Prologue
A shriek echoed through the alley for the third time. The cats of BloodClan eyed the cardboard box where the cries of pain were coming from.
Wearily a blood colored she-cat crept into the box. "Minnie are you okay?" the red she-cat whispered.
The black and white she-cat weakly looked up. "The kits are coming," she whispered. Then Minnie burst into screeches of pain.
The blood furred she-cat gave Minnie a stick to bite on as the poor she-cat gave birth to five kits. Minnie craned her neck, "Are they okay?"
The red she-cat nodded, "You have three daughters and two sons," she replied. Minnie sighed and stared off into some unseen distance.
The red she-cat licked her fresh wound. BloodClan had just retreated from their battle for the forest with those stupid forest cats. Scourge was dead, but now his kits would live on to carry on his legacy.
The blood colored she-cat looked at the kits. There was a black tom with white paws and green eyes, a little gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes, a black she-cat with amber eyes, a white tom with black ears and tail-tip and blue eyes, and a gray she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes.
"What will you name them?" she asked.
Minnie gave a hard cough which made her deep wounds started pouring blood again. "Scourge and I decided on names before the battle."
The red she-cat shook her head, "It was cruel of him to let his mate fight while she was carrying kits," she murmured under her breath.
If Minnie heard she ignored the comment and continued, "The black tom with white paws will be Thunder. The white tom with the black ears will be Blood. The little gray she-cat can be Shiver. The black she-cat will be Claw. And finally, the gray she-cat with black stripes is Carboni."
The red she-cat nodded. "Those are some strong names, now it is time for you to pick which one will be Scourge's successor."
Minnie shook her head and choked out weakly, "No! They are only kits, you can't do that to them, Rust!"
Rust growled, "BloodClan must have a leader! If you don't pick I will, Minnie," she snarled.
Silence followed her words.
Confused, Rust stalked forward and looked at Minnie carefully. The black and white she-cat's breath was coming in ragged gasps.
I did warn her if she didn't choose I would, Rust thought. Looming over the kits she glared down at them. Rust snatched Thunder up in her jaws, figuring that since he looked the most like Scourge that BloodClan would accept him.
Rust raced outside and leaped up onto the dumpster and yowled, "All cats that have been rejected and have killed gather now and hear my words!"
The remaining cats of BloodClan creeped out of the shadows and boxes and padded over to gather under the ever-watchful eyes of Rust, who was holding Thunder in her jaws.
"I give you Thunder, son of Scourge, leader of BloodClan!" Rust yowled.
BloodClan cats yowled their approval and Rust smiled smugly. "However, until he is of age, I will be the leader of BloodClan. Scourge also has three daughters and another son in his line. May BloodClan prosper under Scourge's legacy!" she shouted.
Rust watched as cats threw their collars onto the dumpster so Thunder could wear one. Rust picked a collar from the bunch, a shiny gold one that was studded with several dog and cat teeth. Carefully she slide the collar onto Thunder using her jaws.
"Attack!" A voice screeched from the front of the alley.
Rust looked up as Clan cats swarmed into the alley, leaping onto any cat near. Rust's eyes widened in panic, "BloodClan retreat! Retreat and regroup, BloodClan to me!" she yowled in fear.
Grabbing Thunder in her jaws she raced down the alley with BloodClan cats pounding after her.
Later in the alley with the Clan cats . . .
"Firestar over here!" a muscular tabby tom called from a cardboard box.
The ThunderClan leader padded over, "What is it Bramblepaw?" he asked.
Bramblepaw nodded to the cardboard box, "Three kits and an almost dead queen."
"Cinderpelt!" Firestar called then darted into the cardboard box.
Inside a black she-kit, a small gray she-kit, and a white tom were curled up by the queen's belly.
Cinderpelt burst into the den, "What's wrong Firestar?" she asked. "Oh," she whispered as her eyes fell onto the kits and the queen.
Rushing over to the queen Cinderpelt spoke gently, "Who did this to you?" she asked.
The queen stirred and looked up with horror and fear in her eyes, "You! Get away from my kits you horrible forest cats! You killed my Scourge! And now you have taken my Thunder and my Carboni!" she snarled.
Cinderpelt looked puzzled, "Scourge? You are of BloodClan? Who are Thunder and Carboni?" she asked.
The queen shuddered and drew in another painful gasp of air. "You mean you didn't take my kits?" she asked.
Bramblepaw spoke up from the back of the den, "No, we chased BloodClan out and found you here with your three kits."
The she-cat seemed calmed by these words and nodded weakly.
"We will take your kits to a safe place," Firestar promised. "What are their names?" he asked gently.
The queen closed her eyes and didn't open them, "The gray she-kit is Shiver, the white tom is Blood, and the black she-kit is Claw. If you take my kits you have to keep their names and keep them safe," the she-cat gasped.
Firestar gently picked up Claw in his jaws, "I won't let harm come to your kits," he promised solemnly. The queen's breathing abruptly stopped, as if she had just kept breathing to make sure her kits were safe.
"They will grow up in ThunderClan," Firestar declared.
Hope you enjoyed the prologue! Chapter one should be up soon!
~Stormyyy