The Fire Reborn

This is the first book in my trilogy, Wildfire. This story takes place long after The Omen of the Stars. Hope you like it! >':'<

Foreword

'Six clans will always exist.' That was what Rock saw reflected in the lake on that ancient prophetic dawn. Was he wrong? That's what many believed. After Firestars children's children had grown old and taken their places among the stars, the clans resolve faded. Training became a game, hunting like kits play, fighting was literally non-existent. The warrior code became worthless, just an antiquated document, to old to apply to this new age. Some cats began to doubt Starclan, and instead of being driven out or corrected, their ideas were simply tolerated. The clans had opened their paws to evil.

It was in this time of great prosperity, that a cat called Darkfur became leader. He took the name Darkstar, but he did not receive nine lives, for he did not believe in Starclan. Darkstar had the forked tongue of a snake, the conniving mind of a fox, and the slipperiness of a fish under the pelt of a cat. He united the clans, providing them with food and entertainment. For most, this was a paradise, but for a few, it was like Dark Forrest itself. Those who fled were lucky, for those who spoke out against Darkstar diapered, never to be seen again.

Darkstar was named for the color of his pelt, but the name adequately described the color of his heart. He had trapped the clans in a life of ease and laziness, watching with satisfaction as they rotted from the inside out. After all, if there are no battles to fight, is a warrior really a warrior?

Then it happened. Some say it was an inside job, others say the magnitude of the enemy wiped the clans of their feet. Like ants on a piece of crowfood, Dark Forrest devoured what they thought to be the last source of light. In that one day, so much blood was shed, that the lake was turned red, and not by the setting sun. Those who died were the lucky ones, for those who lived either went mad, or they never slept well again. There was not one cat who did not loose a friend or family member on that tragic day.

The territories that had known such beauty and life, fell into a state of silence, broken only by the phantom like paws of Dark Forrest. Maybe it was because of the fact Starclan hardly ever shone their light above the land any longer, or maybe it was because of the evil living there. Whatever the case, the once prey rich lands fell under a dark and gloomy cloud. Frozen under the spell of an evil presence, they waited silently for the promised fire that would rebuild the clans. The fire of justice, the fire of hope, the fire of a warrior.