Warriors: The Lone Buck ||Book 1||

Prologue

    Dark gray clouds rumbled with thunder, sending rolls of clashes into the silent night. Below the sky, a large cat stood on a rock, her head tilted downwards. Staring down into the snowy clearing beneath her, her icy gold eyes flashed in the darkness. Fur bristled and shifted in the open space below the rock as cats paced on the snow covered ground. They were like a sea of fish, flashing back and forth in the night. The cats made a half circle in the clearing, and a lone she-cat sat in the very center.

    Her tail was wrapped up and around her belly, while she stared off at the edge of the clearing. Her ears and eyes were partially closed, as if trying to drown out the sights and sounds. The cats around her whispered and murmured, their voices like a sharp, icy wind. Every word they spoke stung the lone doe. They could all feel the mixed emotions that thickened the air. Betrayal, anger, sadness, regret, and so much more.

    So thick that the doe on the rock was half tempted to leave the clearing. Maybe to just wait until the Clan had cooled down. However, her chance was missed. Her fur prickled as a voice spoke beside her. "Well? What are you going to do, Harmonystar?" The leader glanced to the left of her, studying the lean doe that stood there.

    Without a word to her, Harmonystar looked back down at the light chestnut doe. She remained completely still, as if she were made up of snow herself. Even when a harsh wind threatened to blow her over, she sat as solid as a rock. Sighing, the doe on the rock shook her head.

    "I don't know," Harmonystar finally murmured, her gold eyes narrowing. Her own emotions were mixed, but it was hard to discern what emotion was what. Anger and pain kept trying to claw their way forward. Sadness and betrayal warred inside of her heart. Harmonystar was jolted from her thoughts when the lean doe snorted, glaring at the light chestnut one.

    "She should be banished," she growled, her tail lashing. "She broke all three rules. All of which are supposed to lead to banishment." Harmonystar sighed again and slowly looked up at the night sky, her heart twisting inside of her chest. The dark clouds that covered the moon had sent the forest into a gray darkness. The silver glow barely filtered through enough to offer some light.

   'Why can't some other cat be leader, at this moment?' She asked herself, the daunting task sending her heart skipping. For a moment, she closed her eyes. 'Faith, please let me make a good choice...' Then, she opened them. Once again, she stared at those menacing clouds above the trees.

    A snowstorm had brewed within the day, and was about ready to unleash itself onto the does. Harmonystar knew that snowstorms could last for days on end in the forest. Especially in the middle of winter. And it would only get worse from there the further it went on. A queen couldn't take care of her newborn fawns in the dead of winter. Not by herself.

    After several moments of contemplation, Harmonystar stepped forward, her head high. "My decision has been made!" She called, her voice echoing off of the forest floor and trees. The cats below fell silent, all of them focusing their attention on the leader. The light chestnut queen also looked up, her orange eyes full of conflicting emotions. Now that Harmonystar had their attention, she began.

    "Flaringspirit will stay within the Clan until winter has ended." She paused, watching the shock and anger that took over the faces of several of the cats. Surprise filled the queen's orange eyes, but Harmonystar could see the hope fluttering behind that surprise. 'Don't do this to me... Please,' she silently begged, forcing her attention away from the queen. It was as if Harmonystar's heart had been stabbed by Flaringspirit's claws.

    "What? This is ridiculous... Harmonystar knows the Code as good as any of us!" A dark gray doe hissed to her tortoiseshell companion, anger dripping with every word. The tortoiseshell grunted in response, flicking her tail, as she kept her focus on the leader. It was clear that the tortoiseshell hoped it was some kind of twisted joke. More cats became vocal, their clamor filling the air.