Dark gray clouds rumbled with thunder, sending rolls of clashes into the silent night. Below the sky, a large cat stood on a rock, her head tilted downwards. Staring down into the snowy clearing beneath her, her icy gold eyes flashed in the darkness. Fur bristled and shifted in the open space below the rock as cats paced on the snow covered ground. They were like a sea of fish, flashing back and forth in the night. The cats made a half circle in the clearing, and a lone she-cat sat in the very center.

    Her tail was wrapped up and around her belly, while she stared off at the edge of the clearing. Her ears and eyes were partially closed, as if trying to drown out the sights and sounds. The cats around her whispered and murmured, their voices like a sharp, icy wind. Every word they spoke stung the lone doe. They could all feel the mixed emotions that thickened the air. Betrayal, anger, sadness, regret, and so much more.

    So thick that the doe on the rock was half tempted to leave the clearing. Maybe to just wait until the Clan had cooled down. However, her chance was missed. Her fur prickled as a voice spoke beside her. "Well? What are you going to do, Harmonystar?" The leader glanced to the left of her, studying the lean doe that stood there.

    Without a word to her, Harmonystar looked back down at the light chestnut doe. She remained completely still, as if she were made up of snow herself. Even when a harsh wind threatened to blow her over, she sat as solid as a rock. Sighing, the doe on the rock shook her head.

    "I don't know," Harmonystar finally murmured, her gold eyes narrowing. Her own emotions were mixed, but it was hard to discern what emotion was what. Anger and pain kept trying to claw their way forward. Sadness and betrayal warred inside of her heart. Harmonystar was jolted from her thoughts when the lean doe snorted, glaring at the light chestnut one.

    "She should be banished," she growled, her tail lashing. "She broke all three rules. All of which are supposed to lead to banishment." Harmonystar sighed again and slowly looked up at the night sky, her heart twisting inside of her chest. The dark clouds that covered the moon had sent the forest into a gray darkness. The silver glow barely filtered through enough to offer some light.

   'Why can't some other cat be leader, at this moment?' She asked herself, the daunting task sending her heart skipping. For a moment, she closed her eyes. 'Faith, please let me make a good choice...' Then, she opened them. Once again, she stared at those menacing clouds above the trees.

    A snowstorm had brewed within the day, and was about ready to unleash itself onto the does. Harmonystar knew that snowstorms could last for days on end in the forest. Especially in the middle of winter. And it would only get worse from there the further it went on. A queen couldn't take care of her newborn fawns in the dead of winter. Not by herself.

    After several moments of contemplation, Harmonystar stepped forward, her head high. "My decision has been made!" She called, her voice echoing off of the forest floor and trees. The cats below fell silent, all of them focusing their attention on the leader. The light chestnut queen also looked up, her orange eyes full of conflicting emotions. Now that Harmonystar had their attention, she began.

    "Flaringspirit will stay within the Clan until winter has ended." She paused, watching the shock and anger that took over the faces of several of the cats. Surprise filled the queen's orange eyes, but Harmonystar could see the hope fluttering behind that surprise. 'Don't do this to me... Please,' she silently begged, forcing her attention away from the queen. It was as if Harmonystar's heart had been stabbed by Flaringspirit's claws.

    "What? This is ridiculous... Harmonystar knows the Code as good as any of us!" A dark gray doe hissed to her tortoiseshell companion, anger dripping with every word. The tortoiseshell grunted in response, flicking her tail, as she kept her focus on the leader. It was clear that the tortoiseshell hoped it was some kind of twisted joke. More cats became vocal, their clamor filling the air.

    Flaringspirit hunched in on herself as their words reached her ears.

    "She's a disgrace! She doesn't deserve to be here!"

    "No doe deserves to be in DoeClan after breaking three of the sacred rules... She had her chance."

    "She dug her own grave. Now she needs to lie in it!"

    "What is Harmonystar thinking? Is she crazy?"

    "Faith will not stand for this!"

    "However!" Harmonystar yowled, feeling anger begin to boil in her heart. How could they be so.. vile towards a cat they had known most of their lives? A cat who had just so easily given herself to protect and feed them? The doe's heart twisted. 'I can't defend her... Even if I want to, I can't...'

    She took a deep breath and let it out. "To stay within the Clan, her name must be changed," Harmonystar continued, swallowing her emotions down. Interest began to spark in many of the does' eyes, the cats beginning to perk up as they fell silent. "And she will only stay until her fawns are old enough to take care of themselves." She didn't wait for a response from the Clan as she leapt down from the rock. Behind her, the lean doe hissed something at the leader, but Harmonystar ignored it as she faced Flaringspirit.

    The queen's eyes glittered with questions, and they were practically pleading with her. But, beneath it all, was a strong want. A silent look from the other doe, however, made her look away. With a sharp breath, Harmonystar pulled herself to her full height, lifting her chin towards the sky. "Faith, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name of the warrior you see before you.

    "By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of Faith the Divinity, I give this doe a new name. Flaringspirit, from this moment on, you will be known as Brokendoe. You broke three of the most important rules of the Code, therefore you have become a broken doe." Harmonystar's voice rang across the clearing, like a crystal clear stream. Brokendoe's eyes sparked with hurt, but she remained silent, lowering her head in acceptance. Heart twisting once again, Harmonystar's gold eyes swept across the clearing.

    Silence had filled the air as, one by one, all eyes landed on the queen. Many looked furious, as if it wasn't enough, while very few gave nods of approval. Others forced themselves to look uneffected by what had just happened.

    "Harmonystar, you're making a mistake!" A voice snarled. She whipped around to see the lean doe leaping down from the rock. "The punishment for breaking any of those rules is permanent banishment. She broke all three. This is a bad omen, and you know it!"

    She hissed at the leader. Many cats murmured in agreement, including the dark gray doe. The Clan's voices drifted into the air as they tried to speak over one another. Brokendoe watched with her, now, blank orange eyes, as if none of it mattered to her anymore. Ears flattening, Harmonystar felt rage pump through her viens.

    "That is enough!" She yowled above the noise, making the cats around her go silent, once again gaining the Clan's attention. "I am leader for a reason. Faith knows that I will make the decisions necessary for me and my Clan. If She sees something wrong with my decision, then I will answer to Her. Not you, Cloudfall..."

    All of the cats watched the pair, stunned, as Cloudfall's fur began to bristle. Her hazel eyes were full of offense and anger.

    "And I am the medicine cat! I am the one who interprets the signs sent by-," Harmonystar cut her off, tail lashing.

    "I also interpret signs from the Ancients and Faith the Divinity. Breezesky also interprets signs. You are not the only one. You don't have a leg up on me, just because you are a medicine cat," she hissed, her fury growing with every heartbeat that passed. "Now, my decision has been made, and it is not going to change." She turned away from the medicine cat, her gold eyes searching the crowd.

    Cloudfall's eyes grew rounder, surprised at Harmonystar's words. However, as the leader ignored her, she clenched her jaws and stormed away from the large doe. "Cherryfrost, go get some extra moss and set up a nest for Brokendoe," Harmonystar ordered the sturdy caretaker. She continued to blatantly ignore the medicine cat as she walked away, her own annoyance sending her heart racing. The white & russet doe dipped her head and stood, swiftly disappearing into a fern den. Eyes sweeping the Clan, Harmonystar loudly declared, "My decision is final.

    "You will treat Brokendoe like any other Clanmate. Now, all of you need to rest. Patrols still need to be done tomorrow." For a split second, her gold eyes met with Brokendoe's orange ones. A fresh wave of heartache hit Harmonystar like a boulder. Swallowing, she turned and stalked away from the queen.

    Brokendoe watched her leave with pitiful, pleading eyes. All around her, does shuffled back to their dens as they whispered amongst themselves. They cast glares and glances at the single queen as they walked past her. They moved around her like they were a river and she was just a rock in their way. It wasn't long after that the light chestnut doe was all alone. She continued to sit in the silent clearing, making no move to stand up.

    Brokendoe looked up at the dark, cloudy sky, her claws unsheathing as she buried them into the snow.

    "What have I done?" She whispered softly, tears glazing her orange eyes. The feeling of alienation overwhelmed the expecting doe. "What have I done..?" Her voice trailed away pitifully.

~•《♡》•~

Author's Note

Wassup guys! I hope you enjoyed the prologue!     

What do you guys think is going to happen to Brokendoe? Leave any theories you may have in the comments ^-^

I respond to every comment!

For a word count, I got 1,690

~Dragon