Prologue The skies heaved and bellowed, the wind howling. Screeches and yowls of battle sounded in the air. A panicked yowl intertwined with pain traveled through the breeze. Some cat is dying. Fiercestar thought as blood tainted the air. He saw a figure racing towards him and immediately raised his hackles expecting an attack. “Wait!” He relaxed, realizing it was only Whitepaw. “What’s the matter?” The apprentice looked soaked to the bone, her ribs showing through her drowned pelt. “Daisyblossom wanted you to know that Cobrastrike is kitting! ” “Should I come?” Panic flashed beneath his pelt. When Whitepaw shook her head, he raced off back to battle. A shriek of alarm sounded as a warrior hurtled passed stiff, still bodies “The rouges got into the nursery!” Fiercestar froze for a second then hurtled toward the nursery. My kits and mate are in there. He bowled into the rouge just as it lunged towards his nursing mate. When the rouge turned, recognition flashed in his eyes. “Fiercestar.” he hissed in malice. “Talonclaw.” The ThunderClan leader growled in return. “Sssso you think you can stop me from taking my mate back?” “She was never yours, to begin with.” “Oh, but she was. See, once upon a time, a kit was hopelessly in love with the leader’s daughter. But his parents were from separate clans, never supposed to be. But they continued to see each other, resulting in a half-clan kit. Knowing her leader would never allow such an abomination, the mother ran away from her clan to be reunited with her forbidden mate. The father however was but the one and only ThunderClan deputy. The leader at the time, Birchstar, was furious but accepted the family. Birchstar, later on, had a she-kit named Cobrakit. The half-kit and the leader’s daughter grew closer and closer. When the half-clan kit became a paw he began to teach Cobrakit what he learned every day so that, when she became a paw, she was so advanced she would become a warrior in no time. When she finally became a paw, she and the half-clan, just like when they were kits, started spending more time together until they decided to be mates when they became warriors.” .Fiercestar began to have a terrible feeling in his belly. Could it be? His suspicions were confirmed, as Talonclaw continued. “Then, one day one of the half-clan’s friends came up and stole Cobrapaw’s attention. The half-clan was furious and tried to kill his former friend but Cobrapaw was horrified and stopped the half-clan, and for that, she got her warrior name and became the old friend’s mate. While I prowled cast out and heartbroken in the shadows. Yes, Fiercestar, I am the half-clan kit and you are the traitor. You took my mate, my kits, my title, and my life. And for that, you’ll pay dearly.” Fiercestar stood still, before speaking. “Not a chance” And with that the two toms’ bodies collided in a hissing spitting bundle of fur.
“Tell me again!” Mystickit yowled bouncing up in down in her nest. She bumped into her sister Stormkit, causing her to growl quietly. “No, Mystickit, that was the eighth time I told the story, and you’re sister is getting tired” Cobrastrike’s whiskers twitched at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “A summary at least?” “All right. “Yes!” Mystickit’s tail rose in content. “One leaf-bare, a storm broke out, bigger than a cat has seen before.” Stormkit raised her head- she help but be captured in her mother’s story. “And?” “A battle broke out. There were many rogues, jealous of the Clans’ territory, and their ability to survive. These cats were the descendants of Scourge. They were vicious, vile cats who decided to attack while we were at our weakest point. We fought until we thought we won, but the rouges still had tricks hidden in their tail. They waited near the camps and then attacked while some of our strongest fighters were away. The other clans got rid of them easily, but we sent most of our warriors away to help ShadowClan, which was low on warriors. We were pitifully unprepared, not expecting that the rouges knew where our camps were, that they would destroy the medicine den, attack the elders, and try to kill the queens and kits, unborn or not. But they knew everything because of Talonclaw.” Mystickit shivered, “Your former mate.” she whispered. “Yes, Talonclaw was my former mate and traitor to ThunderClan. He was always too cocky for his own good, always getting into fights, disobeying the leader, and tricking the elders. But he was a good warrior, if not too ambitious. I was starcrossed with him… Until I met your father. Your father was gentle, quiet, and when need be, fierce, just like his name. He seemed odd at first, and when I realized that he wasn’t just some mouse-brain, foolish tom, that he was an intelligent, loving, strong, young warrior, that was what wooed me. I started showing off trying to catch his attention, then after avoiding me for half a moon, he began acting odd, trying to catch the most prey, volunteering for the patrols, gathering herbs, picking the elder’s ticks, and putting fresh moss in my nest. I realized he was doing the same thing I was doing for him. Talonclaw seemed to realize that I didn’t want him anymore, and grew bitter. Until one day he snapped, leaping at your father and tried to kill him. But I stopped him, rejected him, and received my warrior's name –Cobrastrike– for I struck as quickly as a cobra when I stopped Talonclaw. I assume that he stumbled, blinded in pain and heartbreak, then joined the rouges, then worked his way up to become their leader. He knew the layout of the camp and lead the rouges there, waited then sprung towards the nursery, bent on finding me. He burst in, but right as he tried to strike, your father shoved him out of the way. Talonclaw was furious that I chose Fiercestar, saying that he would kill me and the kits I carried.” “Us. We were the kits, right? You kitted us at the beginning of the battle when you were at Sunningrocks, right?” Stormkit mewled. “Yes my darling, you were born with your eyes already open, and splattered in enemy blood. When I got you back to camp you were mewing, ‘Battle and blood, Clanmates are falling’ over and over again. But you were safe after your father defeated Talonclaw, my sweets.”
