I was planning to release this later, but this is just a sneak peek. Prologue Night had fallen in the Dark Forest — however, no cat could really tell. Only a lone white figure stood at the edge of the territory, glaring down at StarClan’s territory. His claws dug into the ground, his brown tail fluffing out. “Tell me some answers!” he yowled at it, “Real ones!” Pawsteps pounded, and a cat materialized next to him — a ginger-and-golden dappled she-cat. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her pelt brushing against his. He glanced at her, meeting her soft gaze. He felt his heart jump. She was his mate when they were alive, but they were supposed to walk alone. He had no intention of allowing the Dark Forest to rise and meet together. He tried to ignore her, but his heart ached badly. She pressed against him, and he could feel her shivering. “Please talk to me,” she begged, her voice pleading. “It’s so dark and cold. I’m so lonely. Please,” she whispered, pressing her muzzle into his fur. He stiffened, torn between shoving her away and leaning closer. For a heartbeat, he almost forgot the cold. “We must walk alone,” he rumbled quietly, then swept a frosty look over the territories of StarClan. “We were mates. We still are.” Her voice was now angry. “Why can’t we?” He barely looked at her, now glaring at the green grass of the rolling moor. “I’ve no time for that,” he spat. Does she expect me to listen to her all the time? She’s mouse-brained if so! “I was shown the image of a mottled golden cat. StarClan must have sent it, if not who. I want to know who he is. Why won’t StarClan tell me?” His brown ears flattened, but memories swam in the depths of his odd turquoise eyes. He knew why StarClan didn’t speak to him. He also knew why he had ended up in the Dark Forest. But still, they were the ones who chose to speak to him. Frustration made him snarl. “StarClan! Speak to me! You spoke to me once, so why not now?” he roared, scaring his mate who leapt back with a gasp. She had never known him to yowl so loudly. ‘We have spoken. An ember will join your ranks… led astray only by lies, but not by will. His fire will burn bright, and his blaze shall blind even the stars…’ a soft, chilling voice cut through his furious thoughts. The tom whipped around, teeth bared, face twisted in a scowl. “Who was that?” he hissed, voice low and cutting, like a claw. His mate stared at him, shocked. “What…what did you hear?” He ignored her, painfully aware that he shouldn't be talking to her. Now, he had more of a reason to ignore her — a prophecy. “An ember… will join our ranks? So…a StarClan cat will become a Dark Forest cat? Or what?” he muttered to himself, feeling a jolt of fear shooting through him — the first in moons. The she-cat watched him silently, the fur on her shoulders bristling. “What have you done?” she growled, evidently distrustful now. She looked like she didn’t even want to be near him. “We were supposed to listen to the spirits of the Place of No Stars. Why are you listening to StarClan?” her voice grew deeper and more threatening. It was no longer his mate speaking. It was all of the Dark Forest, and they were coming to devour him whole. He stepped back, lip curled. “I’ll make sure he joins our ranks. We will have additions. Is that not good?” he snarled back, tail lashing. The possessed she-cat eyed him for a long time. “Very well. If he does not join, you know what will happen. You will fade away.” His mate stumbled back, released from the grips of evil spirits. He stared at her blankly, then turned away. It was now clear that he couldn’t trust anyone but himself. He was on his own now. He would watch over his… kin.
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