Rain gently hit the tree tops. It was rare to rain where she lived, but Ash enjoyed every moment of it. Normally a cat would wish to stay dry and warm but to Ash, the feeling of cool water on her pelt made her happy.

The silver tabby crept out of the forest. It was night and faintly she could hear the sounds of crickets. With the mix of that and the rain, it was a pleasant night. She padded quietly along a small path until she spotted Ace. He had asked to stay for awhile and with realizing how lonely she was since her mother left, she let him. 

Ace sat on a rock, watching the clouds slink on the stars. Although the tom was distant she enjoyed his company. "Hello." She mewed, the rain only slightly masking her voice. Ace's thin ear flicked and his head turned slightly. "Join me." He mused. Ash blinked, usually Ace preferred to be alone. 

Quietly Ash settled down beside the tom, noticing a full moon in the sky. "It's a nice night tonight. The rain cools our pelts from the sun's scolding heat." Ace commented, looking back up to the moon once more. Ash nodded. "Rain doesn't last here though. It comes and goes when it pleases." She had always thought it was strange. Was something controlling it? Did it know when to rain?

A couple of heart-beats went by, silence drowned out by rain. Suddenly Ace spoke. "I can not stay Ash. My destiny is to move on." A sudden pain made Ash look quickly down. She felt...hurt. "Why not? Isn't it lovely here? You could stay and catch all the mice you want." She thought more but dared not say it aloud. 

Ace let out a small sign. "It is lovely here. It has a good view and you have a good home, but it isn't my home." He got up. "My home is far away from here, where mountains and waterfalls merge with each other, where snow falls and Lea-summer is hot yet not scolding." Ash could tell Ace was trying to contain himself, trying to hide words. 

Ash got up, the feeling of pain and distress in her chest and eyes. "Fine, you wish to leave, go!" She turned and started to march away, but then she felt soft fur on her back. "It doesn't have to be this way." Ace mewed into her ear. Ash turned her head only to be facing Ace. "You could come with me.....come...help me start my new home. Help me start a clan." 

Ash blinked, her tail flicking in confusion. "A...clan?" She echoed in shock. Ace nodded. "I had a cat come to me a moon ago. Her name was Reedstar. She told me if I remake the clans that lived centuries ago I would be rewarded." Ash's breath was slightly uneasy but seeing the confident look in his eyes made her know he wasn't lying. "She told me I'd meet my medicine cat here. She said she'd have the softest silver fur, one that outnumbers the stars itself." At this point Ash's eyes were as wide as moons. 

"Please think about it. Do you really want to be stuck here for the rest of your life? Alone and hopeful that maybe a cat will stumble by?" Ace challenged, his voice strong and confident against the rain. Ash turned away, her chest feeling stuffy. "I'll think about it." She mumbled, stalking away.

She padded all the way back into her nest and curled up. She needed to sleep. Closing her eyes, it was long before darkness overcame her.

Suddenly crystal blue eyes opened. She looked around, confused. She had never been here before. She looked around, noticing what looked like old dens, but nothing made by humans. Padding around she could feel the faint hint of sun on her back, but instead of the scolding pain it only gave a gentle hue. Suddenly three cats stumbled into the clearing she was in. Ash panicked, trying to find a place to hide before she heard one of them speak.

"Berrypool, is there really no hope for Riverclan?" It was a fluffy lilac calico who spoke. Ash noticed she had deep crystal blue eyes like her own, but they looked troubled and tired. Berrypool was a black and white cat with greenish yellow eyes. Ash had also noticed the use of 'clan'. She had to be having a dream. 

"I've tried everything Reedstar. The sickness isn't stopping, Thunderclan is unwilling to help us, and with Twolegs taking the lands, we don't have any cat to stop it." Reedstar, Ash remembered Ace had mentioned her. "Those Thunderclan fox-hearts! It was them to make the rule each clan should help each other in their time of need and yet those mouse-dung kittypets won't do anything!" It was a solid black cat to speak that time, his claws were dug into the ground. "Enough brother! You should know well the remains of Thunderclan won't help us because of Lilystar's insanity. Falconstep has already been announced as Falconstar by the stray Thunderclanners." Berrypool commented with a push to the black tom. "Yes, you should know better Nightfall. As much as I don't do gossip you know as well as me that Thunderclan has grown smaller in the past moon over this. With Lilystar not even attempting to leave her den, we only have Falconstep to rely on, who is trying his best to take care of the last bits of his clan." 

Ash watched as they padded away before turning, only to be confronted by a starlit cat. "You're Reedstar!" Ash gasped, noticing the faint colors in her pelt. "Indeed." Reedstar spoke with a voice of authority. The she-cat jumped up onto a crumbled rock, sitting down on it with ease. Ash joined her, noticing the rock didn't give way. "What happened here?" Ash asked softly, seeing the clearing had gone silent again, only the sound of a faint river and birds showed that the area was alive. 

"Many centuries ago I led a clan known as Riverclan. We were doing well; we had all the fish we wanted and all the sun to relax in. But suddenly an illness came. It had been my medicine cat, Berrypool to find the sick cat in our territory. She had tried to heal him, but nothing worked. A couple hours later, he died." Ash's pelt pricked as the cat told the grim tale. "Suddenly the outbreak happened. Cats from all of our clans were dying left and right. Lilystar had went insane and the cats that were healthy in her clan left....the cats in all of our clans that could left." Reedstar looked up, looking at the sky. Ash looked up as well. 

"I had made an oath to Starclan when I had gained my nine lives. I would not leave my clan, even it killed me." She jumped down, urging Ash to follow. Quietly the silver tabby jumped down, flanking Reedstar. "That was when twolegs, or humans came. They tore up the land like they did to my ancestors long ago. With my last life I feebly suffered trying to raise and protect my kits, but both of us died; along with the clans."

Ash looked at her wide eyed. "I'm so sorry..." Reedstar flicked up tail up, not letting her finish. "Deciding we wanted our clans to return, me and the last leaders made an agreement to find five cats who would help made new clans." Reedstar turned. Suddenly the area changed, and only a mixture of light and darkness surrounded Ash and the starlit cat. 

"Help Ace make his clan Ash. He means well, but he can not do it alone. You will make friends, enemies, challenges and rewards, but it would be greatly worth it."