Welcome to my first fanfic! I hope you enjoy :)
PROLOGUE
Darkness wove in and out through the silhouetted trees as if it were an entity in and of itself, blotting out the moon and spiraling around the huddle of cats gathered on the barren ground. The shadows grew long and pronounced as a single, scar-flecked cat stalked out of their midst, tail flicking to beckon the others around him.
"Listen, all of you. We must formulate a plan that none of the Clans will expect."
A powerful gray and white tom pushed his way to the front, the long scars down his side rippling with the movement, and when he spoke, his challenging mew rose to a whine. "That's what we did last time, Ashfang."
"And the time before that, during the Great Battle," Ashfang mewed. "We attacked like any other battle, through training and rigor and deceit. Even with Tigerstar and Brokenstar and the other greatest warriors the Clans have ever seen, we lost. And what does that tell you, Thistleclaw?"
"Then what do you propose?" That was a small, wiry brown she-cat, who flicked her ears impatiently.
Ashfang let out a low snarl, clearly unimpressed at the confrontation. "We tear them apart from within. Yes, I know we've been recruiting the living for seasons, Reednose," he growled, anticipating the retort when the she-cat opened her jaws, "but that was when we needed them as battle ammunition. We just need one cat to take control in one Clan, and our mission is set."
A chorus of yowls erupted among the cats, some in agreement, some in confusion, and some in utter outrage, until Ashfang lashed his tail, commanding silence. "Enough!"
"Who are you considering, Ashfang?" some cat asked, and several others began murmuring amongst themselves once again.
Ashfang sat back on his haunches, his muscular shape pulsing beneath his dark gray fur as he curled his tail around his paws. "I'm done considering. I've been watching ThunderClan for a while, now, and I've seen the sheer power this one cat in particular possesses. Come and see for yourselves."
He nodded to a black, stagnant puddle at his paws, and a few of the cats approached cautiously, peering at the image of the cat within.
Reednose drew back, spitting. "Are you mouse-brained?"
"This one can't fight if a fox sat in the middle of camp and asked nicely!"
"Ashfang, how can a cat like that help us at all?"
"We've always chosen the strongest and bravest!"
"You're wasting our one chance!"
This time, Ashfang didn't move to silence the warriors around him, dead and living alike, and instead let the indignant yowls die out on their own into the eternal night before padding forward slowly but not meekly, ambition gleaming in the depths of his amber eyes.
"All we need is one cat," he repeated as he met the stare of each cat. "No one will expect anything like it. We turn this one to our ranks, and the lake is as good as ours. Each and every Clan will belong to the Place of No Stars."
ALLEGIANCES (ThunderClan)
LEADER: Cloudstar - white long-furred she-cat with several light and dark gray patches and blue eyes
DEPUTY: Owlshade - dark gray tom with black paws and large yellow eyes
MEDICINE CAT: Leopardwish - prominently dappled ginger she-cat with amber eyes
- Apprentice: Hawkpaw
WARRIORS:
Willowstorm - gray tabby she-cat with green eyes
- Apprentice: Oakpaw
Sandstrike - large, light brown tom with amber eyes
- Apprentice: Minnowpaw
Brackenhaze - thick-furred golden she-cat with clouded stripes and amber eyes
- Apprentice: Emberpaw
Whitesong - pure white she-cat with blue eyes
Stormwhisker - dark brown tabby tom with green eyes
Cinderclaw - small, fluffy gray tom with long claws and blue eyes
Lionpelt - dark golden-brown tom with broad shoulders and green eyes
Mapleheart - skinny red-brown tom with pale yellow eyes
APPRENTICES:
Hawkpaw - jet black she-cat with white forepaws and ice-blue eyes
Oakpaw - brown tabby tom with a darker tail-tip and amber eyes
Minnowpaw - sleek-furred silver tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
Emberpaw - muscular, russet tom with green eyes
QUEENS:
Cedarfang - mottled gray-brown she-cat with green eyes
Honeypool - dappled sandy-colored she-cat with milky blue eyes
- Kits: Ivykit, Sorrelkit
ELDERS:
Petalfoot - pale blue-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Raggedfall - scraggly yellow-gray tom with a long tail and gray eyes
Please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!