Warriors: Softstar's Tale

Prologue

The moon shone brightly over the forest. A small tabby leaped up onto a low branch of a tree, which overlooked a river. Another tabby, but much bigger, appeared out of the bushes. His amber eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Forestfoot," the smaller tabby spoke. "What are you doing out here?"

The bigger tabby snorted. "I should ask the same of you, Swallowstar."

Swallowstar squinted in the dark. "Might I ask what you are doing late at night?"

"I am hunting for a late night snack," Forestfoot replied. "What are you doing late at night in a tree?"

Swallowstar leaped down and stood face to face with the larger tabby. "I'm getting away from the camp to think."

Forestfoot didn't look convinced. "To think? About what?"

"The Clan. The way we are all suffering this leaf-fall. We all have had fewer warriors in our Clans than ever before."

"Has StarClan spoken?" Forestfoot asked, looking up at the starry night sky.

Swallowstar shook her head. "No. They haven't."

Forestfoot looked at her, a weird glint in his eye. "Well then, that'll have to change."

Swallowstar stared at him confused. "What? What do you mean?"

Forestfoot leaped at his leader, claws unsheathed, and pinned her to the ground. His long claws dug into Swallowstar's skin, making it bleed. "I'll just have to kill you seven times, then I'll go after that precious deputy of yours and kill him too. I'll tell the rest of the Clan how you two were killed in a fight with rogues and I was the only one that survived; how you said with your dying breath that I would take over as leader."

Swallowstar threw the bigger cat off of her with her hind legs and scrambled to her paws. "I will not let that happen, Forestfoot." She leaped at him and landed on his back, scratching and clawing as he tried to shake her off.

Forestfoot finally shook her off and she fell, but quickly got up. "You're pretty tough for a small cat," Forestfoot grunted. "But not for long."

Swallowstar stood her ground as the tabby lunged at her, but she sidestepped and let Forestfoot fall down. She put her paw on top of him before he could get up. "You are no warrior of LightClan," she said. "By the power of StarClan, I exile you. You are no longer welcome in this territory."

She lifted her paw off of his back and Forestfoot stood up to face her. "Don't think you've won, Swallowstar. I'll be back to finish you off." He then turned and vanished into the forest.