PART 1: BURNING FROST - Frostpaw

A beautiful, small snow-white she-cat emerged from the undergrowth, her jaws parted slightly as she tasted the crisp newleaf air. Her crystal blue eyes shone with a bright fire as the pale blue-gray clouds overhead scuttled out of the way, making space for the sun to appear on this fine morning, one ray at a time. An emerald leaf spiraled down toward her, and she playfully batted it out of the way.

Frostpaw's ear twitched as she picked up a faint scuffling sound, and by scent, she pinpointed a squirrel at the base of an ash tree, its fluffy tail curled up. Stifling a purr, so that she wouldn't alert her prey, she adjusted her position, her fur sleek as she made sure that she stayed downwind as she stalked closer.

Her pawsteps were light and stealthy as she stepped toward the squirrel, her blue eyes concentrated. Her plumy white tail stayed low as she bunched her muscles before pouncing. The warm tang of her prey's blood flooded her senses, making her feel warm all the way down to her belly. Triumphantly, she sat up, the limp body of the squirrel dropping to the ground. Padding closer to the ash tree, Frostpaw dug a shallow hole and dropped her catch inside, before covering it up with dirt from the forest floor.

Before she could completely bury her prey, she heard a long, muffled, feminine scream. Whoever had made the sound was definitely in pain, but since she was probably the closest cat to the Twolegplace at the time, not to mention maybe the only cat, Frostpaw was probably the only one who could help in any way. I don't know... it's coming from the Twolegplace... but I can't let a cat die!

Making up her mind, Frostpaw bounded away from her half-buried prey and, drawing in a deep breath, raced toward the Twolegplace. She paused for a heartbeat as she heard a familiar voice growl, "Shut up, crowfood!"

Startled, and suddenly a little frightened, Frostpaw turned toward the cat's voice, a tom's, and decided that the sound was coming from a clearing that was surrounded by tall, dark green bushes. Hearing another whimper, she crouched down and peered through the bushes at the horrifying scene that met her wide, shocked, scared eyes.

Nightpaw, the strongest fighter of the clan, was the most battle-hungry and ambitious tom there could ever be, in Frostpaw's opinion. He was an arrogant tom, and Frostpaw didn't know what Brackenstar, the clan leader, saw in him to make his mentor Yellowgaze, the clan deputy. She doubted Yellowgaze even had the faintest idea that his apprentice was becoming a ruthless monster.

The jet-black tom had another cat pinned down, growling threats at whoever it was. The cat couldn't be more than just an apprentice; and Frostpaw could make out that it was a she-cat, by the pleading and struggling.

Nightpaw lifted his one white forepaw, his claws unsheathed. If he had any idea that Frostpaw was watching, horrified, he gave no sign of it. Just as his claws sliced into her neck, the she-cat turned her head, and, with a shock, she realized that it was Mistpaw, who was one of the older apprentices in the clan. Her green eyes begging, her jaws formed the word please as blood poured out of her neck, and her eyes glazed over.

Nightpaw killed an apprentice of his own clan! Frostpaw nearly wailed out loud as Nightpaw merely licked his chest, shrugging as he rose to his paws. His green eyes shone with a thirst for blood that she had often seen before.

For a horrible moment, his green eyes bored into her blue ones, and he padded toward the bush where she crouched. Gasping out loud, Frostpaw turned tail and fled from the scene of Mistpaw's lifeless body and Nightpaw standing proudly near her, his eyes malicious, his smirk sadistic. But she couldn't move, as something strong held her still by her tail.

Frostpaw's jaws opened in a silent wail as Nightpaw's teeth fastened around her neck as he hauled her into the very same clearing, shoving her muzzle into the dirt. Nightpaw's claws pierced her cheek, bringing a stinging pain.

"Nightpaw!" she gasped; if she screamed out loud, she knew she wouldn't live long enough to see help come her way. "Why are you doing-"

Her mew was cut off as Nightpaw's claws scored a gash on her flank; her gasp was replaced by a cry of pain. "I killed Mistpaw because she knew too much about me." He paused, letting his teeth sink deeper into the back of her throat. Frostpaw's blue eyes bulged slightly as a heavy pressure landed on her neck, until the sides of her vision went dark.

"I kill cats who stand in my way!" he roared. "She knows too much about me!" Frostpaw flinched and shut her eyes, preparing to greet StarClan. Nightpaw is already a ruthless monster!

Suddenly, the pressure was relieved from her neck. Frostpaw dared to open a crystal blue eye. Had some other ThunderClan cat come to her rescue? Was it a Twolegplace cat? Twisting her head around, she realized that it was none of the above.

Nightpaw had lifted her paw out of his own will, and was staring down at her. The twisted expression on his face made her feel jittery and nervous on the inside. "No."

Frostpaw raised her head.

"I won't kill you," the muscular black apprentice growled. He purred, a rumbling sound that sounded half like a hiss. "I'll let you live. I'll let you live the rest of your pitiful life in fear. If you want me to let you go, you must never tell a soul about this. And you cannot drop hints or anything."

Frostpaw shivered. "But-" I can't protect a murderer!

Nightpaw forced her head to the ground, his claws resting on her neck. "Understood?" Frostpaw could barely nod. Nightpaw shot her a smirk. "I'll leave you a few scars so that you remember."

"No!" Frostpaw struggled, but Nightpaw's claws were already tearing tufts of white fur from her flank. None of the scratches he gave her would leave a scar, Frostpaw realized, by the feel of it.

"Now," Nightpaw growled, his green eyes cold. "Go and run back to that pitiful excuse we have to call our clan." Frostpaw didn't wait a moment, as he released her. She simply turned tail and raced away, wanting to get away from Nightpaw. But a few heartbeats later, she heard a hiss, and she could tell it came from Nightpaw.

Curiosity drove her back toward the clearing, where she saw Nightpaw, his green eyes gleaming, claw a gash in the perfect shape of a moon, a little larger than claw-moon, on his chest. His claws sank deeper into his chest, and the drying blood on his jet-black fur left the image of a blood-red moon in a black night.

He seemed to realize he was being watched, and Frostpaw cowered instinctively as he stalked over to her, thrusting the bushes out of his way. In a flash, he was on her, pinning her down. Frostpaw's claws raked across one of his ears, but a hiss silenced her. "You must not tell a word!" he hissed angrily.

"I-I won't," Frostpaw promised weakly. "But why did you?"

"You know enough, fox-dung," he growled, his unsheathed claws gleaming. He shoved her away. "Go. Live your pathetic life. In fear of me, forever." Frostpaw scrambled to her paws and raced away before he could say anything else. Her head spun as she fled, away from Nightpaw, away from the dead form of Mistpaw, away from all this horror. But she knew she could never push it all away.

Frostpaw scrambled to a halt by the lake, then gave the water an experimental dab. It sent shivers down her spine. She sunk her paws into the icy water, shuddering at the sudden cold. But she knew she had to wash off the blood from her fur.

To her surprise, when she was done, barely a scratch-mark was left. It was simply blood, she realized, Nightpaw hadn't really hurt her much.

Suddenly, the bushes just across the WindClan border rustled, and her close WindClan friend, Heatherpaw, padded out. "I saw you, you know," Heatherpaw murmured, her blue eyes shining sympathetically. Her light brown fur was sleek in the morning light. "What happened?"

"A rogue," Frostpaw muttered, licking her fur. To her relief, Heatherpaw seemed to accept it.

Yes, a rogue. Or a cat with actions and behavior like one. Like Nightpaw, but he's just worse.