PROLOGUE

"Mother?" Nightkit whispered. It was a cold leaf-fall night, and the wind could be heard, gusting through the trees as if it wished to break into the warm nursery and spread its icy chill. Blazelight held her two kits closer to her.

"What is it?" Blazelight replied gently, smoothing a tuft of hair sticking up on Blisterkit's head, who lay curled up next to her brother. Blisterkit pulled away, wrinkling her nose.

"Well, Blisterkit and I were wondering..." Nightkit started, and Blisterkit eagerly came to her brother's side. "If you could tell us the story of how the Clans came to be." Blazelight perked her ears. Usually, the kits only asked for tales of great battles and fierce warriors.

"And what got you thinking of this?" She asked.

"We went to visit Minnowtail, and she was going to tell us, but then Elkstar called a meeting," Said Nightkit, speaking for both Blisterkit and himself. Blisterkit was very shy and usually hid behind her brother. She hardly spoke much, except to Blazelight, letting Nightkit do the talking for her. "She said that three spirits guard the forest, the Elk Spirit, the Wolf Spirit, and the Owl Spirit. But spirits aren't real, are they?"

"Well," Said Blazelight, "StarClan is real." The kits looked thoughtful for a moment.

"So..." Said Nightkit. "Will you tell us?"

Blazelight nodded. "Of course," She closed her eyes, thinking. She remembered the time when she had asked the elders when she was young, no older than her own kits. Recalling the tale they had told her, and thinking of ways to add her own to it, she began the story. "This legend starts long ago. Generations and generations back, before the Clans were formed. When the namesake of our Clan still roamed this part of the mountains in vast herds. The time when the forest spirits, the cunning wolf, the mighty elk, and the swift owl, came down from the stars and played in the forests.

"Three cats, who's first names have long been lost to time, came into the forest one frigid Leaf-bare night. They were cold, they were tired, and they were hungry. They had no place to go, and no nest to sleep in. " Blisterkit shivered as if she could feel the cold night herself, and Nightkit watched Blazelight with sparkling, thoughtful eyes, hanging on every word.

"In those days, there were many more fierce predators than there are now. These three cats had to be careful, with dangers lurking at every turn. Through the night, each became victim to the elements. One plunged through the river ice, one fell from crumbling snow off a cliff, and the third was caught in a raging avalanche. "

"But," Blisterkit finally spoke, her voice worried. "They can't die!" Blazelight chuckled and licked down the spike of hair on her head again.

"Listen, my kit, and you will see. The tale isn't over yet. The spirits of the Mountain heard their desperate cries, and they came quickly to save them. The great owl swooped in and rescued the one falling from the cliff, the elk, with its massive horns, used its size to block the snow from the avalanche. The wolf, with its thick fur, jumped into the river to save the drowning cat.

"The spirits brought the cats to an empty clearing. All had passed out from fatigue. They had not much time left. The three guardians talked among themselves, finally coming to an agreement. They had been friends with StarClan, who ruled over many Clans for a long time, and they had told the spirits that one day their kind would come to the forest and form new Clans.

"Each gifted some of their essence to a cat, reviving them from their slumber. These cats were the future of the forest, and, though they were not impressive in size, would one day be the new keepers of it.

"When the cats awoke, they were not the same. They saw the forest spirits around them, who told them what they had done, and what StarClan had said. Each took up a new name. The cat who the owl rescued called herself Owlstar, and she had gained the abilities of sharp hearing and even sharper eyes. The one who the wolf had saved from the river called himself Wolfstar, and he gained the cunning and courage of a wolf. The one the elk rescued from the avalanche called herself Elkstar, and she became as strong and noble as the elk."

"But you said that this was generations ago and that Elkstar was a she," Nightkit questioned.

"Ah, I am glad you asked that," Blazelight said. "You are sharp. In all of the three Clans, only those directly descended from the original three can become Leader. And when they do, they take up the name Elkstar, Owlstar, and Wolfstar to honor the forest spirits as well as the founders of the Clan."

"Then, that means that Elkstar and Twoshade..." Nightkit began.

"...Are direct descendants from the founders of the Clan." Blazelight finished. "They may be related very distantly, but their lineage traces back to the original Elkstar herself."

"That's so cool!" Blisterkit squeaked.

"So, I can never become deputy or leader?" Nightkit lowered his head, dejected. Blisterkit huddled closer to her brother, and Blazelight lifted his chin with her tail.

"There have been exceptions over the years. The Leader before Elkstar was not a descendant of the original founder, and yet she was chosen by StarClan to become the Leader." She said.

"Really?" Nightkit beamed. "Do you think StarClan would ever choose me?"

"It's never wrong to hope," Blazelight drew her tail back, letting it rest on the ground. Could one of her kits ever be chosen to become Leader? "Now, you two aren't tired enough for me to continue our story tomorrow night, are you?"

"No!" Both quickly jumped in. Blazelight laughed, hugging them close to her side.

"Well, then, I'll continue." She recalled where she last left off, "Now, with their new names and extraordinary gifts, Elkstar, Owlstar, and Wolfstar divided the territory of the Mountain and forest between themselves. Elkstar took the mountainside, Owlstar took the woods and all its trees, and Wolfstar took the rivers and plains.

"They recruited new cats from a nearby twolegplace, and the three friends went their separate ways, into their territories. They lived peacefully for a long time. That is the story of how the Clans came to be."

"That's... it?" Asked Nightkit.

"It can't be the end already," cried Blisterkit.

"Well, you wanted to know how the Clans came to be," Said Blazelight, "Now, it is time for little warriors to go to sleep."

"But we want to know what happened to them next," Nightkit stood to his paws, pleading. "You said they lived peacefully for a long time, but what happened after that 'long time?'"

"The Great Bear Wars, of course," Blazelight nudged Nightkit back to her side. "But that is a story for another night."

The kits knew there was no point in arguing. "Will you tell us the story tomorrow night?" Blisterkit asked, settling down on her paws and yawning. Blazelight nodded, smoothing the tuft of fur on her head again.

"Of course. Now you two, get to sleep," She swept her tail over them, making them lower their heads to their paws.

"Goodnight, mother."

"Goodnight."