Thunder and Shadow/Prologue

"Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky."

— An unnamed tom to Echosong in Thunder and Shadow, page 2

Thunder and Shadow
Chapter number:	Prologue (of 24)
Page numbers:	1-3
Point of View:	Echosong
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter one of Thunder and Shadow. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 1 (of 24)

Page Numbers: 1-3

Chapter description

Sun splits through the branches onto Echosong's back, and she relishes the warm rays and swishes her tail happily as a soft wind rustles the leaves. Above, birds chatter and Echosong licks her lips hungrily. She reminds herself to hunt before sunset. She pauses and thinks about how she thought the sun set already, and that rain had been lashing at the juniper bush where she had made her nest. Echosong had fallen asleep, wondering where her scattered Clanmates were. She realizes it is a dream, but she argues, saying that it feels too real to be a dream and must be a vision.

Ahead, Echosong hears fur brush against undergrowth and paws stalking towards her. She freezes, thinking it is a danger, then relaxes as she knows she cannot get hurt in a vision. She waits with expectation, as a broad-shouldered tom with blue eyes like the sky slides out a few tail-lengths away. Echosong asks who he is, as recognition itches her pelt. She remembers his thick gray pelt, but the tom only blinks at her softly and tells her to embrace what she finds in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky. Echosong's thoughts quicken and she asks him what "shadows" he refers to, but the tom only gazes at her calmly. She asks what "clear the sky" means, frustration now growing in her pelt. The tom had brought her a prophecy before, and it had baffled her. She starts to think if the prophecy had something to do with her Clan, who had scattered after rogues invaded SkyClan's camp.

The gray tom stares up at a oak canopy and Echosong follows his gaze to see leaves fluttering towards the ground. She studies them closely, as they do not look like a oak leaf. The tom says to her that you are scattered like leaves, blown in the wind. He draws in some leaves to make a pile just as another leaf is falling. He hooks it up with a claw and tells Echosong to look at it. She leans in, studying the leaf; it is bigger then the rest, a maple leaf, and it has five points. She wonders why it is maple and not oak, but as she is trying to figure it out, the vision started to fade. The vision is blurring and darkness starts to form, but Echosong panics, as she is not ready to leave. She asks if they can tell her more, but her own meow wakes her up and she is once again under a bush. Shivering, she tries to remember her vision, desperate to know what it means, as it may help her find her way home.

Characters

Major

• Echosong
• Unnamed tom

Important events

Prophecies

• "Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky."