Prologue
The day had started just like any other; the sun was blazing into the dense rainforest canopy and the calm roll of the waves could be heard at the tree line. An orange tabby and long furred white cat sat still on the sun baked beach. The tabby rested her head on the white tom's shoulder, letting out a long breath. They had left at sunhigh to have a private talk, and the pretty she-cat was obviously stressed.
"Our kits are still too young for us to decide who shall lead once you are gone," the she-cat whispered. Her soft voice was almost lost among the crash of the ocean.
"Maplestripe, I do not have much longer left with our group. Stormpelt's apprentice, Berrypaw, has had a vision," the tom meowed, his voice raw with emotion. He could remember that morning very clearly, Stormpelt and Berrypaw had woken him quiet early and were acting as though ants were crawling through their pelts. Stormpelt had begun, since it was Berrypaw's first vision; but, the young she-cat was soon bristling with a mixture of horror and excitement as she explained her dream to her leader. They knew that this sign meant his time was almost up.
Maplestripe looked down at her paws, her fur spiking along her spine, "Berrypaw will be a skilled interpreter of the stars one day, but is it really so certain? You have led us for so many moons." Her voice trailed away into miserable silence. She trained as an apprentice with him, falling in love and becoming mates almost as soon as they were made warriors. She did not know that when his father, Shockstar, died he would become leader in his place. He had told her eventually that it was his duty as heir to keep it secret.
The tom also lowered his head, his shoulders sagging. "I am certain," he meowed, "Berrypaw spoke of a bright shimmering disk, reflecting from a pool of shadows." He knew which of his kits that it was referring to. He only had his current litter with her, and out of this litter he had only two kits.
Maplestripe gasped, also realizing who the prophecy spoke of, "She is the weakest of our kits! I don't know how the Star Runners expect us to train her when she can barely even lift her muzzle above the ground." She briefly felt as though their ancestors were mocking her; both of her kits were sickly and weak but Skykit was by far the healthier of the two. "Shellstar, what are we supposed to do," she wailed to the clear horizon.
The tom stood up, whipping his tail in agitation. "The wellbeing of the Beach Runners is my responsibility alone," he grunted. "I will train her myself and she will be the best leader our island has ever seen," he meowed sternly.
"No one will ever compare to you," Maplestripe whispered. Her jade eyes flashed with a moment's grief, thinking of their group without his wise leadership was almost too much to bear.
"Webpelt will take good care of me until our kit has learned the way of a warrior. After I join the Star Runners, she will be Moonstar." Warmth for his only daughter made his voice strong. He lifted his tail to silence any objections from Maplestripe and started to walk back to the camp. He could not deny that Berrypaw foretold Moonkit to be the next leader of the Beach Runners; but, what he wasn't so sure of the pool of shadows that threatened to engulf the shining disk. What is the darkness, and would Moonkit be strong enough to overcome it?