The clearing was gray as if all the color in the world had drained away into the darkness of night. The air was filled with heavy fog; it moved sluggishly in the still air. There was no trace at all of the wind.
Mistyheart could not see the ground beneath her paws. All around her, she could hardly sense the ghosts of the clan cats, faint traces of scents, voices that echoed inside her mind. Stars littered the camp like dust.
And standing next to the towering gray rock, protruding from the fog, was the cat who had brought her here. His fur was the color of gathering storm clouds at dusk, flecked with glittering stars. His eyes were the waters of the deep river, fast-flowing through the gorge. She recognized him immediately.
"Stormheart? What are you doing here?" Mistyheart asked. Her voice sounded small. "Why did you bring me here? Where is here?"
"Grave trouble is coming to the forest," Stormheart said in a soft tone. Her father fixed his intense gaze on her. "The storm of war is about to break."
Mistyheart was shocked. War? Was it even possible anymore? There had been peace for five seasons, not a trace of hostility coming from the other clans or from Shadestar's former allies. Of the one remaining, Brokenfoot, they had seen nothing at all. The most dangerous thing to have happened was an old badger that had given Leopardtail a twisted paw, but the animal was long gone. What could Stormheart mean?
"Is it ShadowClan?" They were usually the most secretive. Though Owlstar had fought with them against Shadestar, she was extremely proud, along with her prickly deputy, Nightfur. Was it possible that ShadowClan were planning something?
Stormheart's next words eliminated that thought. "Not from ShadowClan, but from beyond. From outside the forest and from outside the warrior code."
Mistyheart thought back to the battle. At first they had been sure they could defeat Shadestar if the clans united. But they had not been prepared for what awaited them. Shadestar had found allies outside the forest. Filthy, skinny rogues, tainted with the scent of crowfood and the light of battle that shown in their eyes.
"Where do they come from? What do they want?" Mistyheart demanded.
"They come from a dark forest beyond Highstones," said Stormheart. "But they want to live here. Their own Ancestors, their StarClan, have sent them."
"There's more than one StarClan?" It seemed unbelievable. Mistyheart had always thought that StarClan was only one, that all wild cats, all clan cats, went there. It was strange to think of there being others.
"Not more than one StarClan, but more than one hunting ground for the spirits of cats. More than one sky to roam." Stormheart took a step forward, his movement barely disturbing the fog at his paws. It sighed like the wind when he moved.
"But if they've already got a forest to live in, why do they want ours?" Mistyheart asked. "What's so special about our home that would make them want it?" She figured it was just a forest to others, but winced inwardly at the flatness of her tone. To her, it wasn't just a forest. It was home.
Suddenly Stormheart's head jerked up as if he were responding to a voice only he could hear. He looked ghostly, Mistyheart thought, standing in star-scattered fog. His ear twitched.
"StarClan did not send me here," he said, not taking his gaze away from the sky. Mistyheart looked up but could not see Silverpelt glittering like fresh dew against a black sky. The sky itself was gray, but not with clouds. "They do not approve of me being here. They do not wish me to tell you of the other cats' true intentions."
When he paused, Mistyheart felt another question welling up within her. But before she could speak, he continued.
"Just be ready," he said. "They are coming in vast numbers. The fate of the forest depends on the information I am giving you. The rest, you must search for without my help."
"Search?" said Mistyheart. "Search for what?"
"The truth."
Mistyheart shook her head in amazement. What was he talking about?
"But," she began. "Can't you tell me? I don't know what to look for. I don't even know what you're talking about."
Stormheart's gaze broke away from the gray sky and fixed intently on her. What she saw there was sadness and a deep regret. "Not even StarClan know everything."
The fog moved, roiling around their paws, snaking through their fur. Stars clung to Mistyheart's pelt like sticky leaves after a recent rain. She leaped back in surprise.
"Don't worry." Stormheart had not missed the uncertainty, almost fear, in her eyes. "Nothing here can hurt you."
The stars swirled around in the mist, reminding Mistyheart of lazily drifting snowflakes. "Is this StarClan?"
To her surprise, Stormheart shook his head. "No, this is the half-way," he said. "Half-way between StarClan and the Dark Forest, closer to the physical world. Notice it is not the darkness and dread of the Dark Forest, nor is it the beauty of StarClan. You can't even see Silverpelt from where you now stand."
It was eerie enough, though. Mistyheart shuffled her paws against a ground she could not feel.
"You were brave when you first accepted your fate and fought the battle against Shadestar," Stormheart continued. His eyes flickered around the mist-shrouded clearing as if he could still see the battle before him. The fierce cats, clan and rogue alike, slashing at each other with claws and teeth, staining the camp with the blood of cats. Warriors fighting and dying next to their enemies. Then the faraway look in the StarClan warrior's eyes left and he returned to where he was.
"Your bravery will be needed once more. You have fulfilled a prophecy and sealed your fate as a clan cat. You will leave behind a legacy generations of cats will long remember. But that is only the beginning."
Mistyheart felt cold claws clutch her heart. She lifted her head, trying to appear calm, confident.
"It's been five seasons since the mist bonding ThunderClan and ShadowClan has brought light to the forest," Stormheart went on. Mistyheart still clearly remembered the old prophecy that had first brought her to the forest. Only the mist that bonds clan and clan can turn darkness to light. Her mother, Icewhisker, was a ThunderClan cat. Her father, Stormheart, who had died the night of her birth, was ShadowClan.
Sudden suspicion made Mistyheart cautious. She narrowed her eyes.
The faraway look was back in Stormheart's eyes. His voice was a mere whisper. "Ghosts of the past shall rise, the stars will fall, and the fate of the forest lies in paws beyond the sky." He looked back at his daughter. "These words are from beyond StarClan."
"But what do they mean?" Mistyheart asked.
"As I have said, they are beyond StarClan," Stormheart replied.
"Then who…?"
Stormheart remained emotionless as he spoke. "Beyond StarClan. Not even the most ancient of StarClan cats can give you the answer you seek. You must go to others for that and only their knowledge will help you to truly understand. Mistyheart, this journey will be more perilous than any other a living cat has ever faced. This is why you lived and escaped Shadestar's fury on the night of your birth. Why your brother died to save you as Night took you away. Why you were led into the forest. Mistyheart, this is your destiny."
Her fur was snow, the world as distant as the very stars. Her blood was ice in her veins.
"Mistyheart?" A tail tapped her shoulder and she cringed in alarm. She found herself looking into the concerned blue eyes of Rainstar. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, fine," she lied. She looked back toward the Highrock, but Stormheart was gone. The sky was darkening as the sun set. The stars of Silverpelt shown brightly.
Mistyheart shivered, unable to shake off her visit with her father or the daunting words of the prophecy.