Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!
Title: Flash Flood
Summary: When horrible flooding hits the old forest territories, Adderstar of RiverClan turns his back on the other Clans, refusing to let Clan secrets slip out. What comes next is what happens when you treat three Half-Clan apprentices like crap, then expect them to back your cruel decisions.
...
RiverClan:
Leader: Adderstar- brown and white tabby tom with overbite
Deputy: Sagefall- white she-cat
Medicine Cat: Sparkfern- orange and white tabby cat
Warriors:
Palecloud- dilute calico she-cat
Apprentice: Mousepaw
Doveshade- tuxedo tom
Beepelt- creamy yellow she-cat
Ashfang- scrawny gray tom
Badgerwhisker- pale gray tom with darker flecks
Swiftstorm- sleek black she-cat
Redheart- ginger she-cat
Queens/Kings:
Stagstep- pale gray tabby tom. Father to Toadkit (pale gray tabby tom), Leafkit (brown and white tabby tom), and Nightkit (black tom)
Brindleclaw- brown tabby she-cat
Apprentices:
Mousepaw- all brown she-cat
Elders:
Mothfur- blind albino she-cat
Adderstar took a big breath of cool Newleaf air in as he pushed through the tangle of reeds around his den. Leaf-bare had been surprisingly gentle to RiverClan that season, leaving his warriors decently strong and muscular, though they lacked the typical shimmer they got from eating fish.
His deputy, Sagefall, was taking Mothfur a juicy carp to eat. The blind elder accepted the fresh-kill with a nod, sinking her teeth in without delay. Her fur was almost ghostly it was so white, and her eyes were bright red. As haunting as she looked, it had brought her nothing but troubles, leaving her with weakening vision and achy joints. It hadn't been much of a shock when she asked to retire.
Across the clearing, he could see Ashfang and Badgerwhisker chatting merrily as they padded out into the territory. The brothers were hard to tell apart at a distance, but Ashfang was slightly smaller, with a thinner frame. Redheart discussed training plains with Palecloud, Mousepaw patiently waiting at her side. The brown 'paw had proven to be the quiet, watchful type. Swiftstorm and Beepelt were sharing tongues. Doveshade was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't surprise Adderstar; his mate, Brindleclaw, had recently moved into the nursery, and he would want to keep her well-fed.
Out of the tangled reeds came Sparkfern, the last cat to leave their den. The medicine cat dutifully trotted up to Adderstar, dipping their head. "Sorry to be late, sir. I spilled some of my stores."
"It's fine," Adderstar meowed without looking at them. "How is Stagstep?"
Sparkfern tensed up a little. "He's... he's well, sir," they replied. "But I don't think-"
"Enough." The medicine cat flinched as he sat up, staring them down. "Go get Sagefall, and meet me by the nursery." Adderstar padded away without waiting to see if Sparkfern had agreed. "It's time I had a little chat with Stagstep."
The leader of RiverClan did not go unnoticed as he waited impatiently for Sparkfern to collect his deputy. Brindleclaw poked her head out of the den, eyes wide. "Adderstar? Is something wrong?"
"Why don't you go on a hunt, Brindleclaw?" he prodded, a storm just beyond the forced calm in his voice. "I'm sure Doveshade would love your company. Maybe you two could even pick out some names."
"But-"
"I can make that an order, Brindleclaw."
The tabby reluctantly held her head low as she passed him. "Yes, sir."
Sagefall and Sparkfern met him not long after. The white molly's face was perfectly blank as she nodded a greeting, falling in line behind Adderstar. The brown and white tabby moved into the nursery without further delay, suddenly struck by how quietly peaceful it was in the den. The river sloshed behind it, creating a soothing soundtrack, and the softest moss covered the ground.
Stagstep warily lifted his head from his paws at the intrusion. The tabby, who always came off more blue than gray, had deep bags under his eyes. Adderstar doubted he'd slept well since kitting. "Good morning, sir."
"Good morning. All went well, I hear."
"Yes, sir. Three kittens."
"Show me."
He nodded and moved his tail away. Adderstar's ears twisted back in shock. Behind him, there was a near-silent gasp from Sparkfern. The kittens looked healthy and strong, as far as kittens went; sleek-furred and with little bellies bulging from milk. But their legs were almost stilt-like in length, with tails long and stick-shaped. Bad for swimming. Good for climbing and jumping.
Sagefall said what they were all thinking. "No pure RiverClan litter looks like that."
Stagstep didn't answer. He gleefully reached out to lick the brown and white tabby tom-kit's head; on second glance, he reminded Adderstar a lot of himself. "I named this one Leafkit. The black one is Nightkit. I haven't decided between Frogkit or Toadkit for the gray tabby, but I'm leaning more towards Toadkit."
"I've heard rumors," Adderstar growled, the fur lifting along his spine. "Not just rumors. I've had cats come to me." That seemed to catch the king's attention, making him look up from his litter. "'Stagstep is padding after Tawnyleap of SkyClan', they'd say, and you know what I'd say? I'd say, 'I trust in my Clanmate.'" His lip drew back. "You betrayed my trust, Stagstep."
His eyes slowly slid shut. "I suppose I did, sir."
Adderstar took a threatening step forward, nose-to-nose with the warrior. A growl reverberated around them both as they sized each other up. A tiny squeak caught his attention. The sole unnamed kit was sprawled out at his paws. There was a gleam of teeth. "What's wrong with this one?" he asked without thinking.
"Wrong, sir?" Stagstep echoed, tilting his head to the side. "Nothing's wrong with him. He's just got an overbite, is all. It happens sometimes."
"I know that," he snapped, trying not to think too deeply into the fact that he also had an overbite. How was he supposed to exile- or, worse, kill- kits that looked like him? That had the same RiverClan charms as him? "They... take after you more, I see."
Sagefall was at his side in an instant. "It's not a sign of weakness if you'd rather I handle this, sir," she meowed. "I know how you are with kits."
Adderstar swallowed and nodded. "Do it."
The white she-cat reared her head back and sank her fangs deeply into one of Nightkit's hind legs, intending to drag him away from his father. The black tom let out an earsplitting screech of agony, and then Sagefall was stumbling backwards under the weight of Stagstep, teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Adderstar watched, paws planted to the ground, as the two cats disappeared in a whirlwind of teeth and claws. The gray-blue tabby had been resting lately due to his pregnancy, but adrenaline and paternal love had given him strength.
Something small and warm brushed his paw. Adderstar wrenched his gaze away, finding Leafkit touching him, mewling pitifully for comfort and milk. Coming to a snap decision, he straightened his back and barked, "Enough! Back away, Sagefall!"
Sagefall did so rather unwillingly. The she-cat was panting hard. Deep clawmarks on her haunches and back oozed blood, while Stagstep's left eye had swollen shut from a stray scratch. Both were missing clumps of fur.
"I've made my choice," he rumbled. "The kittens will stay. All of them."
Stagstep sagged under the weight of his relief. "Thank you, Adderstar."
Adderstar took that step up again, lowering his voice. "But hear me, Stagstep. They will be loyal RiverClan cats. I will make sure of it myself, if it comes to it. And if they should ever come across that Tawnyleap in battle... well, it would do me great pride if they did away with him entirely. Do you understand?"
The king's eyes flickered down to his feet. "Yes, sir."
Adderstar nodded to Sparkfern and Sagefall. The medicine cat opened their mouth to argue- probably something about seeing to Nightkit's badly wounded leg- but he silenced them with a glare. The duo backed out of the nursery with various levels of grumbling. Meanwhile, Stagstep drew his kits back to his belly, watching them feed. He cleaned Nightkit almost excessively, as if making sure he hadn't turned into smoke.
"By the way," he meowed on the way out. "Toadkit is clearly a better name. Do your son a favor and give him that one."
Author's Note: Eyy look, yet another out-of-control OC story asdkdmcodcl. I imagine this one isn't gonna be very long tho- like five or six chapters, I'm thinking. Heck, if I even bother to finish it. I just wanted to work on something new and fresh.
I know sir and ma'am aren't really used in the Clans, but I really like the idea of it, so it's a thing here. Everyone calls Adderstar sir because they respect him as their leader, but they don't really like him much. (For obvious reasons). He's not the MC by any means, but it felt important to note why these half-SkyClan kittens are in RiverClan pre-Firestar- because Adderstar thought Leafkit and Toadkit looked a lot like him in their own ways, and Stagstep fought so brutally for Nightkit. I should also note that there's gonna be some ableism, because Adderstar is, well, an ass, so expect a mean name ahead. (I know that force-name trope is well-used by the warrior cats books/fandom, but I typically avoid those pit-falls, so I figure a warning is in order)
Sparkfern is nonbinary, and Stagstep is a trans tom who felt comfortable having a litter. As always, if I've stereotyped or offended actual trans/nonbinary people with my representation, please don't hesitate to correct me.
Random side note: I don't normally have specific voices in mind with these characters, but every single line I've written of Adderstar so far has screamed Patton Oswalt.
-Mandaree1