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When StarClan catch a glimpse into the future of the Clans by the lake, they are shocked. They send four cats - proud and shrewd ShadowClan deputy Wildfeather, who is used to always getting her way; naive and innocent newly appointed RiverClan warrior Leafstep, who has yet to experience the the fierceness of battle; senior WindClan warrior Nightgaze, who is known for his barbed tongue and short temper; ThunderClan's newest medicine cat Snowstorm, who's only goal in life is to help and care for others - back to the past so that they can help the Clan cats to come.
Main Characters
Snowstorm
Long-furred white tom with dark blue eyes, born to warriors Heathercloud and Ravenflight. His siblings - Nettlekit, Honeykit and Tabbykit - died during a particularly harsh leaf-bare when he was four moons old and ever since, he has always wanted to save lives. After seven moons of apprenticeship, Snowstorm's dream finally came true when his mentor Twigfur retired to become an elder and left Snowstorm as ThunderClan's medicine cat.
Wildfeather
Pineclaw
Leafstep
Allegiances
ThunderClan
ShadowClan
WindClan
RiverClan
Prologue
Clouds gathered in the sky, swallowing the stars in their murky folds. A brisk breeze swept across the hollow, stirring the twigs and pine needles that littered the ground and collecting the dying leaves from the branches of the nearby trees. Leaf-bare was fast approaching, preparing to unleash its unforgiving chill upon the cats of StarClan.
"I told you it was bad," Dovewing was saying. Her eyes were wide and worried as she studied the grim expressions of the two toms beside her, her tail flicking from side to side in agitation.
"I didn't realise it was so serious," Lionblaze muttered. "I always knew that something like this would happen to the Clans when they chose Yewberry to lead them, but I expected them to be able to work out a way to save themselves."
"Obviously not," Jayfeather tom replied. Unlike the other two, he had not looked up once the images in the pool had disappeared. His eyes, blue and staring, stayed focused on the shimmering waters. "It looks like we're going to have to interfere. Again."
Icy cold rain began to spit down from above, pattering onto the three cats that sat huddled in the clearing. Lionblaze shivered, fluffing out his fur in an attempt to keep the cold out.
"But how can we interfere, Jayfeather?" he asked. "There's nothing that can be done now that will change the events to come."
"And if we somebody into the future, they won't stand a chance," Dovewing continued on in agreement. "They'd be lucky if they lasted a day."
"So we send somebody to the past," Jayfeather suggested, although his tone implied that he didn't want to be argued with.
Lionblaze twitched his ear. "That won't be simple. We'll have to make sure that they won't give anything away about the future. And they'll have to figure out who can be trusted and who can't."
"We can give them hints," Jayfeather told him. "StarClan gave us a lot of help when we were fulfilling our prophecy."
"I suppose. But how is one cat going to convice four whole Clans not to choose Yewberry as their leader?"
"We can send more than just one cat."
"Well who do you suggest we send?"
Jayfeather did not reply. Instead, he nodded to the pool that lay in front of his paws. The waters had stirred, clouded and then calmed to reveal the faces of four cats.
"Wildfeather of ShadowClan, Pineclaw of ThunderClan, Leafstep of WindClan and Snowstorm of RiverClan," Dovewing addressed them all in turn. Her tail flicked first to the ginger tabby she-cat, to the reddish brown tom, then the tortoiseshell she-cat and finally rested on the small white tom. "Why them?"
"We'll just have to find out," Jayfeather meowed. "For the moment, all we can do is trust them."
Chapter One - Snowstorm
Snowstorm blinked his eyes open. The gnarled roots beneath his paws, the faint scent of juniper mixed with mouldy leaves and the sound of lapping water told him that he was on ThunderClan territory. About a couple of fox-lengths away from the lake, if his estimations were correct.
Just as the StarClan cats had told him, he didn't look like himself. His legs were a fair bit shorter, claws a lot sharper and his fur a startling shade of ginger.
Snowstorm swung his head around to look for Pineclaw, Wildfeather or Leafstep, only to find that he was on his own. In fact, there were no other cats around for as far as the eye could see. No ShadowClan patrol pacing the waters edge; no RiverClan cats bathing in the water or out catching fish; no distant outline of a WindClan warrior out on the moorland. He couldn't even pick of the scent of anybody from his own Clan, lot alone catch a glimpse of another ThunderClan cat.
Maybe they're all just further into the forest, Snowstorm thought as he turned and began to climb the slope in the direction of a nearby bramble thicket. It took a while for him to get used to this strange new body and it was only once he had reached the very heart of the woods that he was able to walk without thumping or tripping over his own paws.
Early afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches of the trees, dappling the leaf-strewn ground and bringing light to the empty forest. Although it was comforting to be within the familiar border of his Clans territory, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something wasn't right. He had kept his ears pricked for signs of movement and made sure to keep checking for any trace of Pineclaw, Wildfeather or Leafstep's scent, but had found nothing. Apart from the distant birds song and the munching of a lone deer, the woods were silent.
Snowstrom felt the fur on the back of his neck prickle. Had StarClan perhaps sent him to the wrong point in time? Had the Clans died out? Had they moved on? Or was this before the Clans had even arrived?
Snowstorm could think of one way that he could find out. If he arrived at the camp and it was empty, them he would know for sure.
Before he could begin to make his way to the stone hollow, a quiet rustling caught his attention. Snowstorm turned around and, just as he had suspected, spotted a mouse amongst a patch of grass a few tail-lengths away. Suddenly, he became painfully aware of the hunger that was gnawing away at the insides of his stomach.
What hurt could it do?
Snowstorm dropped into a crouch, crawling along the forest floor. A mixture of lack of hunting experience and the fact that he was still a bit dis-coordinated in his new body made his paw slip just as he was crossing over a log.
Mousedung, he cursed, watching as the mouse disappeared into the undergrowth. He took off after it in vain, knowing fine well that it had probably already vanished into its burrow.
Thorns tore at his sides, burrs entangled themselves into his fur and everything became a haze of greens and browns. Snowstorm clambered over a rock, clawed his way through a patch of ferns, and emerged inside the training hollow.
Nothing could have prepared him for what he found there. Without warning, sickness crashed over him in a wave and it was all he could do not to gag as he felt rank bile inch its way up his throat. His claws unsheathed, digging into the ground to keep himself upright. By now, every hair on his pelt stood on end.
Pull yourself together. You're a medicine cat.
Swallowing down the foul taste in his mouth, Snowstorm took a few deep breaths in and out. He pressed himself to the ground and inched his way forward to the bundle of fur in the middle of the training hollow. Bracing himself, he rolled the body towards him.
Chapter Two - Nightgaze
Waves tugged at his fur and the deep water sucked him in, swallowing him under its murky folds. Nightgaze's hind legs churned, his front paws digging furiously as he pushed himself, forced himself upwards. As he was preparing to launch himself to the surface, a violent wave swept him further into the river. His lungs were aching for air, screaming at him to breathe, but he couldn't. He couldn't!
Icy liquid filled Nightgaze's mouth and he had no choice but to swallow, gagging. The need for air did not become any more pressing, instead getting rapidly more intense. His limbs were too tired to fight as the water threw Nightgaze this way and that, driving him deeper and deeper into the seemingly endless river. Dizzying blackness was chewing at the corners of his mind, threatening to take over, when teeth pierced the scruff of his neck and he was pulled upwards.