Warriors - The Leopard's Apprentice

-Faded Memories - Poisonstar's Curse-

Flameclaw turned towards the leader's den her tail held higher than usual. Poisonstar is on his last life. Mothflight's words sent a delightful shiver down her spine, "Smokestorm, dear I would appreciate if you would stop stalking me and get on with what you need to say." She said turning towards her mate. The slender grey cat chuckled his blue eyes menacing, "I can never trick you can I?" he asked, a dangerous glint to his smile. Flameclaw rolled her ruby eyes and bumped her pelt against Smokestorm's "never." she answered with a smile. Smokestorm let out a dark chuckle that would send shivers down any cats spine, "so is the news true?" he asked her. Flameclaw nodded almost instantly she knew what Smokestorm was referring to.

"Our wonderful leader Poisonstar is going to the Dark Forest." she said her eyes menacing. Smokestorm laughed once more with a sly smile "I wouldn't have it any other way." he said with a growl, Flameclaw looked at her mate with a grin, "so how do we kill him?" she asked. Smokestorm chuckled but motioned for his mate to follow him, "Unfortunately I didn't find any death berries around but not to worry I have a feeling we'll find something, Flamestar." Flameclaw followed him and held her tail higher "Time is a precious thing." she meowed, Smokestorm purred in agreement.

Next Morning

"We have reason to believe that Forestclan has been stealing our prey and denying it, I say it's time we teach them a lesson- again." Poisonstar yowled from the Great Palm. The cats in the clearing let out cheers of agreement. "Warriors, I want you to ready your apprentices for their assessments." he growled. Flameclaw rolled her eyes, "Lightningpaw, come with me." she growled apprentices are a waste of time. She thought to herself. Gingerfang, and Nightpelt followed Flameclaw "so do you want to assess them together?" Gingerfang asked her tan pelt gleaming in the sun. "Yeah, but only when it comes down to battle training and hunting prey together- they should at least hunt one piece of prey by themselves." Flameclaw answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Nightpelt and Gingerfang nodded in agreement.

"Lighningpaw, catch!" Lemonpaw yowled with a grin, "Yes!" Badgerpaw said triumphantly, As Lightningpaw swiftly pushed the salmon up with his paw. The three apprentices pulled the large salmon onto the bank with a grin, "We got one!" Lemonpaw meowed her eyes twinkling. "We aren't done the assessment yet... remember we still have the fight. You all got your individual fishes right?" Lightningpaw asked, Lemonpaw and Badgerpaw shook their heads. Flameclaw emerged from the brush along the river along with Nightpelt and Gingerfang following close behind. "Well done!" Gingerfang cheered "You three did great!" Nightpelt said with pride. Flameclaw rolled her eyes "Very well, but you aren't out of the woods yet." she said with a smirk.

Lightningpaw flattened his ears and let out an almost inaudible hiss. In an instant Flameclaw was on top of Lightningpaw, her unsheathed claw pushing him towards the ground "Watch your tongue boy!" she growled. Lightningpaw shivered but nodded swiftly, Flameclaw was hesitant to release the apprentice but realized that Gingerfang, Lemonpaw, Nightpelt, and Badgerpaw were still watching their eyes wide with shock. Flameclaw let her apprentice go with a smile "I have a rule that will make the battle assessment more interesting." she said her tone sickeningly sweet, Gingerfang and Nightpelt gave each other skeptical looks but nodded.

"Claws unsheathed. You may win a battle against either of us." she said with a growl of amusement not once missing the crestfallen faces of the three apprentices before her. Gingerfang and Nightpelt turned towards each other and winced they knew they couldn't deny the rule. "Lemonpaw choose your opponent." Gingerfang said to her apprentice. Lemonpaw shuffled her paws and looked towards the rest of the mentors in front of her. "Uhm, Nightpelt do you mind?" she asked. Nightpelt looked at her with a small smile "Darling, you don't need to ask me." he said with a purr, Lemonpaw shivered and backed away from him. "Alright ready!" Flameclaw yowled once the two cats were circling each, "For now, no claws I'll say unsheathe when the time comes... Some opponents play dirty." she said with a devilish grin.

In an instant Nightpelt and Lemonpaw were on top of each other snarling, trying to pin the other one. "Unsheathe!" Flameclaw yowled once Nightpelt had pinned Lemonpaw, Lemonpaw slashed Nightpelt across his right cheek earning a yowl of fury from the tom. He jumped off of her and she easily caught up to him jumping onto his back and using her back claws to rake his underbelly. Nightpelt slumped to the ground panting "I yield." he breathed. Lemonpaw jumped off of him and looked in horror; her two claw marks on his cheek were bleeding heavily. "I'm sorry." she mumbled. "Don't be you passed your assessment." Flameclaw said staring down at Lemonpaw with that same penetrating smirk on her face.

Badgerpaw and Lightningpaw faced similar outcomes with Badgerpaw facing off against Gingerfang and Lightningpaw facing off against Flameclaw; although she tried her best to let the apprentice win she didn't want to be a mentor any longer than she had to. "Okay it's time to go to the Great Palm and get your warrior names!" Gingerfang said with a grin, "I'll be heading to Mothflight's den." Nightpelt mumbled. Flameclaw could care less about the ceremony - it gave her an opening to kill Poisonstar and she needed that chance; especially since half her clan excluding herself and a few others who would watch the ceremony were to raid Bearstar's camp.

"Lightningpaw, Lemonpaw, and Badgerpaw do you promise to uphold the warrior code and die for your clan?" Poisonstar asked his menacing green eyes on the three apprentices; their oath in Lakeclan was quite different ever since Lakestar couldn't remember the real saying and came up with that instead, it seemed fitting for Lakeclan though and thus they kept it. Lightningpaw, Badgerpaw, and Lemonpaw chorused their "I do's" and Poisonstar nodded. "From this day's dawn you will be known as Lightningstrike for your fast training, and your skills." Flameclaw couldn't help but scoff at this; she was the one who pushed Lightningstrike to his fullest despite his constant complaining. "And Lemonpaw from this day's dawn you will be known as Lemondust for your ingenuity and kindness. Badgerpaw from this day's dawn you will be known as Badgertooth for large size and impressive fighting technique." Poisonstar said although it seemed he was growing rather bored with the ceremony. "Clan dismissed." he said with a flick of his tail - "you three have vigils to attend to." he said to the three new warriors, before walking back into his den.

Flameclaw felt a kick from her stomach and knew if she didn't act fast you would be stuck in the nursery with mewling kits. Without any hesitation she crept into the Leader's Den; the raid party would be back soon and she wanted to get this over with before then as well. "Ah Flameclaw just the cat I'd expect." Poisonstar said once she crept into the den, without a second thought Flameclaw leapt at Poisonstar, startled he let out a muffled yowl. Her claws quickly found Poisonstar's pelt and she gripped onto it tightly, he let out a growl and swatted at her she ducked out of the way and tried to bite into his throat.

Poisonstar bit tightly onto her ear, feeling victorious he spit out a chunk of her ear with a smile. Flameclaw leapt at him once again her claws raking his underbelly, he let out a growl but Flameclaw used her fluffy tail to cover his mouth. Finally she found the place in his neck where she needed to bite and bit down hard her teeth feeling the skin and blood now flowing in her mouth. Poisonstar stifled a gasp and fell towards the back of the den his neck now spurting out blood. Poisonstar's eyes began to glow a dark green and he began to speak "While you will always believe you have the upper hand you will die knowing that everything you've worked for and everything you've ever loved will fall apart. A leopard who's strength and determination is beyond even your own will defeat you and you shall return to our darkest depths with Smokestorm by your side. While tonight is the night I die it is also the night you lose everything." he spat, "This curse has been sealed Flamestar and now no one can stop it." Flameclaw felt furious and leapt at Poisonstar easily ripping his throat out finally silencing him.

She felt a contraction and bit back her pain; she didn't need kits so why need help delivering them. As soon as her kit was birthed she looked at it with disgust "at least Smokestorm will like that it looks like him." she mumbled. "Smokestorm is dead!" she heard Winterbreeze; his sister yowl. Flameclaw snapped as she looked towards her dead mate in the center of the clearing his blood pooling everywhere, in an instant she ran from Lakeclan and ran from everything that she knew; heading straight towards the Moonpool although she refused to cry in fact in that moment she hardened "I won't let this curse rule me." she spat towards the stars. "Dark Forest if I have to I will rip every single cats throats out if you deny me leadership."