Hey, guys! What's going on(:

Yay, chapter 1! Now that we've finally gotten to the real story, I guess I might as well say that this takes place about a year after BH ended- as in, a year after the Clan's total exile, Ross leaving the band, Dire, Nightfall and Thornclaw's deaths, etc.

I hope you all enjoy:) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! It means a lot(:

Chapter 1

Dreams

He saw cats. Everywhere. They were running past him through golden grass, laughing and smiling as they playfully batted at each other. Others were splashing through water, nuzzling each other as kits played at their feet. He looked around, and a young cat raced by him, nearly knocking him over. He didn't know if they could even see him, but he saw them. All around him, butterflies of every color floated through the air, a few kits jumping up and trying to catch them. He blinked softly, looking ahead to see a tall forest looming over him. The branches of trees seemed to stretch out for miles, the leaves beautiful shades of green and yellow.

He took a step forward, and then another as he made his way through the tall grass, pushing through a clump of dew-spotted ferns and into the dimness of the woods. There was a thin mist covering the forest floor, and the golden sunlight was seeping through the tall trees. The noise of insects and birds calling to each other was so loud he winced a bit. He looked around, seeing cats walking through the flowers and ferns, smiling, their eyes bright with life. Others were hunting nearby; there seemed to be prey everywhere. The laughter of kits filled his ears. Everyone seemed so happy.

He watched for only about three seconds more when suddenly a yowl pierced the air, followed by a second, and a third. The cats lifted their heads in wonder and fright. They didn't even have time to run, because all of a sudden, others appeared from a clump of bracken- a cat, and another, and another- there was a whole gang of them, their ears flattened, fur raised. He thought that they somehow seemed familiar, but they were moving too quickly for him to really tell. They leaped for the other cats, their claws flexed and teeth bared.

The air was suddenly filled with the noise of battle as everyone fought. Kits and elders tried to run, but they were caught and quickly killed. He looked around wildly, taking a step back. Blood was everywhere. Whoever these new cats were, they were winning. It only took a matter of minutes before the forest floor was covered with the bodies of unexpecting cats, their mouths still open in shock.

Something in his mind was telling him to help these cats that had been ambushed from out of nowhere. But he found that he couldn't move his paws, so he just stood there and watched.

The second the attackers had killed every cat in the forest, they began to ran for him. His eyes widened and he tried to run, but found, to his surprise, that they all ran right past him, not even giving him a second glance. Letting out a shaky breath, he turned around, watching as they ran out into the moors, their yowls getting further and further away.

Slightly hesitantly, he looked back at the scene that they'd left. Whiskers twitching, he felt as his paws stepped forward. He walked through the trees, glancing from left to right and back to his left again as he observed all the dead cats that lay at his feet. The birds and insects had grown quiet.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye flashed something white. He cautiously flexed his claws and turned, blinking when he saw, several foxlengths away, a she-cat, standing there and staring at him. She had a coat of pure white, her leaf-green eyes shining as she looked at him. She had no injuries at all, yet she was so skinny that he could see her ribs.

He began, "Who are..."

"Please help us," she interrupted, ears flattening, a frown on her face. She looked almost like a lost kitten, the way she peered at him. Before he could reply, she said quietly, "It wasn't her who he'd seen... It was you."

Just as he was about to ask her what she was talking about, everything around him suddenly began to blur. He took a step back, looking all around before he glanced back at the white she-cat. He tried to talk, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. Darkness was quickly taking over his surroundings, but before it was all gone, two words whispered into his ears- "...The Clans."

A moment later, everything was black.

. . .

His eyes flew open, and when he lifted his head, he was in his den, a few others sleeping beside him. The early morning light was pouring through the branches of the bramble bush he'd made his nest under.

A cat rustled beside him, and he looked over to see a white she-cat sleepily lifting her head. His sister.

"Night, what's wrong?" the she-cat murmured, her sky-blue eyes half-closed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "...I'm fine." He shook his head and staggered to his paws. "I'm going outside."

"M'kay," muttered the she-cat, who had already curled back up into a tight ball.

The young black tom stepped outside, careful not to wake up anyone else on the way. He blinked his eyes, yawning as he glanced around the stone hollow, trying not to think of his dream. It had been a dream, and nothing else. He... didn't need to worry.

It was early winter. A thin layer of snow already covered the ground, but it wasn't unbearably cold, yet. In fact, the sun felt warm. It was a beautiful day, and the sky was clear. A few cats were already awake, chatting to each other or eating breakfast. Night flicked his tail, blinking as he saw two cats approach him- his parents.

"Good morning, Night," his mother mewed with a smile. She was a pretty black and white she-cat, her bright blue eyes shining happily. Her name was Badger. Beside her stood Night's father, a lean, white tom with one black paw, a long tail, and round amber eyes. He smiled, too. His name was Mourn.

"Good morning," Night replied quietly, looking away.

"Is something wrong?" Badger asked. "You look tense."

"I just had a bad dream," he muttered, flicking his tail.

"What about?" Mourn asked, a frown on his face as his ears flattened slightly. Night looked at him, blinking softly.

"There were cats," he murmured. "It looked like our territory... They were laughing and playing. Then another group of cats attacked and killed them." He opened his mouth to tell them about the white she-cat he'd seen, but for some reason, he decided to keep it a secret.

He thought that he could see his parents flinch, just the tiniest bit, and they shared an uncomfortable glance. Night blinked, looking at them curiously.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," purred Badger hastily, clearing her throat. "Night, go wake up your sister. Me and Mourn want to take you out into the forest for some battle training."

The tom looked at her, but when she didn't say anything else, he rigidly nodded and turned to go back into the den.

Poking his head in through the bush, he looked at the others that were sleeping. There were three cats, all his and his sister's age. They were about as close to friends as he had. Blinking, he carefully crept over to his sister, prodding her with his paw.

"Luna," he murmured. "Get up. Mom and Dad want to take us out to train."

The she-cat groaned in protest, but after a moment she lifted her head, blinking her blue eyes tiredly.

"I'm up," she muttered, stumbling to her feet. She yawned, stretching out her small body before glancing at her brother. "What time is it, dawn?" she grunted. "Why are they even up this early..."

Nearby, a young ginger she-cat shifted, groaning a bit as she lifted her head, looking at the siblings with dull green eyes.

"Keep it down, will you, Luna?" she murmured. "It's so early."

"Sorry, Sun," whispered the white she-cat, tail flicking as she yawned again. "Let's go, Night."

The two stepped out of the den, immediately greeted by their parents who were waiting outside.

"Good morning, Luna," purred Badger. The she-cat just grunted. She was never one for mornings.

"C'mon, let's go," Mourn said, flicking his tail. his yellow eyes shining brightly. He trotted over to the stony slope and stepped up, Badger close behind. Night shared a glance with his sister before the two of them quietly followed.

The family walked together through the woods, the tall trees having been stripped of most of their leaves. A few squirrels were hastily gathering last-minute nuts, and a flock of birds soared overhead, probably heading south. The snow on the ground was thin and you could still hear the sound of crisp leaves under your paws.

Badger and Mourn walked with their tails twined, while Night stayed close to his sister, neither of them talking. Watching his father smile and joke with his mate, Night sometimes forgot that he was the leader of this band.

But he knew that not everyone liked his family. He could tell. He wasn't sure if the others could, but Night saw the way certain cats would look at his father as he stood atop the Highledge, or even look at him as if he'd done something wrong. He felt as if they knew something about him that even he didn't know. And then the memory of his dream came back, and the more he thought about it, the more real it felt.

He knew very little of his home. Mourn had told him that they used to live somewhere else, but they moved here after a fire had destroyed it. And that was all he'd told him. But that was undoubtedly the lake that Night had seen in his dream. Who were those others?

The four pushed through a clump of thin, browning bushes and into a small clearing. The sun shone through the opening in the trees, and Night squinted his eyes a bit.

"We're going to try some one-on-one battles," Badger mewed, smiling as she looked at her children. "Night, Luna, you'll be battling. Remember everything we've taught you so far. We'll be giving you advice as you go along."

"Good luck!" mewed Mourn, who sat down, wrapping his long tail around his paws.

Night turned his amber eyes to Luna, who looked back at him, lowering herself a bit as she prepared to fight. The tom narrowed his eyes, but before he could make a move, his sister came running towards him, brow furrowed in concentration.

Night leaped to the side, and Luna skidded to a halt, quickly turning around and lunging for him. She knocked him onto his stomach, but before she could get a firm grip on him, he managed to roll over onto his back, kicking out his back legs.

The white she-cat stumbled backwards, trying to regain her balance. Night rolled back onto his paws, quickly standing up, taking a step back and facing her.

He ran towards her, running to the left and racing past her, drawing his paw along her side as if he were slashing at her pelt. She quickly turned around, lightly biting his tail before he got too far away. The tom growled, coming in close and lifting a paw, striking it at her head. She ducked and dodged the blow, but Night quickly retaliated and landed another strike, this time hitting her cheek.

Luna hissed and attempted to step back, but her brother leaped forward, shoving her to the cold ground, pinning her down on her side and placing a paw at her neck.

"Stop," Mourn mewed, getting to his paws. "That was good." Night stepped back, letting the she-cat up, who snorted softly. "You've both shown a lot of improvement since you started your training," he said. "Remember that in a real battle, you may be fighting someone much larger."

"What do you mean, in a real battle?" Luna asked quietly. "Our band is alone. I've never seen any other cats around here. Who would we be fighting?"

Mourn frowned, and for some reason, his eyes darkened a bit. Badger glanced at him, looking a bit troubled.

"You never know what could happen," he responded quietly. Night eyed him curiously when he suddenly a heard a rustle from the bushes. They lifted their leads to see three cats appear- one was a gorgeous grayish blue she-cat with darker patches and stunning blue eyes. Another was a somewhat small, shaggy gray tom, with darker stripes and a white neck, muzzle and paws. There was another taller, more muscular gray tom, who watched the other group with a hard gaze.

"Hi, Sapphire," Mourn said to the she-cat. Badger smiled and waved her tail in greeting. Sapphire had always been good friends with Night's parents. "Maxwell, Tin."

"Hey," the gray she-cat purred before turning to Night and Luna. "Hey, guys. Training?"

"Yes," Night said, dipping his head politely. Luna smiled a bit, glancing at the two toms, who hadn't said anything.

"How's the patrol going?" Mourn said.

Sapphire frowned, looking at the other two.

"Actually, there was something we wanted to talk to you about."

Maxwell stepped forward, flicking his shaggy tail, a small frown on his face.

"Remember the badgers we spotted a few weeks ago beyond the moors? We've found traces that they're moving into our lands."

"Really?" mewed Mourn, frowning. "I thought they were gone."

"What are you going to do about it, then?" the other gray tom questioned, his tone just vaguely disdainful. Tin was Sapphire's brother, and the two were nothing alike. This was one of the cats that Night had a feeling didn't like his father. Tin's eyes flashed as he asked the question, staring at his leader as his whiskers twitched.

Mourn glanced at him before asking, "How many of them do you think there are?"

"It's hard to say," Sapphire murmured. "Definitely more than one or two. They're probably traveling in a pack."

"I'll send a patrol out at dusk to see if they've come any closer," the white tom said. "If so, we'll have to drive them out." Night swore he could hear Tin mutter something beneath his breath, but he didn't catch it. And neither did anyone else, apparently.

"Alright then," murmured Mourn, straightening up. "We'll see you all back at camp after our training session. Carry on with the patrol." Sapphire smiled and dipped her head, nodding to the two toms as she lead them back into the woods.

The four weren't back at camp until almost noon, and Night's stomach growled hungrily. In the camp were a few pieces of freshkill; helping himself to a vole, he sat down by himself near the edge of camp. Luna had claimed she wasn't hungry and went to go find Coal, who she'd insisted she didn't have a crush on. Night knew she did.

"Hey," came a voice, and the tom lifted his head to see that Sapphire had sat down beside him.

"Hello."

"How's the training going?" she asked kindly. "You and Luna are getting bigger every day." She looked out into the distance, chuckling lightly. "I remember when you two were born. Your parents were so happy..." She smiled. "And Mourn named you after his sister. You look just like her."

"Nightfall?" Night said, looking at her. He hadn't heard much about his aunt, but from the way his father had talked about her, he knew they must have been close. And Sapphire had been her best friend.

The she-cat smiled and nodded. "Mourn really loved her. She was... quite the cat." She laughed a little.

The tom watched her, curiosity suddenly taking hold of him.

"How did she die?"

Sapphire's smile faded, and her eyes clouded over. She raised her head, her gaze pointing towards the Highledge.

"She was pushed from there," she murmured. "By our old leader."

Night hadn't heard anything about an old leader. For all his life, it had been Mourn. His father.

"Why? What happened?"

Sapphire shook her head lightly, looking at him with a very faint smile.

"It's a long story," she said softly. "Have your father tell it to you sometime. He'll be able to tell it better than me."

Night looked away, thinking everything over. He suddenly wondered if this "long story" had anything at all to do with the dream he'd had. He sent a sideways glance at Sapphire and suddenly murmured, "What are the Clans?"

The she-cat flinched a bit and blinked in surprise, staring at him.

"Where did you hear about that?"

So I was right, the tom thought, twitching his tail. That dream did mean something.

"I had a dream," he said quietly. "Before I woke up, I heard someone whisper that to me."

Sapphire let out a long sigh, and she didn't speak for a few moments.

"...Mourn didn't want you to know about this," she whispered, suddenly looking almost... afraid. Night looked at her with a bit of alarm, his heart starting to beat faster. What was his father hiding from him?

But before he could question her anymore, a voice called out, "Hey, Night!"

The tom lifted his head, seeing two cats waving their tails at him. One of them was Sun, the orange tabby she-cat, and the other was her brother, Hail, a light gray tom. They were his and Luna's age, so they all grew to be friends, along with Coal.

"Me and Hail are going hunting," Sun called, grinning. "D'you wanna come?"

Night hesitated, but Sapphire prodded him gently.

"Go with them," she murmured, smiling softly. He looked at her silently, lashing his tail before he turned to the two cats. He smiled slightly and nodded, trotting over to join them, but not before glancing at Sapphire over his shoulder one last time.

"Coming," he said, meeting with the two cats. They smiled at him, and the three made their way up the slope, slipping through the bramble barrier and out into the territory.

And though he tried to focus on what he was doing and joking and being with his friends, Sapphire's words never left his mind the whole time he was out there.

Just to clarify, Night and Luna are about ten moons old. So, if they were in a Clan, they'd be apprentices. Same with Sun, Hail, and Coal, though I thought I'd made that pretty clear(:

So, tell me whatcha think(: Reviewers get a Night plushie(: And also my eternal love and gratitude and a lukewarm plate of lasagna!

PS, Jayfeather4ever, I think I already wrote this in TSS, but I can't reply to your reviews:( But you are lovely and thankyouthankyou!:)

Till next time,

Pearly