Of Time and Tales

''They still call me a murderer, a traitor, a serial killer. What am I supposed to say to change that? "All those cats I killed haunt me in my dreams"? "I'm tortured every night because of how many cats I sent to the stars"? Well my dreams aren't haunted and I'm not tortured at night. Killing was just how I grew up. I'd love to change, if only anyone would give me a chance.''

* Inspired by Peril from WoF*

Prologue: Darkness Rises
Clawtooth prowled through the undergrowth. The chattering noises, like starlings, penetrated his ears, and he knew he'd made it to the rogues' camp.

"Snaketail." The dark brown tabby turned around. Her mouth opened like she was about to scream, but she closed it when she realized who it was.

"Clawtooth," Snaketail whispered, "what are you doing here?"

"I've come to take my place as leader," Clawtooth meowed. "It will help settle the score I have with the Clans."

Snaketail glared coldly at him. "No one will welcome you, least of all Fang."

"I'll just take Fang's place. It won't be hard. He's a weakling anyways."

Teeth sank into his tail and yanked him backward. Clawtooth faced a huge white tom with pale yellow eyes.

"Say that to my face, Clan cat," Fang spat.

Clawtooth lifted his chin challengingly. "You're a weakling, Fang's face. There."

Fang hissed and swung at him. Quickly, Clawtooth ducked, and rolled under his belly. He unsheathed his claws and pummeled his belly. Fang roared in agony and sprang away, panting heavily. The rogues circled around the fighters, watching with interest.

Fang sprang forward first. Clawtooth danced lightly away and swiped his claws across his face. The gash it left spilled blood down his face in stark contrast to his snow-white fur.

Suddenly his legs were knocked out from under him. Snaketail had kicked his legs out from under him. Why her, of all cats? She was the only other Clan cat in this mess of rogues. Surely she'd respect him more.

It didn't matter. Now she was another enemy for him to fight. He didn't want to kill her. They'd once been somewhat friends. Clawtooth darted away and swiftly sank his jaws into Fang's neck. He stared down at eyes which, for once, were filled with terror. Pity jabbed at him for nothing more than a moment before he brushed it aside.

With a jerk of his head and a bone-shattering crack, the large tom fell limp.

Snaketail gazed at him in shock.

Clawtooth turned to the cats around him, who wore expressions that perfectly mirrored Snaketail's. He puffed out his chest importantly.

"Listen up," Clawtooth called. "I'm your new leader. I know you hate the Clans, as do I. So together we will form DarkClan, and knock the wind out of the lake Clans. And once they show what mouses they are, we will crush them. We will strip the meat from their bones and let their blood water the ground."

"Who are you?" a cat yowled. Clawtooth pondered this for a moment. He could be Clawstar, like he'd always wanted.

But no. He didn't follow StarClan. He followed the Dark Forest.

"I," he meowed, smiling menacingly, "am Darkclaw."

One kit nestled at Snaketail's belly, sleeping. Darkclaw smiled. "She looks just like you, Snaketail, though she has my build."

The tabby queen hissed angrily. "She's my kit, not yours. I don't care that you fathered her."

"Correction- she's my kit, and once she's weaned, I'm taking her. By the way, have you noticed that she hasn't had a drop of milk in a couple days? I'll just take her now."

Snaketail curled her tail protectively around her kit, but Darkclaw simply plucked her from the nest. The queen lashed out, swiping her claws at him. Blood beaded at his neck, but the cut wasn't big enough to kill him.

"How rude," Darkclaw growled. "I gave you this kit, and let you keep her for two whole moons."

"I'm her mother!" Snaketail screeched.

"And I'm her father, and the leader of this Clan," Darkclaw meowed coolly. He set down the kit, nuzzling her. "Hello, little Bloodstain."

"Bloodstain?!" Snaketail yowled. "Please, name her something else. She's my daughter too, you know!"

Darkclaw tutted. "At weaning age, all DarkClan kits get named. As leader, I override any name you might choose for her."

"What are you going to do with her?" Snaketail demanded.

"You'll see," Darkclaw replied. With that, he whisked the sleeping Bloodstain out of the nursery, feeling Snaketail's hard glare bore into him. He should be careful when he slept. He knew she would try to kill him.

The perfect way to get back at her for whatever way she'd attempt to murder him would be to hurt her deeply.

So how much would it hurt if her own kit attacked her?