It walked slowly, it could sense cats close by. It didn't stop to smell, it just walked until the clan cats seemed to appear slowly from the horizon.

A dead silence. Cats stared at each other as if the world had disappeared. The trees even seemed to pray silently as the dark warrior approached, three cats hanging limply from his jaws. The rustle of leaves, the scent of prey were the only indication that they were still alive in the forest. But the dark warrior stared at all the cats without flinching. Starclan itself would be powerless against this enemy of might.

It laughed as he released the cats from his jaws, it smiled as it saw the frightened look on the cat's faces, it walked to the leader proudly, it's pawsteps shacking the forest. Froststar stared back at it, his eyes unreadable, he waited for it to speak, but it didn't, it stayed there, eyes glinting with pride. The dark warrior lifted his head, still staring at the leader. When froststar shook her head reluctantly did the dark warrior speak "my healer will be proud".

It's voice was low and shook the floor with each of his words. The three cats it carried didn't flinch, nor did they move. They only just lay on the soft earth where the dark warrior had placed them. But all the cats knew they were still alive, but painfully injured. Cloudthroat slowly appeared from behind the dark warrior, he looked questioningly at his leader. Froststar knew what he meant, save the injured cats. But when she didn't answer, cloudthroat slowly nodded and didn't move.

"I finally found the cat's nests" it smiled scenting the air. Froststar didn't move, nor did she reveal any sign that she was horribly afraid "so who should I finish off first?" It continued gazing at the cats it carried before in its powerful jaws. Froststar finally saw a chance, she jumped at the dark warrior, unsheathing her claws, rapping the dark warrior's fur. It flung her off easily, using its hind leg. It turned on the leader, a smile on its face.

Froststar shivered, the cats stared at her. The dark warrior roared at her, opening its jaws to let out a menacing cry. A few heartbeats after she felt teeth sink into her neck, there was nothing she could do. Leopardspot leaped on the dark warrior, followed by grasswillow and whitedrizzle.

All that falconstar heard was hissing, roaring, claws unsheathing, raping and sheathing. But after a few heartbeats of total darkness, she stared into the eyes of her former leader and former deputy, flamestar and blossomlight. "Flamestar" she said blinking a few times "blossomlight" she said turning to the tabby she-cat.

Her voice was full of sadness. Blossomlight padded up to her, rasping her tong against froststar's pelt. Froststar just smiled, as if unable to speak, blossomlight was a strong fighter, loyal, she had died only a moon ago to save her clan, after a few heartbeats froststar forced herself to speak "who was this dark warrior?" She asked slowly and silently, her voice only close to a murmur. She looked straight at flamestar narrowing his eyes, flamestar hesitated.

He shivered, his spine curling. Froststar was still narrowing her eyes but flamestar couldn't speak, he didn't know what to say. Finally blossomlight answered "A clan shall arise, not formed of cats, but of what you call dark warriors. Four should become one to fight these dangerous enemies". Flamestar looked at his paws, his eyes round with sadness. It was more than froststar could take in, she held her former deputy's gaze whilst blossomlight started disappearing.

Finally the leader was staring at her paws. Cloudthroat was ordering a kit to find cobwebs. Froststar slowly got up into a sitting position and cloudthroat whirled around as the kit went to the medicine cat's den.

The white a and black medicine cat looked into his leader's eyes and padded up to him asking "what did starclan say?". Froststar stared at him for a heartbeat of total confusion then slowly repeated the words he had heard " they told me that a clan shall arise, and that this clan wasn't formed of cats but of these dark warriors" immediately froststar got up rappidly and asked hastily "what happened to the dark warrior and my warriors?". Cloudthroat's eyes widened as he stifled a sigh.

"They are all right, not many of them are hurt badly, we managed to drive it off. Only" a pang of pity washed over the medicine cat as he struggled to continue "only whitedrizzle is badly wounded and" he took a long breath "and peltgleam, strongpaw, and rainpaw are injured since they have been carried by the dark warrior" he looked down at his paws whilst he continued "if you could finish telling me that prophecy we could go see them".

"Of course" froststar said and she saw relief in her medicine cat's eyes, she thought for a moment before continuing " a clan shall arise, not formed of cats but of what we call dark warriors, four should become one to fight these dangerous enemies". She looked into cloudthroat's eyes, but they didn't relieve anything except deep fear.

"Cloudthroat! Whitedrizzle and rainpaw!" A frightened mew echoed from the hole in the cliff, the medicine cat's den. Without another word, cloudthroat ran into the den. Froststar looked at him leave, she was frightened, peltgleam was a strong warrior and her kits who were now apprentices, were learning quickly, they were about to become warriors. And whitedrizzle the talented warrior that lived at her side.

She didn't want to lose any of them.