Rain fell heavy over ShadowClan territory, sinking into the mossy ground and dripping from the pine's needles. It had been raining for days, and Reedpaw was tired of it. Their warrior ceremony would be soon, and rain would make their assessment more difficult. It also meant more work, as the elders would be complaining about aching joints and wet nests. They much preferred the beginning of greenleaf to the end of leaffall.

Their mentor Flowertail mumbled something around her blackbird, and Reedpaw cocked their head.

"What?" they asked. Flowertail set down the bird and shook a feather from her nose.

"I said 'let's try near the carrionplace'"."

"What about rats?"

"If you're going to be a warrior, you need to know how to tell a sick rat from a healthy one," Flowertail reminded them. Reedpaw dipped their head.

"Alright," they said.

They had just reached the carrionplace when a gruff shout startled them. Reedpaw backed into a scraggly bush and pressed themselves flat against the ground as a large twoleg stomped forward, mud splashing up from their paws. They were carrying some sort of container, which they threw down in a pile of stinking scraps. Then they looked both ways and rushed off.

Both cats waited until the twoleg was out of sight before crawling out of the undergrowth.

"How odd," Flowertail said. Then a soft whimper came from the box. Reedpaw jumped.

"Is someone there?" a soft voice mewed.

"Yes," Reedpaw said, approaching the box. "Who are you?"

"I'm Willow. And I'm hurt and stuck."

"We'll get you out," Flowertail said, coming up beside Reedpaw. "Just hold on."

Together, the two cats pressed their paws against the damp material, softened by the rain, and pushed. It toppled over, causing Willow to let out a cry of pain. Reedpaw stared as a kitten rolled out. She was quite fluffy, with darker brown fur around her face, tail, ears, and paws. But she had faint tabby stripes all over, and big blue eyes. One of them was dull. And her leg was twisted at an awkward angle.

"Hello," Flowertail said gently, approaching the injured she-cat. "What happened to you?"

"My human threw me," she said quietly. "And hurt my leg. Then he put me in a box and brought me here."

"Human?" Reedpaw asked. "Is that the two-legged creature that brought you here?" Willow nodded.

"We call them twolegs," they said.

"So you were a house cat?" Flowertail questioned. Willow nodded again.

"Are you not housecats?"

"We're warriors," Reedpaw said proudly, standing a bit straighter. "We live in the wild."

Willow's eyes got big.

"I've heard of you," she said. "I met a ThunderClan cat when I was younger. Are you ThunderClan?"

"We're from ShadowClan," Flowertail said. "And I think we have to bring you to our camp."

Willow's good legs shook as she leaned against Reedpaw. She was tired and scared and in pain, and while these cats seemed friendly, she'd heard stories of the wild cats that lived in the woods, and they weren't good ones.

They'd passed through a swampy area that made her paws muddy, and now they were on flatter ground that was littered with pine needles. Rain was still falling, but it had lessened. Now it was just enough to be a nuisance as it dripped from her ears and whiskers.

Clumps of brambles and ferns began to cover the territory, and Reedpaw helped guide her towards a larger collection of thorns and undergrowth. Flowertail led them to a small gap in the ferns, where she pushed through. Reedpaw nodded for Willow to go next.

Willow's eyes widened as she stepped into ShadowClan's camp. Hard-packed dirt made up the central area, while patches of moss grew near the edges. Several other tunnels led off through the bushes, and she could smell cats everywhere. She stuck close to Flowertail as cats emerged from the bushes to stare at her.

"Flowertail," a booming voice said. "Who is this?"

Willow ducked her head as a massive golden tabby approached them, amber eyes glinting.

"She's an injured kittypet we found near the carrionplace," Flowertail said confidently. "Her twoleg abandoned her there. We brought her back here so Rockfur can look at her leg."

A sound of acknowledgement rumbled in the golden tom's throat as he turned to look at Willow.

"What is your name?" he asked. Willow stood as straight as she could and took a deep breath.

"I'm Willow," she said.

"Willow…" he mused. "Let's get you to Rockfur."

Reedpaw led her to a gap between two rocks that smelled strongly of plants. She limped inside and was met by a large gray tom, even larger than the golden one outside. But he looked gentle and kind, and a concerned expression crossed his face when he saw her leg.

"What happened, little bug?" he asked.

"My human threw me," Willow said. The tom's fur fluffed up and he bent down to run his nose along her leg.

"It's not broken," he finally announced. "It's probably just badly bruised. Go ahead, pick a nest and I'll give you something for the pain."

Willow turned to look at soft nests deeper inside the den. She chose the closest one and curled up carefully, making sure not to jostle her leg. The gray tom, Rockfur, came back over, hobbling on three legs. He offered her two small black seeds.

"Eat these," he instructed. "They will help with the pain." Skeptically, Willow gave them a sniff. They didn't have a strong scent. And she was in quite a bit of pain. So she licked them up.

"Wait here, and I'll fetch Dawnstar," Rockfur said. Willow dipped her head before resting it on her paws as Rockfur exited the den. A few moments later he was back with a small, pale ginger tabby. She sat down near Willow and gave the kit a soft look.

"Hello Willow," she said. "I'm Dawnstar, the leader of ShadowClan. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you, and I would like to offer you a place in our Clan."

"You want me to join ShadowClan?" Willow asked in surprise.

"Our Clan is small and I wouldn't feel right leaving you out in the cold," Dawnstar explained. "The life of a warrior is a hard one, but it is extremely rewarding. You will have a family again."

Willow looked up at Dawnstar, still shocked. It was a wild offer. But where else could she go? She was hurt, and she would never return to the human who harmed her. And her mother was gone. She had no other option.

"Yes," Willow said. "I would like to join."

Dawnstar dipped her head.

"Then from now on, until you become an apprentice, you will be known as Willowkit. Welcome to ShadowClan."

Hi everyone! I've had this fic in mind for a while and I've finally gotten around to writing it! I hope you enjoyed this prologue, and please leave a review!

- Stormy