Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

A/N: Usually I usually write in first person more, but since what I have planned for this story has a pretty big scope, so I thought I'd give third person a try. Hope you enjoy the chapter. ^^

Chapter 1: The Trail

Darkness still blanketed the peaceful ShadowClan camp, but a dark brown tom opened his startling blue eyes. He swept his gaze around the warrior den and was satisfied with the tranquility he saw. He shook his head in wonder as he contemplated the long moons of harmony between the clans of the forest. This is how it should and always be among the Clans. But now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. He shook his head to clear it. It was time for work.

Gently, he prodded several of the sleeping cats around him and padded towards the mouth of the den. Once outside, he was caught in a slight breeze that promised leaf-bare wasn't far away. So much for everlasting peace. He heaved a sigh.

"What? Are we too slow for your liking, Redfur?" a playful whisper sounded in his ears. Redfur twitched his whiskers in amusement as Sootcloud came to stand beside him.

"You guys are always slow," Redfur whispered back, smiling, as he looked into Sootcloud's amber eyes. "I don't know how you guys can stand it."

"Time will show you, Redfur. Enjoy your youth while you can," a different voice commented. Redfur snorted in exasperation.

"You tell him, Brightnose!" Sootcloud purred as Brightnose came to sit beside the gray tom.

"I am not that much younger than you two," Redfur said as he started to lift a paw to his tongue. "Only by about two moons. We all played in the nursery together all those long moons ago. Or had you guys forgotten in your old age?" Sootcloud was about to reply, but just then a dark figure slinked out of the den and joined them.

"Why are we out here reflecting on the past like elders? Shouldn't we start heading out?" the new arrival asked, clearly having been listening in on their conversation.

"Waiting for you as usual, Darkstreak," Brightnose replied. "Funny how the fastest runner in the Clan is always last to arrive on a patrol, especially when we're doing a dawn patrol." Darkstreak glared at the sandy she-cat and stalked towards the camp entrance.

"Let's go then," Redfur announced and went to join Darkstreak by the entrance. Sootcloud and Brightnose followed. As Redfur and the rest of the patrol started to leave the camp, a strong wind buffeted him, carrying with it a strange scent.

"Is it just my hungry self or is there the scent of crow-food?" Sootcloud asked as he parted his mouth open to taste the air better.

"Hungry for a piece of crow-food, Sootcloud?" Brightnose teasingly said, but opened her mouth as well. Redfur, who had already came to the conclusion that there were crow-food scent around them, decided to follow it. A couple mouse lengths out, he discovered the source.

"What do you make of this, Darkstreak?" Redfur asked as he sensed the black and gray tom looking over his shoulder. "This doesn't look like any prey that I've encountered inside ShadowClan territory. Well, I guess it might be, but it's so shredded up and smells terrible." Darkstreak looked down at the crow-food Redfur was indicating and tried to puzzle out what the prey could have been, but he couldn't tell either.

"Don't know, Redfur, but never mind what prey it could have been. The question is why is it here, so close to the camp?" Darkstreak replied.

"Yes, quite the question. But look, there's another piece lying not too far away," Sootcloud pointed with his tail. His eyes had taken a dangerous glint as he identified more and more pieces of crow-food formed in a single line. All traces of his earlier lighthearted manner were gone. This was Clan business. At the mention of more pieces of crow-food, Redfur looked up and moved onto the next one and the one after that.

"Reckon it's a sign from StarClan?" Darkstreak asked quietly as he followed Redfur to investigate.

"I doubt it, but there's only one way to find out. Can you go get Nettlestar and Swiftfeather, while we continue to follow this trail of crow-food?" Redfur asked Darkstreak. "After all, you are the fastest of the four of us here." Darkstreak eyes flashed at the request, but nodded. After a moment, he had already turned tail and raced back towards the camp. Redfur signaled the rest of his dawn patrol and they continued to follow the trail.

As Darkstreak burst through the camp entrance, he took a brief scan of the clearing, just in case Nettlestar was already out and checking on his Clan. He located several of his Clanmates, but none of them were the leader. So, he padded towards Nettlestar's den.

"Nettlestar?" Darkstreak whispered tentatively at the entrance to his leader's den.

"Come in, Darkstreak," Nettlestar replied. As Darkstreak entered the small but cozy den, Nettlestar's bright green eyes raked across Darkstreak's slightly panting form. "Back from patrol already?"

"We found something quite unusual on patrol, so Redfur sent me back here to ask you and Swiftfeather to come investigate with us. We thought it might have been a sign from StarClan," Darkstreak said. "Will you come?" At the mention of something unusual, alertness took hold of Nettlestar and he stood up.

"A sign from StarClan?" Nettlestar said in disbelief. "After all these months of peace, a sign from StarClan is a sign that trouble is coming. But, of course. Let's go get Swiftfeather," Nettlestar said and proceeded exit his den and going straight for the medicine cat's den. Darkstreak followed closely behind the dark gray tabby tom. As they crossed the clearing, they saw more warriors stirring and grooming themselves. However, they paused and looked curiously on as Nettlestar approached Swiftfeather's den.

"Swiftfeather?" Nettlestar called out. After some ruffling of herbs and a few moments later, a jet black she-cat showed up at the entrance of her medicine den.

"Something wrong, Nettlestar? Swiftfeather's light musical voice answered in concern. She glanced at Nettlestar and then Darkstreak and continued to focus on their faces while waiting for their reply.

"Our dawn patrol found something that could be a sign from StarClan," Nettlestar said and Swiftfeather's eyes opened wide. "They wanted us to take a look at it." Swiftfeather nodded and together, the three cats thundered out of the camp with Darkstreak in the lead. As they approached the first of the crow-food, Nettlestar stiffened and Swiftfeather's golden eyes searched the clearing.

"Redfur and the rest of them are following the trail to see where it ends," Darkstreak informed them as they continued to investigate the crow-food.

"This isn't a sign from StarClan," Swiftfeather mewed, relief evident in her voice. "But it is highly unusual, so danger is still lurking."

Nettlestar nodded in agreement. "We'll have to send out more patrols and search for the cause of this phenomenon. But let's catch up with our deputy and the remaining of his patrol." They set off, just like Redfur's patrol, in direction the trail was leading, though a bit more slowly since Nettlestar took the time to sniff each piece of crow-food for signs of the perpetrator.

As they reached the end of the trail, they met Redfur, Sootcloud, and Brightnose, and they were staring wide-eyed at the space in front of them. Nettlestar, Swiftfeather, and Darkstreak also gaped in disbelief.

"I should have known it would lead here," Nettlestar murmured under his breath. "There's no other explanation for the massive amount of crow-food needed to form a path from our camp entrance."

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Please do leave a review if ya got time. ^^