~*Okay people here's the prologue for SOC. I won't post the first chapter until Wednesday, but I didn't want to have you guys wait that long. So please review if you can, who knows maybe I'll post it sooner. Thanks and I have a poll on my profile, please vote!*~
PROLOGUE
Crimson rays began to fade, as twilight set itself onto the arid desert. Dust blew in the wind, as the temperature dropped from scorching hot to freezing cold. A cat stood atop a stone pier, watching with golden eyes for any sign whatsoever of danger.
"The ceremony is about to begin Desertmoon" a voice meowed, coming from a pale ginger tom who stood on the bright white sand.
Desertmoon turned with a worried expression spread across his face, "How many times have I told Scorpiontail" he growled, "This won't work! The threat won't just go away because we chant a few lines from the ancient days!."
The look in his golden eyes was pure anger, and by the looks of it he had a reason to be.
"What choice do we have?" the pale cat asked, "Our tribe is dying just like you saw, we're getting picked off one by one!".
Desertmoon lowered his gaze to look at the ground, "Go tell Scorpiontail I'm going to the Sand Dunes to speak with our ancestors" Desertmoon meowed to his clan-mate, "And Crimsonsky, be discreet about it. I don't want the kit-mothers panicking again."
Crimsonsky nodded, and padded over to the stone caverns where a fire was lit. Cats began to gather in the center, where a large dark brown tabby tom stood above them all. Desertmoon turned away, and began walking past the dens towards the Sand Dunes.
His beige spotted pelt turned silver as the moon began to rise, the stars of the ancients shining high in the sky. The barking of coyotes could be heard in the distance, a kill had been made recently, hopefully it wasn't a cat.
Suddenly the ground sloped, as hills of sand gathered in a close knit circle, he had reached the Sand Dunes.
As the desert cat moved forward, a small oasis became visible. It shone a bright aqua in the moonlight, the shimmering water rippling as the wind blew.
"Spirits of the Ancients" he called to the stars, stepping closer to the oasis. "Dark times are upon the Tribe of Burning Flames. Show me the future so I will know the outcome of this threat." The stars seemed to sparkle in response, as Desertmoon lowered a beige paw into the water, rippling the surface.
Removing the water dappled paw, the sand cat focused his gaze onto the oasis. For a few moments it held its blue surface, but then a mist seemed to haze over the image and a new picture became visible.
"So this is what our descendents look like" he meowed, looking at a large golden tom leading a band of cats across the desert. Then another, blurry image appeared, shocking the cat. "But this can't be" he stuttered, stepping back.
Desertmoon turned his gaze to the stars, "How can you let this happen when you know what will become of them? Isn't it enough that you have sentenced us to damnation or are you that full of bloodlust that you don't see the threat?".
Nothing answered the cat's question and the stars seemed to fade as if to ignore Desertmoon. Giving the pool one last look, the beige spotted tom turned away to return to camp.
"You may not be willing to save them. But I am" he spoke, sprinting back to the stone caverns.
An eery feeling hung in the air, as the light coming from the fire bounced off the walls of sand that enclosed the tribe's camp. The stone dens were halfway underground, shrubs and flowers surrounded them, giving a somewhat guarded feel.
Desertmoon looked at his tribe, who were gathered around Scorpiontail. They were chanting in the ancient language of their ancestors, which hadn't been spoken in many seasons.
We need to be doing something other than chanting and sacrificing a hare, he growled, were they totally ignorant to the threat? And didn't they know that the smell of blood would attract the creature, not send it away?
But something had to be done, it may be to late for him and his kin, but it wasn't to late for their descendants. Rushing through the caverns, Desertmoon ran into his den, the Shaman's den. He had to to find a way to show the future cats a sign, but what could work?
Suddenly his eyes darted to a sharp stone, thats it! Grabbing the flint point in his mouth, the desert cat exited his den, and looked around. He didn't know how far in the future his descendants would be traveling here, it could be a couple seasons from now, or it could be over a century!
Climbing a large sand dune, the shaman leapt onto the top of his den as moonlight guided him. Walking to the side of the cavern, Desertmoon bent down and prepared the sharp edge to hit the stone. He had to carve it exactly how the creature looked, that way they knew what was coming.
But before he could even cut the stone, a screech came from the ceremony. He rose his gaze in fear, as his worst nightmare came to life.
"It's Poison-fang!" a mother shouted, as the serpent slithered towards the tribe-cats. Cats began panicking and running in every direction, as the large beyond belief adder picked up a kit and swallowed it whole.
I have to hurry, he vowed, scraping the stone into the wall.
The first symbol he carved was of the ancient ancestors, maybe they would change their minds. The second symbol he carved was Poison-fang, but the picture didn't do the creature justice. Taking a moment to look up, he saw the black creature knocking down the leader's den, and going off after a hunter.
If he had enough time, Desertmoon needed to get the mothers and kits out, if any were still alive. Finally he carved a design of something he hoped the inexperienced cats wouldn't have to travel through, but they needed to be warned.
"Desertmoon what are you doing?" Crimsonsky called up to him, looking with worried eyes.
"Saving our future!" he growled through the stone in his mouth, as he finished the carvings.
The ginger tom motioned for Desertmoon to come forward, "We have to leave now, Poison-fang already killed Scorpiontail. We have to head towards the Sunset Caverns."
Desertmoon nodded and leapt down the den, and without thinking grabbed a kit who was licking her dead mother. Poison-fang certainly wouldn't follow them all the way to the ocean, he was to slow.
"Crimsonsky, Desertmoon!" a she-cat called to them, racing towards the small group.
He turned around to see Sandcloud, a senior guard rushing two kits forward.
"He killed Oasisfrost and Tawnythorn" she meowed with sadness, glaring back at the huge serpent that was tearing their camp apart.
"I'm sorry" Desertmoon meowed, as he set Palmkit down, "Are their any other survivors?".
She nodded, "Yes only Scarletfern and Foxflame. They ran off towards Sunset Ridge."
Only five full-grown cats had survived, out of the whole tribe, they were practically extinct!
"But where do we go after that?" she hissed, as they kept going. Now that they were traveling there was no way Poison-fang could catch up to them, he was probably feasting on the bodies of his kin.
At least Sandcloud had gotten Chicorykit and Tansykit, maybe the tribe could carry on the line. "
We could head towards the Tribe of Rushing Water" Crimsonsky suggested, "Maybe we can find a nice place after we cross the mountains."
"The Mountains?" a voice growled, coming from Foxflame who was padding alongside his mate Scarletfern.
That was it! About a moon ago Desertmoon had seen a lake in the oasis when he went to the sand-dunes. It looked to be past the mountains, and was a perfect place for a tribe to live! They could make it there certainly, but would this move affect the future?
And why if they find a nice home, would their ancestors be traveling through the Sands of Chaos? But Poison-fang will be dead by then! He was already old enough, surely he couldn't survive that long. But as the tribe cats crossed another sand dune, little did they know that they were crossing the adders nest.
Where more than five eggs lay, preparing to unleash their venom on anything that got in their way.
Chapter One coming Wednesday probably, so did you guys like the prologue? I hope so, review!!