Leafshadow's War [Warrior Cats]

Prologue

A dark blue-grey tom raced between the trees. His long, curved claws tore at the grass as he ran at full pelt, the howling wind whipping his fur the wrong way. It was completely dark -there was no moon tonight. Only the stars gave off a cold glow, as if looking down on the warrior disapprovingly. But he didn't care.

"Sleetfang!"

He whipped around, his tail lashing. A pair of piercing green eyes almost glowed in the darkness, staring back at him, alive with fury. He laughed, his amber eyes wild and unfocused. "It's too late, Frostfern! I've won!"

He darted away, but the white she-cat gave chase, parts of her fur already stained with red, from previous, recent battles with this tom. "Not if I can help it!"

Sleetfang's ears twitched, and he called over his shoulder, not slowing his pace, "Badgerstar is dead. I was her deputy. ShadowClan is mine!"

"If you're so sure I can't take you down," she panted, "Why are you running?!"

He considered those words, then slowed to a stop. He wasn't afraid of her. "You're here to kill me?"

She came to a halt too, two or so foxlength away, panting slightly. "What did you expect?!"

He curled his lip. "You're a Medicine Cat, Frostfern. I didn't think you'd be mousebrained enough to try and pull that off."

She glared at him. "You killed Badgerstar. Our sister!" she spat, and Sleetflang flinched. "You don't care about blood - you care for nothing but power!"

He laughed. "You were always the smart one. I'll take your word for it."

Frostfern unsheathed her claws. "I will not let you lead our clan. It is not StarClan's wish."

"You misunderstand, dear sister," he meowed, his tone dripping with cruelty. "I am stronger than StarClan. If I wasn't meant to be leader, they wouldn't have allowed me to kill Badgerstar."

"That is not how StarClan works, and you know it," she hissed.

"Fine. Kill me," he challenged, snarling.

The medicine cat launched herself at the deputy, screeching, leaping onto his back. Sleetfang ducked, rolling away. Frostfern landed neatly and spun around to face him, teeth bared, as he swiped at her throat, claws unsheathed. She pulled back, and grabbed his paw in her teeth, biting down until she felt bone. Blood filled her mouth - her brother's blood - but she could only bite down harder, her heart filled with hate.

Sleetfang screeched in pain, and lunged for Frostfern's belly. She released his paw, and barrelled into him, knocking him away, but not before he could scrape his claws down her side. She sprung backwards, hissing and spitting angrily. "You will never get away with this!"

Sleetfang narrowed his eyes into slits, then lunged again. He grabbed her scruff, and started to shake her. She gasped, feeling sick, as she was jerked back and fourth, her paws hanging uselessly as they swiped at empty air. She was tossed onto the ground, her head smashing into a rock. She gritted her teeth, blinking open her eyes, to see Sleetfang standing over her. Or maybe behind her - her head was spinning.

He thrust his muzzle into her face, and she flinched at the scent of his breath, laced with her blood. "Goodbye, Frostfern. Leopardflight will make a good, loyal medicine cat once you're gone." He unsheathed his claws, and growled, "After all, disloyal cats must be punished."

Frostfern's eyes flashed. "You know nothing of loyalty," she gasped, sides heaving. "And this is a battle you've already lost."

He narrowed his eyes, fear crossing his mind for a moment. "How so, dear sister?"

"The fur around my neck and scruff is laced with the juice of deathberries," she hissed, scrambling away from him, getting unsteadily to her paws, everything still swaying. She dug her claws into the ground. "Even if you'd killed me by slicing open my belly, you'd have swallowed some, dragging me back to camp. Who knows what story you would have made up, arriving home with a blood-soaked medicine cat - maybe an enemy patrol ambushed us. That would give the clan motivation to launch an attack, and take over all four territories, as you always intended to do!"

Sleetfang's eyes widened. "How-"

"But you will be dead in the next few minutes. I suggest making any amends you can with StarClan before you die, though I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Sleetfang met her cold, green gaze. "You are cruel, sister."

She returned it evenly. "That makes two of us. Must be genetic."

The blue-grey tom took a deep, shuddering breath, coughing as the poison racked his body. "This isn't over. ShadowClan will be mine, even when I'm dead! I promise you, Frostfern!" Then his coughing became more violent, and he started shaking. He collapsed, his paws twitching, claws unsheathing one last time before he died.

Frostfern sniffed his body, emotionless and empty, then made a long cut in the fallen deputy's neck. She then picked up the body and dragged it back to the camp.

Rosepaw was standing guard outside the thorn barrier. Her fur bristled as she saw Sleetfang. "What-"

"A fox ambushed us," Frostfern mewed, glancing at her paws, faking sadness. "He died defending me, before he could reach the moonpool."

The apprentice's eyes widened. "Who will lead the clan now?"

"StarClan will send a sign."

Before Rosepaw could ask any more questions, the medicine dragged Sleetfang into the camp and placed him carefully in the middle of the clearing. Deathberry juice was still all through her fur. She'd asked Leopardflight to collect herbs near the RiverClan border, as no other cat would recognise their scent. I'll wash it out in the river.

She leapt to her paws, glancing over her shoulder at her fallen brother one last time. She would not sit vigil tonight, but it was her duty as a medicine cat to send him to the next life. She glared at him - at those claws, still unsheathed, which had done so much damage. May StarClan light your path, she thought bitterly, And send you to the Dark Forest!