Warriors: Storm of Blood- Shadowed Steps (Book 1)

Prologue

Silence hung over the forest like a thick fog. The picturesque and luscious forest faded into dead trees covered in a strange glowing fungus and the crystal-clear stream turned to muddy slush. Grass parted as a sleek grey she-cat with a pelt of starlight stepped out, breaking the silence. She looked across the strange border and sighed. Even in StarClan, there will always be borders to keep me away from her. The she-cat perked her ears as she heard movement across the border. Instinctively, her claws unsheathed, digging into the earth beneath her.

"Are you lost?" A voice hissed mockingly. But this wasn't just any voice; this was a voice that the grey cat knew all too well. A silver she-cat emerged from the shadows, baring her teeth maliciously. "What a surprise that my sister might visit me," the silver cat purred, glaring at her littermate with a dangerous fire in her eyes. "You look well."

"I was going to say the same to you, Frostshade," the grey she-cat responded.

Frostshade scoffed. "Don't lie, Dewgrass. Remember, when we were kits, we promised to never lie to each other." Dewgrass flicked her ears. Of course it was a lie; Frostshade looked horrible, her pelt matted and her eyes swimming with insanity. "Did you come for something?" Frostshade asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Frostshade, I..." Dewgrass trailed off.

Frostshade tilted her head, as if waiting for more. "Was there more to that?" She purred sarcastically, flicking her tail.

"I didn't want this for you," Dewgrass finished, pressing her ears back against her head as painful memories stabbed at her heart like thorns.

"Oh, my dear, sweet sister, you mustn't be sorry," Frostshade mewed, dragging out the statement with fake affection. Eyes blazing, the she-cat began to circle Dewgrass threateningly. "In the moons to come, the Clans will pay for their crimes. They will pay dearly."

Unease rippled through Dewgrass' pelt. "What are you talking about?" She mewed urgently. Frostshade just smiled at her. "Frostshade, what are you going to do?"

"I can't tell you! That would spoil the surprise!" Frostshade exclaimed, clearly enjoying every minute of her sister's fear. "I can only tell you that the Clans will be no more."

Dewgrass stepped back, her pelt pricking. "Frostshade, bloodshed is not the answer, I promise you," Dewgrass mewed urgently. "Whatever you're planning—"

"No, no, no! You will not try to reason with me about this! This is your fault! You're why I'm here!" Frostshade spat, her eyes more angry than ever.

Dewgrass' eyes narrowed to slits as she dug her claws in the earth. "You got yourself in the Dark Forest. You made your choices. I made mine."

"Oh, but my beautiful, talented, and special sister went to StarClan. I suppose mother and father led you there," Frostshade hissed. Was there regret glinting in her yellow eyes? The yellow eyes that once were alight with playfulness, determination, and kindness stared coldly into Dewgrass' identical yellow eyes. "Yes, they led you there and told you how proud they were, and me? I woke up here. Alone. Scared."

"And you know exactly why that happened," Dewgrass hissed. Calm yourself, Dewgrass' conscience urged. Sighing and smoothing her ruffled fur, Dewgrass just glared at her littermate. "I did not come here to argue, Frostshade. Or to dwell on the past."

Frostshade twitched her whiskers. "Well, it's over anyway. It's over for the Clans. They will know nothing but the pain and suffering that I felt," she hissed, her silver pelt prickling. Dewgrass started to turn away. "Well, I think we can agree on one thing, Frostshade," she stated slowly. "What's done, is done, and can never be undone."

"What's done is done," Frostshade echoed icily, turning back to the blackness of the Dark Forest. Dewgrass kept walking, pushing through the tall, thick grasses that grew all throughout StarClan. Her heart ached for the sister she once knew and loved, but she didn't ever look back at the eerie depths of the place Frostshade would stay forever.

________________________

The soft murmur of last-minute exchanges filled the air in the ThunderClan camp as warriors, elders, queens, and kits alike all headed to their nests for a good night's rest. Weary from a long day of work, a small white she-cat padded to one of the dens, the smell of herbs pulling her into a trance-like state as she settled down for the night.

All is well in ThunderClan. Leaf-fall was closing in quickly in the forest, but the Clans were mostly at peace for the moment. Prey was plentiful and there had hardly been a whiff of sickness. The she-cat purred as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

***

Opening her eyes slowly, the she-cat looked around in shock as she found herself far from her den and in a grassy clearing. A calm night wind made the grass dance to-and-fro. A patch wavered differently from the rest, and a brown she-cat stepped out from the grass. "B-Brooklily!" the she-cat stammered at the newcomer.

"Iceleaf." Brooklily nodded her head in greeting, her face solemn. Iceleaf frowned, her belly starting to prick with anxiety. Brooklily had always brought help to Iceleaf; she had advised her in her duty as a medicine cat, but it was unlike her to look so troubled and serious. Brooklily turned and began walking, gesturing with her tail for Iceleaf to follow. Iceleaf padded after her swiftly, unable to enjoy the beautiful landscape around her. She was solely focused on Brooklily now. "Iceleaf," Brooklily began, "I hate to be the one to share with you what you are about to see. I wish you didn't have to see it at all."

The Clans are all at peace with one another! Surely things can stay like that through Leaf-Bare at least! So caught up in her thoughts, the white she-cat realized that she could no longer see Brooklily's brown fur. Spinning around, the ThunderClan medicine cat looked over the grass and to the horizon, but her StarClan advisor was gone. Iceleaf walked slowly, sure that she would find Brooklily if she kept looking. She had something important to tell me! The pale-coated medicine cat stopped at a small pool of water surrounded by tall patches of grass. Iceleaf stared for a long moment at the pool's clear and smooth surface. She approached the pool. The reason for her doing so couldn't be explained. She felt as though she were physically being pulled towards this pool, her eyes wide with wonder.

Extending a single grey paw, Iceleaf saw blackness for a heartbeat, then felt herself falling endlessly into the pool. Landing with a thud, Iceleaf stared around her in horror. The air was filled with the cold, pungent odor of death and the sound of screeching overpowered everything else. Nothing could be seen. The only thing there was blackness too dark to see through. The scent of blood was suffocating and Iceleaf felt lightheaded. She suddenly felt something hot and sticky plastering her fur and the tang of blood grew stronger.

Among the caterwauls, several new cries erupted from the chaos. Countless cats screeching the same words again and again. "The Red Storm!" A wave suddenly knocked Iceleaf off her paws. She felt herself sinking as blood filled her nose and mouth. I'm drowning in blood! Iceleaf tried to cry out, but she was choking and no sound came out. She felt herself in the tide of blood, powerless against it, when she heard one last cry out of the blackness: "Beware the Red Storm!"

Iceleaf opened her eyes, gasping for air. Brooklily stood over her, and Iceleaf realized she was lying next to the pool of water that brought the horrible omen. "You've seen, then," Brooklily mewed darkly. "You know of the omen and now you must warn all the Clans. There isn't a moment to lose, Iceleaf. Warn the Clans immediately!"

***
Iceleaf jumped up, relieved to feel a soft nest of moss beneath her. The scent of blood still hung over her like a cloud and the vision she had seen was still fresh in her mind. She felt sick. Iceleaf wanted it to have all been fake, for the vision to mean nothing, but she knew better. Every hair on her pelt stood on end as she recalled the shrill calls of the dying cats.

Beware the Red Storm! Iceleaf shuddered. She stepped out of her den, her paws shaky and unsteady. She looked up, but the only red she saw was the red dawn symbolizing another day in the forest. As a breeze roused the ferns in the camp, Iceleaf swore she heard it again, no more than a whisper: Beware the Red Storm.