Seven Claws/Prologue

The black tom stood at the top of the cliff, watching the cats moving on the island below. He grinned. Soon all of those clan cats will be under my control! he thought. But I will need more followers first, so my powers will grow stronger. He glanced behind him, where his slaves, um, followers stood.

Lend me your strength, he ordered silently. Power flowed through him like a river, and the figures of cats behind him began to slouch, weakening. He closed him eyes and concentrated. When he opened them, he was next to the tree bridge. He clawed his way up. His seven claws gripped the bark as he slowly padded across.

Seven claws. The black cat was missing a claw. A simple birth defect, but the other kits in ShadowClan nursery had teased him and teased him, until one day, when the kits had began to nickname him Sevenkit, he had run away, and was almost killed by a fox cub. He had ran into a rabbit tunnel, and found a cat named Flutter, who had lost her kits to a badger.

Flutter had taken care of him, until one day, when he was six moons old, she was killed by ShadowClan cats who had found her when she was out hunting. Since then, he had yearned for a way to get revenge on the clan cats, and had found it. He had met a kittypet named Magic in a nearby twoleg place, and she had taken him with her to a secret academy underground that taught a chosen few magic. The academy had taken him in, and now he was an expert.

He had learned that the more losses suffered, the easier to learn magic. Now he took pride in his seven claws and other losses, for they made him even greater. He drifted back into the present and found that he was exactly the perfect spot for conduct his plan. He glanced behind him. Only two of his followers had followed him. ''I need your strength. Now!'' The cats obligated, and the black cat felt himself grow stronger. But not strong enough.

I need more, he told them. The blue-gray tom shook his head. The calico she-cat spoke in his mind. If we give you more, master, we may die. The black cat growled. Just give it to me! Fine, said the calico, and the black cat felt himself return to full strength. The blue-gray cat lay down, and the calico collapsed, dead.

The black cat grinned. Get up, he told the blue-gray cat. The cat looked up at him. ''Master, I am too weak. I will return later. Fine,'' said the black cat, and he flicked his tail over a bush. The bush caught fire, and the black cat ran to the tree bridge, grinning.

''Goodbye, cats. It's time for you to die!''