The following page is a currently unfinished fanfiction by The Warrior Brothers.
| Warriors: Darkness Rising | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: None |
The Mask of Death | Succeded by: Coming Soon |
Blurb
The Clans shall fall.
Darkness reigns forever here.
The wicked storm endures for eternity,
Lightning carving a path through storm clouds.
Death and blood persisting forever.
The four new Clans: FlameClan, SunClan, SwiftClan, and DarkClan face a startling prophecy along with a vision of destruction that every cat fears. Scourge must prove himself innocent of committing a cold-blooded murder, while Smokepelt has to root out the murderer. What killed off the old Clans? The question remains unanswered, and for now, every cat must live with the fear that they will be killed by their closest friend, and every cat must be strong to resist the darkness baring down to destroy the Clans.
Allegiances
SunClan
Leader
Lionstar - A golden tabby tom with amber eyes and thick fluff ringing around his neck; formerly Lionblaze
Deputy
Hollybreeze - Black she-cat with amber eyes
Medicine Cat
Daisytail - Cream-colored she-cat
Warriors
Frostclaw - White tom with blue eyes and long claws
Patchstem - Black and white tabby tom with a long tail
Apprentice, Shadepaw
Fireblaze - Fire-colored tom with long claws and red eyes
Tumblestrike - Pale golden tom
Apprentice, Ivypaw
Brambletalon - Golden tom named for his long claws
Thistleslip - Pale golden tabby tom with unusually long teeth
Apprentice, Sparrowpaw
Thorntooth - Golden-brown tom with amber eyes
Apprentice, Smokepaw
Tornclaw - Light gray tabby tom
Blossomstrike - Brown and white she-cat
Briarwillow - Light brown tabby she-cat
Apprentice, Leopardpaw
Apprentices
Shadepaw - Black tom
Ivypaw - Light gray she-cat with a white underbelly
Sparrowpaw - Brown tabby she-cat
Leopardpaw - Golden she-cat
Queens
Featherfall - Very light gray tabby she-cat; mother of Dewkit, Runningkit, and Strongkit
Larkshade - Gray she-cat; expecting kits
Oakdapple - Brown she-cat; mother of Snowkit
Elders
Meadowsong - Light gray tom
Poppybelly - Light brown tabby she-cat
Sageflower - Light gray she-cat with amber eyes
DarkClan
Leader
Darkstar - Huge black tom with amber eyes
Deputy
Blackstep - Small, fast, lithe black tom with amber eyes
Warriors
Hollowheart - Brown and black tabby tom with green eyes
Yellowpelt - Gray and black she-cat with amber eyes and a messy pelt
Rippletooth - Gray tabby tom with blue eyes
Ratclaw - Dark gray tom
Apprentice, Finchpaw
Sagestrike - Black and white tabby tom
Shadowblizzard - Aggressive black tom with amber eyes
Apprentice, Moonpaw
Aspenthroat - Gray tom with a raspy voice due to a throat injury
Jaggedclaw - Black tom with many torn claws
Furytooth - Black she-cat with a torn ear
Queens
Yewear - Bracken-colored she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Tulipkit
Woollypelt - Pale-golden tabby she-cat; expecting kits
Elders
Clawsnag - Gray tabby tom with broken, jagged teeth and claws; oldest cat in the four Clans
MORE ALLEGIANCES COMING SOON
Chapter 1 (Smokepelt)
A young gray tom raced through the forest, the fresh scents of greenleaf flooding over him. He was in pursuit of a plump brown squirrel, weaving through the undergrowth a tail-length from his paws. He tensed his muscles, lean and strong beneath his pelt, and leaped forward. He landed on top of the squirrel and, with a swift bite to its neck, the squirrel was hanging limp from his jaws. The tom padded through the forest, speeding up to a trot when he scented other SunClan cats up ahead. His mentor, Thorntooth, abruptly walked out from behind the bushes in front of him.
The tom yelped, skidding to a halt.
“Nice catch, Smokepaw,” said Thorntooth.
Smokepaw recovered and nodded, pleased by his mentor’s praise.
“It’s time for your warrior ceremony,” mewed Thorntooth.
Smokepaw darted through the trees after his mentor, His golden, broad-shouldered shape never far ahead. He crashed through the entrance made of brambles and into the camp just barely after his mentor. Tornclaw, a slightly older cat than Smokepaw, trotted up.
“Nice job, Smokepaw,” he jeered sarcastically. “Look at that scrawny squirrel you brought back.”
Smokepaw ignored him, too excited to care about Tornclaw’s teasing. He heard the leader of SunClan, Lionstar, bellow from the Leader’s Ledge at the top of a cliff: “All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join us beneath the Leader’s Ledge for a special occasion!”
Smokepaw ran over to the Leader’s Ledge as fast as his legs would take him, only to be hauled back by his mother.
“Smokepaw,” Mapleshine murmured, “you can’t go to your warrior ceremony looking like this!”
She licked his ear fur, and he squirmed away, rather embarrassed. He ran up towards the Leader’s Ledge, and clambered up onto the ledge, standing beside Lionstar.
“I Lionstar, ask you Smokepaw: do you promise you will defend SunClan to the death?” Lionstar rumbled, beginning the ceremony.
“I do,” mewed Smokepaw, his voice shaking.
“Then, by the powers of our warrior ancestors, you are a warrior! Your name will be…” Lionstar paused, looking thoughtful. “Smokepelt! Your Clan honors you for your bravery in battle and hunting skills.”
Smokepelt pulsed with pride from ears to tail-tip. He couldn’t wait until the next gathering.
Chapter 2 (Smokepelt)
The Clan trekked through the forest, and emerged into the open clearing in the middle of the four territories where the Gathering took place every full moon.
When they got there, DarkClan were the only ones there. Most of SunClan sneered and turned away in disgust, but Smokepelt broke ranks and raced into the crowd of the warriors of DarkClan.
He searched until he found Brightfur. The golden tabby she-cat pushed her way through the crowd. She beckoned for him to go behind a willow tree at the edge of the clearing. He followed her behind it just as SwiftClan arrived.
He told her how he’d finally earned his warrior name. She purred with joy and rested her nose against his cheek.
Smokepelt thought he’d burst with happiness. He touched her tail-tip with his, and suddenly it felt as if the whole world was better because of this one moment.
“I wish we could have been born in the same Clan…” said Smokepelt softly. “We wouldn’t have to sneak around like this.”
“Yes,” murmured Brightfur.
The two sat there until Smokepelt heard Thorntooth calling him: “The leaders are going to speak! FlameClan has arrived!”
“Got to go,” Smokepelt said.
As Smokepelt sat down beside Thorntooth, he heard Eaglestar, the leader of SwiftClan, begin to speak.
"It has been a plentiful greenleaf," he began. "Hunting is good, and the rivers provide us with water. Thanks to the rain, the rivers have remained full for quite some time. But," he added, turning toward Lionstar, "SunClan has been stealing prey from our territory."
The warriors of SunClan bristled with outrage, and Smokepelt felt his own fur begin to rise. He unsheathed his claws, but his blue gaze remained level. His eyes fell on one cat in particular though -- a small black tom with ice blue eyes and one white paw. DarkClan had said he'd joined them recently, but no one knew quite who this stranger was. Glancing around, Smokepelt realized that the small black cat was the calmest one in the clearing. He was definitely calmer than Tornclaw, who was standing on four paws, hackles raised, claws unsheathed, teeth bared, and ready to spring.
Thorntooth reached out his tail to try to calm Tornclaw down, but Tornclaw just shook it off. He sprang at Eaglestar with full force. Smokepelt sucked in a breath as Tornclaw slashed at the huge tom's shoulders. The leader easily batted him aside. The small black cat stepped up. Smokepelt wondered what he was doing, as he was still completely calm. It seemed impossible that he would fight. Besides, why would he defend the leader of SwiftClan?
The cat began to speak. "I am guessing that you are all wondering who I am," he said with a silky smooth voice. Darkstar tried to clamp his tail over the small cat's mouth, but the cat batted it away with a paw. "My name," he continued, "is Scourge."
Chapter 3 (Smokepelt)
Scourge looked around the clearing as cats gasped in awe. Smokepelt felt his jaw drop. Scourge was the notorious cat who had lead BloodClan in the battle against LionClan, the unified RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan. Those three Clans had fallen long ago. As a matter of fact, the only cats in any of the four Clans now who could recall those three ancient Clans was Lionstar, formerly Lionblaze, one of the bravest and most fierce warriors ever to live. But even Lionstar was not as old as Scourge. Scourge, though, was surprisingly good-looking for his age. He looked like a cat seasons younger than he was.
Smokepelt saw Scourge's gaze snap intently toward him. As their stares locked, Scourge shook his head, sighing.
"If you are wondering why I've not died of old age," he continued when the initial exclamations of surprise had died down. "I..." Scourge hesitated, as if unsure of what he was about to say. "I met StarClan, your ancestors, at the Moonpool. They...gave me nine lives."
No one in the clearing fully understood this, but they all seemed to accept it -- all except for the leaders who bristled furiously. The only one of the four Clan leaders not angry was Lionstar. Scourge glanced from cat to cat, seeming to have words on his tongue ready to come out, but holding them back for the moment.
After a pause, he added: "And, whatever you may have heard said about me, I am not evil."
A few cats looked outraged, but others looked fascinated, Smokepelt being one of them.
"You are absolutely evil!" exclaimed Tornclaw.
"BloodClan was a long time ago," said Scourge calmly. "I am different now." There was a hint of a warning in his words. As if he could fight Tornclaw, thought Smokepelt. Tornclaw's almost twice as big as he is!
Scourge looked around the clearing once more before stepping off the stone and going to sit among DarkClan, towards the edge of the crowd closest to SunClan.
As Eaglestar and Lionstar debated the prey-stealing issue, Smokepelt was observing Scourge. He seemed to be very popular with his Clanmates, joking with them and laughing as if he had known them his entire life. Smokepelt sneered at the thought of a non-Clanborn warrior. Firestar, though a respected leader of old, clearly had had many flaws in his leadership. He had allowed rouges and kittypets to join ThunderClan! To some degree, he had been a disgrace to the warrior code.
Darkstar raised his voice. "Scourge could not have been granted nine lives! He was a kittypet, and then a rouge! StarClan would not have allowed it!" With this, he leaped at Scourge.
Scourge whipped out of the way and faced Darkstar. "Don't make me do it," he said calmly.
Smokepelt snorted. Arrogant tom! he thought. He thinks he can beat a leader in one-on-one combat! He's insane!
Darkstar sprang once again, as Smokepelt had expected him to. Scourge, rather than being shredded by Darkstar's sharp claws and teeth, he sank his claws into Darkstar's neck. Blood bubbling from the wound, Darkstar stumbled back and collapsed onto his back, with Scourge's claws still in his throat. Scourge ripped his claws down to Darkstar's tail in one clean action, and as Darkstar writhed in agony, Scourge stopped to lick the blood from his paws.
Every cat in the clearing gaped at Scourge, some howling with outrage, some saying he had only defended himself. Smokepelt joined in, hurling insults at Scourge.
Chapter 4 (Scourge)
Scourge looked up to find a mixture of reactions to his murder. Inside he expected to feel some form of guilt as most of his new friends began cursing at him, but he did not. He only felt the same ice flowing in his veins that he had when he killed Tigerstar all those seasons ago. He shuddered slightly at the memory, but then shot his gaze up to meet a gray tom's. He was yelling all sorts of insults at him, as were the majority of the cats in the clearing.
"Fox dung!"
"Mouse dung!"
"Fox-heart!"
"Hare dung!"
Scourge listened, and then continued to lick the blood from his paws. He felt the cold start to thaw, but then he felt a darker feeling sweep over him. Before he could do anything, he was snapped into a vision.
The Clans shall fall.
Darkness reigns forever here.
The wicked storm endures for eternity,
Lightning carving a path through storm clouds.
Death and blood persisting forever.
Scourge saw a huge dark storm cloud cover the entire territory of the Clans, stretching from one horizon to another, baring down on him, choking him, suffocating him in its never-ending depths. It pulled him down, down, down into a world of terror and darkness and death and destruction. He felt cold claws run across his throat and heard someone snarl with anger. He heard a cat snicker as he fell to the ground, blood pouring from his throat, as his blood froze inside him and the world disappeared forever.
Scourge snapped back to reality, staring up at the sky, covered by storm clouds. He froze. Blueclaw, sitting next to him, said: "Hey, watch it!" though Scourge barely noticed. Scourge raced up to the front of all the Clans, not caring about the snickers of Clanmates and cats from other Clans. He watched them grow wide-eyed with horror as he told them his prophecy, and then he felt his hackles rise as some cats said things like: "Why should we listen to you? You killed Darkstar! That was his last life!"
"I promise you," he barked, his patience running thin. "I'm not lying!" He leaped up into the tree as a huge bolt of lightning crashed down on the horizon. "One of the cats here in these four Clans will be the next to die!"
"H-how do you know that?" piped up an apprentice, shaking.
"I have seen it! It happened to me! In a vision!"
As he leaped down and ran through the ranks of SunClan, he heard someone scream. He whipped around to find Tornclaw of SunClan dead.
As cats began to furiously chase him out of the clearing, he headed for the DarkClan camp, and he yelled over his shoulder: "I was right! The storm is rising! You can drive me out, you can fight among yourselves, but that won't stop the darkness! It is going to destroy the Clans! We can trust no one!"
Cats continued yowling about how he had murdered Tornclaw behind him as Scourge pelted through the forest.
Chapter 5 (Smokepelt)
Smokepelt couldn't believe his ears. Scourge was denying that he had murdered Tornclaw when he had only just murdered Darkstar!
"The whole of Clan territory will be better off without him here," declared Eaglestar, and as he glanced up, it seemed he only just noticed the clouds covering the moon. "The Gathering is dismissed!" he said.
As the Clans were leaving, they saw dark shapes swirl down from the sky, shadows against the pale, cold sheen of the moon. They seemed to scratch these words into the clouds:
The Clans shall fall.
Darkness reigns forever here.
The wicked storm endures for eternity,
Lightning carving a path through storm clouds.
Death and blood persisting forever.
"I-it's a prophecy!" yelled Yellowpelt from the bottom of the rock. "We must leave! StarClan has shown me that we must all stay in our camps until this darkness passes!"
But cats were already pushing and shoving each other to get out of the clearing Yowling, screeching, terrified cats raced back to their camp, and as they did, Smokepelt thought he saw a ghostly smile spread across the faces of one of the dark shapes in the sky.
* * *
Back in the SunClan camp, the sky had brightened. It was the morning after the truly terrifying experience at the Gathering. Smokepelt shuddered as he squeezed his way out of the warriors' den. He wondered, not for the first time, what had made ThunderClan leave this stone hollow that was now the home of SunClan.
Smokepelt greeted Meadowsong, who was stretching beside the entrance to the elders' den. Lionstar had not reported what happened at the Gathering to the rest of the Clan yet. Smokepelt wondered how the Clan would take the news. All he could be sure of is that the queens would be keeping their kits very close for the next quarter moon at least.
Lionstar was organizing hunting and border patrols from the shady, cool spot beneath the Leader's Ledge. He beckoned to Smokepelt with his tail.
"You will be on hunting patrol with Thorntooth and Mapleshine," he ordered. As the SunClan leader went on, Smokepelt couldn't help asking the question.
"Excuse me," he said to Lionstar, "but, do you know why ThunderClan left the hollow?"
Looking taken aback by the question, Lionstar took a moment before answering him.
"I actually don't know," he said. "The other Clans had already fled, and I was on a border patrol when I saw what had to be the whole of ThunderClan race past me. I rushed back to the stone hollow to see what the trouble was, but I saw nothing, so I ran back to get ThunderClan, but they had gone. I saw no reason not to stay, so I did. Later, I found a few cats from what was left of ShadowClan, RiverClan, SkyClan, and WindClan and formed my own Clan after receiving nine lives from StarClan."
Smokepelt walked away thoughtful, and brought back a decent catch. As he went to sleep that night, he wondered if the dark shapes were connected to the old Clans leaving the lake.
Chapter 6 (Smokepelt)
Smokepelt woke the next day to sunlight streaming into the hollow. He padded out of the den, hardly drowsy. Thorntooth walked over to him. "You always have been an early riser," he commented.
Smokepelt smiled. He headed over to the fresh-kill pile in the center of the hollow and took a shrew. Thorntooth was there.
"Isn't it crazy?" mewed Thorntooth, his eyes staring into space. Seeming to snap back into reality, he added, "What happened at the Gathering."
"Yeah," mumbled Smokepelt around a mouthful of shrew. "Remember those shadows? You think that was just StarClan being really angry, or something else?"
"I think it was StarClan," Thorntooth meowed.
Smokepelt looked at Thorntooth. "Ever wondered if there are some things that StarClan can't handle?" he asked.
Thorntooth's eyes widened in surprise. "No," he confessed. "I've always beleived that our ancestors would pull us through." His gaze hardened "Even now."
Smokepelt's eyes narrowed. "Do you know something that I don't?" he inquired.
"No!" Thorntooth mewed. "I just --" Thorntooth broke off with a sigh and padded off to the other side of the hollow.
Are there things out there that can defeat StarClan? Smokepelt wondered.
MORE COMING SOON