Prologue

Moonlight shone through the tree tops, casting shadows on the cold, hard ground. The faint sound of the thud of paws on the ground in the distance could be made out. A slight breeze blew through the forest, scattering the leaves that lay upon the ground.

The silence was broken by two adult cats crashing into the clearing. One of them was a mottled gray tom with shining green eyes. The other, a she-cat, had a smooth black pelt and dark amber eyes. In her mouth she was holding a small newborn kit. The kit looked very much like her mother, with the same black pelt that blended in with the nighttime shadows. Yet she had her father's gray fur on her chest and paws, and the same green eyes that sparkled in the darkness. Her fluffy kit fur stuck out everywhere, and she let out a small whimper and closed her eyes tightly.

The she-cat placed the kit on the ground and wrapped her tail around her protectively. She turned to her mate with worried eyes. "Fang," she mewed softly, her voice trembling slightly. "What do we do now? If they find her, they will kill her!"

Fang turned to the she-cat and licked her head comfortingly. "We'll run, Shadow. They can't chase us forever."

Shadow looked away. "I'm not so sure about that. They're strong cats, Fang. I know I can't outrun them." She looked at her kit sadly. "What should we do with her? You know they won't spare her. As soon as they've finished with us, they'll kill her, too. You know you can't deny it."

Fang looked down at his paws. "I wasn't going to. I know they're all brutal. You've got to remember: I was one of them once."

"But you've changed," Shadow reminded him.

"When I met you," Fang meowed. "That was when I changed. You sure let me know what was right and wrong." They both purred a little nervously as they remembered Shadow's lectures about how fighting was not the way to solve problems. During each lecture, Fang had pretended to be asleep, and when one time, he truly did fall asleep, Shadow had batted him in the side of the face. From then on, whenever Shadow had lectured him, she had always been careful to remember to bat him in the face.

Fang stopped purring and sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed, and his face became grim. "They're coming closer," he growled. "I can smell it."

Shadow pulled her kit closer and mewed desperately, "Fang, we have to hide her! I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her!"

Fang's eyes met her own, and something in them flashed. "You run," he announced. "I'll fight them off. It won't stop them, but it'll give you enough time to escape."

Shadow gasped. "But you'll be killed! I can't let you do that, even if it does mean that I'll die also."

Fang pushed his face close to hers. "Listen, Shadow. I would die if anything happened to you or Gem. I'd much rather die knowing that you would live than die knowing that I let you down."

It was then that Shadow recognized just what had flashed in Fang's eyes before. Determination. It was what she had seen in him early on, when they had just met, and what she had admired about him ever since.

She nodded. "I love you, Fang. I'll run if I have to, though. If it will make you happy."

"It will. You should escape now; before it gets too late."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's far too late for that," a cold, mocking voice behind them mewed.

Fang spun around. "Badger!" he spat as a small black tom stepped into the clearing. The tom was small, but his muscles were powerful, his bite was deadly, and any cat who fought him had not lived to tell the tale.

"Well did you really expect anyone else, Fang?" the cat asked coldly. His gaze traveled over Shadow, and he mewed in a disapproving voice, "So this is the cat you chose to be your mate. Disgraceful." He spat the last word out distastefully.

Fang stepped between them. "If you even go near her..." he warned.

"You'll what? You'll kill me? Rip me to shreds? Fang, we've known each other since kithood. I know all your moves, your fighting styles, and," A dark shadow cast over his face. "your weaknesses."

"I swear, Badger, if you even go near her I'll rip you to shreds."

"You'll be dead before you get the chance!" Badger spat. "Honestly, Fang, how you became my friend is beyond my knowledge." He stepped around Fang, Fang's eyes watching his every move. "What's this?" he meowed when he saw the kit. "So this is your kit? Just a scrap of fur, I'd say. More of a kittypet than a rogue." His eyes traveled over to Shadow again. "That's from your side, I guess."

Fang stepped forward to confront his old friend. "Just let us go, Badger," he growled, but his eyes were pleading.

Badger shook his head. "I wish it could be like that, Fang. But I, unlike you, still have an ounce of loyalty left in my blood." He circled the three cats. "I've been given direct orders to kill you three, and I intend to do that." Fang bared his teeth, and Badger curled his lip back in a snarl. Shadow stood helplessly, knowing she was about to watch her mate fight with the cat that had once been his best friend.

Badger swiped a claw at Fang, but the tom, though large, was surprisingly nimble, and dodged the blow easily. He jumped on to Badger's back and held him down. Badger yowled with frustration and flung Fang off his back, leaving the larger cat's belly exposed. Fang quickly flipped over, though, and managed to catch his breath just before Badger charged at him, knocking the wind out of him once again.

Shadow stepped back, horrified at the scene happening before her. She knew Fang couldn't win this battle: Badger was too strong. The ball of hissing, screeching cats rolled closer to her. As Badger tumbled out of the mess, he spotted Shadow, and his dark amber eyes narrowed. He pounced on her, and before Fang could stop him, he delivered a killing bite to the young she-cat's neck. She writhed in pain for a couple moments, before lying completely still. Fang let out a sorrowful yowl, and rushed over to the cat he loved. He buried his nose into her fur and murmured, "Shadow, my beloved Shadow, I shall never forget you."

Badger, seizing his chance, pounced on Fang and dug his fangs into his throat. This time, however, Fang did not restrain. His eyes closed in calm acceptance, and eventually he lay still on the ground next to his dead mate.

Badger looked at the two dead cats, satisfied with his work. Night will be proud, he thought. Perhaps she'll finally name me leader. His thoughts were distracted by a soft mewing on the ground. The kit, he thought. I forgot to kill the kit. He looked at the scrap of fur lying on the ground and something flashed through his eyes. Was it pity? No. Badger shook the thought away. He picked the kit up and headed back to camp. We need warriors, he reasoned with himself.