Warriors REBORN: Era Of Darkness

Prologue

"What have you done."

A shaggy rusty tom hisses beneath his hot breath. It steams upwards in the cold rain.

"I've done what is necessary Russetwind."

A slick voice replies.

"You've taken everything from me now, What do you want!"

Russetwind screams out into the woods. His voice echoing off the great oaks.

"Not everything..."

A small paw whips out of the bushes, raking Russetwind across the muzzle. His blood splatters onto the wet grass and it's drowned in the rain.

Russetwind whips his stocky body to face his enemy, only to be struck again. The pain endeavors his body as the thin sharp claws of his brother dig into his skull.

The world goes black as Russetwind heaves to stand, he can smell the irony scent of his own blood, dripping down his face.

"Your will astounds me brother, as it always has."

The familiar voice replies, chuckling smoothly.

"My eye...Cedar!"

Cedar's white paw is now drenched in his own kin's blood.

"I figured, since you were already blinded by love, what difference would it make that you were really blind?"

Russetwind clenches his jaw, the freezing rain hitting his skin like a thousand sharp thorns.

"You have her life now, what more could you want?"

Russetwind staggers in the wind, heaving his heavy build as it sways like the trees around them. Cedar gets into a hunters crouch, waiting for the right moment to steal his brothers sight for good.

"I do not care for your beloved Sunspark,"

He murmurs, his voice low and calm like the river.

"I want my revenge, Russetwind."

The air seems to stop flowing as a set of jaws dig into Russetwind's throat.

Peering through his one good eye, his heart fills with a poisonous rage. He can feel himself drifting away as Cedar's jaws tighten.

Higher,
Higher,
Higher,

A crack of lightning and his senses snap back to him. The trees rattle and shake, the earth quaking beneath his bloodied weakened paws. Cedar is taken aback, his clutches loosening on Russetwind's throat.

"Russetwind?"

A petrified gleam shines deep in Cedar's forest green eyes as he gazes upon him.

"She could never love someone like you Cedar!"

Russetwind throws Cedar's body onto the earth.

"What you have done is unforgivable."

Russetwind spits, his voice a slithering hiss.

"Please! Don't do this!"

Russetwind smirks as his eyes shine a deadly gleam.

"Control yourself Russetwind!"

Russetwind pays no attention to his brother's plea and begins chanting towards the storm.

"I summon thee, ancestors hear me and come to my aid!"

Russetwinds muscles begin to tighten as a glowing figure leaps behind him, a tiger. It lets out a menacing roar, as it seems to merge into Russetwind.

A burning sensation fills his bones as he mindlessly leaps for his brother. His eyes go white as his claws dig into Cedar's side. A contorted pain spreads through him like a wildfire. Immobilized with pain and fear, Cedar is struck several more times. Russetwind's long claws tearing at him. His blood stains the grass a deep crimson as his unchanged, yet betrayed expression paints his face.

"How does it feel now brother?"

Russetwind swats his corpse with his tiger strength.

"How does it feel to be betrayed by one of the only cats you trusted!"

Another crack of lightning and a great oak is set ablaze. The scent of smoke fills Russetwind's nostrils as the tiger spirit leaps from his body.

He takes a moment to come to his senses. The thunder booms above his head and the lightning illuminates the twisted limp corpse of his brother. His blood stains his fur as he stumbles back.

"What have you done."

Russetwind whips around to face the bushes. The familiar yet chilling voice recites his own words from before.

Sunspark

"You're supposed to be dead!"

Russetwind is shocked out of his mind. The yellow lick flames reaching for Sunspark's pelt are doused quickly with the cool minty rain from above.

"Why did you kill him!"

Her smooth cold voice, full of despair cries to him.

"I thought he killed you!"

Russetwind begins to pant uncontrollably as his thought to be dead love stands before him. Her beautiful cream pelt now soaked from the rain, tainted with the scent of ash.

Sunspark appears as she will burst. Her eyes saddened beyond belief.

"I trusted you! I thought you could control your powers!"

Her words hit Russetwind's heart with a pang.

"I had to avenge you... because I love you!"

Sunspark's expression hardens as her tail droops low to the earth.

"I could never love a murderer."

She hisses, her slick hurtful speech slithers its way into Russetwind's heart as she scampers away.

He turns to look at his brother again, though a wide brimmed smirk is plastered on his brother's face instead of the petrified glare.

"I vow to chase you in the afterlife if that's what it will take to finally terminate you for good. I will kick you out of StarClan for all I care."

He murmurs to himself, hungry for justice.
The blood from his eye continues to streak down his face as he paces back towards MountainClan camp, leaving a trail of fresh blood behind him.

"I won't ever give up on you, Sunspark. We will rule this world together someday. Even if it means taking a thousand lives."