THE LOST VOWS━━book one

p r o l o g u e

The night was warm and humid, and fireflies danced through the trees, glowing softly. The glistening forest was alive with the buzzing of insects and the songbird symphony. The sun had just set, leaving beautiful shadows on the rosy pink clouds rolling above.

A lime-green firefly whisked over to a meadow and settled in the long grass right beneath a small white she-cat, illuminating her grim face.

She moved gracefully down the slope and settled herself neatly on one of the seven smooth rocks in the center of the clearing. Her green eyes surveyed the clearing, hoping that they would come. They must come.

The fading light of day was gone, and stars were appearing all around her, lighting up the ones faintly glowing in her pelt. She sighed, a noise so small only she herself could hear it. They aren't coming.

She heaved herself to her paws, feeling as old as she had been when she died. She hadn't felt this way in so long.

Dejected, she padded to the edge of the clearing, where she stole one last glance at the seven rocks where she was supposed to meet the others. It was still empty. She let one tear slide down her cheeks as she realized that this had been her last chance to save her home. She couldn't save them anymore.

"Wait."

The white she-cat whipped around, her emerald eyes flashing in the dark. "You came."

A sleek silver tom slid into view, his eyes sparkling with worry. "I knew it was the right thing to do."

The white she-cat merely dipped her head to him. Words couldn't express how grateful she was. She gestured to the rocks, where she was already nearing. "Sit."

He nodded and padded softly to sit next to her.

"So," she whispered, afraid to speak the words, "the rest aren't coming, are they?"

The silver tom sighed and looked at her mournfully. "I don't know. I didn't see any of them. But we can still fix this, you know. We can help them—we can even let them thrive. We don't need the others, especially if they–"

He was cut off by the thrumming of pawsteps rushing toward them. The white she-cat felt a burst of hope set fire to her heart, which felt lighter than it had in years. They're coming. They haven't forgotten.

A dark gray tom broke through the trees and raced up to greet her. "I'm here!" he gasped, panting. "I didn't let you down!"

She smiled warmly, but she was secretly worried about him. He was even more transparent than she was, which made her realize how long it had been since she'd been among the living. Some cats still remembered her, but almost none remembered the tom.

He was terrifyingly close to fading, and it seemed like he knew it, too. He probably wouldn't be here if he wasn't, she thought. I suppose he wants to live his final days doing good, instead of running around chasing rabbits like all the other StarClan cats. She shook herself. I need to stop thinking like that. Of course he wants to help—it was his home, too.

She was whisked out of her thoughts by the arrival of a ginger tabby tom, a black she-cat, a pale gray tom, and a pale brown tabby she-cat. They all looked out of breath, but they beamed at her, seeming to understand that they hadn't made a mistake coming here.

The black she-cat was the first to saunter down to one of the seven rocks. Of course. Shadowstar was always all business. The pale gray tom rolled his eyes and joined her. The white she-cat couldn't help the sliver of rage that coursed through her as he smiled at her. She acted like she forgave him, but nothing could erase the carnage that he had started. You're my ally, Skystar, but not my friend.

Once all of the cats had gathered, she began, trying to hide the quiver in her mew. "You need to help me, all of you."

Windstar smirked. "And, why else, do you suppose, would we be here?"

Thunderstar glared at her.

"Please, let me explain." She looked them each in the eye, and she was relieved when Riverstar and Gray Wing smiled at her in an approving manner. "I know you think that StarClan only deals with Clan problems, but these cats need our help. The Tribe is falling apart. If we could just–"

Shadowstar cut her off. "Not a chance. We'll just get Clan cats killed. Our days in the Tribe are long gone; we have new responsibilities now."

Gray Wing hissed, "So, now that you have a new home, you'll just forget about your old one?" The white she-cat had never seen that kind of fire in his eyes. It gave her hope.

Shadowstar flinched, but didn't retort.

Windstar sighed. "I don't want to leave innocent cats to die, but it's just going to get more cats killed."

Skystar purred in agreement. "I always thought SkyClan's borders should stay closed, and I don't see why that should change now."

She let out a choking noise. Only two of them agreed with her. At this rate, all her descendants were on a path to certain death. She had to convince these cats to help her.

The white she-cat glanced at Thunderstar, who had stayed silent, soaking up each word. Finally he stood up and gave her a mournful look. "I'm sorry, but I don't want ThunderClan cats to be hurt on a mission for cats they've never met."

She drew in a breath. I thought they'd say yes. They were supposed to say yes. Why didn't they say yes?

Breathing in, she surveyed them. There must be a way to reach them. Maybe if she called on a bigger council...

She caught Gray Wing's eye as he flicked his tail at her. Confused, she looked down to where he had pointed at.

Her paws. They were barely visible. She was being forgotten. She'd be gone soon, and so would all the cats that stood before her. Suddenly, she knew what to say. She could feel the words tumble out of her mouth like a cascading waterfall. "You won't be around much longer. None of us will. Would you rather be cowards and not help cats in need, or would you rather spend your last days saving The Tribe of Rushing Water?" She took a deep breath and continued. "I know that it may take time and energy, and you have more important things to deal with, but when you take your last breath before you fade—and there is no afterlife for the afterlife—you'll be glad you spent the last few moons doing something heroic. So. Are you going to be cowardly or are you going to be brave?"

Silence.

Did it work?

She watched their expressions change from offended to contemplative to remorseful. She felt her chest well with emotion—she was really going to save her Tribe.

Skystar stood up regally and looked her in the eye. "You're right, Half Moon. My vote's in. Let's save our home." 

heyyyy, thanks for reading this far! Okay, so, the next chapter is going through some editing and will be released on the same day that Taylor Swift's new album is coming out! (I'M SO EXCITED!! WHEEEEE)