Prologue

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"Please... no..."

The small she-cat cowered at the rogue tom's feet. His claws were unsheathed and his eyes glittered with malice. The she-cat whimpered.

"One more unnecessary peep out of you, and I'll slice your throat! Now, tell me, where do they live?" The rogue asked.

The she-cat looked up at her tormentor. "I don't know who you're talking about," she whispered.

All of a sudden, the rogue's paw grasped the she-cat's throat. He dug his claws into the flesh.

"Tell me! Now!" The rogue boomed.

"I will never!"

"Well, then. I'll just have to kill you," whispered the rogue. He brought his mouth down on the she-cat's neck. The she-cat struggled and wailed. The rogue bit down and crushed her spine.

The she-cat fell limp in the rogue's grasp. The sharp tang of blood bathed his tongue. He let go of the dead cat and looked around. The forest was peaceful. No creatures made a noise.

He had heard stories of cats who lived in Clans, and he wanted to know where they resided. A Clan cat killed his mother and two siblings; he had witnessed it. Ever since then he was bent on destroying the Clans, or, at least, one Clan in particular.

CherryClan. Clan of his family's killer. The she-cat he just killed must have been from CherryClan.

The rogue opened his mouth, tasting with his scent glands. There weren't any cats around. He yowled.

After a few moments, many pairs of eyes glittered in the dark shadows of the forest.

The cats stepped out of the shadows and gathered around the rogue.

"I have just killed a Clan cat who wouldn't conceal her Clan's location. Tonight, we go home. But tomorrow, by sunhigh, we will search for CherryClan!" The rogue told the cats.

Yowls of approval sounded through the forest. The cats, still gathered around their leader, trudged through the shadows of the forest.

CherryClan had better watch their backs, thought the rogue.

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The Gathering had just started, and cats of all four Clans had gathered on the moor. They looked up at the four leaders, who sat on the Star Rock.

A black and white tom looked down at the cats gathered below the rock, and looked at the long-furred silver she-cat beside him. "Briarstar, would you like to report?"

Briarstar stepped forward. The new apprentices gasped as Briarstar's pelt glowed in the moonlight.

Briarstar dipped her head at the black and white tom. "Thank you, Badgerstar. I would like to report that RoseClan has two new apprentices: Cloudpaw and Stormpaw."

The cats below yowled their approval and muttered congratulations to the new apprentices.

Briarstar stepped back and a tortoiseshell she-cat stepped forward. The she-cat had a ginger tail and an unreadable expression.

The tortoiseshell shifted her gaze to all the cats. "I am proud to announce that BrambleClan has a new apprentice: Turtlepaw."

Once again the cats congratulated the new apprentice.

The black and white tom stepped forward as the tortoiseshell took her place by the other leaders.

"BirchClan has many new kits to take care of. StarClan has truly blessed us."

The cats meowed excitedly. The arrival of new kits foretold a good greenleaf.

The last leader, a grey and white tom, didn't wait for the black and white tom to take his place when he stepped forward.

"I have some bad news," he meowed urgently, his eyes clouded with worry. "One of our warriors, Blossomflight, was found dead in the oak forest."

Meows of outrage sounded from the cats.

"Who killed her?" Asked a RoseClan warrior.

"We don't know, but we assume it was a rogue. The scent on and around her body wasn't of any Clan, or animal."

A brown she-cat with golden paws stepped toward Star Rock.

"I sense a dark time ahead of us," she called.

"Has StarClan spoken to you, Honeyfoot?" Asked the grey and white tom.

"No. I'm afraid StarClan hasn't spoken to a RoseClan medicine cat for many moons," the she-cat said with concern. "But I feel it. Something isn't right."

"StarClan spoke to me last night in a dream, Wildstar!" came a voice from the crowd.

All eyes turned toward a silver tabby tom. The tom strode to the front of the crowd and sat beside Honeyfoot.

Wildstar looked down at the silver tom. "You have?"

"Yes, but I didn't want to tell you until tonight. I think it is directed to all the Clans," the silver tom meowed.

"Tell us, Trouttail!" Wildstar exclaimed anxiously.

Trouttail looked around at the cats who stared at him with curiosity.

"I dreamed that Ravenwing told me a prophecy. It goes: A spider alone can fight the rough enemy, but with others at his side, he can destroy it," Trouttail said.

"Ravenwing..." Wildstar whispered. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. "Is that all?"

Trouttail dipped his head. "Yes."

"Who's Ravenwing?" A young apprentice asked.

"Hush," an older cat murmured.

"I think this gathering has come to an end," Badgerstar said.

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Hi, guys!

I just wanted to say that I would really appreciate it if you voted for the story if you like it. I get writer's block a lot and don't continue with my stories. If you guys like this story, I might have the motivation to continue the story, since I wouldn't want to deprive you of a story you like. This would really help me a lot.

Thank you!

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