Gamer4 in. Once again, I find myself explaining a new story before I start. As you could probably tell, this is a retelling of There will be Brawl from the world of the Warriors series. For those of you who haven't seen There will be Brawl, it's basically a dark (very dark) parody of Super Smash Bros. If you like this story, you should probably check out the original at . It's a ten-episode miniseries. Now, as a big fan of this series, I decided to make it into the world of Warriors, like I just said. Just to let you know, there will be several things changed from the original story, in order to fit the two stories together better. Okay, let's get started.
Disclaimer: I own neither Warriors or There will be Brawl.
"And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and all toward the land of the plain, and beheld as the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a great fire."
Genesis 19:27-28
There Will Be Claws
Chapter I
The Ruin of the Clans
It was a dark night, though it broke the tradition by not being stormy: the sky was clear, every star visible, not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful sight that belied what was happening below.
Down below the sky, there was a large forest, controlled by five clans of cats. In particular, nearby a dark-flowing river sat a lone cat with wild gray fur, with a darker stripe running down his back. His name was Graystripe. He sat, looking out at the island in the center of the lake, which in turn lay in the center of the clans. He could still remember the days when the clans had met there for gatherings. Each moon, they would meet under a truce, to discuss recent events. They still met, sometimes, but only on very rare moons, and never on that island. The island no longer had a feel of greatness about it, only dread. That island was where he had first attacked, the most feared cat the clans had ever known.
As it was, a gathering had just broken up. Graystripe was staying behind, waiting for something. What he was waiting for, even he wasn't sure of. Finally, he turned his back on the island and began heading home, to the Thunderclan camp.
As he walked, news from the gathering rang in his ears: news of deaths, disappearances, and abductions. Starclan, it was always abductions. Long ago, the leaders of the five clans had been noble and wise. But now the only leaders they had were Hawkstar of Skyclan, Scourge of Windclan, the only leader who had refused a true warrior name, Tigerstar of Riverclan, and Brokenstar of Shadowclan. The only true leader left was Sandstar, leader of Thunderclan. The leaders were almost always bringing news of new death and destruction nowadays, but Graystripe wouldn't be surprised to find out that they had caused it themselves. Things hadn't always been like this. They weren't always forced to squirm under the gaze of the island, under the eye of some unseen antagonist. There used to be the laughter of apprentices, the stories of elders. Something to care about. As he walked by two warriors who seemed to be struggling with each other over a nearby dead mouse, he shook his head, wondering if even he believed that.
Finally, he stepped into Thunderclan camp. It wasn't as crowded as it used to be. Ever since he had attacked, the borders of the clans had become blurred, with cats living wherever they wanted. The warrior code had been entirely shattered. They weren't so much clans anymore as a group of rogues who had some similarities to the old clans.
The first place he went was to the old medicine den. There were still medicine cats, but they didn't live near the main forest anymore. He needed something from there. As he walked in, he saw two cats laying near each other, rubbing around each other, purring delightedly. They were Fireheart, his best friend, and Sandstar, the last noble leader in the clans. Well, more noble than all the other leaders, at least. She definitely wouldn't be caught doing what the other leaders did. As soon as they saw Graystripe entering, they looked up, shocked, and quickly moved apart, looking somewhat embarrassed. As Graystripe moved across the den to where all the old medicines were kept, Fireheart finally broke the silence. "So, um... did you bring any fresh-kill in today?" It was a normal enough question- Fireheart was the deputy, after all- but Graystripe knew he had asked simply to end the silence.
"The day's not over yet," Graystripe said, looking through the medicines, searching for catmint.
Suddenly, another cat burst in. They all turned towards him: a pale tabby tom with dark stripes. His eyes looked forward unseeingly.
"What is it, Longtail?" Sandstar asked.
"I have news," he said, his head flicking around. Longtail had been blinded a long time ago, and had been forced to retire from his warrior duties early. However, ever since gatherings had ceased, aside from those rare occasions, it fell to Longtail to deliver news around the clans.
"What is it?" Fireheart asked tiredly.
"Well, what do you want to hear? Cats are saying things about Sandstar-"
"What are they saying?" Sandstar asked, turning towards him.
"They're starting to wonder if you're really fit to be a leader," Longtail said bluntly. As he continued his explanation, Graystripe let out an inaudible sigh in the corner, as he bent down over a pool to drink. It was this again. The clans had been hostile towards each other before the Attack, but in the Attack's wake, they had become very anti-peace. Anyone who showed any sign of peace-loving was considered weak.
"They're saying that you show bad signs when cats ask you about the war going on, and with the disappearances." Everyone in the clans would know what that was about. All the leaders aside from Sandstar herself were engaging in a seemingly-never-ending war over the land around the lake. Sandstar was struggling to stay out of it, but there was no doubt that she'd eventually get dragged in, even if they were currently in the middle of a 'Stalemate.' "They also think your attempts to end the war are signs of weakness, and-"
"Get out of here!" Fireheart growled, flicking his tail towards the exit.
"Wait!" Longtail said. "I have other news!"
"What is it?" Sandstar asked.
"We have two more bodies found," Longtail said, sounding subdued. "Firekit, from Shadowclan, and a Windclan warrior named Deadfoot. We still can't find the killer-"
"Okay, leave, now," Fireheart said, beckoning towards the exit once more. With Longtail gone, he turned towards Sandstar. "Maybe that will keep the clans out of your fur for a while," he said.
Graystripe turned to look sadly at Fireheart. There was a time when Fireheart wouldn't have taken news like that. He would have gone out to find the killer, maybe with Graystripe at his side. Not anymore, with deaths so common. Noticing his gaze, Fireheart turned on him, and roughly said, "What are you looking at?"
Graystripe shrugged, picked up the catmint in his mouth, and headed out of camp again, looking up at the sky. The moon was climbing higher. He had to hurry if he was going to make it on time. He headed across the territory, finally sitting down next to a tall tree. He didn't have long to wait.
Out of the forest's darkness came a three cats, one slightly ahead of the other two, heading towards him. He recognized the one in the middle, the apparent leader, but he'd never seen the other two. When they'd come close enough to speak, he confronted the leader. "I got your message," he said. "But I thought I told you not to come here, Hoot."
"Oh, did you?" the leading cat, Hoot, said. He was large and white, with a black stripe running down his back. "I must have missed you."
"What's with them?" Graystripe asked, looking at the two cats Hoot had brought with him. Hoot was a rogue who had started living on clan territory after the Attack. He worked with Hawkstar, but Graystripe hadn't seen him with these two before.
"Oh, this is Willie and Snapper," Hoot said, glancing at them. "They're for protection. We've got this butcher running around, after all. It's like that cannibal stuff all over again. You hear about those two new deaths?"
"Yes," Graystripe answered.
"All they found of them was their insides, all over the ground. Tiny cuts. No one knows what happened to the rest of them."
Graystripe pushed the catmint towards him. "As much as I love that image, I want you gone. Take this and go. I'll meet you for the payment later."
"Funny," Hoot said, looking at it. "I've got Dustpelt and his warriors searching everyone at every turn, and you expect me to take this, just like that? No, I'll take it when I meet you."
Out of the corner of his eye, Graystripe suddenly saw a flash of orange fur. Oh, boy. "Okay, fine! I'll meet your boy at the usual spot. Just get out of here, now!"
"Why the sudden rush?" Hoot asked, sounding amused.
Graystripe looked over at where he'd seen the flash of pelt. He saw Fireheart and Sandstar stalking through the forest. Just as he did, Fireheart looked over and saw the two of them standing there. A look of fury suddenly crossed his face, and he began stalking over to them.
"Mouse dung," Graystripe muttered.
"What's he doing here?" Fireheart shouted, looking from Graystripe to Hoot.
"Relax, Fireheart, he's just here for some-"
"You're not welcome in my clan!" Fireheart continued, ignoring Graystripe and turning on Hoot.
"Oh, this is your clan?" Hoot asked, still sounding amused. "I'm sorry I didn't realize. You know what, I was just going anyways. See you all later." He turned, motioning to Willie and Snapper to follow him, and they began padding away. However, after just a few tail-lengths, they turned back. "Oh, and congratulations on becoming the new deputy!" he added. "But, I have a couple of twolegs who've been lonely lately. Maybe you could..."
Oh, no, Graystripe thought as he looked to see Fireheart's reaction. Fireheart looked even angrier than before. He bounded over, and, standing directly in front Hoot, shouted, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?"
Unfazed, Hoot simply said, "I'm calling you a no-good kittypet."
Hoot didn't have time to respond to what happened next. Before he even knew what was happening, Fireheart had him pinned on the ground, and was scratching at every bit of him that he could reach. He punctuated each blow with a shouted word. "I...AM...NO...KITTYPET!"
Graystripe, Sandstar, Willie, and Snapper all moved forward to try and pull Fireheart off. But he kept going. "I'VE BEEN AN APPRENTICE!" Slash. "I'VE BEEN A WARRIOR!" Scratch. "BUT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A COLLAR-" Slash- "ON THIS NECK!"
Finally, Graystripe and Sandstar managed to pull Fireheart off. Hoot got to his paws and immediately staggered backwards. Looking at Graystripe, he said fiercely, all trace of amusement and smugness gone, "You bring that stuff to me, or everyone will know the truth about that worthless bag of fur!" he shouted, flicking his tail at Sandstar. After this, he quickly turned.
"Say hello to your brother for me!" Fireheart called out after him. Hoot spun around, apparently about to say something, but thinking better of it, and continued his flight from the territory.
"Are you alright, Fireheart?" Graystripe asked tentatively. Fireheart turned on him.
"You don't give anything to anyone without my permission!" he growled angrily.
"Calm down, Fireheart," Sandstar said, leaping to Graystripe's defense. "He was just trying to-"
"You stay out of this!" Fireheart said, turning on her. "This is between me and Graystripe!"
Sandstar suddenly seemed to stiffen. "You barely had any training!" she growled, then spun and was gone.
Graystripe looked between the two of them. To Fireheart, he said, "This is a tough world now, Fireheart. You don't want to end up in trouble."
With this, he bounded off after Sandstar. As he ran, he could taste the bitterness of hypocrisy on his tongue. Yeah, he'd said a lot of things like that lately. Keep your head down, just try and live normally. It was how he stayed sane, with the clans the way they were. But the truth was, he wasn't all that clean himself.
XXXX
This is why, when both he and Sandstar had arrived back at camp, they were soon to be found rubbing around each other, purring with delight. However, Graystripe couldn't get the idea that he was betraying Fireheart out of his mind. Finally, the two separated, going to opposite ends of the den. Sandstar looked over, seeing Graystripe bent over. For a moment, there was silence between them. Sandstar was the one to break it.
"You think Hoot's right," she said sadly.
"I don't think that," Graystripe assured her.
"Maybe you should," she said, standing away.
Graystripe sighed. "The clans were great once, but now every cat's being crushed by them. If you let them, the clans will eat you up and spit you out. Maybe... maybe that's all I'm good for."
Sandstar approached him, trying to make a comforting gesture, but before she could, they heard the sound of paws thundering across the clearing. In burst Longtail. They could smell fear rolling off of him.
"What is it?" Sandstar asked urgently.
Longtail took a moment to catch his breath, but finally, he managed to choke out, "Hawkstar's dead!"
XXXX
When Fireheart returned to camp, he had calmed down, and was prepared to apologize to both of them. However, when he found them in camp, they were in the middle of a heated argument.
"You're crazy!" Graystripe was saying. "This is mouse-brained! I can't let you-"
"It's not your decision!" Sandstar growled.
"What's going on here?" Fireheart asked, bewildered.
"Hawkstar's been found dead!" Sandstar said. "He was killed by the butcher!"
"But that's not why you're arguing," Fireheart said.
"She's going to Chelford asylum!" Graystripe said.
Now Fireheart knew what was going on. He spun on Sandstar. "You're not going anywhere!"
"This choice is made!" Sandstar said fiercely. "I know who he is, but the only cat who can get into the mind of the butcher is the one who did it before: the cat who led the Attack!"
"Listen to yourself!" Fireheart insisted. "You know who we're talking about here. You know what he's done!"
"If he had the chance, he'd take your skin off and dance in it!" Graystripe said. "He's-"
"A monster!" Sandstar interrupted. "He's insane! Do you think I forgot! I don't like him either, he's the most evil cat we've ever seen, but he's the only one who can help us!"
"Leave it to other warriors," Graystripe insisted. "He can't see you-"
"Leave it to the warriors?" Sandstar asked. "There are no more warriors in any clan who could be trusted with that- not even in my own clan! Even you two haven't been useful since-"
She cut herself off, and an uncomfortable silence followed. Fireheart finally broke it. "I'll go," he said. "It's still insane, and mouse-brained, but if you need someone to talk to him so bad-"
"I'll go with you," Graystripe said. "You'll need help-"
"You aren't going anywhere!" Fireheart growled, turning on him.
"Neither of you are going!" Sandstar shouted over them, turning on them both. "He'll only speak to me, and only if I'm alone! This butcher is killing more cats every day. And with Hawkstar dead, the Stalemate is done! Brokenstar, Tigerstar, and Scourge will all rush to fill his spot, and the clans will burn in the fire! How many cats do you want to die while you just sit back and do nothing?"
Fireheart and Graystripe looked uncomfortably at each other. The two followed each other out of the camp, heading for their own den.
XXXX
Sandstar headed down the dark path. Even though she knew there were warriors up above, she felt alone down here. Knowing what lay at the path's end didn't help.
Finally, she reached her destination. There he was. The most evil cat the clans had ever seen. He was patched black and white, and had a wild-looking face that struck fear into the hearts of all who saw him. Nervously, she called out his name. "Smudge?"
He turned, and saw her. His face broke into a grin. "Good evening, Sandstar."
XXXX
And that's the end of that chapter. I don't have that much to say here, so I'll just say: Please R&R, constructive criticism is awesome, flames are bad, Gamer4 out.