Prologue
The mist was sleepily spread out over the open moors; the glowing shine of the moon echoed across the bare hills and peeped into the thick trees of the forest. A cluster of stars in the deep blue sky glittered innocently down upon the arching river that flowed through the hills and into the shallower path through the woods.
A white cat with gleaming hazel eyes quietly tiptoed into a small dip in the ground on top of one of the hills. A smaller white cat with a black tail followed her, his head low to the ground. The two cats pushed past the gorse and bracken that surrounded the inclination in the earth and padded past the sleeping cats lying out in the open, their faces turned towards the sky.
"Come quickly now," mouthed the white she-cat as they scurried towards a flat rock on the far side of the clearing. A brown and white tom with unnaturally large ears was lying awake in the shelter of the rock, his bright amber eyes staring at the approaching cats, unblinking.
"What news from StarClan?" the tomcat asked as the two white cats reached his bed of flattened moss.
The white she-cat gazed at him steadily. "StarClan has sent Breezepaw a prophecy," she murmured, glancing at the smaller cat.
Breezepaw looked up, moonlight reflecting on his pure pelt. His black speckled tail was waving gently. The other tom stared at Breezepaw, amazement clouding his eyes.
"What did StarClan say?"
Breezepaw looked at the she-cat for reassurance. She nodded. "Go ahead."
"Well," Breezepaw said, taking a deep breath of fresh air, "Cottonsky and I went to the Moonrock for my medicine cat's apprenticeship ceremony and StarClan spoke to me almost immediately."
Cottonsky laid her soft white tail on Breezepaw's back comfortingly. The apprentice gulped, stared at the brown and white tom and continued.
"A huge tom came to me in my dream. He said his name was Windstar and he founded our clan. Then he told me a riddle or something. He said: 'A wandering wisp of smoke will bring three from different Clans together and they will bring the dawn and stop the blood.' I don't know what it means though."
"Fallenstar, this is the first prophecy WindClan has received for years. It should not be taken lightly," Cottonsky said urgently, her hazel eyes flashing.
Fallenstar nodded his head seriously, considering the medicine cat's words.
"What do you think it means?" the Clan leader said, his head turned towards Cottonsky.
The pearly white cat shrugged, her ears twitching. "I don't know. It seems to be saying that three cats will join together from three Clans and…from there it's blurry."
The three cats stood silently for a moment, a soft flurry of air brushing through their pelts. The sky was the color of the bottom of a river, dotted with shells of stars. It was a chilly night; leaf-fall would be ending soon and the bitter coldness of leafbare would soon cover WindClan and the forest.
Cottonsky's fur ruffled in the crisp air, her eyes pensive. Breezepaw looked uncertain and uncomfortable standing next to the regal-looking Fallenstar.
"I believe only time will tell," Cottonsky finally sighed. "It's impossible to figure out StarClan's prophecy's at once. We will have to wait."
Fallenstar dipped his head curtly in agreement. "Very well. You and Breezepaw should get to sleep. You've had a long night."
"Thank you Fallenstar," Breezepaw said, relieved. He and Cottonsky turned away from the leader and trotted off towards their own beds.
Fallenstar watched them go, his mind spinning, reeling over the prophecy. He was a young leader, he had never even heard another prophecy before in his life. He was at a loss at what to do.
"I believe only time will tell…" Cottonsky's words swam back to him gently. He sighed. She was right. The WindClan leader lay back down on his nest of moss and resignedly shut his eyes, ready to wait for a sign, an omen, an indication, anything.
As Fallenstar drifted into sleep, the bright stars dappled the sky and smiled down upon the WindClan camp.