A/N: Please, please, please, please, PLEASE take note that this fanfiction is as of . If there are tons of wrong things in here, please don't flame about it. Besides, it's a fanfic. It shouldn't matter anyway.

Stormpelt strode along next to Flashtail, hiding his growing curiosity with the swift movements of his tail. Leaf-bare was coming soon, and the LightClan dawn patrol had caught only three small sparrows on their long trip. The edges of the forest were bubbling with activity, from other Clans busily running errands down to the river and Tallpines. But Stormfur had other troubles bothering him.

So far, there were only four apprentices in the Clan. Stonepaw, Sparrowpaw, Dapplepaw, and Frostpaw. Stormpelt knew that Ravenstar would soon give Moonflower's new kit an apprentice name, but he had no clue who the mentor would be. The LightClan warrior had heard news of himself receiving the young she-cat for an apprentice, but most of the eyes fell to Earthback.

"Flashtail, leaf-bare is coming soon," Stormpelt meowed softly. "We must give up the patrol and hunt more. No other Clan will try to invade our territory during this horrid weather."

"Stormpelt, the Twolegs are drawing nearer and nearer into the forest," Flashtail began without faltering his gait. "Now that the Thunderpath has increased and the tree-eater is eating more and more oaks, we must do whatever we can to protect out territory."

Flashtail did have a point. More and more Twoleg nests were appearing in the LightClan territory. The forest once belonged to the ancient Clan of ThunderClan, when the mighty leader Firestar led his Clan away from the dying woods. But the time of ThunderClan, and the other Clans, was over now, and LightClan had moved into the woods. There was no other place they could settle, since rank-smelling city-life filled the other territories with buildings and skyscrapers.

There was only one more Clan in the area that LightClan knew about. EmberClan resigned in the Highstones area near the moonstone. Hence their terrifying name, EmberClan had grown used to the fiery blazes of flames and cinders from living next to Twoleg camps. They were the only Clan for generations to grow delighted by fire.

"Stormpelt, I asked you here without Frostpaw for a reason," Flashtail began, finally stopping and turning to face the dark tabby. "Ravenstar is making some horrible choices in our Clan. He is planning on giving Moonflower's newest kit an apprentice name, even though she is only five moons. LightClan needs a new leader and quick, and only the spirits of the great ThunderClan can help us now."

Stormpelt stared at the deputy in shock and wonder at the same time. What was Flashtail saying? The only way to get rid of a Clan leader was to kill him, and if Ravenstar was killed, then Flashtail would become the new leader.

Thoughts of hostility swam through Stormpelt's mind at once. Was the LightClan deputy trying to become Clan leader?

"What do you propose we do?" Stormpelt asked inquisitively. Personally, he thought Ravenstar was doing a fine job at leading.

"We must to something to get rid of Ravenstar. Maybe we could convince the rest of the Clan that he is making some false decisions and let them vote Ravenstar out."

At the eager tone in Flashtail's voice, Stormpelt bounded toward the LightClan camp. Ravenstar was in trouble, and Flashtail was bound to never speak to Stormpelt again. If only the Clan would listen to him. He had no idea that Flashtail would make him the most hated Clan cat of all.

Ravenstar padded quietly to the fern tunnel leading to Amberleaf's medicine den. He needed to speak with the medicine cat urgently. He sensed something in the way Silverpelt shone that night, and wanted to know if StarClan had spoken of ThunderClan to Amberleaf.

The she-cat emerged from her den before Ravenstar could make it inside the tunnel. She stared up at the leader with almost frightened yellow eyes. She was just heading to speak to Ravenstar herself.

"StarClan has spoken, Ravenstar," Amberleaf mewed in her soft, frightened voice.

The jet-black leader stared down at the medicine cat, eyes unchanging. "What have they said?"

Amberleaf paused only to look down at her bracken-coloured paws. "They told me that our Clan is in grave danger. The Twolegs are spreading into our territory faster and faster, just like they got rid of the other two Clans. Pretty soon, the Twolegs will find our camp and destroy it as well."

The expression on Ravenstar's face finally shifted to shock. Twolegs had never gone near the LightClan and EmberClan camps. Were they planning on driving out the Clans just like they did the other two Clans?

"To help, StarClan will send down two brave warriors," Amberleaf continued.

"Send them down?" Ravenstar questioned. "You mean, from StarClan?" Ravenstar didn't give Amberleaf time to answer. "Did they say which Clan?"

Amberleaf nodded solemnly to both questions. "ThunderClan."

Ravenstar stared down at the bracken medicine cat. ThunderClan?The ancient Clan cats that once lived in this very same forest? "What else did StarClan say?" he asked.

"Not much else, only that the two warriors were former ThunderClan leaders," Amberleaf mewed with more courage.

Ravenstar turned his gaze to the stars of Silverpelt. Bluestar? Tigerstar? Firestar, even? StarClan had failed to mention which two leaders, no doubt.

"Return to your den, Amberleaf," Ravenstar told the medicine cat. "I will send all the other cats into their dens as well. I will remain awake through the night to wait for these ancient ThunderClan leaders."

"Yes, Ravenstar," Amberleaf mewed, dipping her head low.

"Sleep well," Ravenstar called after her as she padded silently through the fern tunnel.

Ravenstar nimbly leaped onto the Highrock jutting out into the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High-rock," he called out to the Clan, following the ancient customs of Thunder-Clan.

As the LightClan cats gathered quietly underneath the Highrock, Ravenstar called out, "StarClan has spoken to Amberleaf."

Before Ravenstar could speak any further, Stormpelt sprinted into the camp, panting out. When he noticed the Clan was gathered at a meeting, he held his tongue and crept over to sit next to a light brown warrior.

Ravenstar continued. "StarClan has warned us of great dangers from the Twolegs. Perhaps it was a mistake to settle where ThunderClan lived many, many moons ago."

"Why would StarClan send us this message when we already know how much our forest is suffering the Twolegs' damage?" an elderly, blind she-cat called out from the crowd. Murmurs of agreement rose from the cats around her.

"Because they also said that they would send us brave leaders from the past to help us," Ravenstar explained.

The elder spoke up once again. "How can StarClan bring warriors back from the dead?"

"I do not know, but that is what Amberleaf has told me," Ravenstar replied. "For now, sleep well. I will remain awake for the night to see if Amberleaf's prediction is true."

With that claim, Ravenstar hopped down from the Highrock and the Clan cats began to disperse. Urgently, the leader padded up to Stormpelt, who was still sitting in the clearing next to the brown cat.

"Is there a problem, Stormpelt?" Ravenstar asked the warrior.

Stormpelt glanced at the cat next to him for reassurance, but then remembered that the cat had not been involved. "Flashtail…" he began.

"What about him?" Ravenstar urged.

"He's…" Stormpelt couldn't bring himself to rat on his Clan's deputy when he knew Ravenstar trusted him so much. "He's out hunting. He won't be back until later."

Ravenstar glanced at the pile of fresh-kill in the middle of the clearing. It was well stocked, and wasn't in need of more kill. "But we seem to be doing just fine."

The cat beside Stormpelt smirked teasingly.

"He just said he'd bring back a vole or two for morning meal," Stormpelt explained. "It was his idea."

Ravenstar stared at Stormpelt for a second or two before giving in to the excuse. "Very well. Whatever suits him." Then the leader turned to the cat next to Stormpelt. "Longclaw, make sure all the warriors are fast asleep in the den before moonhigh. After that, come tell me everything is settled and sleep yourself. I want no one else to be present while I confront the ThunderClan warriors."

"Yes, Ravenstar," Longclaw meowed before dipping his head and sprinting back to the warrior's den. Stormpelt sighed and followed the senior warrior to the den.

Ravenstar padded calmly to the apprentice's den and poked his head in. "Sparrowpaw, may I speak with you a moment?"

The light brown, striped apprentice lifted his head alertly. With a quiet mew, he jumped to his paws and leaped out of the den.

"Yes, Ravenstar?" the apprentice mewed.

"I would like you to make sure all the other apprentices are sleeping before moonhigh. When they are, report to me and sleep yourself."

Sparrowpaw nodded and leaped back into the den.

Ravenstar counted on Longclaw to tell the elders and queens about the sleeping order. He was strict about not having anyone else awake when the ThunderClan cats arrived. He didn't want any of the LightClan cats to feel unsafe around the leaders.

Sighing slightly, Ravenstar started padding over to his den beneath the Highrock. As he neared the entrance to the den, he saw Flashtail sitting next to it.

"Have you brought back the fresh-kill?" Ravenstar questioned, slipping into the den, with Flashtail following.

"Fresh-kill?" the deputy asked, puzzled.

"Stormpelt said that you went off to hunt for the Clan," Ravenstar explained, staring at Flashtail suspiciously.

"Oh, yes," Flashtail lied. "It's in the pile."

"Very good," Ravenstar started. "I have a request of you, Flashtail. Please go around to all the dens and nests and make sure all the cats are asleep. Only Longclaw and Sparrowpaw should be awake."

"Sure, Ravenstar." With that, Flashtail trotted out of the den. Ravenstar stared past the lichen to the warrior. The false appreciation in his meow confused him, but he shrugged the matter off. He wanted everything to be perfect for the arriving, ancient warriors. He was especially excited for the possibility that he might be able to see his old friend, Firestar, again.

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Firestar's eyes shot open suddenly. Without moving his head, he looked around the clearing. Just as I remember it, he thought to himself. The warrior's den was right in front of him; the apprentice's den was too his left. The nursery vacated his right, and the Highrock was positioned behind him.

He also noticed Bluestar to his right. Her eyes had shot open just like his, and she stiffly wiggled her paws in the sandy earth.

"I've missed our old home so much," Firestar murmured to the old she-cat.

"So have I, Firestar, so have I," Bluestar meowed back.

For a long time, the two cats remained in their sitting positions, staring at the warrior's den.

Finally, a rustling noise came from behind them. They didn't have to look around to see who or what is was.

"Firestar?" came the voice of Firestar's old friend and Bluestar's old apprentice.

"Ravenpaw…" Firestar began. "Or should I say Ravenstar?" With that, Firestar turned his head to peer over Bluestar's shoulder. Ravenstar had grown so much. He was no longer the skinny, small apprentice Firestar used to know. He had become leader of LightClan.

"I'm surprised you've even made it this far, Ravenstar," Bluestar admitted as the LightClan leader padded up to the two ThunderClan leaders. "You were a scrawny, dead-thing the last time I saw you." Bluestar looked at Firestar with a smirk. "You friend covered for you well."

"Thank you." Ravenstar sat down in front of the cats, shielding their view of the warrior's den. "How long are you to stay?"

Bluestar's expression immediately converted to a serious one. "StarClan has granted us permission to stay until we are no longer needed."

"Tigerstar disagreed of course," Firestar added. He watched Ravenstar flinch, memories of his old mentor coming back to him.

"Ravenstar," Bluestar meowed, looking into the black cat's eyes, "I'm very sorry. I never thought Tigerstar was capable of doing such things."

"We also thought you were incapable of Clan life. When you went to Barley, we thought you'd be happy forever there," Firestar meowed, expecting a thorough explanation.

Ravenstar's eyes filled with hate and disgust. "The Twolegs took over his farm and made it into a foul-smelling place with towering nests and lots of monster on Thunderpaths. They have destroyed most of your old land, and only two Clans remain. EmberClan and LightClan have been fighting over the only prey that remain, as more and more Clan cats get taken in by the Twolegs."

The look in Bluestar's eyes told Ravenstar to stop speaking. She had a look of pure hatred in her glazed eyes, and Firestar thought she'd do whatever to stop the Twolegs, even if it meant breaking the warrior code.

"Have the Highstones been destroyed as well?" Bluestar asked.

"Only Legged-Thunderpaths remain."

Firestar was to speak now. "Where has the moonstone gone to?"

Ravenstar glanced at his paws. "The Twolegs discovered it and took it into their nests. Now, they walk around, wearing shards of the moonstone around the necks and paws. They are overtaking the lands of our ancestors, and will soon devour the forest and marsh where the remaining Clans live."

Bluestar was looking at her blue-grey paws. Firestar knew that she was going to get revenge from the dogs that took her last life, along with their Twoleg owners.

"Ravenstar," the she-cat began, "we have to prepare for a battle."

"A battle?" Ravenstar couldn't hide his surprise. "Against the Twolegs? That's foolish! With their indestructible monsters and machines, they will surely kill us all."

Bluestar glanced up at the LightClan leader. "Yes, that it true." A look of loathing plastered her almost trembling face. "But their zombie-like animals can stop them, can't they?"

Ravenstar's eyes grew wide as realization filled his thoughts. Firestar grinned evilly at his old mentor. "We will need all the kittypets we need. Bluestar, can you convince the dogs to help?"

Bluestar shot her head toward Firestar. "I will never allow those treacherous Twoleg animals to help ThunderClan or LightClan."

"It's our last hope, Bluestar," Firestar pleaded. "We need the help of every Twoleg reference we can get." The ginger cat turned to Ravenstar. "At the Gathering tomorrow, get EmberClan to join our battle. Maybe Bluestar can convince the kittypets and dogs to somehow signal to their Twoleg owners."

Bluestar looked down at her paws, but nodded. "I will do it."

"Then it's settled," Ravenstar said. "As soon as possible, we shall have all our apprentices made into warriors. We will attack whenever we can."

A/N: I hope you like the prologue. I'm kind of new at this, so please R&R! -