"The battle was bloody, and it was a devastating blow. The corpses of BloodClan lined the forest, but we had no way to take them with us.
Our biggest loss was our current leader. He guided us, even if his ways hurt us sometimes. Without him we were nothing. The ache of not having him lead us would be awful for many moons, and we knew it wouldn't be better for many moons until he had returned in a new form.
It was strange, the way our leader came to us. The Old Ones by the Rat Place, that had been exiled for their weakness, had knowledge that shouldn't be lost, so some of the executors came and asked their advice. They told us where good places for food were and what to do with some of the trespassers.
Some of their most notable knowledge was that of the Leader's Ways.
The story went something like this.
Many moons before the idea of grouping together even existed, there was a cat that wasn't really a cat. He walked on all fours, and he had black fur and blue eyes and a pink nose like a cat, but he was not a cat. He was a being in the shape of a cat. What sort of being? The Old Ones don't know; it has been too long. However, one day the cat got ill and he died. After a long time, there was another cat that looked the same, and he too died and was replaced by the same cat. These cats often don't remember who they're supposed to be when first born; but as soon as they open their eyes they know at least a little what they're meant to do.
The original cat had a plan to rule over the most land alone, but when he died alone he realized that it would be hard. So he began making notes in stone and scratching messages into walls to help spread his message - to join him to enjoy the ultimate reward, the most sought after gift.
The gift of endless food, long lives, and comfort with others.
Of course, whenever he knew he was about to die, he told his followers to stay close to him and wait so he could return, but they never did. They didn't believe that a cat could live again. He would have to start over, however the time in between his deaths and births lessened every time. It got close enough to where he would pass his old followers and they would feel ashamed, but would spread the message until they too died."
Bumble snorted.
"Are you telling me Scourge is gonna come back? That's the dumbest thing ever. Our dad never came back."
"That's because he didn't die; he ran away," Adder said.
Bumble rolled his eyes, but settled down to finish listening.
"Since you all are getting antsy, I'll finish it up now. Just know that even long ago, cats didn't believe him. However, he always returned. That's why we're staying here until the new Scourge arises."
Adder blinked up at his mother.
"What if I don't want him to come back because he makes us separate again?"
Sap sighed, knowing that his question was valid even if it was vile.
"There has always been a good leader and a bad leader. You cannot have one without the other. Our next leader will lead us to victory; Scourge... helped us make our presence known before that."
Bumble scuffed the ground.
"He didn't have to," he muttered. "Life could've been just fine if we just said we existed or something. He treated everyone like a rat tail."
"Well, look at us now. We're strong, healthy, we have almost no fleas or sickness, and BloodClan is going to survive to see our next leader."
Silently, Sap was just as distraught and distrusting as her son was, but voicing her opinions would upset Adder. She was too young to understand sometimes, things just don't work out like you would hope.
"Anyway, it's almost sunset which means..."
"Mouse time!" the two kits howled, and ran past the house. Sap smirked and drew a paw over her ear. She was glad that Scourge wasn't here anymore so she could raise her kits herself, even if it meant doing it without Smokey. Thinking about him made her heart ache in a way that shouldn't be possible, but it happened anyway.
She was glad her kits didn't realize that Smokey had actually died, even if it seemed wrong. She didn't want them to know that despite hiding carefully, Scourge still found out that they were raising two kits. One of them had to pay the penalty, and Smokey wanted her to be there for the kits.
"Oh, Smokey..." she murmured. "It's been so long, and yet it hasn't been long at all. I wonder if you'll come back too?"
Despite the hurt, she got up and followed the smell of mice. Ever since Scourge had died (which had been many moons ago now), the whole of BloodClan had gotten together and rekindled past friendships. It felt whole and solid, and made her glad when she saw Old Ones sitting with an old executor. There wasn't anything better than being able to grab a bird and not fear for your ears or eyes, and it felt amazing sleeping in an old Upright den with the others. It was warm and binding, like those moments mattered more than the other ones.
Sap had felt better than ever now that he was gone, and she could only hope the days lasted longer than she thought they would.