Echo stalked through a dark forest, the long wet grass cold and uncomfortable on her paws. She kept close to the ground, flashing her bright green eyes around the dark trees. They were tall and threatening, baring down on her, making her feel as small as a mouse. 

Then a familiar pelt brushed against her's, warm and soft. She looked over at the tom next to her. His brown tabby pelt was darkened and transparent in the forest, but his hazel eyes glowed with a bright warmth as they had in life countless seasons ago.

"Stay close, Echo," he warned softly, his nose brushing against her cheek, ruffling her whiskers. It was cold, but the touch made her fill with warmth. 

"Always," she promised, taking in his scent. It was mixed with the thick, dark scent of the forest, a confusing smell that threatened to overpower everything around her, never changing and never betraying itself. She felt lost, as if she would never find her way out. But she kept her heart and mind set. 'Believe and you'll achieve,' her father used to say.

Another pelt slipped close to Echo, the same shade of silver as the dead leader's, but with thinner striping. "No sign of any cat," she reported. "Everything's silent--like always."

"No sign of Brookstar?" Echo asked.

The she-cat shook her head.

Echo sighed. "Thank you, Moonglow. Tell the others to keep searching, but stay in sight. We can't lose anybody." Echo turned from her daughter as they went on, letting Moonglow slip back behind the two leading cats, heading for the shapes briefly flickering through the darkness. Echo knew she had made the right choice with the cats she had brought with her--warriors she trusted.

The brown tabby brushed briefly against her side. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked softly.

"We need to figure out what she was doing," Echo answered. "It has been many moons since Brookstar fought her way out of here, we need to find out what her plan is. I promise, Rootstar, if anything seems dangerous, we'll leave."

Worry pierced his hushed mew. "You've said that before. We've been traveling here for, well, I don't know how long. Days, probably. This forest confuses the mind." He cast his glance up to the thick canopy of leaves trapping them from seeing the stars. Echo and Rootstar had tried to climb up the trees, but the bark was too thick to get a grip, and no branches were close enough to the ground to jump too.

Echo brushed her muzzle against his, calmed instantly by her mate's scent. "We can't return to StarClan with nothing. We're warriors, remember? We must fight our way through his darkness. Just focus on the light, my dear."

"There's never light when Brookstar is involved," came a cold voice behind them. Echo looked back, spotting their son, Starlingclaw, slipping through the darkness to get closer to them. His fur was darker than his mother's but still a bright, glowing silver that cut through the blackness around the group.

"Even she was a kit once," Echo reminded her son. His meow was sharp but his heart was unmatched in loyalty; he would follow her anywhere without question. He was a good tom, a good warrior. "Her heart has been blackened, but there's still a heart there."

"We're not here to save her, Echo," Rootstar reminded his mate. "We're here to see why she has left the Black Forest."

"To train Blossompaw, that's why," Starlingclaw hissed, his tail lashing briefly. "We should've been more careful--Echo, you saw the signs! We should've put an end to it before it began."

"It's not our way," Echo reminded her son calmly, letting her tail flick out and brush against his shoulder. "The Clans must fight their own battles. If we intervene every time an enemy comes, the Clans would become weak. They must stay strong for the enemies we can't stop."

"Like MothClan?" Rootstar murmured softly.

A brief flash of sadness touched Echo's eyes, and she turned away from her mate. "Yes. Like MothClan."

She quickened her steps to draw ahead, scenting the air. Thick sap, nothing else. "How are we supposed to find her when we can't scent anything?" Starlingclaw asked with a slightly scathing tone.

"I have a feeling that if we travel long enough, she'll find us," Echo murmured, though her mew was quiet.

"Quite right you are."

The voice came from right in front of them, but Echo didn't notice any cat until they had spoken. Before them was a she-cat with long gray fur, and despite the fact that it was slightly ragged, she was stunningly beautiful, with dark blue eyes looking like a greenleaf night sky.

The StarClan cats quickly grouped together, with Echo and Rootstar at the front with their two kits, Starlingclaw and Moonglow, right behind them. "You left the Black Forest," Echo meowed firmly. "How?"

Amusement filled the she-cat's eyes. "Oh, was I not supposed to? I assumed since StarClan is allowed to visit anyone they want, I would be allowed to as well."

"You 'assumed' wrong," Echo growled, seeing the play in the she-cat's eyes. "You are banished here, Brookstar, and you are not allowed to leave, you know that. So don't play games you won't win."

A sudden look touched Brookstar's gaze. "Well, well, well. All this time, I thought if you caught me I was done for. But you threatening me like this... It means you can't stop me."

Echo's fur began to bristle. "Watch yourself, Brookstar. You have caused enough suffering for my Clan. Stop this chaos, let the past rest where it's supposed to. Let EchoClan fight to see a better future."

"My way is a better future!" Brookstar snapped, her eyes glowing with anger. "Blossompaw will learn to punish the weak and award the strong. One day she will rule over a better future, a brighter future."

"You've tried that in the past, remember?" Rootstar taunted, his claws sliding out to touch the soft soil under paw. "And you failed each time. Blossompaw has too many cats who love her for you to make her sink to the darkness."

"We'll see about that," Brookstar purred, a twisted sound that was almost like a growl. "Before, I assumed you would stop me if I went to the Clans. But you being here has shown me I was wrong--you can't stop me."

"We can still protect our Clan," Echo growled. "Even if you smother them in darkness, we can show them the light beneath. You can hook your claws as deep as you want, corrupt as many cats as you want, there will still be plenty of loyal warriors to stop you. You will never take over my Clan!"

A gleam briefly flashed in Brookstar's gaze. "I see the fear in your eyes, Echo," she taunted softly, her voice becoming like that of a quiet river. "There's a future you saw that you don't want to happen." She gave a brief laugh. "I don't care how long it takes, what you fear will come to pass." Her form began to shiver and disappear. "I am one with this forest, I can travel where I please with a single thought. You are but a visitor, and have no such power. You will search for a way out for an eternity and will never find anything but your own thoughts. Welcome, Echo, to the Black Forest. May your stay be as kind as mine was."

And in a brief stir of wind, Brookstar was gone.

It feels like forever since I got to upload to my Clouded Skies series, and I'm so glad it's back but I am going through a few things in life that makes it hard to write too often, though I will be trying my best. But despite that, I hope you enjoyed the rather short prologue to the fourth book of this series, and that you enjoy the future of this story!

Question #1: What meaning do you think this prologue holds?

Questions #2: What do you think will happen for our main characters? (Rowanpaw and Ravenpaw mainly, but you can comment about other cats if you want)

Also, if you want to ask a few random questions about anything to do with the series I will answer to the best of my ability without giving too many spoilers!