The Demon's Fury

Chapter 7

Spark rubbed her head on Demonclaw's chest, both cats purring. It had been one sunrise since they had decided to be mates, and Demonclaw was enjoying every heartbeat. There were only two sunrises until the Final Battle, and for once in his life, he was nervous for the battle. Tigerstar had insisted on every cat fighting, no matter his protests, so Spark would be fighting.

"You promise you'll be safe?" Demonclaw had asked Spark.

"Of course, I will, mouse-brain," she had replied playfully.

But that hadn't been enough to reassure him. He had worried all day and night. He nuzzled Spark again, purring loudly.

"Enough," Demonclaw shot up to see Tigerstar.

"Ever since you mated, you've turned as weak as Luckystar. I want you to change now." Tigerstar growled.

"Okay, okay." Demonclaw nodded hastily. "I'll go train some of our warriors."

Demonclaw left Spark and padded into the training clearing. Darkstripe was monitoring a few ShadowClan cats while Mapleshade moved around some Dark forest residents. Demonclaw decided he would look for Fawnkit and Duckkit.

Demonclaw spotted Fawnkit's golden-brown pelt and hurried to it quickly. "Fawnkit, I'll be training you tonight," he announced.

Fawnkit's eyes widened. "Two amazing mentors? Wow! Can Duckkit come?"

"Find him, then meet me at the swamp," Demonclaw mewed.

Fawnkit dashed off eagerly, heading towards the apprentice nests.

Demonclaw padded towards the swamp. He decided he'd test the apprentices on fighting on unfamiliar ground, after all, they were RiverClan cats, and definitely wouldn't be fighting other RiverClan cats when the final battle came. They had learnt that mistake from last time.

At the swamp, Demonclaw tapped his tail on the ground, wrapped up in his own thoughts. He was distracted when two tiny bodies pushed him into the thick mud. Growling, he stood up, shaking his pelt. Fawnkit dodged a splatter of mud while it covered Duckkit whole.

"You really look like a duck now," Fawnkit tried to joke, but Duckkit turned around, irritated.

"I must say, that was a nice surprise attack," Demonclaw licked his chest fur, removing some mud.

"Thanks," Duckkit eyed him. "So, what did you drag us here for?"

"Today you're going to learn to fight on unfamiliar ground." Demonclaw explained.

"Okay. So, we just fight each other?" Fawnkit bared her small teeth.

"No. You'll fight me. Sometimes, you're thrown into an unfair fight on unfamiliar territory. We will be fighting with claws unsheathed." Demonclaw said before throwing himself at Fawnkit, pinning her down and clawing at her delicate flanks. She yowled in pain, and Duckkit sprang at him. The cat was a kit, but a Dark Forest apprentice, so naturally he was strong.

Demonclaw tumbled off Fawnkit and both apprentices advanced on him. He stood up and lashed his tail. He feinted for Fawnkit again but instead clawed at Duckkit's face. A large scar formed just above his nose, and he winced.

Fawnkit ducked underneath his paws, heading for his belly, but tripped over a stone that she didn't know what was there. Demonclaw tore Fawnkit's ears, biting down on them forcefully while Duckkit continued to evade his batting paws.

Duckkit suddenly crumpled to the ground, causing Demonclaw to drop Fawnkit's ears hesitantly. Had the apprentice submitted or was he feinting? He moved forward slowly, then prodded him with a paw, then jumped back. Duckkit leapt up, lashing at the air, only to miss. He sat down, disappointed. Demonclaw saw his guard drop and he crushed him under a large forepaw.

"And I win," Demonclaw growled. "That was horrible. You didn't fight as a team at all."

"I'm sorry," Fawnkit muttered, licking a cut on her belly.

"We shouldn't be training with unsheathed claws," Duckkit objected. "We're only kits, and it's only training!"

"Then you won't fight your hardest," Demonclaw countered. "I don't want to see either of you again after this horrible session. Neither of you have what it takes to be a warrior." He snorted, leaving them at the swamp.

"How did it go, Demonclaw?" Tigerstar asked him.

"Horrible," he curled his lip. "Both of them are useless."

"Such a shame," Tigerstar yawned, revealing yellowed teeth.

"You should send them back to the Clans," Demonclaw puffed out his chest.

Swiftly, Tigerstar thrust his muzzle close to Demonclaw's face. Demonclaw shrank back, suddenly afraid. "No one tells me what to do," he hissed.

Demonclaw nodded hastily. "I'm sorry." He mewed clearly. "I won't do it again."

This seemed to satisfy Tigerstar who sat back on his haunches. "Very well. Demonclaw, I need you to talk to your ex-mate."

"Dawnpaw?" Demonclaw spat the name out. "Why?"

"Try convince her to join us. Threaten her. I believe she'll be a useful ally." Tigerstar glared at him.

Demonclaw dipped his head but didn't move. His father glared at him some more. "Now." Tigerstar growled through gritted teeth.

He bit back a retort and stalked away from him. Kicking up dirt, he growled angrily. Tigerstar shouldn't be allowed to order him around like that either.

"You okay?" A soft voice purred. It was Spark.

Demonclaw lashed his tail. "Tigerstar needs to be overthrown. He keeps ordering me like I'm his slave!"

"Demonclaw, he's your leader," Spark mewed, amused. "He's supposed to boss you around."

"I don't care!" Demonclaw snapped. "I'm the leader, not him!"

"Yes, you're a completely natural leader," Spark teased.

"Not funny." He snarled.

Spark shook out her pale-yellow fur, purring. "Can I ask you a question?" she suddenly stopped purring.

"Sure," Demonclaw meowed back.

"Why did you kill Leaf?" Spark shuffled her paws.

"Leaf?" Demonclaw said dismissively. "She was useless. She rejected me, although it's an honor to mate with me, don't you think?"

"No." Spark said quietly.

"You don't?" Demonclaw asked, shocked.

"No, I really don't, Demonclaw, you shouldn't have killed her." Spark turned away, hiding her face. Demonclaw suspected she was feeling sad and moved forward to comfort her. But she started speaking.

"You think you're cool, Demonclaw, but honestly, you're just cruel and sometimes a bully. I love you, I really do, but I don't want my kits to grow up under the influence of a cruel father. Now I can understand why your mother left Tigerstar. Like father, like son." Spark spat. "I regret mating with you. I feel bad for the little kits in my belly, for they'll have to grow up without a father."

Spark was expecting kits?

Demonclaw didn't reply, her words had made him furious. And when he was furious, he lashed out in anger. And when he lashed out in anger, bad things happened to the cats around him. Very bad things.