Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 2)

Prologue

Paws thrumming against the ground made an orange ear flick up in alarm. 'What's going on?' Thought the feline as they rose to their paws. Looking around, their eyes widened at the scene: bodies scattered everywhere with blood painting the ground red. 'What the?'

"Your lackeys are dead, Larchstar. Your Clan has turned against you." A large fox colored she-cat stood in front of a black tom, eyes ablaze. She glared daggers at her enemy with so much hate, the cats surrounding her had the same look in their dark eyes.

With a jolt of fear, she realized that the fox colored she-cat was not fox colored but instead, she was covered in blood. 

The orange she-cat looking around and realized with a jolt of shock that the battlefield looked exactly like the camp. "What's going on?" The she-cat whimpered, turning her head back to the furious looking she-cat.

"You lost." The she-cat snarled, staring down the black tom who seemed like the leader.

Suddenly, the black tom, Larchstar, flew at the calico she-cat. "I will not lose until you are dead at my paws!" The apprentice shut her eyes, not wanting to see the she-cat dead at his paws as he said.

When she opened her eyes, the calico was standing away from the motionless black shape a tail length away from her.

"You killed him..." Meowed a golden brown tabby she-cat, staring at the she-cat.

"He has nine lives though," she replied, head tilting. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, considering she just fought her leader.

A white tom with red stained paws padded towards the surviving cat, green eyes bright. "StarClan refused to give him nine lives because of the crimes he'd committed." The white cat explained simply.

The she-cat's eyes widened as she took in what the tom had said. Eventually, she meowed. "So that makes me..." She trailed off as a ginger tabby padding in front of her and bowing her head.

"All hail Sweetstar!" The name made the apprentice gasp, but the others didn't hear her. "Leader and savior of FireClan!"

The scene shifted and suddenly she was in a starlit clearing with nine other cats, including Sweetstar.

"We now name you as Sweetstar! Sweetscent is no longer!" Yowled a white she-cat around her own age.

"Lilypaw," a gruff mew made her spin around. "Now you know how Sweetstar came to become your leader." A white tom stood a mouse length away from her, his pelt red and stained with blood that dripped from many battle wounds.

"W-who are you?" Stuttered a scared Lilypaw, backing away from the tom.

His amber eyes flashed, making her whimper in fear. "My name matters little, little one." The mysterious tom meowed, only to stop speaking and look past Lilypaw.

Following his almost red gaze, Lilypaw saw a pure white she-cat with piercing blue eyes racing towards them, fur bristling. She skidded to a halt in front of Lilypaw and separated the white tom from her.

"Rainshadow!" The furious she-cat snarled, tail lashing. "Stop bothering this apprentice and go back to the Dark Forest!" She hissed, claws digging into the starry grass.

"Whitesnow," Rainshadow meowed evenly, tail flicking. "I assure you that I was doing nothing to this apprentice." Whitesnow bared her teeth and puffed out her chest in an attempt to look twice her size. 

"Don't think for a second I believe your pathetic lies! Cats like you who kill belong in the Dark Forest for all eternity!"

Lilypaw's jaw dropped in shock at the StarClan warrior's words. He's a Dark Forest cat? Before she could say anything, Whitesnow turned to her, Rainshadow stalking away in anger.

"Lilypaw," meowed the she-cat, sounding urgent. "A great evil is rising in DawnClan, save them with the others. Hurry! Before it's too late, or innocent cats will die at the cold paws of heartless foes."