The Journey Begins

Pinestar had gathered the cats of the prophecy together deep in the Gorseledge. He looked at each one of them grimly, his hazel eyes dark with concern and seriousness.

"We have all been informed of this impending prophecy. Each one of you holds the power of Silverpelt in your grasp. And during the fox attack -" he paused, recollecting his grim dream, before continuing "-during the fox attack, my brother, Basil, came to visit me. He told me that the snake was coming soon, and that the cats of the prophecy must warn the pike: PikeClan. Snaketail is originally from PikeClan, and will try to overpower his Clan first, before moving on to ours. Warn the Pike, and go out to find the Snake...before it bites again."

Each cat looked down at his or her paws, surprised, afraid, and yet excited. Pinestar continued.

"This journey requires collaboration and courage. Basil visits me often, and also told me that the Snake will gather an army. He cannot defeat both Clans alone. On this journey, you must dissuade his followers from become part of his army, and also find the Snake so that he can be stopped before he wreaks havoc. Once the Snake is killed, troubles will cease to exist.

"Warn the Pike, then set off to find the Snake." He directly quoted his brother: "The Snake will be North of both the legs. You must stop him before it is too late."

Pinestar watched the cats before him take this in. Their eyes were wide with shock. "You will set off tonight, when Silverpelt glitters in the sky. The fate of both Clans rests on your shoulders. I will see you off." And with that, Pinestar turned and disappeared into his den.

~~~

The cats of the prophecy crossed the Gorseledge grimly and silently onto the border dividing PikeClan from PoplarClan. Not even the most excitable of the apprentices made a peep as they stared out over the border. 

"You must warn the Pike before your journey," Pinestar had told them. These words echoed in Fernpaw's head as she stared at the velvet night sky.

~~~

Treestar lay in his den, dozing off when Dapplenose entered. He raised his head to greet her.

"We have visitors from PoplarClan. A bunch of apprentices and warriors, thought it looks like they came in peace," she said.

Treestar rose and padded out of his den to the group of waiting cats. He gave them a nod of greeting and said, "Why do you come to the PikeClan camp?"

"Can we speak to you in private?" Fallowheart asked.

Treestar grunted and led the cats into the Medicine Cat den where Lilymask was sorting herbs. She stopped what she was doing to listen as Tawnymist explained, "Pinestar had several dreams, where he met his deceased brother, Basil. Basil told Pinestar that Snaketail, one of your former warriors that has disappeared, was trying to overpower both Clans. He is going to attack PikeClan first, but before that he is gathering an army. With this army he wants to overthrow both PoplarClan and PikeClan. The cats you see before you are the only cats who can stop him. But Basil said to warn you...before the Snake bites again."

As Treestar took this in, he looked at the cats with a look of disbelief. "How do I know that you are not tricking PikeClan into devoting time and energy to prepare for this so - called army? We could be using that time for other things like hunting and improving battle tactics."

Tawnymist stared at him imploringly. "Please, you must believe us! It's for your own good."

"Dapplenose, escort these cats to the border." Treestar said stiffly. Lilymask just stared after the cats, but said nothing.

She knew what was coming.

**Treestar**

Follow the rest of this part of their journey at: www.pikeclan.blogspot.com

To Meet the Cats of PoplarClan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA4nIsHddus

To see a Day in PoplarClan Camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6t8pzdV-NI

**Pinestar**