"Sweet as sugar, hard as ice, hurt me once and I'll kill you twice. "
~~~~~~~~~~
Froststar. Leader of ThunderClan. He stopped at nothing, and will continue to, to be in power. Don't get in his way.... he won't hesitate to kill you. Embrace his few...
The forest was cool as Froststar hurried towards the Gathering. He couldn't be late for this Gathering. When ThunderClan reached the clearing, he could scent SkyClan and RiverClan already there. Perfect. The two Clans who know nothing yet of my treachery. Barkstar and Wavestar nodded to him in greeting as he leaped up next to them on the tree. "Is it just me, or does it seem a little cooler tonight?" Barkstar observed.
"I think it's just you and your old bones," Wavestar teased.
"Who you calling old? We're about the same age!" Barkstar exclaimed as Wavestar purred. Froststar shook out his paws.
"I don't know about the cold, but I definitely scent rain," he said.
"Just what every cat hates," Barkststar snorted. "Well.... except RiverClan."
"Hey!" It was Wavestar's turn to look indignant. "RiverClan cats may swim, but we don't like being wet when we're out of the water."
There was a yowl, and the three leaders turned to see Marshstar bounding towards them. He leaped up next to Barkstar but quickly turned his back. "What's that all about? Did SkyClan start something?" Wavestar asked.
"No, actually," Barkstar replied. Both cats glanced at Froststar, but didn't ask. Froststar pretended not to be paying attention, instead watching the crowd below. SkyClan's deputy tried to make small talk with Coldrose, but she just snapped something and turned away.
"What's taking WindClan so long?" Barkstar asked, just as they appeared. Cats gasped in shock at the sight of the WindClan cats. There were only a pawful at the Gathering, and they all bore wounds. Breezestar leaped up onto the oak, giving the other leaders a challenging stare.
"This just got weird," Wavestar murmured, and Barkstar nodded.
"I shall start the Gathering!" Froststar yowled, stepping forward. He waited for silence before speaking. "ThunderClan is doing well. My four kits Tigerkit, Darkkit, Sprucekit, and Dawnkit have been born. We also have two new ThunderClan apprentices. Stormpaw and Nightpaw."
"ThunderClan apprentices?" Breezestar cut in sharply. "What about the WindClan kits you stole? Shouldn't they be apprentices by now?" she yowled, raging, while Froststar only watched her, contempt written all over his face. "Froststar has been attacking my Clan! He killed a queen, two warriors, and stole all of WindClan's kits!" Cats gasped in shock. Barkstar and Wavestar backed away from him, horrified.
"That's not all!" Marshstar cut in. Froststar whipped towards him, and the ShadowClan leader flinched. "He killed one of my queens and stole her kits!" Cats were yowling. Froststar threw back his head and laughed, long and hard. The cats quieted, staring at him.
"I did indeed." Cats looked even more shocked at the fact that he admitted he did. "For WindClan, yes, but that's because you've been disrespecting my Clan. A tragedy. As for ShadowClan- Marshstar, let's see if your kits really regretted being taken to ThunderClan. Bloodpaw! Marshpaw!" he called. Cats murmured as Bloodpaw and Marshpaw stepped forward.
"We like it in ThunderClan! Every other Clan is weak! We haven't lost a single battle yet!" Bloodpaw yowled.
"Yeah! And Fiercepaw feels the same way!" Marshpaw chimed in. Froststar glared challengingly up at the sky. Dare to cover the moon, StarClan? Don't make me kill more cats than necessary.
"See?" Froststar challenged. "And look! StarClan does nothing to stop me! They clearly approve that ThunderClan should be the supreme Clan!" he howled. Chaos erupted, but Froststar yowled for silence. "I'm not finished yet! You will all learn to obey me. Speaking of which, would any cat like to join ThunderClan instead of being at risk of being attacked?"
"Our warriors are loyal! They would never!" Wavestar snarled. Froststar chuckled softly.
"Is that so?" First, Seedpod of WindClan stepped up.
"Because," Seedpod said softly, almost too softly to hear. "We've lost." He padded over and was greeted warmly by ThunderClan cats. Next, Whiteclaw and Lilysplash stepped up.
"We're sorry, Wavestar," Lilysplash said. "But we don't want to die." The Clans were all howling now, everything was so chaotic hardly anyone saw Berryleaf or Cedarfur leave SkyClan. Froststar, amidst all the chaos, caught Russetclaw's eye. The russet-colored tom darted towards him.
"Did you notice Darkcloud wasn't here?" he hissed quietly in question, though the Gathering was so loud Froststar doubted anyone would hear them. Darkcloud was ShadowClan's deputy.
"Yes, I noticed," Froststar replied.
"My plan worked," Russetclaw hissed. "Step one, at least. I poisoned Darkcloud with death berries in his prey then acted as if I saved him by bringing him yarrow leaves to make him throw it back up. He's alive, but weak. Marshstar made me deputy in his place, though he clearly wanted to pick Blackstreak. I think he suspects I'm up to something."
"That won't be a problem," Froststar said.
"I know. Soon the pine needles on the ground will be stained with his own blood," Russetclaw chuckled. "Don't forget about the new moon. We'll kill him soon, Froststar! Me and you. Our first kill together!"
Froststar nodded, but he wasn't looking at Russetclaw anymore. He was gazing out at the Gathering, leaders yowling for control. Panic and fear scent was rolling off cats in waves, stinking up the Gathering. Froststar breathed in deeply. Isn't the scent of fear so.. so satisfying?
Of course. Especially when you're the one causing it.
Yes. And I am. From the very beginning, I planned and schemed. I killed so carefully, with such grace and patience. I timed every move just right, slowly drawing my claws around ThunderClan. I offered them glory and importance, while at the same time my teeth were always whisker-lengths from their neck. Now my claws are piercing their skin, and if they try to squirm away ever so slightly my claws will rip into their flesh and they will die. I've waited so long for this. For this one moment where everything around my Clan will collapse, while I keep it strong.
I deserve this.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
