A New Path

Prologue

Dovepelt could feel the cool mist from inside her feather-lined den. She blinked open her eyes, stretching. The HeatherClan medicine cat poked her velvety nose out of bracken-and-feather den stocked with fresh herbs. She arched her back, yawning as the prickly little pins and needles traveled up her spine. As Dovepelt was blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed shadows lining the valley-like camp. They were the shadows of cats. Lots of cats. Dovepelt turned tail and made a mad dash for the leader's den, a large, hollowed-out rock all the way at the other side of camp. The thick curtain of leaves and feathers tied to the top of the cave entrance by vines quivered, marking the exit of Honeystar, the Clan leader.

"Honeystar!" Dovepelt called in a loud whisper, skidding to a halt in the front of the beautiful honey-colored she-cat. She blinked, inclining her head.

"Dovepelt," Honeystar said in a mildly frustrated voice. "If it is an issue of the utmost importance, I believe not even the topic you wish to discuss trumps my need for a morning piece of prey." Honeystar turned and pompously walked over to the pile of fresh-kill.

"But it's more important than your need for food!" Dovepelt snapped, slapping the rabbit that Honeystar had picked up out of the Clan leader's mouth.

Honeystar bared her teeth, her tail flicking like she was preparing to pounce.

"Look at the rim of the camp," Dovepelt said in a shaky voice, gesturing to the shadows of many cats slowly stalking forward. Honeystar's eyes widened.

"Who...?" Dovepelt stepped backwards, shaking. "Everyone, wake up!" she yowled, running around the camp, shaking the nests. The elders caterwauled in protest, but nodded when they saw the oncoming enemies.

Dovepelt's apprentice, Puddlepaw, began to grab the more-valuable stores of herbs and lead the kits and queens to the elders den. She stood guard of the vulnerable clan members fiercely. Dovepelt's heart sank lower when she saw Dewpaw, her younger sister, leap up excitedly at the prospect of battle.

"I'll make sure they never hurt us again!" she yowled squeakily. "Whoever 'they' are..."

Snakeshade, a more morbid warrior than most, positioned himself next to Puddlepaw, as his mate Petalsnow was in the elders den. Honeystar shook her head.

"We need all the warriors we can get," she said. Dovepelt saw Puddlepaw briefly bristle at the thought of receiving help.

"She can hold her own in a fight!" Dovepelt added in defense of her apprentice. Puddlepaw beamed arrogantly.

Honeystar positioned herself at the head of her ranks. Dovepelt stood close to the camp entrance, a pile of healing herbs at her paws.

"Charge!" Honeystar bellowed, and the Clan surged forward. Immediately, yowls of pain rang out.

Dovepelt thought she was safe to move closer to the battle, but a cat tackled her, her claws digging into her throat.

It was a silver tabby with bright yellow eyes that sparked with pent-up aggression and love for competition and battle.

But the she-cat was merely an apprentice. Dovepelt recognized her from the previous gathering. Bumblepaw: a stocky brute of a she-cat with a lust for rage and war.

"You're going to die, medicine cat!" she snarled, experimentally tracing her needle-like claws on Dovepelt's cheek, etching the faint pattern of a swirl.

"Ooh,what a delightful pattern!" Bumblepaw said in praise of her own bloody craftsmanship. "It would look darling etched across your lifeless body!" Dovepelt scrabbled her back paws helplessly against Bumblepaw's belly.