"Like a small but powerful puff of wind, Shadowpaw raced swiftly across the field of wildflowers, paws touching the ground only long enough to keep himself upright and moving forward. The early morning sun glinted brightly off of his orange and silver coat, giving him the appearance of a small, furry fireball as he ran, darting to and fro around the various tufts of tall grass and flowers. The air was cool, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to notice...it was imperative that he reach the gathering of the clowder as quickly as he could. He had received word of the emergency meeting only minutes ago from his friend Swiftwind, a usually jovial Abyssinian who, upon reaching Shadowpaw earlier, had seemed anything but. Taking a quick glance behind, he caught sight of Swiftwind bringing up the rear, more than living up to his name. The two had been almost inseparable since weaning, and seemed, at times, to share a common mind. Little did they know how much that trait would come to bear in the coming weeks, nor how much each other's lives would come to depend upon it. For, as they would soon discover, a new and mysterious evil had come to light in their normally very peaceful corner of the world, and it would take, as well as change, many lives before everything could be set right again. In the distance, Shadowpaw could hear playful sounds of birdsong, and delighted at the sound...a sound that he would soon cease to hear for a very long time."