Fight or Flight :: warrior cats fanfic ::

» prologue «

      "We found him by the border!" A she-cat panted, a tom at her side was dragging a body of a cat over forest grass.

      "Any sign of other cats?" A tom asked, dawn light dappled through the treetops, casting a glow on his bright ginger tabby pelt.

      The she-cat shook her head, eyes falling to the dirt ground sadly.

      "We.. We think he was out there all night..." She whispered. The tom gently lay the body of the tom on the earth, blood was matted in his cold, long, light gray tabby fur.

      "Berryfoot, what should we do?" The tom shook slightly as he spoke.

      The firery ginger tom blinked deeply before opening green eyes.

       "Mintstar was murdered. We take him all the way back to camp to hold a leader's vigil, just like every leader before him. Then, we follow tradition. We'll have to send some cats out to investigate." Berryfoot leaned down, grabbing the dead tom's scruff, and the other two cats who had found the body followed him through the forest back to camp.

      Cats crowded around as they saw Berryfoot drag the body of their leader into camp, and they began waking up clanmates. The camp was very large, with tall bushes and brambles encircling it. A large bramble bush was at the base of a fat oak tree, along with a huge fallen cedar tree, and a large mass of bushes.

       "Berryfoot-- what happened?" A golden tabby she-cat pushed through the crowd with long legs. A massive dull ginger tabby tom followed right after her, his short furred pelt mussed from sleep.

      "Everybody, quiet down!" The huge tom snapped. The golden she-cat inched forward, looking at the paws of the fallen leader.

      "There isn't any fur between his claws; he didn't fight back..." She whispered to Berryfoot. The ginger tom stiffened, but nodded.

      "Mintstar has been murdered." Berryfoot announced.

      "We can see that..." A dark gray she-cat muttered. Berryfoot flicked his tail dismissively.

      "We'll hold vigil for him." The full ginger tabby bowed his head, leading other cats to do so as well.

      A few heart-beats passed before a tom spoke up.

"Berryfoot, Waspclaw, you know how it works. Over Mintstar's body, just like always."

Berryfoot nodded, and golden tabby tipped her head up as she watched him. Waspclaw took another moment or so next to the fallen leader before standing up. He glanced over to the golden tabby and gave her a small nod, and she blinked in response. An unspoken language nobody except them could understand.

      "Waspclaw." Berryfoot crouched down, saying his opponent's name as a sort of greeting.

      "Remember the rules," a small blue-gray tom stepped forward. The other cats formed a ring around the flame tabby, dull ginger, and blue-gray tom. Mintstar's body had been pulled to the front of the circle, as if his soul could watch the fight from the cold body.

      "There are no rules...," a brown tabby she-cat muttered darkly. Her mate at her side, a white tom with a dark gray patch, shushed her with a tail-flick.

      "What's happening..? Sparkfur?" A dilute tortoiseshell was standing next to the golden tabby, her fur on end.

      "It's the battle for leadership." The golden tabby, Sparkfur, whispered back.

      "The first cat to say 'StarClan,' is the loser." The blue-gray tom continued. Waspclaw crouched down, thick muscles rippling under a healthy coat. "There's no shame in backing out, either. We don't need two dead cats today..." The supervising tom reminded, his tired amber eyes resting on Berryfoot. "The winner will become DrizzleClan's newest leader." Asterfoot circled, turning to take his place at the edge of the circle. "Whenever you're ready." He murmured.

      The two toms didn't take long to barrel into each other. They were of equal size, Waspclaw being more muscular, but Berryfoot being compact and a swifter fighter. Waspclaw was on top of Berryfoot first, claws unsheathed.

      The dull tabby dug his teeth into his rival's front leg fur, pulling a tuft of fur out as Berryfoot scratched him off. The surrounding cats were watching with eyes bright with excitement. The golden tabby looked worn, her eyes darting between the two and her fur on end, her eyes closing just as a blow connected.

      Berryfoot let out a sharp hiss as Waspclaw dragged his claws across his flank, and the red deputy replied with a dull blow to his opponent's head. Waspclaw stood for a second, dazed at the hard hit between his ears, giving Berryfoot enough time to swipe at the bigger cat's muzzle.

      Waspclaw hissed as blood welled up on his muzzle, and with a boost of energy, he jumped on top of Berryfoot, slamming the lighter cat to the ground. Berryfoot desperately tried to kick out at Waspclaw, but the tom had him pinned.

      "Say it, Berryfoot." Waspclaw growled. Berryfoot shook his head violently. Waspclaw didn't waste another second, striking his claws at the flame-red deputy's chest fur.

Berryfoot let out a loud pained cry. The golden tabby tried to spring foreword, but a brown tabby and white she-cat held her back. Berryfoot brought his hind legs up, kicking them sharply into Waspclaw's belly fur. Waspclaw leaped back, watching Berryfoot stagger to his paws.

Waspclaw's copper eyes bore into Berryfoot briefly, before he took a quick pace foreword, slamming his front paw to the side of Berryfoot's head. The ginger tabby tom fell to the ground in a heap of fur. A few heart-beats passed, eyes anxious and watching.

The blue-gray tom crept foreword, pressing his ear to the fallen tom's chest. He picked his head back up, his eyes bright.

"Berryfoot's blacked out." He announced. Sparkfur seemed to relax. "And since he is unable to fight..."

"Waspclaw is leader!" The brown and white tabby she-cat interrupted with a purr.

All the cats encircling the fight bowed their heads.

"Waspclaw, do you promise to lead and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?" The blue-gray tom stood by Mintstar's body.

Waspclaw gave a stiff nod.

"I do."

"Then, with Mintstar present and your clan as witness, you will now be known as Waspstar," the cats with heads bowed began murmuring his name.

"Waspstar, Waspstar..!" Waspstar stood, blood dripping down his muzzle, copper eyes bright, but his expression unreadable.

"Waspstar... What's your first act as leader? A piece of fresh-kill? New moss? Deputy choosing?" Cats began to blurt out. Waspstar held his tail up.

"We'll bury Mintstar," he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "...And get a medicine cat to treat Berryfoot's wounds." Cats nodded in agreement, breaking up the ring. The golden tabby padded toward the new leader, her eyes at her paws.

      "Look, Sparkfur, I'm sorry I had to--"

      "I know.." She murmured, turning. Waspstar breathed out deeply, feeling the sting of his wounds catch up to him. He glanced over to where Berryfoot was weakly waking up, the blue-gray tom treating his wounds. Their eyes locked, Waspstar tipping his head up. I earned this. There's nothing to feel sorry about. He started toward his new den in the oak tree, when he was stopped by a pretty brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws.

      "Hello..." He paused for her name.

      "Adderface," she dipped her head, "congratulations." Waspstar nodded. "You know, I've always been a fan of what you stood for." Waspstar pricked his ears, interested.

      "Really?" Waspstar leapt up the tree. She followed closely behind with dainty paws. He stepped into his den, glancing over his shoulder to her.

      "Yeah. We should talk...."

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

AN

      I'll say it now. I'm really bad at prologues. Don't forget to vote fight or flight!