ThunderClan
Leader; Bramblestar – dark brown tabby tom, amber eyes
Apprentice, Snowpaw
Deputy; Graystripe – long-haired gray tom
Medicine cat; Jayfeather – gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes
Apprentice, Lilypaw
Warriors; Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom
Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom
Cloudtail – long-haired white tom
Brightheart – white she-cat with ginger patches
Apprentice, Seedpaw
Millie – striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom
Apprentice, Amberpaw
Squirrelflight – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
Spiderleg – long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes
Apprentice, Dewpaw
Birchfall – light brown tabby tom
Whitewing – white she-cat with green eyes
Berrynose – cream-colored tom
Hazeltail – small gray-and-white she-cat
Mousewhisker – gray-and-white tom
Cinderheart – gray tabby she-cat
Lionblaze – golden tabby tom with amber eyes
Foxleap – reddish tabby tom
Apprentice, Cherrypaw
Icecloud – white she-cat
Toadstep – black-and-white tom
Rosepetal – dark cream she-cat
Briarlight – dark brown she-cat
Blossomfall – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
Bumblestripe – very pale gray tom with black stripes
Dovewing – pale gray she-cat with blue eyes
Ivypool – silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
Apprentices; Seedpaw – very pale ginger she-cat
Lilypaw – dark tabby she-cat with white patches
Dewpaw – gray tom with amber eyes
Snowpaw – white tom with amber eyes
Amberpaw – pale gray she-cat with white patches and amber eyes
Cherrypaw – fluffy ginger she-cat with amber eyes
Queens; Sorreltail – tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes (mother of Mothkit, a golden tabby she-kit, and Emberkit, a gray tom with black feet)
Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes, expecting Firestar's late kits
Leafpool – light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat (mother of Thistlekit, a dark brown tabby tom, Shrewkit, a black-and-white tom, and Bluekit, a blue-gray she-kit)
Elders; Purdy – plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle
ShadowClan
Leader; Blackstar – large white tom with one jet-black forepaw
Deputy; Rowanclaw – ginger tom
Apprentice, Frostpaw
Medicine cat; Littlecloud – very small tabby tom
Apprentice, Foxpaw
Warriors; Oakfur – small brown tom
Smokefoot – black tom
Apprentice, Sootpaw
Toadfoot – dark brown tom
Applefur – mottle brown she-cat
Crowfrost – black-and-white tom
Ratscar – brown tom with long scar across his back
Snowbird – pure white she-cat
Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Olivenose – tortoiseshell she-cat
Apprentice, Onionpaw
Owlclaw – light brown tabby tom
Shrewfoot – gray she-cat with black feet
Apprentice, Volepaw
Scorchfur – dark gray tom
Tigerheart – dark brown tabby tom
Dawnpelt – cream-furred she-cat
Ferretclaw – cream-and-gray tom
Starlingwing – ginger tom
Kinkfur – tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles
Apprentices; Frostpaw – pure white she-cat
Foxpaw – ginger-and-brown she-cat
Sootpaw – dark gray tabby tom
Onionpaw – pinkish-gray she-cat
Volepaw – tan tabby she-cat
Queens; Pinenose – black she-cat, expecting Tigerheart's kits
Ivytail – black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat (mother of Hollykit, a black she-kit, and Silverkit, a silver tabby tom)
Elders; Cedarheart – dark gray tom
Tallpoppy – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat
Snaketail – dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail
Whitewater – white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye
Windclan
Leader; Onestar – brown tabby tom
Deputy; Crowfeather – dark gray tom
Medicine cat; Kestrelflight – mottled gray tom
Apprentice, Emberfoot
Warriors; Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom
Apprentice, Whiskerpaw
Whitetail – small white she-cat
Nightcloud – black she-cat
Gorsetail – very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes
Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws
Harespring – brown-and-white tom
Leaftail – dark tabby tom with amber eyes
Antpelt – brown tom with one black ear
Heathertail – light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Apprentice, Furzepaw
Breezepelt – black tom with amber eyes
Apprentice, Boulderpaw
Sedgewhisker – light brown tabby she-cat
Swallowtail – dark gray she-cat
Apprentices; Emberfoot – gray tom with two dark paws, former warrior, now training to become a medicine cat
Whiskerpaw – light brown tom
Furzepaw – gray-and-white she-cat
Boulderpaw – large pale gray tom
Queens; Sunstrike – tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead (mother of Sunkit, a golden tabby tom)
Elders; Webfoot – dark gray tabby tom
Tornear – tabby tom
RiverClan
Leader; Mistystar – gray she-cat with blue eyes
Deputy; Reedwhisker – black tom
Medicine cat; Willowshine – gray tabby she-cat
Apprentice, Dawnpaw
Warriors; Graymist – pale gray tabby she-cat
Mintfur – light gray tabby she-cat
Duskfur – brown tabby she-cat
Icewing – white she-cat with blue eyes
Minnowtail – dark gray she-cat
Apprentice, Graypaw
Pebblefoot – mottled gray tom
Mallownose – light brown tabby tom
Robinwing – tortoiseshell-and-white tom
Petalfur – gray-and-white she-cat
Apprentice, Sandypaw
Grasspelt – light brown tom
Apprentice, Dustypaw
Hollowflight – dark brown tabby tom
Troutfin – pale gray tabby she-cat
Mossyfall – brown-and-white she-cat
Rushtail – light brown tabby she-cat
Apprentices; Dawnpaw – pale gray she-cat
Graypaw – dark gray she-cat
Sandypaw – dark ginger tom with white feet
Dustypaw – light brown tabby tom
Queens; Mosspelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Rainkit, a white she-cat, Pinekit, a dark brown tabby tom, and Juniperkit, a brown she-kit with dark red tail)
Elders; Dapplenose – mottled gray she-cat
Pouncetail – ginger-and-white tom
Cats outside the Clans
Smoky – muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in the barn at the horseplace
Floss – small gray-and-white she-cat who lives at the horseplace
Other Animals
Midnight – a star-gazing badger who lives by the sea
Prologue
A bright full moon bathed the small island in moonlight as the many cats swarmed over to Tree Bridge that led to their sacred meeting place. The lake was swimming with stars, reflected from the sky onto the ocean waves that lapped gently at the shore. A grope of cats was still making their way through the warm night, towards the Gathering.
The cat at the head, a dark brown tabby tom, was a cat named Bramblestar. He was padding alongside a wide, pale, ginger she-cat, who's light green eyes sparkled in the light.
"I can't believe he's still gone," the she-cat murmured, sweeping her tail over her swollen belly. "Oh, how I wish they would know their own father. I hope they're proud of him."
The tabby let out a low purr and rested his tail and the she-cat's pale shoulders. "Sandstorm, with or without Firestar, your kits will grow up brave and strong," he meowed gently. "I bet one of them has his same ginger coat, or those bright green eyes."
The ginger cat sighed and dropped back beside a dark tabby she-cat with white patches. "Why did Jayfeather have to leave?" she asked the young cat.
The small she-cat looked up at the older she-cat. "Leafpool started kitting a while ago," the small cat answered. "He had to go back. Brightheart warned him. Sandstorm, why does every cat think it's odd that you're having kits?" she asked after a moment's pause.
Sandstorm sighed and stopped for a moment to rest her legs. "Firestar, the father of these kits, is dead," she mewed self-consciously. "I'm afraid no cat believes me when I say I found out the day after the Great Battle."
The smaller cat nodded and quickened her pace to catch up to a fluffy ginger she-cat. Sandstorm pricked her ears to listen to their conversation. "Hi, Cherrypaw!" the small tabby exclaimed. "Are you still upset about Molepaw?"
The ginger she-cat kept walking, but closed her eyes halfway. "Of course it is," she murmured. "I'll have to tell Frostpaw face-to-face, though I doubt she doesn't already know. Rowanclaw brought a patrol half-moons ago with his body, remember?"
Sandstorm sighed, and she imagined the once lively apprentices, Cherrypaw and Molepaw, prancing through the forest. Now, Molepaw was dead, and sometimes it seemed as if Cherrypaw would die as well. The fluffy ginger she-cat had been through so much, more than a normal Clan cat would go through.
A yowl came from the head of the patrol, and she looked up to see Graystripe, the Clan deputy, pushing his way through the ThunderClan cats to reach her side. "Bramblestar doesn't want you to fall off," he explained as the gray warrior guided Sandstorm across the tree bridge. She jumped down lightly on the moss at the end, thanking Graystripe before pushing through the bracken.
Inside the island, cats were swarming everywhere. The pale ginger cat looked around for Pinenose, an expecting black ShadowClan she-cat. Sandstorm spotted her sitting beside her mate, Tigerheart, beneath one of the trees. She practically dragged herself over to the two cats and sat, panting, beside Pinenose.
"Still carrying them around then, Sandstorm?" Tigerheart laughed. "Well, Pinenose is being confined to the nursery starting tomorrow. Much too close to her kitting."
Pinenose cuffed her mate of the ear before turning back to her older friend. "I feel bad for Firestar," she meowed. "He'll never get to watch his kits grow up first paw. But, obviously, the whole Clan will love them as if they were their own."
Sandstorm felt great affection towards the young she-cat. Even though they were from different Clan, and Pinenose had been a stupid, jumpy apprentice, they still loved eachother like sisters. A yowl from the Great Oak told Sandstorm that the Gathering was beginning.
Bramblestar spoke first, his amber eyes reflecting the starlight like little pools of their warrior ancestors. "ThunderClan is well-fed this Greenleaf," he began happily. "Even though we still grieve for the losses that we had during the Great Battle, we are doing quite well. Tonight, Leafpool is kitting Thornclaw's litter, and Sandstorm is very close to kitting Firestar's. I only wish he could be here now to see his beautiful children-to-come. Also, we have made three new apprentices. Dewpaw, Snowpaw, and Amberpaw will now be training to become ThunderClan warriors."
He stepped back on his branch to let the RiverClan leader, Mistystar, come forward. She cleared her throat, but it turned into a coughing fit. Then she took a deep breath and began to speak.
"RiverClan are also doing well this Greenleaf," she announced, her voice groggy. "We have made four new apprentices, who will be known as Graypaw, Dawnpaw, Sandypaw and Dustypaw, which means that Duskfur has returned to the warriors den. Mothwing, our beloved medicine cat, has sadly joined the ranks of StarClan, from an unknown illness. Finally, Mosspelt has given birth to three kits; Rainkit, Pinekit, and Juniperkit."
She retreated, coughing madly, and let Onestar take her place. The old leader nearly fell off of the branch, but he sunk his claws into the bark to steady himself. "WindClan's medicine cat has taken emberfoot on as an apprentice. There is nother more to report except that all is well in WindClan."
Sandstorm flinched as Onestar slipped and was only holding on with his front paws. Blackstar darted forward and pulled the old leader up by his scruff. Onestar panted a thank-you and sat beside Bramblestar on a branch.
"Ivytail has given birth to two healthy kits called Hollykit and Silverkit," he announced, and cries of happiness rose up from the cats below. "Foxpaw has decided to become Littlecloud's apprentice instead of Applefur's and to learn the ways of a medicine cat. That is all. ShadowClan have nothing more to report."
The Gathering was over, and the Clans left with their leaders.
Jayfeather stood over a light brown tabby she-cat. He placed his paws on her stomach, and the she-cat grabbed a stick and waited for the pain. A small nose poked through the entrance of the den, and Jayfeather turned to snarl at it.
"Brightheart, go fetchsome more borage, thyme, and poppy seeds, please," he growled. "We're going to need it." He then turned back to the she-cat and place his tail on her forehead. The she-cat relaxed, then the stick splintered beneath her teeth as the first kit came. He was a big, dark brown tabby tom.
The she-cat who had come in earlier, Brightheart, entered again with some herbs and a poppy head. Jayfeather passed the first kit to her, and Brightheart began to lick its fur the wrong way to that it warmed up.
Another cry came from the she-cat as the second kit came. This time, it was a she-kit with long blue-gray fur. He handed this one to the she-cat who groomed it proudly.
The last kit came a while later. He was the smallest, a black and white tom. This Gathering patrol had returned by then, and Jayfeather gave Leafpool the herbs to eat, leaving the den to speak with Bramblestar.
"I'm worried about Sandstorm," the gray tabby hissed as his Clan leader settled down with a small vole. "She was much too close to her kitting to go tonight. I'm confining her to camp tomorrow, and I do not want to smell her on any patrols. Is that clear?"
Bramblestar swallowed a bite of his vole and swept his tail around his paws. "Whatever you say, Jayfeather," he answered calmly. "Honestly, it was Graystripe who decided to bring Sandstorm to the Gathering. He wanted her to see Pinenose again, I guess."
Jayfeather curled his lip in disgust and stalked away from Bramblestar to walk right into Firestar. "Oh, hey Firestar," he grunted. "Your kits are still inside Sandstorm, you know."
He kept walking, only spinning around when he realized that Firestar was still dead. The ginger tom was chuckling as if his former medicine cat had made some kind of joke. "Actually, I'm here to see you," Firestar meowed. "Something's happening that not even StarClan can control!"
Jayfeather snorted. "That's not exactly new, is it?"
The flame-colored tom cat started for the thorn tunnel. He waved his tail, indicating for Jayfeather to follow. They walked through ThunderCan's territory until they came across an old twoleg nest.
The nest's walls were built from red stone, and the small sharp openings in its sides were broken. The door was left ajar.
Sensing their presence, many cats swarmed out of the nest and lined up, a straight line around their kits, elders, and queens.
"Firestar." One voice rang above them all, and a pale gray and white cat padded from the center. "You have brought Jayfeather. Come into our camp. SkyClan welcome you."
Jayfeather hesitated before following Firestar inside and settling down on a patch of moss. He watched as the pale tom sat down, twitched his ears, and began to talk.
"SkyClan's medicine cat, Echosong, has received a prophecy," he began. "They told her a great prophecy that will change us all. Forever.
"Four will become Five. Sky will battle a change forever. Darkness will destroy them all."
Jayfeather woke up in his den, his sides heaving. What had the pale cat meant? Four will become five. Will the Four have to recruit yet another cat? Sky will battle a change forever, and darkness will rule the forest could mean that the sky will go black forever. Then darkness truly would rule the forest!
All he knew, was that at that moment, Sandstorm's kits were coming.