A Warrior's Betrayal

Prologue

Silver light poured down onto the river, bathing the river and its surrounding in a bright, white light casting eery shadows upon the bushes and trees that line the river. In the depths of the river, rather calm tonight, very few salmon and trout swam lazily weaving their path through the kelp and jagged rocks in the normally rushing river.

A tall tom, his silver fur patched with faint rippling stripes, perched at the edge of the river, gazing into its mysterious depths. A gentle breeze seating the young sapling trees, the sound of the branches like a soft music in the tom's ears.

After a while, the stillness of the river was broken as a light gray gray tom splashed through the reeds, a dark chestnut brown she-cat following him. "Riverstar," the light gray tom said.  His gaze held his doubts and fears. The she-cat just behind the light gray tom lashed her mottled tail.

"What's this about Riverstar?" She snapped, almost irratbly. There was deeper in her harsh words. The silver-furred tom dipped his head to the two but didn't speak.

After several moments of silence, the soft pawsteps of two more cats are heard. A ginger-and-white tom and a long-furred black-and-white tom push their way to take a seat a few tail lengths from the light gray tom and mottled chestnut she-cat. The faint murmurs of four other cats filled the five cats ears. Two by two thdy filed to take their seats. First, wiry brown tabby she-cat followed by a white she-cat. The two sat near the ginger leader. Next, a tall black she-cat followed by a gray-and-white tabby tom. They sat near the brown tabby leader. The tom that was perched on the riverbank flicked his tail as a dappled tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat hurrued through the bushes to take a seat by the silver tom.

"Riverstar, what's this about?" The black she-cat asked standing up, her tail flicking with interest. Riverstar turned his green gaze meeting the green gaze of the black she-cat's.

"You all know very well why we've met on this night. The Clans are in the danger of being...broken up." He said with a rough flick of his tail. "All of your medicine cats have seen it. We must fight against the force that threatens our homes. Our families!"

"If its come so close why didn't we stick together then?" The brown tabby challenged. The white she-cat gave her leader a nervous look. She wanted to step forward but kept her mouth shut.

"Are you daft?!" The light gray tom hissed lashing his tail at the brown tabby. "SkyClan was thrown from the Clans by all of your Clans. If you think SkyClan is gonna risk disbanding just to save the other Clans your crazy!" He stood with blazing blue eyes. The mottled brown she-cat sat behind the light gray tom with averted eyes.

"Riverstar is right," the ginger-and-white tom finally spoke up. "Skystar, if one Clan is disbanded they all are. We can't be blamed for the mistakes of our successors. They were chosen to make the choices and they've faced the consequences. If SkyClan doesn't fight..I don't think we stand a chance."

The long-furred black-and-white tom spoke up. "Thunderstar is right, Skystar. This is all of the Clans faults." The light gray tom whirled and snarled at the black-and-white tom.

"Your a fool to believe that Cloud Spots." He growled, his pale tail lasged angrily. "ThunderClan exiled SkyClan when we needed the help."

"That may be so Skystar but that was a different era." The black she-cat spoke now.

"Skystar, Shadowstar is right.." The mottled she-cat spoke up. "We can't let SkyClan suffer like they have. They've been through too much."

He whirled on her disbelief in his eyes. "Half of SkyClan was killed and seperated! Do you honestly think with what little numbers we have that we'll survive anothrr battle Acorn Fur?" She stood facing her leader.

"I don't think we will have much left to call a Clan but that didn't stop Cloudstar before." She said. Skystar grew silent, a battle raging in his blue eyes.

"We must send the medicine cats a sign!" The delicate tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat said. "That will be the only way to save our Clans." Riverstar nodded.

"What do you propose that be?" Windstar snapped. The white she-cat stood and faced all the cats.

"Follow the blood trail," she said simply. She gave Skystar a glance as his gaze grew soft and confused.

"What does Echosong's vision have to do with this?' He asked, tail tip twitching anxiously.

Mothflight shook her head. "Only the Clans will know," she looked at the five leaders and her fellow medicine cats. If the Clans couldn't unite against the force that threatens even StarClan then how would they survive?