Warriors: Light and Dark Prologue

    Darkness enshrouded the sky, not a star to be seen. The forest below was covered in a mist so thick, nothing could be seen from above. The trees rose like thistles from the ground, not a leaf on a single branch, and as gray and dull as a cloudy day. The ground was horrid and mucky, and just as mucky was the river that flowed slower than a snail. The cries of agonized cats traveled throughout the forest every minute, and not a single piece of prey was to be found. This was the prison for cats who have done evil in their lives. This is the Place of No Stars.

    In a clearing, two toms walked next to one another, one black and one a dark gray. They trotted until they reached the middle of the clearing and sat down, licking the dirt and muck off their paws.

    The black tom shook off the dirt on his pelt and hissed, “I hope you know what risk we’re taking doing this Thistleclaw. If we get caught by those StarClan mouse-brains, who knows what they’ll do to us.”

    Thistleclaw gazed around the clearing, looking into the shadows of the trees. “Trust me Darkstripe. This cat is more powerful and commanding than both of us put together.” He glimpsed at Darkstripe. “I believe he has the power to give us another chance to return to the living.”

    Darkstripe leaned his head closer. “Yeah right. Don’t you remember? StarClan forbid us from ever crossing over. How can this ‘powerful and commanding’ tom get past that rule?”

    Thistleclaw focused hard on the wall of trees. “He has gathered cats. Cats that have given their souls to following him. By giving him their souls, they forfeited their willpower. With that, we can control the cats without actually crossing over.”

    “I don’t get it.” Darkstripe scratched his head. “How’d he do it?”

    “Simple... By taking all the cats who have had their hearts ripped out of them by death, lost loves, and other tortuous events, sympathizing with them, and promising them power beyond imagination.” Thistleclaw laughed. “I guess you could call them ‘Broken Hearts.’”

    Darkstripe purred. “Ooh, sounds so deceptive.” He stopped, then slouched. “But wait, what do you mean by he sympathized with them?”

    “Darkstripe, this cat was born of greed, envy, and hatred. He has gone through, time after time, the pain of love. His ambition succeeds all expectations and his grip on the twolegplace spans more than any other group.” Thistleclaw finally saw the figure, approaching them from the west in a bog of haze. “He shall aid us in our efforts to destroy the clans.”

    The figure from the haze revealed himself to be a light gray tom, encased in a mysterious shade. His eyes burned a fierce red, and his pelt was ruffled and messy. He sluggishly padded toward Thistleclaw and Darkstripe with a devilish smile on his face. “Ah, my allies. There has been a little change in plans.”

    Thistleclaw growled. “What?! But you said-”

    “And I keep that promise. However,” The tom stopped and sat, narrowing his eyes toward the ground. “It has come to my attention that a new threat has revealed themselves. A tom that goes by the name of Echopaw.”

    “So?” Darkstripe gritted his teeth. “Who cares about some fantasizing fake warrior?”

    “He’s not fake. He’s all too real.” The tom twitched his whiskers. “And you should know him. He’s the one you let escape from you claws a little under a moon ago.”

    Thistleclaw froze, and so did Darkstripe. Darkstripe was the one to reply first. “That dirty fox-dung cat!?”

    “So the rumors spreading were true.” Thistleclaw leaned forward. “The clans have once again taken in an outsider to be a warrior.”

    “Indeed, and they are calling themselves StoneClan.”

    Thistleclaw leaned back. “But he can’t become a warrior without training from another warrior. So how-”

    “He has been given warriors of ThunderClan to train him.” The tom sneered.

    Darkstripe smirked maliciously. He was starting to catch onto the new plan. “Which ones?”

    “As far as I know, two of the special threesome that defeated you long ago, another normal warrior, and...” The tom started to shake. “Squirrelflight...”

    Darkstripe chuckled. “Two of the special three are there? Ooh, I can’t wait to get my revenge.”

    Thistleclaw asked, “So the new plan is to destroy this new clan?”

    “Not only destroy them...” The tom continued to shudder. “But make sure they hurt. I’ll kill one of their own, and in their misery, we will attack them at their weakest, and sever their numbers to zero.”

    Thistleclaw nodded. “And we will  be able to control your commanders without worry of resistance?”

    The tom stopped and stared at Thistleclaw. “Yes.”

    Eyes of cats surrounded the clearing beyond the trees. They all gazed at the tom, who started to laugh. “Heh, heh, heh! Let the age of Broken Hearts reign!”

    Thistleclaw, Darkstripe, and all the Dark Forest cats yowled.

    “Let the age of Broken Hearts reign!”