Chapter One

Thistles blew in the dark forest like rattling bones across the darkened fields that were shaved as razors with tips of blood from passing cats accidentally scraping their sides as they walked past.

Fast shuffling pelts tightened together in a line as the long trail of fur ran silently between the thistle fields.

Ahead of the pelts was a black and white thin tom with his ribs showing on the outside layer of his fur, his only ear twitched behind him towards the other cats for them to stop.

"What's up ahead, Thundertail?" A small russet apprentice asked his mentor, shaking his torn up pelt, "Is it something bad-"

"Starclan." Thundertail replied over his apprentice with an annoyed flick of his tail.

The thistle fields blew where the wind had pushed them towards the gateway between the dark forest and Starclan where three healthy cats approached them with their heads and tails held high as they tried to intimidate the unhealed dark forest cats.

Thundertail stalked forward alone near the three cats, his fangs barred sharply at them, "Why are you here, Froststep with your little things of cats following you?"

Frostep, the she-cat from before stared blankly at Thundertail unamused, "We are here for the same reason as you are, my old friend-"

"We were never friends, mouse brain, good for nothing medicine cat!" Thundertail hissed.

Behind Thundertail that were only a few feet away, the line of dark forest cats disassembled into an unorganized shape to show their numbers compared to the three starclan cats that stupidly walked into their territory, waiting for any signal from Thundertail that would start an unfair battle.

Still unamused, Froststep stepped closer to Thundertail to stare him in the eyes, "We want the black kits to join with us, Thundertail, and there is no way you or any of your kind are stopping us."

Froststep boldly walked past Thundertail with the two other cats behind her, allowing her tail to flick Thundertail on his muzzle.

Thundertail made a sharp hiss to the dark forests cats that began to act on his signal to block their ways.

The white starclan she-cat glanced back at Thundertail after almost losing her temper; yet, she walked around the cats, thinking the wall they made wouldn't keep her out.

Trying to be noticed by his mentor, little Tatterdpaw moved in front of Froststep

to block her again.

Froststep hissed at the little apprentice, "Tatterdpaw..you had so much potential. Unfortunately they had a grip on you..so now that will not ever happen again." She finished saying, pushing Tatterdpaw away.

Thundertail wiped around to sink his front claws in the back of the last following Starclan cat, bringing him to the ground and pulling him beneath him on the dirt, "Froststep, I have a deal I think you will be interested in."

Again, the white Starclan cat looked at him with her cold gaze, "What deal do you want

from me this time?"

"There are two black apprentices..one containing the death of the forest and the other having the will to stop at nothing to keep it safe." Thundertail implied, pushing the weight of his paw in the Starclan cats spine, "Decide quickly now or I turn this cat into dust."

The struggling cat below Thundertail lifted his head in pain, "Agree with him, Froststep, say you'll do it!" He begged.

Snickers and laughs came from the still in position wall of dark forest cats.

Froststep stalked in front of Thundertail quickly with her fangs clenched tightly,"Fine!-one of them..will be mine to watch over..are there any stakes, Thundertail..or is this all luck for whoever wins?"

Clumsily, the Starclan cat that was below Thundertail crawled out instantly and ran behind Froststep to stand beside the other cat.

"So..how will this go..?" Froststep asked bitterly.

Tatterdpaw looked down silently from being semi-disgusted of himself, but stayed quiet.

"You and I pick one of them then we raise them secretly from their other clanmates." Thundertail explained, "Although to make it a little more amusing..I will raise the one from Riseclan, the good little tom..then you will get the motherless one, to make things a little bit more..interesting."