Name: Death in the Wind
Rating: M
Summary: "Do not shout, do not cry, no one will find you, until you die." When a mysterious shadow warns the clan of danger, they are plunged into the path of a serial killer who's actions not even StarClan can predict.
Themes: Horror, Mystery
WARNING: EXTREME GORE AND VIOLENCE. If you have a weak stomach you might not want to read this. If you ignored this, then don't you dare say I didn't warn you.
Prologue
It was sunhigh. Clan camp was at it usual vibrant activity; cats going to and from patrols, prey being added to the pile, queens watching as their kits tumbled around, elders telling stories of times from long ago.
Amongst this, Leafpool padded from the medicine cat den, placing each white paw in from of her slowly to the highledge. The sun draped over her light brown tabby pelt as she leaped quietly up and halted at the entrance of Firestar's den. Her green eyes were round with worry.
"Firestar," she called softly into his den. A muffled meow from inside told her she was allowed entry, so she swiftly padded inside.
Firestar was seated on his nest, a half-eaten squirrel at his paws. He frowned with concern at the look on Leafpool's face.
"What is it?" he asked, shifting on his nest.
"A prophecy," Leafpool told him, twitching her ear in discomfort. "I don't like the sound of it at all."
"What is the prophecy?" Firestar asked, sitting up.
Leafpool took a breath. "If the predator is killed, the curse will come, and spare none but those who do not look upon its eyes and the flower who understands."
Firestar sat in silence for a bit, staring off into the distance as he considered the words he had just heard. "What does it mean?" he meowed at last.
"I don't know," Leafpool meowed quietly.
Outside, in the camp clearing, Birchfall and Berrynose were just returning from a hunting patrol. In his jaws, Birchfall carried an unusually large piece of prey; one of its wings trailed along the dusty earth as he padded into camp even thought his head was held high with pride. From nearby the nursery, two kits bounded up to Birchfall to admire his catch.
"What's that?" Toadkit asked, peering at the bird's dark feathery coat.
Birchfall set the creature down, letting the corpse flop lazily on the earth. "It's an owl," he told them, unable to conceal his pride.
"Wow!" Toadkit exclaimed. "How did you catch it?" His eyes brightened with interest.
"I was just in the forest, looking for some prey for the Clan," Birchfall began, "and I saw it sitting on a low branch. I took my chance and caught it before it could say 'cat'!"
Purdy, sitting nearby, meowed, "I heard catching an owl's bad luck." Rosekit glanced at him nervously.
Berrynose rolled his eyes at this comment. "Yeah, and hedgehogs can fly. Honestly, Purdy, how can you believe that sort of stuff?"
Purdy snorted, muttering, "Youngsters these days, no respect…"
"What're you going to do with it?" Toadkit asked Birchfall, gazing at the owl.
Birchfall shrugged. "Perhaps I could put it somewhere everyone could see it."
Far away, in the depths of the forest, something stirred, and someone in camp already knew about it.
Hollyleaf stood just inside the tunnel, gazing up at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. Her heart was torn with despair at everything that had happened before, how it had all gone wrong.
"Hollyleaf," Jayfeather meowed, his voice shaking slightly, "you've got to listen to us."
Hollyleaf barely heard him. "I'm sorry," she meowed softly. "I was only trying to do what was best. I couldn't let Ashfur live! For all our sakes! You understand that, don't you?"
Lionblaze gasped. "You killed Ashfur?" he exclaimed.
Hollyleaf bowed her head in shame. Why couldn't he understand? "He should have been swept into the lake and never seen again," she meowed in hopelessness.
She paused. "I know I did the right thing," her voice vibrated with despair, "but no cat will ever understand."
Just before she turned away, she saw a pair of eyes gazing at her from behind Jayfeather and Lionblaze. They watched her from the shadows of the forest, forewarning her of danger. They gleamed yellow, smirking at her, before she turned and ran into the tunnel.
Suddenly a low rumble came. The whole ground seemed to shake, and above her Hollyleaf saw the roof begin to fall in around her. She heard Jayfeather cry out behind her, but soon the soil crumbled around her, snapping her spine like a twig and cracking her skull like a nut. Her blood began to ooze into the soil as she slowly suffocated. She gave one last struggle before the earth buried her body forever.
For all of you people who expected tons of gore in the prologue, don't be disappointed yet. The violence gets worse as the story progresses. And for you people you really don't like gore... good luck.