Prologue

A pale ginger tabby crouched in the shade of the trees, her pelt sparkling with stars.

Another cat, a black she-cat with white stripes, came out from the trees on the other side. She padded along the edge of the pool that was in the middle of the large clearing. The she-cat glanced up and saw the pale ginger one and dipped her head respectfully. “Ambercloud,” she murmured. “How long have you been waiting?”

Ambercloud padded out from the trees. “Not long, Bladepelt,” she mewed, angling her ears to the trees again. “More are coming.”

A beautiful golden she-cat leaped out of the shadows, her bright blue eyes shining. “Nimblepaw,” Bladepelt greeted her happily.

Nimblepaw nodded and sat down at the edge of the water. The others followed her. “Who else is meeting us, Ambercloud?” the golden she-cat asked. She gasped as several cats appeared over the hills. “Medicine cats!”

The Clan medicine cats bounded over to the StarClan cats. “Ambercloud!” a ginger she-cat mewed with a dip of her head. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Appledawn,” Ambercloud mewed with a nod. “Yarrowleaf, Leafstem, Silverstripe,” she greeted the other cats. “And I see Sunblaze is here, too.”

The yellow she-cat dipped her head respectfully.

“So what have we come to talk about, Ambercloud?” Bladepelt pressed.

“One more,” Ambercloud meowed as if she hadn’t heard the striped she-cat. “We’re waiting for someone else.”

They waited a few moments in silence until a pale gray she-cat leaped out of the trees. “Heatherfur?” Bladepelt mewed in surprise.

“Yes, Heatherfur,” Ambercloud meowed briskly, nodding to the former ThunderClan cat.

“What have we come for, Ambercloud?” Heatherfur asked, sitting down beside the others at the edge of the pool.

“You must have guessed,” Ambercloud hissed impatiently. “Spiralpaw and the others.”

Heatherfur froze and turned to glare at the pale ginger tabby. “You think she won’t be able to handle it? You think I gave her the message for nothing? I sent them for nothing? The Clans are in danger!”

“No, I do not,” Ambercloud responded calmly. She turned to the living cats. “Yarrowleaf, Leafstem, you must know that one of your apprentices has gone off on a journey.” The two cats nodded. “I have faith in them, Heatherfur, but will they make it back in time?”

Heatherfur glared at her, her gray fur bristling. “Of course! Spiralpaw’s brave. Skypaw’s strong. Pinepaw’s smart, and Swirlpaw will take care of them. Of –”

“Is that the only reason you invited Swirlpaw?” Silverstripe, the WindClan medicine cat, hissed. “She can protect them, sure, but is that really the wisest choice?”

“You are questioning the will of StarClan!” Heatherfur growled.

“No, she’s questioning one cat’s decision,” Bladepelt pointed out.

“Either way,” Ambercloud broke in, “Bubble is still a danger to the Clans, even though she’s been exiled.”

The cats exchanged uneasy glances.

“She killed me, Bladepelt, and Ambercloud, and took a life from Nightstar,” Nimblepaw explained. “She could become a danger to every Clan.”

“Can a few apprentices really find the Crystal Sun?” Bladepelt asked.

“What’s that?” Leafstem meowed.

“It’s something well-guarded in a hidden place,” Heatherfur explained. “If they work as a team, they will be able to get through.” Her eyes glinted. “They will succeed.”