Prologue
The large sea of star-speckled fur, divided only by two thin silver rivers, rippled with the light of the moon up above. Several angry yowls rang out, completely out of place for an area so peaceful-looking, but nevertheless, claws were unsheathed, teeth were bared, and snarls shattered the once-calm atmosphere as rage was felt by many a cat in the gathering. A large black-striped tom rounded on three others at the river's X-shaped intersection, each of them on a separate piece of land. Territories were visible in the distance, but were different on each side: one clan had long grass, with a sparse forest at the very edge; another had tall, dark trees wreathed with thorns; a third seemed primarily to be water, with several long strips of bird-covered land; and the final one had trees that, to others, seemed like they would take a moon to climb, trees that the clan cats of this region practically lived in. These strange pieces of land mirrored exactly the territories they had all once come from, territories th they were fighting about in a vain attempt to protect their former homes.
"We should tell them now," the black tom said, his strong voice cutting through the murmur of dissatisfied cats chattering in the background and carrying a hint of hostility. One of the other cats, a silver tom, shook his head, piercing icy blue eyes focused solely on the striped tom.
"They need to understand their power before we can warn them," He insisted, curling his tail around his paws. As calm as he tried to seem, he had unsheathed his blindingly white claws and was scratching impatiently at the dirt beneath his feet. "They need to be ready before it comes."
"It is not a warning. It is fate, and the more we tell them, the more time they will have to fulfill it," A stern tortoiseshell cut in, lashing her tail as she paced along the rivers separating her from the other cats, ears flat against her regal-looking head.
The silver tom just snorted, seeming to finally admit to losing his temper.
"You still want to tell them everything? I bet they would just trip over themselves trying to fill in pawsteps too big for them," He sneered, curling his lip back into a growl.
The striped tom stomped his paw down angrily. He opened his mouth in a retort, but the last cat cut in.
"Enough," Her emotionless gray eyes bore into the silver tom. "They are strong. They will survive. And as custom, we will tell them-"
The cream colored she-cat cut off when 3 cats, none of which she recognised, emerged from the crowds. A hushed silence fell through all the cats, as if the presence of the strangers made it hard to speak. One by one, each cat sprung onto the smooth stone that sat in the middle of the river, balancing precariously. A young silver-blue cat looked around at the Starclan warriors. A brown tom behind him shifted slightly, so that no one would see him nudge his younger companion. The young cat's nod in reply was almost unnoticeable and he lifted his head high.
In unison, they began to chant.
"Through the misty veil of darkness,
the light will flicker out and die.
Unless the veil lifts, where upon a great duel will emerge,
to save many from the whisper of evil.
The tree can protect and save,
but in the end, only the dark and light,
day and night, sunrise and sunset,
only they will be able to vanquish him,
he who comes back seeking revenge.
On the fourth moon of the fourth season, beware,
for that is when he will strike.
And it is then that the loss will truly be felt."
The strong voices of the cats carried easily over their curious and attentive audience, their shiny eyes scanning the Starclan cats, as if daring them to speak. Then the brown tom shouldered the third companion, a midnight black cat, prompting him to start talking.
The black cat didn't even glance at the brown tom before he started to speak.
"A great darkness is coming. Prepare yourselves. No cat, not even the dead, are safe," his stormy gray eyes flashed, then the three mysterious cats were gone.
The silence remained for a few seconds before the striped tom spoke again.
"I think we need to tell them all at once," He murmured meekly.
The tortoiseshell nodded. "This is more serious then we took it for. We need to gather them all and brief them on their mission."
The silver tom took in another deep breath, trying to restore his calm exterior, not being particularly successful,
"The easiest way to do that would be to gather them at Moonpool," He explained with the most controlled voice he could manage. "Someone can go and tell them to meet there."
The four cats, and several others listening to their conversation, nodded in agreement.
"We just need someone to go," a cream she-cat said.
"I'll do it," A young cat said. His eyes were shining as he spoke; he was clearly eager. The cream cat thought for a moment against it, momentarily concerned by the tom's obvious youth, but eventually nodded. The young cat smiled and darted back into the crowd, joining an old white cat in their ranks.
The Starclan cats started to leave, reaching an area a few fog lengths away,and then seemingly fade away into bright, starry silhouettes. Eventually, all but 4 cats were gone. Thunder heaved himself to his feet, then padded toward the other three, who were all gathering at the intersection.
Wind Runner waited for them, then spoke.
"Starclan is being divided. Again. We cannot continue like this," She said, concern visible in her eyes.
Tall Shadow nodded, saying in a hushed voice, "The oncoming darkness will destroy everything we have worked for to revive our clans. They need us now, perhaps more then ever. And yet, we
can't help."
River Ripple sat down, then looked into his friends and Clanmate's eyes.
"There is... another option. I hate them as much as you, but they can navigate the living world without difficulty, and have no laws binding them to not interfere."
Wind Runner hissed, but Tall Shadow nodded, sighing in an oddly concerned tone, "They could wreak such havoc, but they could be our only hope... Wind Runner, you and River Ripple alone know where they are. Will you free them?"
The other she-cat looked furious with the sudden change of events, but reluctantly nodded.
"Together. We will get through this, together," Thunder said reassuringly. The 4 leaders came to a silent agreement, then they too, departed. The clearing grew dark, pitch black clouds eating away at the fading light of the full moon.
But somewhere, hidden away from the purity of StarClan that they had made to look foolish, and the evil of the Dark Forest that had always looked pitiful in comparison, two cats looked up. Up at the glow of the moon that they could see through the crack in the ceiling of the prisons that they had been trapped in for so long. And, for the first time in hundreds of moons, their malignant laughter filled the air, like the screams of their victims.
"Foolish Clan cats," they hissed. "When will they ever learn?"
A/N: I am giving credit for this masterpiece of a prologue to a friend of mine, who really really helped me. I don't know if they have a account, but I'll add it as soon as I know for sure.
© I don't own the Warrior Cat book series, or its characters, only Erin Hunter does.