Prologue

An old she-cat was lying in a comfortable nest of bracken and moss, curled in a half crescent with her tail almost touching her nose. A young gray tom walked into the elder's den, carrying a water vole in his jaws. One glance told him that the elder was asleep and he decided not to disturb her rest. Carefully, the apprentice sat down his prey, turned, and walked outside. "Mother?" a pale gray she-cat poked her head into the elder's den, her dark blue eyes blinking in confusion. She had just received her warrior name, something that delighted her so much, until she noticed that her mother hadn't appeared at the ceremony. Greenflower was always at a ceremony, the first to cheer the name of the new apprentice or warrior. This was unlike her, as was her not eating a vole in three mouthfuls. "Greenflower?" The young she-cat walked forward and carefully reached a paw out. The body felt cold and stiff under the brown tabby coat. The closeness to the old cat brought with it the scent of death.

Greenflower joined her Clanmates, watching as they sat vigil...for her. It felt strange to watch her friends and family mourn as if she were not there, but yet she was. Ivytail was sitting a little ways from her mother's body, with Dawnflower sitting next to her. The pale gray she-cat looked utterly distraught, looking from her mother's corpse to Leopardstar. No warrior should have to lose their mother on the very night that they gained their warrior names. If there had been a choice, then she would had waited, but there had not. As Greenflower let her gaze drift around the RiverClan camp, she noticed one cat seemed out of place. A brown tabby who looked both familiar, yet unfamiliar...until he moved and she was able to make out the stripes on his brown pelt...Runningwind! Greenflower darted up to Runningwind, touching his nose before she twined her body with his, the tom's scent, faintly of ThunderClan but now held a tang of stars, wrapped around her like a mossy blanket. Greenflower pulled her head away from his chest, gazing into the ThunderClan cat's light green eyes. "I missed you," she whispered as Runningwind rasped his tongue over her ear. "I missed you too," Runningwind told her. "But now we can be together...with no need for secrecy...Are you ready to go?" Greenflower pulled away fully, glancing around the camp once more. This was a place of memories, where she had lived her entire life. There was so many cats who she would be reunited with, but many more that she would have to leave behind. Her two daughters, Swallowpaw who was her granddaughter, the kits, Mudfur, Shadepelt, Mistyfoot...did she really had to leave so soon? Runningwind was quiet as he watched her. "It's hard to say goodbye," the tom admitted. "I had to leave my mother, my sister...I had to leave you and our daughters." Runningwind paused. "Making yourself part with the life you're leaving behind is difficult, but you'll be with your friends and family again, one day." The brown tabby was quiet as she suddenly remembered her parents; Rippleclaw and Graypool would be there, and so would her kits...Silverpaw, Cobkit, and Myrtlekit. Greenflower once more looked to the family that she was leaving behind, a note of sadness that one kit was missing. Snakepaw should had been with his mother, not being raised as if he had been born into ShadowClan...It was not use thinking about things that couldn't be changed. He was thriving and that was all that mattered. Greenflower turned back to Runningwind, took a breath, then nodded. "I'm ready to go, now." She mewed. Runningwind gave a solemn nod and sat still while the plump she-cat moved around the camp, touching her nose to each cat as she told her old life goodbye. Finally she returned to Runningwind's side and the two cats exited the RiverClan camp.

The two cats padded side by side, so close that their pelts brushed together and their tracks merged into a single path. Runningwind led the way and Greenflower willfully followed the tom who had been her mate, despite coming from a different Clan, they had loved each more than the warrior code could contain.

And now was their final journey...to StarClan.