Warrior Cats Book 1: A Dark Path- Dusk of the Clans

Prologue

On one side of the afterlife, the sky and air itself shimmered with starlight. Cats from all around glided from the treetops, coming from all directions. Stars shone in their fur, their pawsteps light as a feather.

Although the majestic cats had beauty in everything thy did, whether it was hunt, or simply pad through the starlit forests, an air of worry crowded them this night.

The cats gathered to discuss worriedly about one cats future, that had long since been written in the stars. One noble she-cat who's pelt was dim and slightly transparent, the trees seen through her pelt.

Her green eyes shined brightly, sweeping over the gathering cats.

She silenced their nervous murmurs with a wave of her tail. "Cats of StarClan, we know why we are gathered. This young kit could threaten not only all the clans, but StarClan as well." She paused to let her words soak in. "I see that you are worried for the future, it is not our place to interfere."

A russet tom stood, his fur shimmering with stars and his eyes blazing. "This cat could destroy us-"

He was cut off buy the she-cat, "This kit," she corrected, "Could destroy us, that does not mean that it will."

The tom sat back down, his eyes still blazing unhappily. The she-cat hushed the crowd, lashing her tail in fury.

"All of you, this ends now, this conversation is over." The cats padded away looking half-satisfied.

On the other side of the afterlife a dark and ominous forest loomed. Shadows swirled and not a single star shone through the thick trees.

Ragged and scarred cats gathered, sliding over the marshy ground. Shadows swirled around their paws and clung to their fur.

A huge ragged tom stood on a log above them, scars covering his pelt. His voice was rough and his teeth pointed. "This is our chance to triumph over the clans, for the young kit can lead us through where we failed. With the perfect training we can turn this cat into an unstoppable killing weapon."

Cheers erupted from the cats below, and the ragged tom let then quiet down before continuing.

"Our only problem, is what cat is fit to train this death-bringer?" The tom asked.

One tortoiseshell she-cat stood with a snarling grin. "I will train the death-bringer." A tom faced her, his gray fur spiked up, "No I will train the cat!"

With a ferocious screech the she-cat launched herself at the other cat.

Just then a massive dark brown tom with a white circle around one eye, his fur ragged and his pelt scarred.

The massive cat moved surprisingly fast, he sent the she-cat sprawling. Then he had the tom flipped on his back, helplessly pinned to the ground while the she-cat was trapped under his hind legs.

The tom stepped off of them, standing tall above the other cats. "I will train the death-bringer." His voice was calm and controlled.

The tom who had called the meeting grinned darkly, "Ahh Shadeheart, you are the perfect cat for this, you are in charge of watching over the death-bringer."

Shadeheart dipped his head and the dark cats began to pad off, snickering over their own dark plans.

Shadeheart's fierce yellow eyes glinted with twisted joy, his face contorted in a smirk, "The clans will fall under the paws of this cat and I, and once their disposed of, even StarClan will fall to the shadows."