The Lost Prophecy: Book 2: Broken Destinies

Prologue

A group of cats sat around a dark pool in a starlit clearing. Their pelts rippled with the stars' silver glow, and they murmured quietly to each other as they looked down into the murky depths of the pool. Dark images flashed across the starlit water, casting shadows of foggy shapes across the surface. Suddenly the movement within the pool stopped, leaving silence in its wake. The cats shuffled around to face each other, their eyes wide and anxious.

A brown she-cat with ginger patch on her chest padded to the front of the crowd. "I must see it again."

Another cat glanced away from the pool, his tail twitching irritably. "Robinwing, it will not become any clearer the more times we check."

The brown she-cat shook her head. "Does no other cat care?" She glanced around wildly, searching for an agreeing face. "Spottedleaf?"

The dappled tortoiseshell's mew was gentle. "It will do no harm to call upon the vision again. We must do all we can to determine our next course of action." A golden tabby tom murmured his agreement beside her.

All the cats immediately surrounding the pool stared down into it to watch the scene play out again. Reflecting from deep within the water, two dark pelted cats padded through a barren forest. One of them, the darker one, bounded ahead of the smaller cat. Then there was a distant screech that seemed to rise up from under the surface of the pool, then a flash of light, and then, nothing.

"It is too foggy to make out," one of the cats complained. Others murmured their agreement, their fur glowing silver under the light of the moon.

"As foggy as this, one thing is clear," Spottedleaf meowed. "We have seen the signs from beyond. Only one of these cats will have a chance to fulfill their destiny. And now, we must decide what to do."

There was a long moment of silence, interrupted only by flicking tails. "What can we do?" a spiky furred black-and-white tom spoke up, his tail bristling. "What signs can we send that will stop this? We are not all powerful; we cannot control these cats."

A golden tabby tom swept his gaze over the crowd. "More importantly, how do we prevent the darkness from destroying our Clan?"

The bristling black-and-white tom flicked his tail with interest. "A new cat should be chosen; a new fire." The tom's gaze was filled with hope.

"The prophecy is lost, Fuzzypelt." The big golden tabby tom rose to his paws. "There is no fire, and sending signs will not change that."

"We're just going to sit by and allow ThunderClan to be destroyed?" Fuzzypelt meowed. "Do you have a better idea, Lionheart?"

"The darkness must be stopped," Lionheart meowed solemnly. "We will not allow ThunderClan to fall without doing something." He looked like he was about to say more, but fell silent as a small tortoiseshell tom stepped forward. "Redtail, you know that better than any of us what Tigerclaw is capable of," Lionheart mewed quietly.

Redtail nodded. "I don't think any of us are suggesting that we sit by and do nothing. I, for one, would like justice for what has happened, and to take action to at least try to prevent what is to come. But our options are limited. There are few cats who have the knowledge that can save ThunderClan, and we must proceed carefully. We have learned of two cats that may play a role in ThunderClan's future, but their fates are unclear," he continued, nodding to the starlit pool. "With the loss of the fire, our past prophecies have been thrown into turmoil. Does any cat have any suggestions?

"We must choose wisely," Lionheart meowed darkly, staring into the water. "Only one of them will become a warrior, I can feel it..."

"How can you know that?" asked Fuzzypelt, his normally fluffed out fur bristling even more than usual.