Summary: Starclan did not win the great battle. They now reside in the place of no stars, otherwise known as the dark forest. It is impossible for them to protect their living clanmates from the evil that now prevails over the forest. The clans are now ruled by the cats of the dark forest, and there is nothing certain in their futures. But evil, however strong, has no chance against hope. Will the dark forest stay in power, or can the clans save themselves, and most importantly, can they save Starclan?
Chapter 1
Dovewing stretched in the cramped nest she shared with several warriors from Shadowclan. The den was full of the rank scent of Shadowclan. It permeated her dreams and turned them into nightmares of battles which then transformed into more nightmares of the great battle. Those nightmares were always the worst, and most vivid for Dovewing, and it was always the same dream. Ivypool pinning Firestar to the ground, teeth glinting in the setting sun as she clamped down on Firestar's throat with strong, unforgiving jaws. Dovewing suppressed a snarl at the thought of Ivypool. If the traitor had chosen to stay on the side of light, the battle would have been won easily, but instead, Ivypool decided to lead the dark forest cats straight to Thunderclan territory without a warning. Because of the lack of warning, it was pretty easy for the dark forest cats to win the battle.
A gruff voice called her name from outside the den, and a dark forest warrior thrust his head through the branches of the crudely-made den.
"Building patrol," he barked at Dovewing. Now that the dark forest had taken over, they were constructing a camp where all four clans would live from now on. Dovewing shivered as she realized once again that the dark forest was in power, and would be forever. Nodding, she followed the cat out of the den.
The crisp, chilly morning air surprised Dovewing as she followed the tom out of the branches. Dovewing blinked, not yet used to the surroundings where she and her clanmates now lived. On all sides of her there were makeshift dens. With her acute hearing, Dovewing could make out the breathing and rustling of each cat in the dens. She could tell by their fast breathing that they, like her, were still affected by nightmares from the battle. Following the tom, she wove her way through the dens and into the pine forests of Shadowclan territory where the new camp was being built. Dovewing didn't need concentrate on where she was going. It was easy enough to follow the pawsteps of the cat leading her. This meant that Dovewing had time to examine the cat leading her. His pelt was matted with weeks of leaves and dirt, and the color of his fur was almost unrecognizable. Almost. When he turned his head to make sure she was following, Dovewing was sure. She couldn't let him know she knew who he was, though. It would make this torture feel even more personal. They arrived at the camp to the sounds of branches dragging over soil. The outer wall was being constructed. This camp would be enormous compared to the old Thunderclan camp, so the dark forest cats needed extra cats to build it. The unmentionable tom leading Dovewing flicked his tail at a group of Windclan cats.
"Your Patrol," He mewed sharply before turning and disappearing into the pines with a flick of his tail. Dovewing's heart sank. Could this couldn't get any worse? Now she was stuck with Windclan cats who surely hated her. It was too much to hope that they would be kinder after this battle.
Dovewing padded slowly toward the Windclan cats. The patrol consisted of Crowfeather, Nightcloud, and Ashfoot. Dovewing felt a little relief. Crowfeather and Ashfoot wouldn't be as hostile as, say, Breezepelt. Ashfoot flicked her tail as Dovewing approached.
"Every cat is here," She announced. "Let's get started." As the sun beat down, Dovewing dragged branches to the wall and helped to position them. She had not had a single bite of freshkill all day, so the work was even more exhausting than usual. Ashfoot made a few attempts at conversation throughout the day, but Dovewing ignored them. She was to wrapped up in her own thoughts. She hadn't seen Ivypool sense the battle, meaning that she had probably been given a place of high rank in the new clan for her part in the battle. She found herself thinking of her clanmates. Also, she had not seen a single one of them sense the battle a moon ago. Dovewing had a feeling the leaders of this new clan were intentionally separating her from her clanmates. Tigerstar knew of the prophesy about the three, so he probably wanted to make sure the three did not have a chance to plan anything. Dovewing worked until her paws were aching and the dark forest warrior supervising them ordered them to stop.
The dark forest warrior who Dovewing now recognized as Hawkfrost led the cats out of the camp and toward the makeshift sleeping areas. Freshkill was piled up in front of the dens. The cats pushed and shoved their way to the freshkill pile. There were no more rules about who gets what freshkill. There were only starving cats, and starving cats would do anything to get freshkill. Dovewing found herself at the back of the crowd. She didn't care that she would probably get the tiniest mouse or the most rotten rat. She was looking for a certain tom, the one who had taken her to the building area. She scanned the crowd of cats, waiting to see his distinctly dirty pelt. Once she spotted the cat, her mind was instantly flooded with thoughts of the past and questions and curiosity while her heart began to pound. She told herself these feelings were useless now that their world had been completely flipped up-side-down. She told herself that this cat was a leader in this new clan, and to him, Dovewing was just another warrior. Her mind spun out of control as he detached himself from the crowd and padded deliberately in her direction. "Dovewing," He mewed. Her heart began to pound again.
"Tigerheart," Her mew was not a question. She knew who this tom was, different as he looked.
A/N. Hey guys. So, I really hope you liked chapter one of my first ever Warriors fanfic! You guys probably noticed there were some twists to how "Last Hope" ended, so I hope you don't mind. Please let me know what you think, and thanks so much for reading!