Misty crouched low in the grass, peering at the mouse. She lightly crept forward and then pounced, dispatching her prey with a swift bite to the neck.
Scooping up the limp body, she turned to pad back to the barn, but something stopped her. A fleeting shadow out of the corner of her eye. She pricked her ears and looked up, out across the stretch of moorland.
A lone cat stood on the rise, a proud silhouette with a twitching tail and Misty thought she could make out the sheen of ginger fur. The cat looked skinny, watching Misty from beyond her territory. Then the cat turned and sped off, disappearing from sight.
But this encounter brought back the memories of her younger days and she excitedly trotted back to the barn, the mouse still dangling from her jaws.
"Night?" she called when she dropped her catch on the hay-strewn floor.
"Yes, what is it?" her mother asked, descending from the loft.
"I saw one of those wild cats today," Misty exclaimed. "Gus says they eat loners and spit out the bones!" Despite this statement, she was truly happy to have seen one.
"Oh, you know what Gus is like," Night purred. "He's always telling stories. Those cats aren't like that at all."
"But Gus says he met one once and it attacked him and tried to eat him!"
"Gus exaggerates," Night pointed out. "Most of what he says isn't even true. If you want to know what they're really like, I can tell you something."
"Yes, please," Misty replied eagerly.
"Okay then," Night began, wrapping her tail around her paws. "There are four clans of cats. ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. I once knew a ThunderClan cat and she was nothing like you'd think. Why, she was very much like us. She was kind and caring. There was a time when I once was afraid of the clan cats, but we became good friends."
"What was her name?" Misty asked.
"He name was Icewhisker," Night answered.
"What happened to her?"
"Oh, she's still in ThunderClan," Night said. "But I haven't seen her in a long time."
"Oh," Misty sighed and glanced out the doorway, toward the moors and the forest, to where that mysterious cat had been.
"But what if he catches us?" Blackpaw fretted, looking up at her mentor with wide green eyes.
"He won't," Smalltail replied. "He hasn't the brains to keep control of his own clan, let alone search for a few missing cats."
"Be careful of what you say, Smalltail," Raggedfur cautioned. "He's plenty capable of finding out what we're up to."
"Hmph," Smalltail grunted but she didn't say more.
Rainpaw watched the two warriors and nervousness pricked his pelt. He kept expecting to see Shadestar or Thistletooth lurking in the shadows. He shuddered.
When the undergrowth rustled with something other than the wind, he nearly jumped out of his skin. But he relaxed a moment later when Bluefeather emerged, followed by her apprentice, and Rainpaw's brother, Snowpaw.
The three apprentices huddled together as the warriors talked in conspiratorial whispers.
"What do you think they'll do?" Snowpaw asked, casting a glance at the senior warriors.
"Probably fight back," Rainpaw said. "That's what we should be doing. I just can't believe StarClan allowed that traitor to become leader."
"Yeah," Snowpaw agreed. "I wonder how many lives he's got left."
"That'd help, wouldn't it? But he's never told anyone, not even Thistletooth," Rainpaw pointed out.
Through this entire discussion, Blackpaw remained silent, watching her brothers intently, hanging on every word.
"I say we sneak into his den while he's sleeping and find out," Snowpaw suggested, getting that almost sinister look in his eye at the prospect of a challenge.
"Snowpaw!" Rainpaw gasped. "That's suicide!"
"Not if he's on his last life," Snowpaw said.
"You know that'd do no good," Rainpaw replied. "You'd have to be silent as an owl and scentless too, which I can tell you you're not." He rumpled his nose in mock distaste.
"Well let's hear your plan, then," Snowpaw retorted. "What grand scheme is unfolding in your brilliant mind?"
Rainpaw opened his mouth to make another comment but Snowpaw beat him to it.
"Ooh, I can tell this is going to be good," he whispered to Blackpaw and then gazed at Rainpaw as if his life depended on it.
Rainpaw playfully cuffed him on the head. "Oh, cut it out."
Snowpaw rolled on his side and batted at Rainpaw's forepaw. "You're a scaredy mouse!" he cried.
"Am not!" Rainpaw pounced on his brother, batting him with playful paws. "I'll show you who's the scaredy mouse!"
"Apprentices!" Raggedfur called, then raised his voice when they didn't stop their scuffle. "Apprentices!"
"Yes?" Snowpaw asked innocently, one paw planted on the side of Rainpaw's face. Both cats had stopped and were looking up at the older warrior.
"If you have nothing better to do," Raggedfur sighed.
Rainpaw and Snowpaw scrambled to their feet to face the warrior.
"Tawneystripe has provided us with valuable information regarding Shadestar's inner circle and any planned attacks. You are trusted with these secrets as well, so before we tell you, you must swear to StarClan you won't reveal any of what we tell you. Understood?"
"Understood," Rainpaw, Snowpaw, and Blackpaw echoed.
As Raggedfur began to tell them, Rainpaw couldn't help but think of the tawny-colored she-cat who had provided the information.
Tawneystripe only pretended to be loyal to Shadestar and she had gained his trust. Going behind his back, she had secretly given away vital information he would never trust any other cats with. Rainpaw could see that he clearly fancied the rebellious she-cat but she utterly despised him.
"According to Tawneystripe," Raggedfur begain. "There are traitors in at least one other clan, though she knows not who. He plans to attack ShadowClan soon, now that his warriors are stronger and he's gotten over his last defeat. We think he plans on taking over the forest."
The apprentices stared at him, partly shocked and partly not, for they had always known Shadestar was bloodthirsty and dangerously ambitious.
"Now, before we return to the camp, I must ask once more," Raggedfur said. "You do promise to keep this secret from any cat? To act like warriors in these dark and troubled times? To protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your lives?"
Followed by the others, Rainpaw gave a determined nod.
The sun dipped below the horizon, setting fire to the leaf-fall forest. The birds were silent and opposite the sun were looming clouds, casting their ominous shadow over the forest.
Misty curled up in her soft nest of hay, shooting a glance upwards where the first stars appeared in the gathering dusk. Unable to stifle a yawn, she rested her head on her paws, closed her eyes, and drifted off into sleep.
She awoke in the forest, in a clearing she did not recognize. In the center was a large rock and around it were four huge oak trees, pointing up at the sky.
"Wow," the loner murmured, carefully scanning the trees and noticing that she could detect the scrabbling of a shrew and it was just at the base of the rock.
Turning, she crouched and carefully stalked forward, her jaws flooding in anticipation. She hadn't had shrew before. She kept her eyes trained on the tiny creature and rocked back on her haunches, preparing to spring.
"This is not the time to hunt." The voice startled her and she let out a soft curse as the shrew scampered off.
She turned around and stopped when she saw the other cat. The tom had a long gray pelt and stars seemed to be entangled in his fur. His sparkling blue eyes watched her.
"Who are you?" Misty asked suspiciously.
"My name is Stormheart and I am a warrior of StarClan. They have sent me here to see you."
"Stormheart?" Misty echoed. The name sounded vaguely familiar and she caught a soft scent on the breeze. It was the scent of water and pine needles and the starry night air.
"You're one of those clan cats Night told me about, aren't you?" Misty questioned.
Stormheart nodded. "I am."
"What are you doing here?"
But instead of answering, Stormheart stood and whipped around. "Come," he called. "Walk with me."
Misty did as she was told and followed him into the woods.
"This was once a peaceful home," the cat murmured as they padded onward. "The four clans hadn't fought in a long time. Until recently." He paused. They stood beside a towering mountain of rocks. Stormheart went to their base and gazed down at the ground, as if in mourning. Then he turned.
"He has destroyed all that we live for. All that we are," he said grimly, lowering his voice as if someone could overhear, and gazing into Misty's eyes.
"Only the mist that bonds clan and clan can turn darkness to light." The voice was low and sent a shudder through Misty, from nose to tail tip.
"W-what do you mean?" Misty stammered, unnerved.
But Stormheart said nothing and Misty felt frozen in place, lost in the intensity of those grave eyes.
She awoke with a start. The sky was still dark but the sun rose over the distant hills. Misty settled back down in her nest, the dream already fading as the sun burned away the mist. But still Stormheart's parting words echoed in her head and they had the ominous feeling of a prophecy.