Warriors: Omen Of Fire

Prologue

A star shone brightly down from the indigo sky, just a little bit brighter than the rest. A silver cat was sitting in a forest clearing gazing up at the swath of twinkling lights above. His broad shoulders were hunched in anticipation, his fur fluffing up against a light breeze.

"Goodnight." A grey and white spotted tom spoke nearby. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the spotted cat climb up to his den in an old large maple tree. It grew at the edge of the clearing where he sat with thick branches that criss-crossed the sky.

"Goodnight Sleetstar," replied the silver tom softly. All was quiet in the camp, except for the sound of many cats sleeping soundly and crickets chirping in the surrounding forest. Leaves rustled gently over head.

The silver tom turned to stare at the stars again. He stifled a yawn. The tom was tired after a long day, but something was pulling his eyes towards the sky and he knew something was going to happen. His heart felt uneasy as he waited.

A warm new leaf breeze ruffled his pelt and he breathed in the sweet smell of growing things. It quickly grew stronger and stronger, whipping the emerald leaves above his head into a wild frenzy. He opened his eyes and gasped as the wind briefly tore the breath from his lungs.

A soft voice whispered in his ear, speaking above the wind.

"Beware Moonbeam. An ember blown carelessly in the breeze can engulf the whole forest in flame."

The silver tom stiffened in fear.

"What does that mean?" he called up into the air. "Guide me StarClan!"

"You will find out in time." A ghostly figure of a cat twinkled between the leaves of the old maple tree. Their fur was dusted with the stars and they seemed to glow from within.

"Breezesong," the tom whispered on a breath, his eyes shining. The glimmering StarClan cat smiled softly down at him. "It's been a long time," he sighed.

"I know my dear Moonbeam. I will find you again when you are in need of guidance, but for now I must depart." She nuzzled the top of his head briefly before she turned to leap up the tree branches and into the night.

"Wait!" he called after her, but she didn't turn. She didn't even twitch an ear, and Moonbeam felt disappointment wash through his heart. He missed his mother dearly.

The wind blew hard once again, whipping dead leaves and sand up off the ground and into the evening sky. He squinted his eyes against the sand. Then suddenly he saw a bright star appear as if engulfed in flame. The orange glow reflected in the cat's ice blue eyes. And as suddenly as it had been lit, it was out.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. There was something wrong. He knew something bad was going to happen. The omen repeated over and over in his head and he shook out his fur.

He glanced up one last time, but the she-cat was nowhere to be seen and the stars were back to normal; glittering and cold.

The gale had ended and he slowly slipped backinto the safety of his nest, burrowed in the security of the large maple roots. Moonbeam settled in for the night, but he couldn't sleep. His blue eyes glowed in the night as he thought about what horrors could come for his clan.