Songflight's Destiny

'''This is the fourth book in the Songflight's Journey series. '''

Prologue
A black-and-white she-cat huddled miserably in a clump of weeds. Coming back to the forest might have been the worst decision she had ever made. But she had seen her daughter, well and safe. That made it almost worth it.

A pair of golden eyes met hers. Both cats looked away swiftly. The she-cat's fur prickled uncomfortably with heat, and she berated herself. ''You have no mate. And even if you wanted one, it would be someone different. A brown tabby tom yes, but not him.''

Brown, or Kurt, as she had known him as, got to his paws and stretched. The first streaks of dawn were appearing; she would be taken to the real place where Razor's "clan", as he called it, was camped out.

A white she-cat with black paws and ears stepped out and looked at Brown. "Let's go." Turning to Maribel, she said, "Come on prisoner. Your king awaits. And let's hope that pretty little daughter of yours knows to make the right decision and accept us as the new rulers of the forest. Or else she, along with everyone else, will be killed."

Brown stiffened, but he brushed past Maribel and led the way out, towards the distant Twolegplace. With a sigh, Maribel followed. It was all she could do.

''But he's not Brown to me. He'll always be Kurt. Even though he left me, though my brother had to protect us, some part of me will never let go.''

Chapter One
Songflight could hardly stifle her excitement as she headed towards the TreeClan border. The places where she and Bushtail had romped in their midnight meetings were like familiar friends. She had to remind herself that she was on a mission, and more important and painful, that she and Bushtail were no longer mates.

Behind her, Duskclaw marked a tree along the border, while Streamslip looked about cautiously, as if he expected the bushes to rise up and eat him. Pinestar had only sent three cats to show TreeClan that they came in peace. But Songflight wasn't sure they would see it that way.

"Come on guys," she whispered. The half-soothing, half-repulsing scent of TreeClan grew stronger as they crossed into the piney side of the forest.

Streamslip wrinkled his nose disdainfully. "I can't stand the stench of those squirrel-eaters," he hissed.

Duskclaw nodded in agreement. "Give me a fish anyday."

Songflight was too focused on finding the camp to join the conversation. Suddenly, her head shot up. "A patrol's approaching," she hissed, flattening her ears against her head. The two toms tensed.

Brackenclaw's head emerged from the dark boughs of pine. His golden eyes glimmered with an uncharacteristic anger; TreeClan was relatively calm compared to the hot headed Violetstar and her clan.

The deputy was followed by two other cats. Songflight recognized Stickyfoot, and another black she-cat called Blackwhisper. All three looked strangely dangerous, but there was a familiar way about the evil on their face. She just couldn't tell where it was from.

Shaking the thought from her head, she looked at the TreeClan cats nervously.