Warriors: The Final Sunset ~Series 1 Book 6~

Prologue

A hawk swooped low, skimming the trees as it made its way toward the moorland. It let out a high-pitched screech, letting every living thing in the surrounding area know that he was there. A group of small birds flew up from the cover of the trees in panic and the sand-coloured hawk watched the tiny birds fly away from him. It would be so easy to catch one of those birds...

No. The hawk tilted its wings slightly and veered away from the birds. He didn't have time to hunt, not when the moon was already at its highest point in the sky. The hawk's sand-coloured feathers ruffled in the breeze as he dipped downward and ducked under the cover of the trees. He reached the border between the forest and the moorland and gracefully landed, folding his wings behind him. Usually, a hawk would never dream of even coming near the ground as it was plagued by predators. But this particular hawk had no fears. He was superior.

He stayed in the shadows of the forest, not yet revealing himself to the brown furred tom cat that stood impatiently in the moorland. Silently, the hawk observed the cat. He studied the way the tom's amber eyes glowed with impatience and anger. His tail flicked wildly behind him and his claws dug deep into the soil. His short brown fur bristled.

After only a short while, the hawk felt satisfied that the brown tom cat posed no serious threat and spread his wings out on either side of him. With one powerful flap of his wings, he was in the air again. He flew up onto a branch and dug his sharp talons into the bark. He kept his piercing yellow gaze on the brown cat.

Ha! He calls himself a leader. He is nothing but a power hungry, fox-hearted tom. The hawk laughed to himself and flexed his tail feathers.

The hawk finally decided to show himself to the brown cat.

He spread his sand coloured wings again and swooped down. He screeched loudly and watched the cat as he looked up in fright. The hawk continued to swoop down, wings folded behind him to gain speed. Once he was less than a fox-length away from the ground, the hawk spread his wings out. The sudden movement would have sent a normal hawk spiralling to its death but, as mentioned before, this hawk wasn't like any other hawk. With his wings out he created some drag, slowing him him just enough to change forms.

The hawk was less than a tail-length from the ground.

He felt the burning feeling spread throughout his entire body and he felt his bones changing inside of him. Then, solid ground met his paws and he crouched down, his body jarring from the impact of the fall. Almost immediately after he landed, he lifted his head and fixed his glowing yellow eyes on the brown tom. He straightened himself and puffed out his chest. At full height, he stood just over a mouse-length taller than the brown tom.

The brown cat stared at him, fear glistening in his amber gaze. "A-are you t-the one?" His tail had stopped waving and now stood rigid behind him.

The sand-coloured tom strutted boldly closer and nodded stiffly, "Yes."

"So it's true. You can change into a hawk." The brown tom meowed quietly.

"Yes." He repeated, sitting down. He brought a paw to his muzzle and licked it before setting it down again. "Now, let's get started."

The brown tom dipped his head and meowed, "Well.. I want Lightclan gone, as you already know..." He trailed off.

"Address me by my name." He ordered. The brown tom went to ask his name and lashed his tail with a growl, "Hunter."

"Hunter," the brown tom meowed. "My name is Rabbitstar the leader of Magiclan and I need your help to rid these lands of Lightclan."