Warriors: Beyond the River (SOB prequel) (COMPLETE)

Prologue

The sun rested just above the trees in the distance. Buildings cast long shadows across the short, mangled grass that patched the earth around the outskirts of twolegplace. A brown tabby quickly rounded the corner of a building, a scrawny mouse in his jaws. His amber eyes flashed around warily before he hurried toward an abandoned shed. A moldy wooden door hung open on one rusty hinge, just wide enough for a mouse to pass through. The tom nudged the door open further with his muzzle and pushed into the shed.

The parted door allowed a bar of light inside. The wooden walls and floors were worn and home to dozens of spider webs. Cats lay along the walls of the shed, some asleep, while others lay awake, eyes gleaming in the darkness. An old armchair stood against the wall facing the door, it's cushion dirty and ripped. A black tom lay curled up in the chair, facing the wall. The tabby quickly approached the chair, dipping his head as he dropped the mouse on the floor.

"Bone Shred, I brought the mouse like you asked," The tom meowed, lifting his head to the cat in the chair.

He stirred and turned his head away from the shadows. His face was hidden behind a fox skull that rested over his head, boney canine teeth stretching alongside his exposed jaw. His black fur was only disturbed by three white streaks on each of his sides that almost looked like ribs painted onto his pelt. His expression was unreadable behind the skull. His eyes were hidden in the shadows of round empty eye sockets. A growl rumbled in his throat, and the tabby shrunk back. "This is what you brought me?" Bone Shred rose to his paws and leapt down from the chair in front of the tabby.

"I-it's all I could find," The tabby stammered, his eyes round with unease. "I didn't see any other mice out there."

Bone Shred lashed his thick black tail as he growled, looking straight at the cat who had failed him.

"Don't blame Talon Strike." A black tom meowed from where he sat in the shadows, green eyes glowing. "He's right. Prey is very scarce here."

A she-cat beside the tom nodded. "Right. It's always been hard to find food here." She lashed her tail. "Why do we even stay?"

"We're all starving!" Another cat added.

"Enough!" Bone Shred snarled, and every cat fell silent. "There's nothing we can do but fight for survival." He looked at the dozens of cats around him. "More cats mean less prey."

Talon Strike blinked. "I'm not sure that's true..."

The black tom swung his head to the tabby. "Are you saying I'm wrong?" He demanded, his claws sliding out from under his black fur.

"No, of course not!" Talon Strike bowed his head respectfully, his ears flattening. "I-I just heard a couple cats talking today about a large group of cats living in a forest beyond highstones. Larger than ours." The other cats began to murmur in surprise as he went on. "I just thought if that many cats can survive in that place, there must be plenty of prey."

Bone Shred studied him, his tail twitching slowly. "Sounds like an ideal place to settle... Where is this forest?"

"I don't know." Talon Strike responded.

"I see." The black tom was silent for a moment before he snarled and leaped at the tabby, claws outstretched. Talon Strike let out a startled yowl as he was pinned. Bone Shred dug his claws into his shoulders and lunged down, sinking his teeth into the tabby's throat. No cat dared to speak as they watched the cat go limp, blood oozing onto the wooden floor. Bone Shred stepped away from him, blood running down his chin.

A red and white tom stepped to Bone Shred's side, twitching an ear as he glanced at Talon Strike's body. "He was always weak." He flicked his amber gaze to his leader. "So what are we going to do about that forest?"

"I think it's obvious what we need to do, Crimson Ice." A young golden brown and black she-cat stepped out of the shadows, her amber eyes gleaming. "It sounds as if this forest is a fine opportunity. Plenty of prey... Shelter..." She purred. "My brother would be a fool to pass this up."

Bone Shred glared at her. "You seem to think that being my sister gives you the right to speak to me differently, Poisoned Sap." He stepped toward her until she was forced to face the dark empty eye sockets. "Know that I care for you just the same as the rest of these fleabags, and I won't hesitate to kill you if you betray me."

Poisoned Sap twitched her tail. "Very well." She dipped her head.

"We must find this forest!" Bone Shred whipped his head to the other cats. "We will find it and make it our home."

Crimson Ice narrowed his eyes. "And this group of cats living there..?"

The rogue leader flexed his claws. "They won't be an issue," He growled. "We'll make them leave."

"And if they refuse?" Poisoned Sap asked.

A purr rumbled in Bone Shred's throat as he rested his empty gaze on Talon Strike's body. "Then they will die one by one until their land is ours."