Prologue
The bracken parted revealing two small cats being chased by an enormous grey and black tom cat.
The large cat yowled, as he caught up to the two small cats, “You can’t run forever apprentices!” He spat the last word as if it insulted him to even think it.
The two apprentices were getting increasingly tired. The smaller white tom squealed as teeth sank into his scruff. The large grey and black tom started to shake then flung the white apprentice against a tree. The small black apprentice heard a defining crack, and whipped around to find her brothers eyes starting to fade as he rapidly gasped for air.
The small black she-cat yowled, “Whitepaw. No!” She turned on the much larger tom and began to bristle, “You’ll pay for this! After I’m through with you, you’ll be crowfood, Thistletail!” She spat leaping at Thistletail.
He gasped as the black she-cat landed on his back. He reared upward trying to free himself from her grasp as she dug her teeth and claws into his back and neck, “Pest!” He spat, “You foolish little pest!” He fell backward on top of the small black she-cat.
She gasped as she felt the enormous warrior’s weight crush her.
She heard a yowl from a little ways away, “Shadowpaw! I’m coming!”
She saw nothing, but felt Thistletail’s weight lift off her. All she saw was darkness. For a moment she thought she was dead until the darkness became light. She saw a stary figure. It meowed, “It is not yet your time, little one.” She fell unconscious a heartbeat later.
She woke later from the yowling and screeching of battling cats. She turned to see her mother, Littleclaw, on top of Thisletail. One paw on his neck, the other on his chest, “You set a paw on my kits again Thistletail I’ll rip all your fur out!” She spat.
Thistletail was bleeding from his shoulder, left back leg, and his neck. Littleclaw was bleeding from her ear, and shoulder. Thisletail aimed a blow to the small white queen’s neck, but she dodged it with quick speed scratching his muzzle with a claw; leaving a large deep gouge in his muzzle.
He yowled, “Let go of me loner scum!” He wriggled free only to run into Shadowpaw.
Shadowpaw let out a loud screech and leaped at Thistletail’s throat. She clawed at it vigorously till the large ShadowClan deputy yowled as he ran, “You’ll pay Shadowpaw, you, your family, and your loner party!”
Shadowpaw didn’t wait to see him go. She whipped around to see Whitepaw with his mouth gaping open as if he was looking at a StarClan warrior. His eyes blank, and his flank still. Then she saw it move.
“Whitepaw, please, please don’t die…”
“I’ll always be…with you, always…” He trailed off as he fell unconscious.
Littleclaw ran to Whitepaw, picked him up, and signaled with her tail for Shadowpaw to follow.
