Scourge's Second Chance

Chapter 1 - Into the Wild

"C'mon, Tiny!" Rusty mewed. The ginger tabby tom flicked his tail back and forth in excitement.

"I don't know," Scourge meowed back. Should he keep Rusty from becoming Firestar? Or should they go into the forest together this time?

"Please? I'm so curious and Smudge says it's dangerous in there," Rusty begged.

"Much, much more dangerous than you could ever imagine," Scourge hissed. "Don't go in there." But he'd seen how Firestar had prospered under the love of his Clanmates back in ThunderClan.

"No! I'm going! Tiny, are you coming or not?" Rusty's tail slapped the road in irritation.

There was a battle raging inside Scourge. Tigerstar was Tigerclaw, no chance of him attacking with his brother on a patrol as well. But... Rusty was his brother. Rusty had become a valiant leader who deserved the best. "... Yes, I'll come." he finally decided. He would face Tigerstar with his brother by his side.

So, together they wandered into the wilderness. Rusty's eyes narrowed, focusing on a small mammal. Scourge turned the other way, his small, lithe movements making up for any heavy footfalls he made. Little did his brother know, he already knew how to hunt - and fight. He spied a bird, probably a pigeon. His ice eyes gleamed with eagerness and anticipation. He couldn't remember how birds even tasted. His tailed twitched, but he straightened it as he crept along the ground. He shivered. His soft kittypet fur wasn't helping him much here. He bunched his haunches and leapt, grabbing the bird. But his claws weren't as sharp as in the old days, when he ruled BloodClan, so it took a lot more effort than usual to catch it. But Scourge made it. 

--- POV Switch (Rusty)

Far away in the forest, Rusty hunted the mouse, his green eyes gleaming. He leapt, but the mouse scurried away. He moaned. Suddenly, he heard a yowl from the forest. Was that Tiny?

--- POV Switch (Scourge)

A gray tom barrelled into me. I yowled in anger, though this wasn't the first time I'd been attacked. I wasn't a high-ranking cat any more. Why couldn't my silly little mouth remember that? However, my eyes glinted at the challenge. It was a young cat, probably an apprentice. He was from ShadowClan, his smell matched that of the patrol he'd met in his first life. But... not that of the Tigerstar he'd slain. It was very confusing.

Scourge knew he was smaller, but he grabbed onto the apprentice, scratching at his belly. Rusty arrived. The apprentice shook Scourge off, and laid chase to Rusty. No! Not his brother. Scourge ran and gave chase, tumbling into the youngling when his proud brother turned to fight. 

His heart swelled. This was what Bluestar's offer had meant. Suddenly, a wispy blue-gray she-cat began to appear in front of him. 

"Bluestar?" He whispered, ice eyes widening. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, my youngling," she mewed. "By the way... which name do you prefer? Tiny, the name your brother - and you have an amazing brother - knows you by, or Scourge, the name you killed countless cats by. You are not a scourge anymore. Please, go on, be free. Discover your new destiny, Tiny. Spottedleaf found the prophecy we missed. Fire and Ice will save the forest. I know what it means. Your brother's fiery pelt, and your ice blue eyes. It matches your personalities, too. But I know you will be an amazing ThunderClan cat. But now, I will have to go. This life's Bluestar waits in ThunderClan. Do me well, brave one."

"No! No! Not you, Bluestar! You can't leave me!" Tiny yowled. His eyes burned with tears of sadness, pain, and regret. He would be better. Better than his old life. He would do it for Bluestar.