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The following story is rated Moderate for moderate violence.
Chapter 1
Scourge let out a hiss of defiance as blood spurted from the wound in his belly. Firestar stood over him. Then, everything went black.
* * *
Scourge woke up to the sound of cats rejoicing. He hissed and tried to get up, only to grit his teeth and wince as a sharp lance of pain shot up through his body. He collapsed onto the ground again. He hated being helpless. He always had, even when he was Tiny. "Scourge?" snarled a disbelieving voice behind him. He spun around to see a gray she-cat standing there.
"What are you doing?!" he spat.
"Uh, I was checking the wounded cats," she muttered. Then, she shook her head. "How are you still alive?"
Scourge paused before responding, trying to remember what happened. Glancing down at the gash in his belly, he could only say, "I don't know."
Firestar padded over to the she-cat. "Cinderpelt," he mewed. "What are you doing over --" He broke off as he saw Scourge.
Firestar leapt on Scourge, and Scourge, gruesomely injured, could do almost nothing to defend himself. Firestar yowled furiously and clawed at Scourge, flinging tufts of Scourge's fur everywhere.
"Stop!" yelled Cinderpelt. "Stop it, Firestar!"
Firestar reluctantly stopped attacking Scourge, and Scourge felt a pang of surprise. Why would an enemy save him?
Scourge lay, panting and bloody, on the ground, as Cinderpelt came over. "Firestar, we need to take him back to camp," she said.
Firestar reluctantly agreed, and he asked Scourge, "How will you get there?"
"I can manage on my own," replied Scourge. He gritted his teeth as he stood up and struggled forward a few pawsteps. Firestar jumped up onto the huge rock in the clearing and yowled, "The victory over BloodClan has been secured." Scourge scowled. "But, Scourge has survived."
Yowls of outrage and fear broke out in the clearing.
"Kill him!"
"Take him prisoner!"
"What if he attacks the kits?" This was clearly a queen, worried about her kits.
Scourge yowled across the clearing, "Do I look like I can attack you or your kits?" gesturing at his bloody stomach and neck.
Many warriors yowled in outrage. "Stay silent!"
Scourge was escorted to the ThunderClan camp by Cinderpelt, Firestar, and a small patrol of warriors.
Graystripe and Dustpelt muttered among themselves, but Scourge mostly payed attention to Cinderpelt and Firestar as they walked.
"What if he escapes, Cinderpelt?" Firestar was snapping. "Did you consider that?"
"Yes," replied Cinderpelt calmly. "I don't think he is in any state to escape right now."
As they rounded a corner, Scourge flashed her a grateful glance. The three of them, along with Graystripe and Dustpelt, walked through the barrier into the camp. Scourge tried to ignore the furious hisses of the cats that had stayed behind and did not fight in the battle.
The elders were all yowling about how he was a danger to ThunderClan, and Scourge felt like clawing their fur off. Cinderpelt flicked her tail, gesturing for him to enter her den.
He walked into the den and looked around. He saw a cleft where there were herbs stored, and a tuft of gray fur lying on the floor. Scourge peered at it through narrowed eyes. This was not Cinderpelt's fur -- it was too dark to be hers. "What's that," he asked her, nodding towards the scrap of fur.
She replied, "That's my mentor's fur."
Scourge was rather confused, as he couldn't understand why someone would claw their mentor's fur off.
Laughing at the look on his face (which Scourge amended immediately), she added, "She, uh... didn't make it through a fire." She bowed her head.
Nodding, Scourge mumbled, "Sorry about that."
She immediately lifted her head up, and, nodding towards a moss nest, she walked over to her own nest. "You can sleep there," she said.
Scourge settled down in the nest and closed his eyes. He thought of his friends who had either abandoned him or died, and ice blue flames lit his eyes as he slipped into sleep.
Chapter 2
Scourge opened his eyes as he felt a paw prodding him in the side. Jerking his head up and rolling over, claws unsheathed, he recognized Cinderpelt. Sheathing his claws, he shook his head. "Sorry. New place."
Cinderpelt nodded. "Firestar wants to see you," she said.
Scourge padded out of the den and bounded across the clearing, buzzing with cats chatting and eating. He winced at the pain shooting up his injured foreleg, but tried his best to ignore it as he raced through the grass. Of course they all cleared out of his way as he passed. He slowed as he went through the entrance of Firestar's den. The flame-colored tom was standing next to his nest, and beckoned for Scourge to sit down.
"I went to Twolegplace overnight," he began.
"What!?" interrupted Scourge. Then, he remembered that ThunderClan territory was not very far away from Twolegplace. Feeling rather silly, he muttered, "Never mind, continue."
"Well, I met a cat named Jake. He was my father." meowed Firestar. "I asked him about my family, something I've been wondering about for quite a long time. He started listing my relatives, and he listed off Socks, Ruby, and... you. He said we're... half-brothers."
"What?!" spat Scourge. "That's -- get away from me!"
Scourge stormed out of the den in a rage, the same blue fire from the previous night blazing in his eyes once more. He nearly barged into Cloudtail as he made his way across the clearing, and didn't even turn to look at the white warrior when he snarled, "Hey, watch it!" He crouched near the edge of the clearing, stretching, only to feel another bolt of pain shoot through his arm. He saw Cinderpelt out of the corner of his eye, walking towards him.
"Uh... you have a wrenched shoulder," she mewed.
Glancing down at his shoulder, he saw that it was slightly out of place. Shrugging, he said, "I can manage."
"No, you can't," she said rather sternly for Scourge's liking. "I need to put it back into place."
"I can manage," he said again, refraining from snarling the words through gritted teeth.
Sighing, Cinderpelt padded over to him. "I don't think you'll feel the same after a couple days of walking around with that."
Scourge nodded reluctantly. "Fine, put it back," he meowed.
"Poppy seed for your shoulder so you don't feel it?" she inquired.
"No."
"I'd definitely recommend it."
"I said no."
Cinderpelt came closer and whispered in his ear. "You don't have to act tough."
Scourge nearly snarled. "I'd rather not waste your herbs on myself after the battle. There must be other cats you need to treat."
"Oh, so considerate," she chuckled. Scourge nearly laughed, and then subtly clawed himself for doing so.
As Cinderpelt got into position to wrench his shoulder back into place, she mewed, "This might hurt a little."
Pain nearly knocked Scourge over as he felt his shoulder snap back into the right place. "Thanks," he mumbled, still reeling inwardly from the pain.
"No problem," she meowed. "After all, I am a medicine cat."
As she padded away, he felt something odd inside him. Something he knew that he definitely had not felt before.
Chapter 3
Scourge saw Firestar coming towards him, and Scourge immediately headed for the medicine den in response. He wanted nothing to do with his half-brother, especially not when they had been mortal enemies a couple days before. Scourge sat back on his haunches in the medicine den, pondering the events of the day. My shoulder feels better, he thought.
There was something nagging at Scourge though: The feeling he'd gotten when he'd looked at Cinderpelt. He didn't quite know what it was, but he had a guess: Love, he thought. He was foolish, he realized, to fall in love with a Clan cat, though he couldn't help it.
Cinderpelt padded into the den, and Scourge's heart jumped.
"Well, you're certainly muddy," she remarked. Scourge glanced down at his mud-soaked pelt and shrugged. He hadn't noticed.
"Okay, either you groom yourself, or I will," she said with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Shrugging once again, Scourge began to lap at the fur on the back of his paw thoughtfully.
"Firestar needs me," said Cinderpelt. She padded out of the den again, and Scourge could just barely make out Firestar's rapid whispering.
He snuck to the entrance of the den, listening to what they were saying.
"He's too dangerous, too manipulative," Firestar was mewing.
"I've been with him more than you have. He's not like that." That was Cinderpelt.
"We have to rid the forest of him!" Firestar meowed urgently.
Scourge stalked out into the clearing, fur bristling with fury, ice blue eyes fixed on Firestar. "Do you think I'm deaf, fox-heart?" he spat at the flame-colored tom.
"You're too dangerous! You're a threat to all four Clans!"
Scourge unsheathed his claws. "You mean nothing to me, brother," he snarled. Then he leaped.
Firestar jerked to the side to avoid his first blow, but Scourge whipped around and delivered a claw swipe to Firestar's face. Recoiling with blood dripping down his cheek, Firestar growled. Scourge raked his claws across the other side of Firestar's face mercilessly. Firestar collapsed onto the ground, reeling.
"Stop, stop it you two!" exclaimed Cinderpelt, rushing in between the two of them. Firestar's blow hit her square in the shoulder. As she collapsed, Scourge turned his eyes, twin pits of hatred, on Firestar. Roaring with fury, he leapt at Firestar and delivered one swipe after another to his face, and once again, Firestar collapsed, panting and bloody.
Scourge stood over the leader, smirking. about seven warriors rushed at Scourge, and he was momentarily taken by surprise. Dustpelt bowled him over, sending him sprawling across the clearing. Cloudtail leapt, claws unsheathed, at Scourge. The small black tom hopped to one side as Cloudtail landed, and unbalanced the white warrior with a blow to his shoulder. Cloudtail collapsed, exposing his stomach, and Scourge put the tips of three of his claws, re-enforced with dog teeth, up to the tom's neck.
He glanced across the clearing to see all the warriors of ThunderClan frozen but Firestar, who was struggling to his paws a few fox-lengths away. He saw the horrified look on Cinderpelt's face, and padded away to the medicine den, leaving Cloudtail frozen with shock.
* * *
"How could you?" that was Cinderpelt. "Firestar was right."
You're just like the rest of them, he thought.
Cinderpelt sighed. "Either way, Firestar has confined you to camp for a quarter moon."
"Very well," was all he said
Scourge turned his head away so Cinderpelt could not see it as she padded away, blood dripping from the shoulder where Firestar had hit her. He smiled evilly. No rules could keep him confined to this place. He would do what he pleased, go where he pleased, and listen to who he wanted to. Firestar was not one of the cats he had chosen to listen to. Firestar was a cat who Scourge had to make pay.
Chapter 4
Scourge stalked out of the medicine den and into the leader's den. He was going to carry out his plan, and he was going to carry it out today. As Scourge crept into the den he saw Firestar fast asleep. He padded closer to slit the leader's throat when he heard a disbelieving voice behind him.
"Scourge?"
It was Cinderpelt.
"Stay out of this."
"I can't let you murder my leader!"
He raised his paw despite Cinderpelt's yowling, only to stop. Snarling, he thought, Why can't I do it? I hate him! But, as he looked at Cinderpelt, he thought, It was because of her. He shook his head, and then thought, No! I don't care about her! Stalking back out of the den, he headed for the medicine den and curled up to go to sleep.
* * *
The next morning before dawn, Scourge padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Cinderpelt followed him. Scourge snarled inwardly when he saw her, but let the feeling disappear. It wasn't her fault. Firestar had convinced her to turn against him. He noticed her leg (not for the first time) and asked, "What happened?"
"Oh, that," she replied. "I got hit by a monster --"
"Monster?" Scourge interrupted.
"You know? Huge shiny Twoleg thing with giant black paws?" Cinderpelt asked, a smile creeping onto her face.
"You mean a car?" asked Scourge, perplexed.
"Oh, is that what they're called?" she asked.
"It's what Twolegs call them," mewed Scourge.
"Oh," meowed Cinderpelt. "I didn't know Twolegs named them."
She flicked him on the nose with the tip of her tail, and Scourge thought his heart would burst.
She padded over to the pile and took a shrew, beckoning for him to follow. Dazed, he flopped down next to her and took a plump vole from the heap.
"Sorry about the leg," Scourge mewed.
"It's okay. I barely notice now. It's just part of life." Cinderpelt shrugged.
They both tucked into their meals, Cinderpelt taking small bites while Scourge devoured his, ripping flesh from the bones savagely.
"Is that how BloodClan cats eat?" wondered Cinderpelt aloud.
"Sometimes," he mumbled around a mouthful of vole.
She shifted so that she was a bit closer to him, and their pelts brushed. Scourge wished he could stay like that forever. Firestar, however, obviously felt the need to ruin the moment, and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Sighing with annoyance, Scourge tore the last bit of the vole from the small rib bones and walked over to Firestar. "Hello," mewed Firestar, still wary of him from yesterday's fight.
"I want to hunt," meowed Scourge.
"For yourself, or for the Clan?" inquired Firestar.
"For the Clan," replied Scourge.
"Why?" mewed Firestar, clearly confused as to why Scourge would hunt for a Clan led by one of his worst enemies.
"I ate, so I'll hunt. Not all Twolegplace cats are mouse-brains with no sense of honor," retorted Scourge.
"Fine," Firestar mewed. "It would help the Clan. After all, leaf-fall isn't very far away."
Chapter 5
Scourge padded out of the camp with Brakenfur, Graystripe, Dustpelt, and Sandstorm. Brakenfur was leading the patrol, obviously pretty nervous to be giving orders to warriors almost twice his age.
"Er..." meowed Brakenfur awkwardly. "Dustpelt, could you try near Tallpines?" Brakenfur seemed more reassured when Dustpelt nodded. "I'll go to Sunningrocks, and Scourge and Sandstorm, you hunt by Snakerocks." Brakenfur had said Scourge's name so nervously that it made Scourge agitated. Then he remembered the fight that had broken out between himself and Firestar and understood why the young ginger tom was wary of him.
Scourge bounded off with Sandstorm in the direction of Sankerocks (following Sandstorm of course, as he had no idea what Snakerocks even was). "Hey, have you ever hunted in the forest before?" she asked him as they pelted through the trees.
"I don't think so, but maybe once or twice," he replied.
Skidding to a halt near huge gray boulders, Sandstorm sniffed the air, trying to find prey. As she found some, she flicked her ear and mewed, "Scourge, watch me and do it yourself after you've seen how."
She kept low and crept up on her prey silently but steadily, placing one paw in front of the other like they were feathers, not heavier than air. She waggled her haunches as she approached the prey -- a squirrel, Scourge realized. Sandstorm pounced and pinned the squirrel down, then killed it with a swift bite to the neck.
Scourge located a mouse scuffling near one of the cracks in a large boulder that was part of Snakerocks. Scourge padded through the undergrowth, but snapped a twig, and the prey ran away. Fox dung! he cursed inwardly as he heard Sandstorm's giggle behind him. He realized she had crept up onto the boulder as well. Near her paw, Scourge saw a flash of green. A moment later, there was an adder rearing up to bite Sandstorm's ankle.
"Watch out!" yowled Scourge as he sprung at the adder. He heard Sandstorm's screech of terror when she saw the adder, but Scourge swiftly killed it with a strong swipe of his claw to its stomach.
"How... what... how did you kill it?" asked Sandstorm, still shocked.
Scourge held up his claw stained with crimson, and flicked his tail at the two halves of a dead snake lying on the ground.
"Huh," she mewed thoughtfully, as if she would have guessed he'd leave her for dead.
"Come on," he meowed. "We still have to catch something."
* * *
Scourge and the rest of the patrol padded through the barrier into the camp. He had become friends with Sandstorm over the course of the patrol. She was one of the only cats that didn't still see him as a monster. Her and Cinderpelt.
As the patrol headed over to the fresh-kill pile to deposit their catches, Scourge noticed Firestar coming over to him.
"I saw you with Sandstorm," snarled the ThunderClan leader. "Keep away from her, or I'll make you stay away!"
"Oh, Firestar," mewed Scourge. "If you're really mouse-brained enough to think I'm in love with her, all I can tell you is to go see the medicine cat."
With that, Scourge stalked over to the medicine den himself to get some sleep.
Chapter 6
Scourge woke to the sound of pawsteps. He saw Cinderpelt sorting herbs by the cleft in the rock, and noticed that someone else was in the den. A starry cat. It couldn't be... StarClan? wondered Scourge.
This cat had a golden tabby pelt and a mane like a lion, though Scourge did not recognize him. "Who are you?!" spat Scourge.
The cat took a step back, as if surprised by Scourge's hostility -- and as if they almost feared him. "I am a warrior of StarClan," rumbled the golden cat. Scourge felt a glimmer of satisfaction as the StarClan cat stumbled over the first few words. "But StarClan isn't real!" he yelled. "They're tales for kits. Memories, and nothing more."
The golden cat laughed, as if now entirely at ease. Scourge narrowed his eyes as the tabby went on. "I am Lionheart, and I have a prophecy for you," he announced.
"I don't care," mewed Scourge, "about your stupid prophecies. They're all fox dung. No one needs you to survive."
"Firestar did," Lionheart pointed out.
"Well, I don't!" he yowled.
Lionheart dipped his head. "I cannot force you to receive the prophecy," he mewed.
"Oh, now I understand. Now I understand why the Clans trust you. You make yourselves seem all-knowing and all-powerful. But I bet you could be killed, just like any cat here in the living forest." Scourge went on when he saw fear flash in the tabby's eyes. "And I'm going to kill you if you don't get out of here! Get out of my head!" he screeched.
"What's the matter?" That wasn't Lionheart.
"Nothing," he muttered. "Just a stupid dream."
"You know, sometimes dreams have meanings," she mewed.
"All dreams are the same: pointless. They toy with your mind against your will," he meowed.
"Is that really what you think?" she asked gently.
"Yes!" he spat. He realized that he was being this way mainly doing this to cover up the fact that he liked talking about these things with her. He could never imagine going to that mouse-brained Firestar with his problems. He settled down for more sleep, as it was still the middle of the night. But he found that he couldn't sleep.
Chapter 7
Scourge padded out of his nest. He had barely gotten a wink of sleep that night. He noticed Cinderpelt following and turned around to face her when he heard Firestar yowling, "We're under attack! ThunderClan, we're under attack!"
He saw ShadowClan cats barge through the barrier with bloodstained claws and teeth. One ran straight at him, and he swiftly ripped it's belly open with a strong swipe of his reinforced claws. He saw Dustpelt stop in his tracks, looking horrified as Scourge clawed another one's neck.
Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, had the same expression on his face. "ShadowClan!" he yowled. "Retreat!"
Some cats stopped, looking rather confused as to why the fierce leader of ShadowClan would order a retreat so quickly. But, as they glanced at Scourge's crimson paws and bared teeth, fear lit their eyes. ShadowClan cats ran off, crashing through the remains of the barrier.
"Scourge," mewed Firestar as he padded over. "Warriors do not kill to win battles."
"Well," spat Scourge, "Twolegplace cats do what it takes to survive. I can't imagine how the Clans have made it this long."
"We do not live like those savages," meowed Firestar, staring at Scourge with haughty contempt in his eyes.
Scourge unsheathed his claws and bounded across the clearing to the medicine den in a rage. Cinderpelt followed, though much more calmly.
"You alright?" she asked.
"Yes," muttered Scourge.
Cinderpelt gave him a stare that told him she knew that he definitely was not okay.
"I just wanted to let you know that Firestar's not usually... er..." Cinderpelt was obviously searching for words "This way," she finished.
"I'm sure he's not," meowed Scourge sarcastically.
MORE COMING SOON