LOL, IDK about the title; it's literally the first one to come to mind. This is my first challenge ever and probably one of the shortest things I've ever written.

Secretclan Challenge: Vendetta

Title: CrOoKeD lOvE

The night is clear allowing the full moon to shine its gentle light down on the world below. The pregnant ray brings attention to a curled up shape exposed in the center of a small clearing.

There, the light illuminates a small party of four cats. The one seeming to be in charge is a big tomcat with thick and wild dark brown fur and long fangs protruding from his upper lip. Following close behind him is a younger warrior, Littlebreeze, who is acting skittish, nervously glancing behind him at a certain someone at the end of the patrol.

That would be me.

Seriously, I don't know what Littlebreeze's problem with me is, but it's getting annoying. The tabby-and-white cat has been off his game ever since his lover, Honeyflower, was mysteriously killed in cold blood a few moons ago. They weren't even official mates yet. Ugh, I would make a much better warrior than that mouseheart. I mean, what is so scary about lil' ol' me.

Weirdo.

The last member of the night patrol is much more pleasing than that furball. Mosspaw pads diligently next to me, his eyes searching for intruders and other dangers. I try to purr secretly at him, but from the way his fur fluffs up and his body heat increases, I guess her heard me. I give the same reaction at the slip up, but I am not ashamed. Oh, to be young and in love; it really is great!

"Ashpaw! Focus," my gruff mentor and leader of this patrol, Thornfang growls at me. I frown, Really, he couldn't even show some compassion to a little she-cat? I ignore the grump and roll my eyes, catching something in my peripheral vision. I scowl at some strange stickiness clinging to my front paws and claws. I shrug it off; it'll have rubbed off by the time we get back to camp.

Trying to be inconspicuous with my crush again, I regard our surroundings. I do so much love taking night strolls: the way the moonlight shimmers on all the plant life if you come late (or early really) enough for the dew to have been set and the soothing calls of the other occupants of the wild woods harmonizing into one lulling tune.

Beautiful, even with the danger that comes with it. I often sneak out to enjoy it on my own time.

I mrrow at my own whimsical antics. I can be quite a silly kitty and have been consistently reminded of the fact. My friends were always picking on me for that exact reason; how rude. Kestrelpaw was always like, "that Ashpaw, she's always got her busy nose up in the clouds. What a mousebrain."

I snort, Who cares what he has to say or think. Stupid toms. Honestly, they are all such a pain: Kestrelpaw, Thornfang, Ravenstar-Wait, no. They aren't all bad; Mosspaw and Rainpaw are nice enough to me, but Rainpaw has to-he is my brother, after all.

And what good is family if they aren't there for you, right?

So he isn't much concern to me, but Mosspaw on the other hand…I sneak a peek at said apprentice though he seems wary me now after my mistake.

"Ah~" I mew dreamily in my head. Just thinking about Mosspaw always makes me feel like I am floating in Starclan. His namesake soft fur, white as snow with patches of black that all help to bring out his vibrant leaf green eyes and oh, when those eyes are trained on me…

I couldn't stop myself from purring like a lovesick fool-which I am, eliciting pained grunts from my accompanying toms. I purr some more and start prancing around like a deer fawn, completely ignoring the task. The trees and undergrowth thin around us and Thornfang veers the patrol from what is ahead, but I don't take notice as I leap along.

"Ashpaw! What are ya' doin'?!" Thornfang screeches at me.

I am just about to answer him when suddenly, the ground disappears underneath me and my still-slightly-sticky paws slip into open air.

I yowl in fright during a moment of suspension before I am sent tumbling down the dirty slope. I hiss as sharp rocks poking out from the dirt scrape and cut through my pelt to my skin. I give out one last shriek as I hit leveled ground once more and fall into a thicket of thistles.

"Just great," I grumble, wincing.

"Ashpaw!" a different voice calls for me. Mosspaw! "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah," I try to call back, but I'm too weak to get a hearable volume.

I can hear a particularly violent cursing from my angered mentor and know I'm in for it when this is all over. "Just wait for us! Dung!"

I don't think I was meant to hear that last part.

Hissing in pain, I steadily gather up my strength and manage to untangle myself from the thorns. Looking back, I sigh seeing many patches of my nice black-and-gray fur now stuck in the thicket. I don't even want to know what I look like at the moment. And in front of Mosspaw of all cats; what have I done wrong, Starclan?

I barely suppress a cackle at the prayer.

The scent of blood is thick in the air and I know I will most certainly be sore in the morning. Wait…the smell is way too heavy for just a few nicks…and there's this other scent…I know it…

Following my warrior instincts, my nose falls to the forest floor and I sniff out another scent separate from my own and not quite as fresh. The scent trail takes me not too far from the cliff and after pushing through some bushes, I come across the source.

"What? Just…no…!" I say as my legs give out from under me at the sight before me. This…can't be happening; my eyes must be deceiving me! My yellow gaze roves the crumpled form in front of me looking for the telltale flaws of falsehood. Short untidy fur, light gray in color with variant darker specks, a nicked ear from a scuffle with bees during out kithood, same yellow eyes as my own, oh Starclan-

"NO!" I yowl as I tackle the corpse of my brother, Rainpaw. No matter how much I refuse to believe it, there is no denying that this soon-to-be crowfood was once my dear brother. "Rainpaw, what in Silverpelt happened to you?!"

Of course, I get no answer.

Deep, thick grief comes up my throat and clogs it, my own body feeling so uncomfortable then-I wanted to claw it off.

My brother, Rainpaw, was dead. Never again to greet me with his loving face in the mornings when I would undoubtedly have slept in, never again to volunteer to help me with apprentice chores, never again to chastise my imperfections with Kestrelpaw, never again to do anything.

Someone would payfor this.

It was obvious it was a cat's doing and they strategically placed the body near the cliff to make it seem like he simply "fell". I give a dark laugh. Oh no, their wretched soul shall be slowly and savagely ripped from their terrified, pleading body and mercilessly forced into the abyss of the Dark Forest. So swear it me, Ashpaw of Thunderclan.

My cheery demeanor tarnished, I pad away from the sight of my brother's murder, my face masked by shadows, in search of the patrol to report to them of the crime. Stepping into a strong beam of moonlight, I curse at seeing some of the mystery substance still stuck on me. I swear…

If the blood is still in my pretty fur by sunrise, I am going to kill somebody.

FiN?

Well, there it is. I wanted it to be pretty twisted, but I'm not sure if you get until the big revelation at the end (you guys get that she's a serial killer, right?). Making them Thunderclan was a last minute decision since they're just so "perfect" so hopefully no one has problems with that.

Read and Review. :3