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chapter one

Solarpaw shrieked in terror as the fox's paw swung toward her. Its claws were extended; teeth gleaming razors in the dim twilight. Solarpaw ducked down, springing away with another scream. Her bloodstream pulsed with terror, filling her like icy water inside a lake. It was only her first night out as an apprentice. She had no battle skills whatsoever, and she was haunted by the sense that someone was going to die here. All of these factors rendered her ability to defend herself useless; broken.

A dark shape leaped from the trees surrounding the forest, landing with a dull thud on the fox's back. Claws dug into the auburn pelt, pricking at the skin. The scent of the new attacker drifted over Solarpaw in no hurry, mist creeping over an autumn lake. The attacker was her mother.

"Run, Solarpaw! Get out of here!" Azurefeather hissed wildly, closing her eyes tightly as the fox thrashed painfully underneath her. Solarpaw stared with wide eyes at the sluggish trickle of crimson blood that was escaping from one of her mother's claws. She was dazed at the sight, legs paralysed in terror.

"Get out!" the she-cat hissed again, landing with a gasp as the fox threw her effortlessly onto the ground. Solarpaw cried out to her mother. It was all she could do not to untangle herself from the strings of her mother's will and rush to help. The other warrior on their patrol had run to get help, as he was faster than the apprentice.

Solarpaw turned with a sob, hearing a loud shriek pierce the air. She dashed into the trees, regretting her decision, only to skid around again. She was unable to let this go.

It was like Solarpaw's worst nightmare coming true. She had always feared that one of her loved ones would die, and even though it was part of warrior life, the dappled tortoiseshell just couldn't accept it. She needed them; she depended on them. Solarpaw wasn't sure how she would be able to live without them.

So when her eyes fixed on the fresh, gleaming wound at her mother's throat, it was as if every nightmare's monsters had come to chase her. Maroon fluid pooled in Azurefeather's blue-grey fur, stickily trickling along her pelt. The fox bared its bloodied fangs one last time, glinting golden gaze threatening, before turning and leaping into the forest.

Solarpaw closed her eyes. Her mother was going to die. The cat she held most valuable in the whole world was going to join the spirits of the stars. Her eyes would become dull and lifeless and her pelt would cool, never to warm under the noon sun again. It was too much to bear. Solarpaw collapsed onto the ground, her legs trembling too much for her to stand.

She felt major guilt that she hadn't done anything to save her mother. But there was nothing to do for her… was there? The sound of pawsteps echoed through the trees, a life-saving sound that brought the hope back into Solarpaw's heart, lighting her fire once more.

Her golden eyes snapped open and she leaped to her paws, scrabbling on the fallen leaves that littered the ground. The young apprentice burst out into the clearing, yowling for help.

"Please, help me! My mother is dying! Save her!" Solarpaw screeched to the star-speckled sky, pain filling her heart. She heard her plea echo through the dusk air. She deliberately kept her gaze from falling onto Azurefeather's body, making sure it was only a dim smudge in her peripheral vision. She was afraid, afraid to see her night terrors appearing in the real world.

Four cats burst from the gnarled trunks, fur bristling wildly. Their tails twitched in anticipation and fear, and their eyes darted from side to side, always watching. The help had arrived, bringing with them light in the midst of Solarpaw's darkness.

"Help her!" Solarpaw shouted into the leader's face. "Help my mother! The fox slashed her throat!" Her shrieks sounded hysterical even to her own ears, but Solarpaw ignored them, concentrating on the leader's startled face.

"What are you talking about?" the tom said, his black fur glossy and clean. His yellow eyes gazed curiously at her. Solarpaw noticed that the other three cats had disappeared. She whirled around, a furious hurricane, lightning bolts of energy crackling in the air around her. How dare this cat act like there was nothing wrong?

Solarpaw's eyes narrowed and she finally let her eyes trail through the air to her mother. She was motionless, legs splayed in all directions below her. Her pretty fur was matted with scarlet stains. Solarpaw couldn't see her head from the way the three warriors crowded around her, blocking her from view.

"Don't just stand there!" the apprentice ordered, panicking. "Help my mother!" She darted over to the scene, paws skimming across the ground like wisps of cloud. Maybe there was hope to save Azurefeather, but only if these mouse-brained warriors would actually do something!

One of the warriors, a ginger tabby tom, turned around slowly. "Solarpaw? Are you feeling okay?" he asked cautiously. "Maybe you hit your head."

"What are you talking about?" Solarpaw yowled, confused and terrified. "She's dying! You have to help her!" Her paws were planted on the ground, roots of fear spreading beneath her. They were just letting her mother die!

The ginger warrior just shook his head and turned to share a word with another cat. The cat just shrugged helplessly and began to walk back to the black tom. Solarpaw couldn't take it anymore. Her roots ripped from the ground, freeing her numb paws. She burst into the little circle of warriors, towering over her mother. Solarpaw wasn't sure she could bear to see a dead body, but these warriors were making such a fuss that she needed to find out what was wrong.

Solarpaw's eyes travelled slowly from her mother's closed misty blue eyes to her soft pink nose. They made a path to her chin, and then finally her throat. What Solarpaw saw there was more horrifying than a dead body, stiff and lifeless.

Where there had previously been a gaping wound, there was now only a normal patch of fur at her mother's throat.

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