Prologue

No, not again!

Leafpool looked around her frantically, her eyes wide with fear. The forest around her was dark, with no stars or moon, and the only light came from the moss, glowing eerily in the night. She could easily remember the last time she had been here, the Place of No Stars, in her dream. She had found Tigerstar talking to his two sons, Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost. What if she came upon the ambitious tom again?

Leafpool began to creep slowly forward, her ears flattened against her head and her fur bristling. Her eyes darted from side to side cautiously, afraid that some evil cat from the old elder's tales would jump out of the undergrowth at any moment.

Suddenly, she stopped dead, raising her head to stare around her. She could hear voices coming from a break in the trees, and she recognized the scenery around her. Her eyes glittered with fear, and she knew that the same thing was happening as last time.

Stalking forward, she reached the familiar hollow, the boulder that looked exactly like Highrock placed at one end with Tigerstar seated on top, and Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost facing him at the other end. She crouched in a clump of ferns and pricked her ears, straining to hear what the former ShadowClan leader was saying.

"It is time, my sons," he was meowing, his voice just as Leafpool had remembered it. "Brambleclaw is now the deputy of ThunderClan, something the three of us have strived for since the beginning."

Tigerstar's fearsome amber eyes locked on the large tom who looked exactly like him.

"You must kill Firestar, Brambleclaw, get that spiteful kittypet out of the way. Kill Onestar, too. If you do, you will become the sole leader of BrambleClan." He turned to Hawkfrost.

"You will kill Mistyfoot. Leopardstar will be sure to give you the deputy position then," the ambitious tom continued, a malicious smile spreading across his face. "Then, you will kill her and Blackstar, and become the leader of HawkClan."

Leafpool gasped at Tigerstar's words, unable to think properly at the thought of the death of all four leaders, and stumbled backwards, snapping a twig loudly. All three toms turned to stare at the clump of ferns she was standing in.

Brambleclaw's eyes widened in shock, and perhaps fear, as he noticed her crouching frozen in the plants.

"Leafpool?" he gasped, then immediately shut his mouth, realizing he had alerted his father and half-brother to the medicine cat's presence.

"Leafpool is here?" Hawkfrost growled, his bulky form tensing. He turned to look at Tigerstar, who's mouth curved up in a smirk.

"Now is the chance to show me how you really fight," he hissed, his amber eyes fixed on Leafpool. "Attack her."

Brambleclaw stayed where he was, his paws glued to the ground and his eyes widened in horror as Hawkfrost rushed straight toward the tabby she-cat, his icy blue eyes glinting in the darkness.

Suddenly, a flash of tortoiseshell fur darted out of the undergrowth and pinned the dark tabby to the ground. Leafpool stared at the she-cat, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was Spottedleaf.

Hawkfrost struggled under the former medicine cat's grip, but she held the strength of a StarClan cat, and he was unable to escape. She ran thorn-sharp claws down his side before letting him escape. He darted away from her, his eyes wary as blood began to spurt from his wounds, while Brambleclaw stared at her in relief, and Tigerstar glared at her furiously.

"Don't count on always getting away with this, Spottedleaf," Tigerstar growled, his hackles raising. "One day, you will realize the Dark Forest is for cats like me, and only cats like me."

He unsheathed his claws, scraping them across the rock and creating four shallow gouges in the tough exterior. Spottedleaf ignored him, and instead touched her tail to Leafpool's shoulder.

"Come," she meowed gently. Leafpool followed gratefully, glad to escape the darkness of the strange forest and head back toward StarClan's familiar territory. Once the crossed the border, made of a strange misty substance, Spottedleaf turned to face her, curling her tail around her paws.

"That was a dangerous thing you did back there," she reprimanded gently, and Leafpool bowed her head in shame.

"I know," she mewed. "But I had to know what Tigerstar was doing with them."

Spottedleaf stared at her for a long time, every heartbeat seeming like an eternity. Finally, the tortoiseshell she-cat opened her mouth to speak.

"I must tell you something very important, Leafpool," she began. "Something that you must never repeat to anyone, not even Squirrelflight or your father."

Leafpool nodded slowly, although worry filled her eyes. What could be so restricted, that not even Firestar could know about it? But, she reminded herself, StarClan had told her she would follow a path greater than any medicine cat's. Could this be a part of it? As Spottedleaf leaned in closer, she held her breath, eager yet nervous to hear the former medicine cat's next words.

"The fearsome tiger will rise again, bringing a storm fiercer than any other, and only fire in the blackest of nights can stop it."

Leafpool stared at Spottedleaf in fear as she repeated the prophecy, and she felt an icy shiver of dread tingle down her spine. The tiger would rise again? Did that mean Tigerstar.

She opened her mouth to ask the tortoiseshell she-cat, but she had disappeared into the bordering mist

"Spottedleaf!" the tabby medicine cat cried in despair. "Come back! Tell me more! What does it mean?"

She ran into the mist, and very soon she could not see a thing around her. She blinked in panic, and suddenly, she found herself back in the medicine cat's den. Her mossy nest was scattered everywhere, the clear signs of a restless night. She could still clearly feel the fear of her dream, and the ominous prophecy continuosly echoed in her head.

The fearsome tiger will rise again, bringing a storm fiercer than any other, and only fire in the blackest of nights can stop it.

A/N - So, there it is, the prologue. I do realize that my writing is terrible, since I'm always rushing things, and I'm not very descriptive. If anyone could give me any pointers on how to fix this, that would be greatly appreciated. All nice reviewers and constructive criticizers will be given a cookie, and flames will be used to burn Daisy to a crisp.