Dreams of Blood (Dark Storm #1)

Prologue

A pair of lithe shapes moved in the moonlight, slipping through the dark foliage like shadows. Rays of silver fell upon gray fur- the pelt of one of the cats was long and fluffy, while the other was short and thick. The pair stopped as they came to a clearing, and the long-haired she-cat cast an uncertain glance over her shoulder, uncertainty glowing in her ice-blue eyes.

"This is the farthest I've ever gone," she meowed to her partner, the tip of her tail twitching. "Everything past here is unknown."

"That's all part of the excitement, isn't it?" the tom asked, pressing his pelt comfortingly against hers. "Past here, there are no boundaries to hold us back. To keep us apart." He gave her a gentle nuzzle, pausing for a moment to gaze at her lovingly. Then he stepped forward, flicking her on the ear with his tail. "Come on, we should go before any patrols catch up with us."

The she-cat nodded, letting out a quiet sigh as she cast another glance over her shoulder. This was it... the last time she would ever see the place she was born. She thought about everything she was leaving behind... but as she turned her attention back to the tom, who had paused halfway across the field to wait for her with his pelt bleached and illuminated by the moon and concern shining in his amber eyes, she knew it was worth it. She allowed a soft purr to rumble in her throat, forgetting the shadowed forest behind her as she bounded across the star-lit meadow to join her lover.

The two traveled for most of the night, leaping over rocks and fallen trees, crossing gullies and ditches filled with stagnant water, and skirting around the acrid fox-scent that occasionally sullied the fragrant night air. As the sky began to grow pale in the east, heralding the arrival of a new day, they finally decided to stop. They found an old burrow that was dug beneath the roots of a twisted pine- checking to make sure the den was free of cat-scent first- and curled up inside. There was no moss as cushion, and both found it difficult to sleep without the gentle snoring of their Clanmates around them. Still, with their pelts pressed together for warmth and comfort, both were eventually lulled to sleep.

A while later, the she-cat found herself standing in a forest glen, surrounded by soft ferns and twisted brambles. Above, the dark canopy of the trees covered the sky, but between the swaying branches she could see the twinkling of countless stars- more than she had ever seen in her life. Despite the darkness of the forest, the glen seemed to be lit by moonlight, but she couldn't seem to find its source as she turned in circles.

Fox-dung! she cursed to herself. We must have slept all day. She turned again, meaning to slip back into the burrow to wake her mate, but then realized that it was nowhere to be found. This wasn't anywhere near where they had gone to sleep. Suddenly, fear closed around her heart like an icy claw. "Where am I?" she asked out loud, spinning in circles as she tried to remember how she had gotten there.

"Safe," replied a voice. The she-cat spun around again to see a sleek pale gray she-cat sitting at the edge of the glen, her pelt shaded by the ferns. A black-striped tail was curled neatly over her paws, and pale eyes seemed to pierce into the younger she-cat's very being. Starlight seemed to glow on her fur, despite the shade in which she sat.

"Y-you're StarClan," the younger cat gasped in awe, taking a step back. Then, something seemed to dawn on her. "A-am I dead? Are... are we both dead?"

The older she-cat let out a purr. "I assure you, you are both very safe both here and in the living world. However," her tone grew more serious, "the same cannot be said for your former Clanmates. From either Clan."

The younger cat froze, staring. "W-what do you mean?"

"Great change is coming to both Clans. An ending, and a new beginning." The she-cat flicked her tail. "This change will come no matter what... but you and him, cats with paws in both Clans, can see past old rivalries and ease the process. You can prevent many unnecessary deaths, and begin to repair the damage that has been done."

The living cat blinked, not understanding. "But... there's no way we can be together if we go back," she pleaded. "This is the only way."

The pale gray cat blinked in sympathy. "You know that's not true. You are willing to give up so much for him... even your own Clan. But that doesn't mean you have to abandon the path of a warrior, the only path you were ever meant to walk."

The young cat let out a sigh. "M-maybe you're right...." She shook her head, lowering her gaze, and her voice to a whisper. "What will my mother think, though?"

The older cat let out a purr. "She will understand. Perhaps not at first, but with time. She was always a cat with two different paths, and a paw outside her Clan's boundaries. She understands the meaning of choice, and doing what one must do for the greater good."

The other she-cat nodded, seeming to come to a decision. "Very well, then. I will do what I have to do."

The older she-cat purred, looking pleased as she got to her paws. The younger cat shrank back as the elder approached her- only now, as she stood before her, did she realize the StarClan cat's massive size. "Go now, and waste no sunlight. Only you can quell the storm that's brewing, and bring starlight back to the shadows." She dipped her head, touching it to the younger she-cat's head. The younger cat froze as a feeling like ice shot through her, forcing her eyes shut as visions flashed in the back of her mind. Cats snarling and rolling in a blood-soaked clearing, the bodies of the fallen littering the ground. A massive tom standing over the body of a fallen warrior, yowling his victory to the sky even as a bolt of lightning arched towards him. A gray tom- not her mate, but who looked so very similar- standing between another tom and the prone body of a pale she-cat, and a powerful tortoiseshell tom. The young she-cat let out a gasp as the tortoiseshell raked his claws across the gray tom's eyes, and the vision faded.

"W-what does it mean?" the young she-cat demanded as she opened her eyes again, but now everything was dark. She was back in the burrow, her lover curled up next to her.

"Hm? What are you on about," he muttered, raising his head and blinking sleepily. His gaze sharpened with worry as he saw her bristling pelt, and the fear in her eyes. For a moment, she only stared at him, unsure of how to explain. Then, finally, she answered breathlessly:

"We have to go back."