Sunpaw's head snapped off her mossy nest. A sudden chill went up her spine, making the hairs on her neck stand. She looked down to notice that she wasn't in her nest, but rather laying on rough layers of grass. Upon further inspection, she noticed something darker spattered onto the thin green lines.

   Was that... blood?

   Horrified, she looked at her surroundings. This defiantly wasn't the apprentices den - and she had no idea how she had gotten here.

    Tall pines surrounded her on every angle. A heavy fog blocked her from seeing anything, and the land was flat and dark. The sound of running water grabbed her attention, and she turned towards its direction.

   Just behind her, the flat land sloped down into a cliff. It was deep enough that she couldn't see down off the edge.

   Sunpaw padded forward and poked her head over the edge. At the bottom ran what looked like a river. But instead of beautiful, clear water like the river in DuskClan, this river was dark. Just like everything else here. Thick, black liquid seemed to pour over the eroded ledges that lead to who knows where.

   "Ah, I see you've made it."

   Sunpaw whipped around to face the source of the voice. To her dismay, all she saw was the ongoing stretch of pines. No one was there.

   "W-Who are you?" She asked wearily.

   The voice chuckled, but did not show their form. From their voice, Sunpaw could tell whoever was talking to her was a she-cat. "Just call me Red, young one. I have brought you here to ask you of something. Something that will benefit you." The voice continued.

   Sunpaw shook her head, glancing around. "Not until I see you. S-Show yourself!" The voice laughed again, and out of the corner of her eye, Sunpaw could see a white pelt come into view. She turned, but only to once again be horrified by what she saw. In front of her stood a torn up white she-cat. Her pelt was covered in scars and deadlocked to the point of never being strait again. Her eyes are what scared the apprentice the most.

   There was no emotion in those ice blue eyes. Nothing but a cold, merciless stare that seemed to bore into her soul and watch her every move and thought.

   "This is the place that I call home. I train cats like you. Special cats. One with potential to be better than they already are." Red explained.

   Sunpaw looked at the bloodstains surrounding her. This wasn't right. "Why is there so much blood..?" She asked, turning away from the cat. However, she made sure to stay alert. She didn't know what to expect from 'Red'.

   "Why wouldn't there be?" Red responded, grinning. "That's how we train here. Claws out. Without claws, clan training is simple kittypet play."

   Sunpaw thought of her mentor, Blackfrost. He was a skilled and talented warrior in the arts of battle. But he has never trained with claws...

   "But that doesn't make any sense... I know plenty of warriors who are great fi-" She was cut off by Red.

   "You think you know them. One wrong move, and their dead. It's simple, really. The clans all have similar tactics. That's what I change here."

"Here, you learn to make sure something as silly doesn't happen. You learn to be greater." Red stopped for a moment and stared into the pines.

   "Think of me as.. mentor number two." She suddenly said, averting her gaze back to Sunpaw.

   "They may train you to fight like kittypets, but I keep your claws sharp and your wits about you." She finished.

   Sunpaw looked down at her paws. As of yet, she wasn't fond of Red. The clans didn't train like kittypets, right?

   Do kittypets even train?

   Sunpaw shook her head quickly. Now was not the time to get distracted.

   "So, what do you say, young one?" Red smiled. Sunpaw didn't like her smile either. There was something unsettling about it - something eerie.

   "You'll be better than even your leader- and soon you'll follow in his footsteps." Red tempted.

   Sunpaw looked down at her paws. Was this really what she wanted? She looked around at the scenery. Sunpaw had listened to and memorized every single detail to the stories the elders had told her. This place looked actually a lot like...

   She froze.

   The Dark Forest.

   "..No." Sunpaw responded, standing tall. Her stomach churned and she felt sick. But she wasn't going to let Red know that.

   Red's smile instantly dropped. "No? What do you mean, no? I said you could be better than all of your warriors. Even your leader!" She growled.

   "I have my ways of living, and you have yours. I j-" Sunpaw was yet again cut off.

   "You can't turn me down!" Red hissed. She became a lot more menacing in that moment. "I promised you success!"

   "And I don't want it! I'm perfectly fine the way I am." Sunpaw paused. "Why can't you just pick on someone else, like Rainpaw!" She shouted.

   Her voiced echoed off the trees, and in an instant she realized her mistake. Red's smile once again crept up her face, and that cold stare once again returned.

   "...And who is Rainpaw?"
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Hey guys!

Thanks for checking this book out! I can't seem to escape the Warriors series and am re-writing this from my old account (For the what, third time now? XD).

I apologize for the length of this prologue - the other chapters will be much longer! I also apologize for any mistakes or parts that seemed like they lacked details and went too fast. After all, I'm not the best writer around.

Be sure to vote, comment, and share! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!