Long, long ago there were many groups of cats living on the same land, fighting constantly for territory and prey. Finally, cats agreed that somehow or another it had to end, so they decided to meet under the full moon in a hollow where four oak trees towered above a clearing with a huge rock in the center. During the meeting, however, a bloody battle broke out that lasted until the cats had exhausted themselves to the point of falling asleep on the battlefield.

When the survivors awoke, they found themselves surrounded by the spirits of their fallen kin, who looked down upon them with frost on their paws and stars in their fur.

"Unite or die," the spirits told them. Five cats- River, Sky, Thunder, Shadow, and Wind- came forward, claiming that they could unite the forest with their strength, and the spirits spoke again. "The forest is big enough to feed all your families and many more. Find other cats like you, choose a home, and lay down borders. If you do this, we will we will reward you with eight more lives so that you may lead your Clans for many moons to come." Thunder, River, Shadow, Sky, and Wind were pronounced warriors by the spirits.

"You will live by the warrior code," they were told. "Your hearts will be filled with honor and nobility, and when you fight it will be not for greed but for honor and justice." And thus the age of the Clans- ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and SkyClan- began.

It is many, many moons after that and the Clans are thriving. Prey is plentiful and the borders are peaceful. But darkness lurks on the horizon......