The Mountain of Ashes

by Blizzard of the Caverns

For generations the cats of the Smoking Mountain have lived under the strict rule of the Warrior Code, which describes cats with mixed ancestry as unnatural, wicked abominations. As a result, half-clan cats have been oppressed for ages. Then, one day, four cats from each of the clans declare a revolution in the name of justice, but a revolution might just cost more than they think.

Full Summary:

For generations the cats of the Smoking Mountain have lived under the strict rule of the Warrior Code, which states that under no circumstances must those with "undesirable heritage" live amongst their full-blooded brethren. As a result, half-clan cats have been systematically oppressed for ages, causing four cats to take a stand for what they view is right. But revolution comes at a cost, and they just might lose their minds (and lives) in the process.

Foxthroat is frustrated. Being the illegitimate son of the clan leader is never fun for any cat, but the treatment that Foxthroat receives from his clanmates takes the cake for making him feel like the "Best (Worst) Mistake Ever." Hidden away from the viewing of his clanmates, Foxthroat is denied pretty much everything he's ever wanted. Being sent out as (hopefully) the first to die in battles and dangerous expeditions doesn't make him feel too much better, either. He might as well not even be a part of his clan, and Foxthroat doesn't seem to mind that. Of course, he won't make that happen before getting some well-deserved revenge.

Turtleheart is scared. She was a normal LakeClan cat who abided by the Warrior Code and stayed as perfectly good as possible, until she takes a mate from another clan and winds up pregnant with kits. Turtleheart is scared that her clanmates will eventually find out her secret, and she can't risk what might happen if they do. Being a mother is never an easy task, but being a mother to half-clan kits doesn't make it any easier. All Turtleheart has ever wanted is a normal and peaceful life with a loving LakeClan mate and pure-bred kits, but fate often intervenes in unexpected ways, for better or for worse.

Red is angry. Of course, that's an understatement. Forced to leave the clans when she was a kit, Red has spent her whole life living in the woods of the Smoking Mountain as a rogue. She's furious. A part of her wants to carry out her days in solitude, but an even greater part of her knows that she'll never get to settle some scores that way. Red has a bone or two to pick with the clans, and like the springs of her home territory, she's waiting to burst.

Goatpaw is surprisingly happy. As a medicine cat apprentice that lives in the beautiful and serene LupineClan, life couldn't be better. Goatpaw is friendly and always willing to learn from his mentor, Flowerpatch. He's the perfect medicine cat prodigy, but there's more to the unusually-colored tom's story than he thought. His father is hiding something from him, something that he won't tell anyone. And little does Goatpaw know, but this secret will be the catalyst for a chain of nasty events that don't spell well for Goatpaw.

The Clans

CavernClan - The CavernClan camp is located within the massive caves at the foot of the Smoking Mountain. Despite being mostly hidden from the outside world, CavernClan cats are proud and strong warriors that place loyalty and strength above all other values. With bright eyes, dark pelts, and sharp claws, CavernClan cats are famous for their ambush attacks honed from navigating the large, dark tunnels in the dead of night.

SpringClan - Named after the geothermal springs found in certain parts of the territory, SpringClan cats are hardy and aggressive warriors. Their territory is located at the northernmost point of the mountain, and their pawpads are rough and tempered from leaping from rock to rock and climbing tall pine trees. Gray-brown pelts help them blend into the rocks, and long fur protects their bodies from the extreme cold of leafbare (they're not clumsy, mind you. Even the smallest of SpringClan kits know when to run from a small geiser).

LupineClan - The founder of LupineClan loved the vivid purple lupines that grow on the plains at the bottom of the mountain that he decided to name his clan after them. LupineClan cats are very lean and athletic from running around the plains and are expert burrowers, as there are little trees and bushes for shelter. Pale-colored pelts are useful for blending into the flowering plants during newleaf and greenleaf, but also effective during the colder seasons to camouflage them from pesky birds.

LakeClan - LakeClan is the southernmost clan and inhabits the shores of the Great Lake and the immediate pine forests surrounding it. Though their camp is in the forest, LakeClan cats spend much of their time in the water and are well-adapted to living in both habitats. Mottled pelts make them nearly invisible in the deep blue water of the Great Lake and the thick undergrowth of the forest. Webbed paws and strong legs allow them to swim through the shallow portions of the lake and thick claws make it easier to climb low trees (tree-climbing is more of a SpringClan trait).

Allegiances

CavernClan

Leader: Galestar - big, dark gray tom with a lighter face, a white flash on his chest, and pale blue eyes

Deputy: Batwing - slender black tom with short fur, big ears, and bright yellow eyes

Medicine Cat: Cavespring - lithe, dark brown-and-cream tabby tom with light amber eyes

Apprentice: Firepaw

Warriors:

Echovoice - tall, dark gray she-cat with thin tabby stripes, a silver belly, and yellow-green eyes

Darkshadow - big black tom with thick fur, strong legs, and amber eyes

Duskfire - slender, dark ginger tabby she-cat with a dappled pelt and amber eyes

Rockfall - dark gray tom with broad shoulders and yellow eyes

Apprentice: Salamanderpaw

Stoneriver - gray-and-black tom with thick fur, a white belly, and cold gray eyes

Shrewclaw - dark brown tom with a long tail, ginger flash on his chest, long claws, and light yellow eyes

Apprentice: Pebblepaw

Granitestripe - dark gray-brown she-cat with distinctive pale stripes and amber eyes

Puddledrop - very dark blue-gray tom tabby tom with a thick pelt, white toes, and dark blue eyes

Midnightsky - sleek black she-cat with white flecks around her deep green eyes

Shadowmask - dark brown, almost black tom with a black face, paws, and dark yellow eyes

Foxthroat - dark red-brown tabby tom with a white muzzle, belly, throat, a bushy tail, and bright amber eyes

Boulderfoot - thick-furred gray tom with a white dash on his chest, a stout build, and pale yellow-green eyes

Emberdawn - dark ginger-brown she-cat with a distinctive tabby pelt, pale belly, and pale yellow eyes

Rainpuddle - dark, blue-gray tabby she-cat with white paws and pale green eyes

Apprentices:

Firepaw - dark ginger tabby she-cat with pale flecks around her face and pale amber eyes

Pebblepaw - small, mottled gray she-cat with dark patches, a white chest, and green eyes

Salamanderpaw - dark brown-and-black tabby tom with a long tail and amber eyes

Queens:

Dropletnose - blue-gray tabby she-cat with darker flecks, white paws, and blue eyes, mother of Darkshadow's kits: Nightkit (pitch-black tom-kit with a white toes and dark blue eyes), Slatekit (dark blue-gray tom-kit with amber eyes), and Dewkit (gray tabby she-kit with darker flecks, white paws, and blue eyes)

Elders:

Lizardstone - dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a graying muzzle, long tail, and yellow eyes

Jaggedtail - dark gray tabby tom with a crooked tail, pale face, and yellow eyes

Bluewater - blue-gray she-cat with messy fur and green eyes

SpringClan

Leader: Flintstar - ginger-and-gray she-cat with thick fur and light amber eyes

Deputy: Frostclaw - lean white tom with silver dapples, long claws, and light blue eyes

Medicine Cat:

Ravengaze - old, skinny black tom with a long tail, gray underside, and yellow eyes

Hazelbranch - gray-brown she-cat with soft fur, a white chest, and bright green eyes

Warriors:

Steamcloud - tall gray-and-white tom with distinctive tabby markings on his legs and pale blue eyes

Apprentice: Crevicepaw

Frostclaw - muscular white tom with thick fur and one yellow eye

Mousewhisker - brown she-cat with long whiskers, thick fur, and yellow eyes

Wolfhowl - big dark gray tom with thick, long fur, thorn-sharp claws, and copper eyes

Cedarbranch - dark red-brown tabby tom with thick fur and amber eyes

Sagestem - pale gray tom with pale green eyes

Apprentice: Pinepaw

Twigtail - dark brown she-cat with a thin, skinny tail, pale brown belly, and bright green eyes

Smokeshade - gray tom with faint, darker patches and pale gray eyes

Birchleg - pale gray-brown she-cat with white legs and light green eyes

Lichenpad - gray tabby tom with pale toes and green eyes

Hazestripe - dark gray tom with a lighter stripe running down his back, yellow eyes

Geisersplash - pale gray tom with distinctive white markings, white legs, and pale blue eyes

Apprentices:

Crevicepaw - gray-and-brown tabby she-cat with copper eyes

Pinepaw - dark brown tabby tom a white muzzle, chest, and green eyes

Queens:

Chestnutbelly - light reddish-brown she-cat with a pale, spotted belly and light golden eyes, mother of Steamcloud's kits: Tawnykit (light brown she-kit with a fluffy tail and light golden eyes), Maplekit (reddish-brown-and-white she-kit with amber eyes), and Graykit (gray tom with a white belly and blue eyes)

Iceshade - pale gray, almost white she-cat with pale, blue-green eyes, mother of Cedarbranch's kits: Fawnkit (pale brown she-kit with a white belly, faint spots, and green eyes) and Ashkit (dark gray tabby tom-kit with a pale gray chest and amber eyes)

Elders:

Snowbird - old white she-cat with gray ears and pale yellow eyes

Mistpath - gray-and-white tom with a long tail and dull blue eyes

LupineClan

Leader: Ivystar - slender pale gray-and-white she-cat with a white face and sharp green eyes

Deputy: Fogpath - gray tabby tom with dark stripes and green eyes

Medicine Cat: Flowerpatch - old, pale tortoiseshell she-cat with flower-shaped white patches and pale green eyes

Apprentice: Goatpaw

Warriors:

Gorseflower - light golden tabby she-cat with a cream underbelly and pale yellow eyes

Berrybush - pale tortoiseshell she-cat with white paws and pale green eyes

Clovernose - tall, mottled gray tom with a silver dash above his bright pink nose, green eyes

Apprentice: Quailpaw

Haretail - pale brown tom with a short white tail light amber eyes

Apprentice: Sweetpaw

Grassrunner - light brown tabby tom with long, white legs and grass-green eyes

Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Grayhawk - tall, lean gray tabby tom with short fur, distinctive stripes, a white chest, and pale blue eyes

Meadowlark - pale tortoiseshell she-cat with large, light brown patches and bright golden eyes

Apprentice: Tansypaw

Palelight - cream-colored tom with large ears, faint tabby stripes, and light yellow eyes

Briarthorn - brown she-cat with short, spiky fur and deep green eyes

Pheasantwing - mottled brown she-cat with dark spots and yellow eyes

Poppyspots - light ginger she-cat with dark spots and bright yellow eyes

Sunheart - pale ginger she-cat with cream markings and yellow eyes

Skygaze - tall white tom with a silver back, sleek fur, and light blue eyes

Apprentices:

Sweetpaw - pale tortoiseshell she-cat with distinctive cream patches and blue-green eyes

Tansypaw - tall, light golden tabby she-cat with a mottled pelt, wispy fur, and pale amber eyes

Quailpaw - small brown she-cat with a white chest, faint white markings, and pale amber eyes

Cloudpaw - fluffy white tom with silver patches and pale yellow eyes

Goatpaw - milky white tom with long, sleek fur, lilac points, and bright blue eyes

Queens:

Willowtree - pale gray, almost white tabby she-cat with snow-white toes and blue-gray eyes, mother of Grassrunner's kits: Birdkit (light brown-and-white tabby she-kit with bright green eyes), Dapplekit (dappled white she-kit with silver patches and blue eyes), Leafkit (brown tabby tom-kit with white toes and light green eyes), and Bouncekit (light gray tabby tom-kit with long legs and pale yellow-green eyes)

Brindlestripe - pale brown tabby she-cat with distinctive brindle stripes and amber eyes, mother of Palelight's kit: Blossomkit (small, pale cream she-kit with distinctive tabby swirls, a white chest, and pale golden eyes)

Elders:

Laurelfern - pale tortoiseshell she-cat with a white face, bright pink nose, and green eyes

Squirreltail - dark ginger she-cat with a bushy tail and amber eyes

Windwhisper - pale gray, almost white tabby tom with long, thin legs and gray eyes

LakeClan

Leader: Sandstar - dark ginger-and-cream tabby tom with a cream-flecked face and amber eyes

Deputy: Larchspike - mottled brown tabby she-cat with spiky, red-tinged fur, a pale underside, and amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Ravenflight - lean black tom with a white belly and dark blue eyes

Warriors:

Troutleap - big, silver-gray tom with a mottled pelt, thick fur, and amber eyes

Frogjump - small, mottled dark brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Salmonpaw

Fishjaw - dark gray tom with a silver jaw, sleek tail, and green-gray eyes

Apprentice: Timberpaw

Lilypad - mottled, pale gray she-cat with dark gray patches and light green eyes

Minnowsplash - small silver tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Apprentice: Shadepaw

Reedwater - mottled brown-and-golden tabby tom with thick fur and amber eyes

Silverback - mottled gray she-cat with black ears, a black-tipped tail, silver back, white paws, and pale blue eyes

Riverfish - gray, black, and white she-cat with sleek, glossy fur and blue eyes

Snakefang - mottled dark brown tabby tom with a black face and light amber eyes

Turtleheart - pale tortoiseshell she-cat with a white chest and pale green eyes

Shellstone - pale, mottled silver-gray she-cat with distinctive white markings and white spots around pale amber eyes

Apprentices:

Salmonpaw - dark red tom with a mottled pelt, white chest, and bright amber eyes

Timberpaw - brown tom with a pale brown belly, long fur, and amber eyes

Shadepaw - dark gray-and-black she-cat with a mottled pelt, silver chest, and pale green eyes

Queens:

Eagleswoop - thick-furred brown-and-white tabby she-cat with a white face and amber eyes, mother of Fishjaw's kits: Grebekit (black-and-white tom-kit with pale yellow-green eyes) and Grousekit (brown-and-gray tabby she-kit with a white jaw and yellow eyes)

Mallardwing - long-furred brown tabby she-cat with mottled white patches, dark paws, and bright green eyes, mother of Minnowsplash's kits: Duckkit (dark brown tabby tom with a white chest, paws, and bright green eyes), Silverkit (silver tabby she-cat with mottled white patches and pale green eyes), and Mistykit (pale gray she-cat with mottled dark patches and yellow eyes)

Bluecreek - mottled blue-gray she-cat with a dark back, white paws, and blue eyes, expecting Troutleap's kits

Elders:

Ebonypelt - black-and-gray she-cat with black paws and yellow eyes

Stormfisher - dark blue-gray tabby tom with white toes and green eyes

Cats Outside the Clans

Red - dark ginger-and-white tabby she-cat with thick fur and sharp blue eyes, former cat of SpringClan

Lilac - milky-white Ragdoll she-cat with prominent lilac points, bright blue eyes, and a pink collar

Prologue

1. Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.

The moon hung low in the night sky, partially covered by tall pine trees that lay beyond an expanse of caverns disguised as rocky outcrops on the surface. Hidden in the shadows behind one such formation were two cats sticking close to the cliff walls, never daring to step out into the moonlight, lest they should be exposed. They were lovers, though arguably the worst type. Their relationship and very meeting here in secrecy was highly forbidden. However, their unending love for one another transcended the petty codes and boundaries set by society. For as the tom consoled his nervous mate, he reminded her that no clans or codes could ever destroy one of the most primal and natural emotions ever felt by living, conscious creatures.

So the two lovers frolicked and made merry of the night, deeply entranced by each other's presence and the utter adoration for one another that they didn't realize what attention they would attract with their noise. "Damn to the foolish clans and their mouse-brained rules!" they cried out in ecstasy, laughing and tumbling down the soft, grassy slopes that connected the rocky territory with the thick pine forests. With eyes lovingly focused on one another and pelts brushing, the young couple made their way through the forest, chasing each other around like kits.

Once they had enough of their fun, the tom and she-cat settled at the base of a small cliff overlooking the flowering plains and the smaller mountains that lay beyond the largest one that the four clans called their home. Tails entwined, the couple gazed at the scenery that lay beyond, completely unaware (or at least pretending to be) of the approaching consequences that their companionship would bring.

2. No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different clan,

Four kittens stood proud and tall in the nursery, freshly-groomed and eyes bright with excitement. Today was their apprentice ceremony, the first among two rite of passages that marked a cat's journey from a squealing, wriggling kit to a strong and powerful warrior. After washing her fourth and final kit, the mother gazed down at her offspring with an unmistakable flash of warmth and love in her eyes. With a nod from the older she-cat, the four kittens raced out of the nursery and toward the mass of stones in the center of the clearing where the clan leader was waiting for them, along with the rest of the clan. Their mother followed behind, guiding her four kits toward the base of the rock pile and lined them up, checking them once more to make sure they hadn't ruffled their coats on their little journey.

The clan leader gazed down at the four young kittens proudly. It was always worth celebrating the making of new apprentices, even if the ceremony had been performed for countless years. Opening their mouth, the leader prepared to address the clan, but was cut off by a loud yowl from outside the camp. There was another sound, certainly more quiet than the first one, but could still be noticed as a sound of distress. Two cats crashed into the camp, one being dragged forcefully by the other. A third cat followed in a more serene manner, but the look in their eyes was anything but complacent. The rival leader, a fearsome she-cat, dropped the tomcat from her jaws, pushing him to the center of the clearing.

The kits were stunned and utterly confused. This was supposed to be their apprentice ceremony! What were these three strange, angry cats doing interrupting everything? Subconsciously they turned to their mother for help, but they were surprised to find her trembling in her place. Their mother lowered her head, blending into the crowd. Something wasn't right. They had never seen her look so horrified.

Their leader demanded what in StarClan's name was going on and why the other leader had dragged a half-dead cat into their camp. "Traitor!" the female leader snarled. "This is the fiend that has betrayed our clans! And what's more, his 'accomplice' is standing among your ranks!"

The clan was up in chaos as cats were jostling around and snarling insults at the rival leader. After all, it was pretty rude that an apprentice ceremony would be interrupted. But with such a heavy accusation as the clan holding a traitor, no one could sit around and chase her off. The clan's leader demanded an explanation, and the third cat, one with a skinny build (the leader guessed this was the medicine cat) took to the front. The medicine cat explained how one night eight moons ago, he spotted a tom and she-cat meeting under the stars. Normally this would have been a typical occurrence for two cats in love, but this was much different. It was a tom and she-cat from different clans.

The kits gasped in shock, as did their clanmates. Relations between cats from different clans was one of the most heinous of all crimes a clan cat could commit, second to only murder. On second thought, it was just as cruel as murder. For in the minds of the clans of the Smoking Mountain, taking a mate from another clan was not only a defiance of the Warrior Code, but a defiance of nature. They considered the cats of rival clans as practically another species - "untouchables." It was a sin to everything. As quickly as the clan had been mortified to learn of the accusation, their fear quickly turned into rage. No longer did they care about the apprentice ceremony. Practically frothing at the mouth, they demanded that "justice must be served" by punishing the sinners.

It was astounding how in a matter of minutes, a medicine cat could control a crowd so easily. The medicine cat silenced the cats with a wave of his tail. Not even the clan leader argued against having his entire clan ruled by a stranger. The medicine cat began to tell the story of the two cats, from what the tom had confessed back in their clan under "interrogation." Lastly, the medicine cat turned to the crowd, eyes narrowing when they found their target. He announced the name of the tom's mate, the she-cat who sinned against her ancestors and the very nature of the world.

Even if the kittens understood that forbidden relationships were the ultimate taboo, they didn't understand much else. Why did that cat call their mother out to the crowd? Why was she being spat at by their clanmates? Look, that was their aunt! Why was she acting like her sister was a mean, nasty badger? And why did everyone turn their heads to them all at once...? Ouch! Why were they grabbing their scruffs so roughly? That hurt!

Each of the four kits were dragged to the center of the clearing and thrown alongside the other two. Crying out for mercy, their mother pleaded the clan's leader to spare her kittens. Spare them from what? No one told them why they were here, even when they kept asking. The tom beside them opened his one good eye to them, and the kittens made out expressions of grief and fear. Who was this tom and why did he look so scared for them? Before their mother could do anything else, the leader ordered a group of cats to restrain her. Two cats leapt forward and grabbed her legs with their paws, making the she-cat fall before she could disturb the medicine cat's fiery report. They cried out her name and raced toward her, hearts pounding in their chest, but were subdued by four cats, one holding back each kit. Claws dug into their pelts, and they were unable to move a muscle without feeling stinging pain.

The kittens didn't know whether or not they should have been scared or confused. Just earlier, they were going to become apprentices. Now they were being treated as if they were murderers. "Look at them!" the rival leader cried out to the crowd. "Do you not see the resemblance? They are the kits - no, the spawn of these two traitors! They are mutants! Monsters!" she screamed.

"Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" the clan chanted in chorus, hissing and snarling like mad beats. Their fangs were dripping with saliva, and their claws were unsheathed to their fullest lengths.

14. An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his/her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.

The leader proclaimed to his clan that there was only one way to deal with criminals that dealt such a heavy crime, and that was through execution. The kittens didn't have to be young to know what that meant. Their mother had been with them every moment of their lives, comforting and warm, someone that meant the world to them. They had never known their father (their mother never mentioned a father, though they didn't mind) but they felt that they could trust this tom. The way he looked at them, even when he was beaten and battered, showed them that he cared for them just as much as their mother had. They didn't want him to die either. They screamed with all their might, but the more they resisted the hold of their captors, the deeper the claws dug into their muscles, immobilizing them.

The once-beautiful clearing that smelled of fresh pines and blooming wildflowers was now a scene from the Dark Forest, blood from both parents splattering the clearing. First the tom was dragged up to a higher mound, his body being battered and spit at by the crowd. The big tom that carried him tossed him to the side of the mound like a piece of fresh-kill, wiping his mouth with his paws as if he had just tasted mouse bile. The tom was already half-dead, so he couldn't put up much of a fight. His executioner knew this, but decided to finish his work as soon as possible so that he wouldn't have to be in the presence of a criminal any longer than he would have to. Easily the bigger tom pushed aside and pinned down their father, drew back his head, and clamped his jaws around his throat, eyes glittering with satisfaction as blood stained his jaws and a crimson stream trailed down the base of the mound. The crowd roared with victory as the kits' mother screamed, howling in grief for her mate's murder. The big tom looked at the tom's carcass and kicked it aside with a look of disgust, padding over to rejoin the crowd. He was given a heroic congratulations by his clanmates for ridding the poison out of the clans - for committing cold-blooded murder murder.

But not just one death was satisfactory for the blood-thirsty, righteous clan cats. There were still multiple cats that had to be punished, and they were determined to save the worst for last. At the leader's call, a white tom stepped in front of their mother and glared at her with a hungry look in his eyes, as if he couldn't wait to kill her. Wasn't he one of their kin?

It was expected that the white tom would drag the mother up to the same mound where her mate had been murdered moments earlier, but the she-cat wouldn't let herself be killed that easily. The kittens didn't know why their mother put up a fight. They wanted her to live, of course, but they knew it was her against an entire clan. They didn't understand just how much she loved her kits and her mate, and how the danger of their lives turned her into a fighting machine. Snarling, she leapt at the white tom, who was surprised that she didn't comply with being hauled. She scored her claws across his face, spitting into his eyes. But the tom was a seasoned fighter, and he wouldn't let himself be humiliated in front of his clan by a traitor. He pushed her back, digging his claws into her shoulders, and the two cats wrestled around the clearing, fur flying like the spit that dripped from the mouths of their clanmates, anxious to see the blood of traitors shed.

The kittens wailed each time their mother gained a new injury, but couldn't cheer when she gave a matching one to her opponent. Their mother was in a frenzy, desperate to save the lives of her kits, as impossible as it really was. The tom thought she was just another mad she-cat driven by grief, and fighting her wouldn't break a sweat.

He thought that until she took out one of his eyes.

In a moment of arrogance, the tom let his guard down. He realized this was a grave mistake, for at the next second the she-cat's paw met his face, and her claws dug into his eye, ripping it out of its socket. For a second, the clan was silent, and nothing could be heard but the painful howl of the tom and the soft, squishing sound of his eyeball hitting the ground and rolling aside. One kit screamed as a bright, round yellow eye stared blankly at him. Then, the crowd turned murderous, and began howling insults at the she-cat, and some broke the lines of the crowd in order to kill her personally. But they were silenced by the leader who ordered them to return to their positions. During this time, the tom slowly stood back up, and the one eye that remained glared at the she-cat with so much fury that even the cats in the crowd stood back. Despite that, the she-cat raced toward him, leaping in the air to deal the final blow.

Only, the final blow was dealt from the opposite cat. By a stroke of luck, the tom caught her in mid-air, plunging his claws deep into her throat. She fell to the ground with a thud. If she tried to scream, it came out as a gurgle. Taking in this moment of revenge, the tom shred her throat apart, each blow almost decapitating her head. Claws hit bone and crunched under the weight, and soon what their mother used in order to purr was a bloody pulp. There was a greater cry of victory from the crowd, but none of the kittens could hear. Did they scream? Either they couldn't pay attention, or the crowd's cheers were too loud. Their vision went red and their bodies went weak, submitting to the claws that held them in place.

Finally, the leader declared that the death of the she-cat wasn't even the most important part of the "trial." Both parents, as twisted as they were, were still full-blooded cats. They revoked their identity after choosing each other as a mate, but they were still "natural" cats. Their mutant spawn still lived, an unnatural cross between forest and cave cat. They couldn't have abnormalities living amongst them.

As the guards raised one paw, preparing to slit the throats of the kittens to carry out the final execution, one of those very kittens had an idea. A risky idea. There was a .001% chance that it would work, but that didn't mean it was impossible, right? She turned to the kitten beside her, her sister. One glance seemed to share everything. "Follow my lead," she mouthed silently. The other cats were too caught up in their frenzy to notice them, but even so she couldn't tell her brothers without making it obvious, as they were farther away. And her sister had no time to tell them, either.

Everything from that moment on happened so quickly, and it seemed unfair that the execution of their parents went by so slowly. Someone might have been watching over them, but if they had, how could they have let their parents and littermates be killed? The kits just guessed it had been pure luck. After all, the plan wasn't supposed to work.

At once, both sisters reared up and took hold of the outstretched paw of their guards, biting down with all their force until they could almost feel their teeth meet through the flesh of the paw. Paws heavily bleeding, the two guards hissed in pain, too distracted to notice the two kits running like mad toward the entrance to camp.

The kits knew that they shouldn't have looked back. They had no reason to, especially because they knew what they would see. But they did, and it would be one of the greatest mistakes of their lives. The camp that they had been born and raised in, the camp with the fresh pine scents and blooming wildflowers, was doused with the blood of their parents and brothers, all of which had been executed. They saw the crumpled bodies of their parents stacked upon the mound and the tiny figures of kittens lying in a pool of their own blood. They saw the hungry eyes of their clanmates - of monsters - cheering for the preservation of their pure-bred species and the death of the "traitors" and "mutants."

Some cats had noticed their absence, and searched frantically around the camp. They saw a patrol race toward the clan entrance, which was their cue to start running. And so they ran. They ran for their lives, pelting through the forest, hearts racing. Just an hour ago, they were going to be apprentices. Now they were running for their lives, chased by their own clanmates. Was it possible that the cats chasing them could have been their mentors? It certainly wasn't possible now.

Their ancestry had turned their friends and kin into enemies. For the kits, there was no going back. But still, why did this have to happen to them? What wrong had they done? They couldn't decide whether they should have been born! The sisters remembered hearing as young kits that half-clan cats were a scourge upon the clans and should be condemned to the Dark Forest. They had gone along with it, but had no idea that they were the ones that would be condemned to suffer a cruel fate.

But if half-clan kits were doomed, why didn't they die along with their parents and brothers? They certainly couldn't be special, and they would probably die in the wilderness from starvation, thirst, or some other horrible death. And as far as those kits were concerned, only time would tell.

AN: Here I go again, starting another story and not even touching the other two. Oh well, I'll get to that at some point.

I'm pretty excited to start this story of extreme racism and xenophobia, so I hope you guys like it! For the next three chapters, we'll be introducing our main characters. Reviews are welcomed!