, Silverpelt, as we call it. It is where all Warriors who stand by the Warrior Code go when they die."

She stared at him, taking in each word he said like it was vital to her own life. "What's the Warrior Code?"

"The law that the four clans lived by, lain down by our ancestors when the Clans began."

"Where did they live?" She asked.

"They once lived in a forest far from here, beyond high stones, until Twolegs came in and destroyed everything. After that, the Four Clans moved to a large lake, and that is where they lived."

Her ears pricked. "The lake? There's a really, really big lake not far from my nest!"

He smiled. "Yes, I know. That is the same lake I speak of."

"Do they come near my nest!" She asked, her voice suddenly breathless.

A deep sadness filled Firestar's green eyes and she quickly shut her mouth, fear striking in her heart. Had she said something wrong.

After a moment of silence, Firestar sighed deeply. "This way," He cooed, motioning with his tail. He led her away and she followed, not even thinking that he could be leading her into danger…

For some odd reason, she trusted him.

They walked in silence for a long time, the grass not even swaying in a breeze, before Firestar suddenly stopped.

Ember looked up and blinked in surprise as the area around her began to swirl and mix into itself, before it changed abruptly. They were now standing on an empty plain land. The sky was black with clouds. The stars didn't shine and neither did the moon. Ember shivered as a cold wind swept over her.

"Firestar," she whispered. "What-"

"Hush." He was staring at the plains, his green eyes narrowed.

Ember frowned before looking at the plains. What did he want to show her…? She didn't see anything-

Almost as soon as this thought entered her mind, a bone chilling screech sliced through the air.

Cats burst from either side…behind and in front, and collided with each other, like waves crashing onto land. Claws raised and teeth bared, fur began to fly through the black night and within seconds, the ground was splattered with blood.

Ember could only watch in horror as cats dropped dead right before her and even more fought, bleeding, screaming, and murdering.

Her legs began to shake and she crouched on the ground, her whole body trembling. She flattened her ears against her head and bared her teeth in terror…

And almost as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

Ember remained on the ground, blood pounding in her ears, her heart hammering against her chest. "Wh-what was…that…?" She whispered.

"…" Firestar sighed. "Many, many moons ago, before your mother's mother was even born, the Four Clans still lived together…but…but an all out war broke out between us. I was already with the ranks of StarClan by the time this war began, so I could only watch as cats from all clans were needlessly slaughtered…"

His voice caught in his throat and he sat down, tail flicking, his eyes blank as he stared at the ground.

Ember didn't speak, watching him carefully.

After a moment, he began again. "My Clan, ThunderClan, fought till the very end, until only a few remained. The same thing happened with the others…the clans were destroyed. The survivors set out on their own to find their way. The Warrior Code had been shattered…there was no reason for them to rebuild the clans. Most of them went off and found Twolegs who took care of them, while some remained rogues or loners."

Ember stared at him. "And…what does that have to do with me? It was all in the past."

Firestar looked at her, his eyes no longer betraying his weak sadness. Now they burned with a fierce determination. "You are a descendent of ThunderClan, young Ember."

She blinked. "W-wha-"

"My descendent, to be exact." Firestar smiled warmly at her. "My grandson, Lionblaze, mated with a young she-cat. They had a kit, a female, who grew up to be one of the surviving ThunderClan cats from the great battle. She found some twolegs, and she had a young tom, who eventually had a she-cat, who had another she-cat, you had you." He tapped his tail against her nose. "You, Ember, are my great, great, great, great, great granddaughter."

Her eyes widened slightly. "I-I-…"

"Never suspected it, did you?" His eyes filled with playfulness. "No…not even your mother knew of her lineage…nor did your grandmother, though, I wish that they had. They both had the potential to be great…but they closed their eyes to that future."

"Did you speak to them also?"

"No, but I did try," Firestar shook his head regretfully. "Both enjoyed the life of a kittypet…so they would of probably refused, anyway."

"Then why me? I like my life."

"But within you, I can see the same feelings that were once inside of myself…" Firestar gazed into the distance. "I was born a kittypet, you see, but then I met the cats of ThunderClan, and found my true calling in the wild. I had always dreamed of going into the forest…and when I did…" he closed his eyes, "It was the most amazing thing…"

"…"

"I started as an apprentice, only a young cat who was not accepted by the others because of my blood, but then became the leader of my clan," pride filled his eyes. "My kin became great as well. My daughter, Squirrelflight, was one of the cats who left our forest home and discovered our new home at the lake. My grandson, Jayfeather, was one of the most talented medicine cats our world had ever seen…all of my descendents ended up rising to greatness…" He turned his eyes to her. "And now, Ember…it is your turn."

She blinked.

"M-me…?"

"Remember what I told you last time I visited you in a dream?"

She frowned. "The Clans must become four again…the Warrior Code must be recreated…'"

"'And always remember, I will guide you." He finished her sentence and smiled at her. "Ember…StarClan…the home of your Warrior ancestors, has chosen you to rebuild the Four Clans, and to re-write the Warrior Code."

She searched his face and saw no lies within the green orbs that matched her own. "Why me?"

"Five generations ago, I blazed through the forest like fire…" He approached her and stared down at her. "Right now…you are just an ember sitting in the hearth, but with time, you will burst into a flame more brilliant than any before you…even me."

Her eyes widened. "You…expect too much of me."

"No…you do not expect enough of yourself." He lowered his head and rested his muzzle upon the space between her ears.

"When the ember grows to a blazing flame and outshines the stars, the four will be reborn and the night shall weep no more."

She blinked as these words were spoken…but…although she saw only Firestar's lips move, the voice of thousands and thousands echoed around her.

She felt a chill go up her spine and shake her to the very core. "I don't know what to do…" She whispered.

"Find one of all four…" He murmured. "You are thunder, so you must find shadow, water, and wind…it will all become clear from there…" He lifted his head and looked back down at her, eyes brimming with the same pride that had glowed when he had spoke about his family. "Your flame is the only thing that keeps StarClan together, Ember…"

"…." She stared at him with wide eyes.

"I will visit you again soon…" he whispered, his body vanishing into the night.

"W-wait!" Ember jumped to her paws. "Firestar! Wait, please! I still have so many questions…don't leave!"

"Search for me in your dreams…for I am always there…" And, yet again, the once great leader vanished, leaving Ember alone on blood stained plain lands, her confusing swallowing her into a blackness, and a future that she didn't understand…