Prologue

It was a dark and windy night. The moonlight glowed on some smooth granite boulders; turning them silver. The silence of the forest was broken by the ripple of water from the river and the wind blowing in the trees beyond. Silhouettes of cats stirred through the trees and crept over the rocks; their unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Glaring eyes flashed like lightning and then, a silent signal was given. The cats leaped at another group and soon, the rocks were alive from wrestling and screeching cats. In the middle of the battle, a dark brown tom with black stripes and amber eyes pinned a dark reddish-brown tom with amber eyes to the ground and had his long claws on the tom's throat.

"Oakheart, how dare you hunt in our territory, the sunning rocks belong to Thunderclan!" he growled.

"Not anymore, Tigerclaw. After tonight, this will be another Riverclan hunting ground." He spat.

"Look out! More Riverclan warriors are coming!" a voice yowled.

Tigerclaw looked to see more Riverclan warriors coming out of the river and rushing into battle. Tigerclaw glared down at Oakheart.

"You may swim like otters, but you and your warriors do not belong in this forest!" he roared.

Tigerclaw's snarl turned into a tiger's growl as Oakheart struggled to break free, but how can one break free from a tiger's grip? Oakheart's power was to camouflage within oak trees, but Tigerclaw had the strength, bravery, and roar of a tiger. Though he could not turn into one, his strength was not to be tested. A desperate scream from a Thunderclan she-cat rose above the hissing and screeching. A Riverclan tom had pinned the young warrior flat on her belly and was going for the throat. Tigerclaw let go of Oakheart and leaped at the Riverclan warrior. With one powerful push, he knocked the enemy warrior off the she-cat.

"Quick Mousefur, run!" Tigerclaw ordered.

Mousefur scrambled on her paws and raced away. Tigerclaw yowled when the warrior sliced open his nose; leaving a terrible scar. Blood blinded him for a second, but managed to shake it off, then he sank his teeth into the hind leg of his opponent. The tom squealed as he struggled to break free, but how can one escape from a tiger's powerful bite?

"Tigerclaw!" a voice yowled.

Tigerclaw looked around and saw a tortoiseshell tom with a ginger tail and green eyes emerge out of nowhere. It didn't surprise him as that was his power. In the clans, a calico is most likely to have the power to camouflage, but sometimes, they hold more than just that. In this case, the tom could not only camouflage, but he could turn his tail into another animals as a trap to lure prey or their enemies away.

"This is useless, there are too many Riverclan warriors!" the tom yowled.

"No, Redtail, Thunderclan will never be beaten! This is our territory!" Tigerclaw protested.

"Thunderclan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw, but we cannot afford to lose any more warriors. Bluestar would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat." he urged.

Redtail jumped onto the top stone at the edge of the trees.

"Retreat, Thunderclan! Retreat!" he yowled.

Cats from both sides stopped fighting and allowed the Thunderclan patrol to retreat. Tigerclaw was the last to leave and as he did, Oakheart and his warriors gave out a victory yowl. In a clearing, a blue she-cat sat alone and stared at the night sky. A tortoiseshell she-cat emerged from her den and approached the blue she-cat. As the she-cat climbed the high rock, the blue she-cat dipped her head in greeting.

"How is Mousefur, Spottedleaf?" she asked.

"Her wounds are deep, Bluestar, but she is young and strong; she will heal quickly." She answered.

"And the others?" Bluestar asked.

"They will all recover too." Spottedleaf meowed.

She got to the top and sat next to Bluestar. Spottedleaf looked down and saw that Bluestar's two front paws were on fire. It didn't surprise her as it was Bluestar's power. Her fur may make you think she can control water, but for some reason, she was born to control fire. However, unlike the ginger color fire has, Bluestar's was blue.

"We are lucky not to have lost any of our warriors this time. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf." Bluestar praised.

Spottedleaf nodded a thank you and smiled but saw Bluestar's troubled gaze. She knew well that this defeat had troubled Thunderclan, but it was the lack of warriors that also troubled them as well. Spottedleaf didn't know what she would do if she was in Bluestar's paws; having a mate in another clan, your own kits being there, having to deal with the fact that your clan is loosing warriors, and the fact that you lost in your own territory. Spottedleaf just wouldn't know how to handle it if she was in Bluestar's place. She chuckled at the idea of even being a leader.

"You know, Oakheart beat you." Spottedleaf snickered.

"True. Despite being in different clans and mates, we both have our responsibilities and we respect that…but I'm deeply troubled by tonight's defeat. Thunderclan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader, these are difficult times for our clan. The season of newleaf is late and there have been fewer kits." Bluestar murmured troubled.

"But the year is only beginning, there will be more kits when Greenleaf comes." Spottedleaf pointed.

"Perhaps but training our young takes time. If Thunderclan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible." Bluestar meowed.

"Are you asking Starclan for answers?" Spottedleaf asked.

"It is times like this we need the words of ancient warriors to help us." Bluestar replied.

Spottedleaf looked down; her ears flattened and was troubled. Sickness, hunger, and battles had weakened Thunderclan. Even with powers, you couldn't always avoid death. Spottedleaf couldn't blame Bluestar for being so troubled; even she didn't know what to do.

"Has Starclan spoken to you?" Bluestar asked.

"Not for some moons, Bluestar." Spottedleaf meowed.

Suddenly, a shooting star blazed over the forest. Spottedleaf felt a cold shiver down her spine and fur bristled. After a few moments, she looked at Bluestar.

"It was a message from Starclan: Fire alone will save our clan." Spottedleaf warned.

"Fire? Fire isn't exactly a savior, Spottedleaf, how can it save us?" Bluestar asked confused.

"I do not know, but this is the message Starclan has chosen to share with me." She meowed.

"If Starclan has spoken, then it must be so. Fire will save our clan." Bluestar meowed.