prologue

Shrieks filled the air as more shadowclan and riverclan warriors streamed into the clearing, their teeth bared and claws glinting. A young ginger she-cat was backed against a gorse bush, blood trickling down her foreleg and forming a puddle on the ground. Two cats faced her, lashing out and tearing hunks from her pelt. But she could not fight back. Her clan was being attacked, and she was helpless to defend them. Claws flashed as they lunged for her throat, but they barely managed to graze her fur as a gray streak flew through the air and slammed into the warrior, strong forelegs pinned him down and sharp teeth lunged forward and sank into the cat's scruff.  He stopped struggling and lay limp.  The other shadowclan warrior stood for a moment, wide-eyed, and then streaked across the clearing to the camp entrance. The young ginger cat collapsed onto the ground. The gray cat leaned down and picked her up by her her scruff, setting her on her paws. "We need to get out of here, Birdpaw. our clan is  being torn apart." Birdpaw nodded.
"Where will we go?"
"Far away. Far far away."
The gray she-cat replied. "Possumtail! Look out!" Possumtail ducked to one side to avoid to cats in a whirling ball of fur and claws. A gap opened up in the fighting cats, revealing the camp entrance, half trampled into the ground. The two cats saw the opportunity and made for the entrance, Birdpaw limping on her injured paw. They raced across the moor, dodging clumps of heather and gorse. They paused at the border with the thunder path, panting. "Where now?" Birdpaw asked, gasping for breath. Possumtail stared ahead into the horizon, squinting her eyes. Birdpaw nudged her shoulder with her muzzle.
"Star clan will show us the way, won't they?" She asked, a hopeful edge to her voice.
Possumtail whipped around, her eyes like cold fire. "Star clan have abandoned us!" She hissed, her teeth bared in an angry snarl. "Look what they have bought upon our clan. Star clan have failed us!"
Birdpaw flinched away from her, but refused to believe that their warrior ancestors would truly abandon them. "We don't know for sure." She muttered. Possum tail ignored her.
"We will follow wherever the sun leads us," She meowed strongly, flicking her tail to where it was sinking behind the horizon, spreading a red glow across the landscape ahead.
"We will establish a new clan, one that won't rely on starclan for survival. We will be sunclan!"