A challenges from Clans of the Seasons. This is the story of a twisted, evil cat, who let her heart be chilled by a desire for greed and success.

The Claws of Bloodclaw

There was once a cat who turned bad.

A cat who watched the blood-streaked claws of Mapleshade slice through her life, her home, her meaning, her family.

This is her story.

The story of Bloodclaw.

Tallpaw was thirsty as she lapped the icy river into her wide-open jaws. The leaf-bare sun was setting into the cold, snow-ridden slopes, and she was grateful that the lake had not frozen over. Shivering from the cold that chilled her pelt like ice, she limped through the white snow back to camp.

Suddenly, a loud voice rose into her eardrums, coming from camp. It was the voice of Leopardclaw. "We should kill them all, the filthy flea-ridden rascals!"

The loud meow of his mate jerked her forwards. "Yes! Show them who can fight for territory!"

Loud meows of agreement, followed by ear-splitting howls and caterwauls. Tallpaw felt her pelt stiffen. Ears pricking, she raced forward into the RiverClan camp, her pads thudding on the ground.

She came face-to-face with an angry mob of cats, swarming furiously under the Highledge, eying their leader, Dockstar, and the fierce deputy Leopardclaw with heated pressure. Tension cracked in the air.

Dockstar stepped forwards, growling. "Fleckstar has no right to steal our territory! We will show her, and all of WindClan, how RiverClan fight!"

Gleeful, bloodthirsty shrieks sliced the air.

"We will never fall!"

"RiverClan is not weak!"

"Let's win this battle!"

"Exactly!" Leopardclaw yowled, lashing his tail. "They have cross our borders to the end of the horseplace, claiming that it's their territory! Well, RiverClan may be experiencing leaf-bare, but we are still strong! We will launch an attack into their camp, demanding back the territory as well as our right to justice!"

More hungry, bloodthirsty caterwauling.

Dockstar nodded to his senior warriors. "What do you think, Cloudstreak?"

A dappled white-and-grey tomcat nodded. "The horseplace marsh is a valuable resource for herbs. We need it more than ever."

Another senior warrior, a light brown, tawny tabby, rose to her paws. "I think so as well!" she agreed, raising her voice. "RiverClan hasn't lost a battle or territory in moons. This will not change!"

Dockstar dipped his head to the she-cat. "Thank you, Breezerunner. Froststorm, what do you think?"

An old, dark grey she-cat nodded, her blue eyes pulsing. "They are right," she rasped. "We will not lose."

Last of all, Dockstar turned to his most trusted cat, his faithful deputy, Leopardclaw. "Well?"

"You know what I think," replied Leopardclaw, nodding respectfully. "We have to win!"

Dockstar turned to face his audience. "Then let us fight! Leopardclaw, lead a first patrol. It will have Petaltail, Beaverstripe, Flameheart, Ripplepelt, Sunbird, Echomist and Patchfur. And mine will have..." his voice trailed off as he let his gaze sweep around the clearing. "Jaybeak, Swiftpelt, Emberfall, Rockfur and-"

Two young cats butted in. "We want to come too!" one demanded. "We're almost warriors! Let us fight!"

Amongst the turmoil, no-cat had noticed Tallpaw yet. She lingered, crouched, by the camp entrance, watching the whole scene. As soon as she saw the two cats, her blood turned to ice. Streampaw and Darkpaw, her littermates!

A small pang of grief hit Tallpaw at the thought fo her siblings. They were the same age as her, yet so much better at everything...she suppressed a sigh. They would make much better warriors than her. It wasn't a secret. Every cat knew.

Much to her growing unease, Dockstar nodded. "Why not? Go out now, Leopardclaw, now it is dusk. Streampaw and Darkpaw, come in my patrol. Let's leave." And with a flick of his tail, the cats called to fight clustered together into their patrols.

Tallpaw stepped forward. "Can I come as well?" she asked. She wanted to make sure her siblings were okay. And they always had the most fun. Just because they were the better apprentices didn't mean she always had to be left out!

Leopardclaw's face fell for a heartbeat, in embarrassment. "Oh, Tallpaw, it's you. Right. Well, um..." his voice trailed off as he searched for an answer. "I'm sure we could do with...some strong warriors guarding the camp-"

Tallpaw interrupted. "It's okay," she sighed, her head hanging and her tail drooping.

Leopardclaw's eyes clouded with guilt. "I'm sorry, Tallpaw," he mumbled, absent-minded ply scuffing up dirt with his paws.

Tallpaw trudged off, not bothering to say goodbye to her littermates and the others. She wasn't disappointed much, for this was the answer that she had been expecting. What was the use of her? She was pointless. Four moons into training, and she could hardly swim, and rarely caught fish. She was big, slow and clumsy, her reflexes tainted to postpone every reaction. And she struggled to remember the knowledge about other Clan that her mentor, Cragstripe, had taught her. How could she become a warrior of she was slow, clumsy, heavy, and dumb?

Just as she nuzzled, all alone and cold on the itchy old bedding in the apprentices' den, the heavy storm clouds gathered outside began to pour out floods of rain, as if weeping for her jealousy. Brr, she shivered as the noisy pattering of the droplets numbed her thoughts. It's not fair.

Tallpaw stared around at the clearing. Thick, heavy dark pine trees loomed above, casting long shadows and barring away the dark starless sky above. She had never seen this place before. She shuddered as a cold breeze swept into her pelt. Where was she?

"Don't be scared, little mite!"

Tallpaw spun round, feeling her own heartbeat thump through her ribs and another cat's raspy breath hit on her fur. She came face-to-face with...nothing. There was no cat there. She was imagining things.

Useless, Tallpaw! You're just useless!

"Yes, if you jump at everything, I suppose," the voice echoed.

Tallpaw jumped, startled. It was as if the cat had read her thoughts! So there was a cat there.

"Where are you?" she yelled, reeling backwards as her mind stumbled. She strained to catch traces of a scent, but caught nothing.

There was a horrible, spine-chilling cackle. "Where am I? That doesn't matter. The important thing is where are you."

Tallpaw was confused. "But I'm here!" she stammered, her thoughts whirling in a jumble of torrentful storms.

There was deep, hoarse, raspy sigh. "No wonder your siblings are better than you at everything with that attitude." The voice echoed around the small clearing, bouncing off the pines and smoothing into a jagged echo. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I can already tell that this mite is going to be hard!"

Tallpaw felt her ears flatten in shame. Even StarClan - if this was StarClan - knew how useless she was. How dare this cat make fun of her? StarClan was suppose to be wise.

"I'm not a mite," she hissed, unsheathing her claws so clumsily that she stumbled forward and ended up with a flattened face in the dirt.

A bewitching cackle boomed from every nook in the forest's trees. Them it hardened, as if the speaking cat was regaining seriousness. "Tallpaw,-" - How does she know my name?! - "-no wonder your siblings are so much better than you if you let them push you around so much! They always grab the first goes in training, don't they?"

Tallpaw scrambled up, shaking. She reeled back in fear, her heart thudding. "I- I suppose so," she mumbled weakly, so scared she thought her chest was going to explode.

"Then why do you let them?!" the raspy voice hissed, as usual, coming from nowhere in particular. "Trust yourself. You could do all those battle moves better than them, if only you tried!"

"But my mentor hates me!" wailed Tallpaw. "He thinks I'm rubbish!"

There was a tense, crackly pause, as the silence eased before th cat spoke again. "Then, perhaps you better show him," the voice suggested, resuming its normal tone. "Show him what you have! You have so much potential, Tallpaw, only you don't see it." There was a scraping, high-pitched sound, as if a giant cat was unsheathing their claws pain-stakingly slowly. "I can offer you some basic training to catch up to your littermates. No, better than that, I can show you that you're the best cat in the Clan."

Tallpaw's mind was whirling in panic at the pressure of the situation. Should she accept? She didn't like the dark, looming look of the trees here, or the nasty, spread sneer in the cat's mew. But what choice did she have? How could she throw this one-of-a-kind opportunity away?

Tallpaw took a deep breath. "I accept."

"-StarClan honours your bravery, endless skill and devotion to your Clan."

"Streampoppy! Streampoppy!" the Clan chanted joyously. "Darkfern! Streampoppy!"

The two new RiverClan warriors gazed at each other proudly, licking their puffed-out chest fur in happiness at the thought of being a warrior at last. Tallpaw's lip curled a little. She was still proud of her sibling's amazing acheivements, but they still treated her like a useless kit.

"And now," Dockstar meowed, pausing as he turned to face Cragstripe. "It is time for Tallpaw." Tallpaw's pelt prickled with unease. She had always imagined this long-awaited moment to be glorious and satisfactory, as Mapleshade had constantly repeated in her last two moons of training in her dreams, but she felt fear hammering in her chest when she saw the Clan ebbing into silence uneasily. They looked at her...strangely, as if they didn't trust that she would be made a warrior.

Her parent's eyes, however, were shining with pride, and her sibling's as well. But Streampoppy and Darkfern look oddly...relieved. She tightened her tail. Forget about them if they didn't trust her. And the Clan. This was the moment. There was no way that she would it be made a warrior. She had passed her assessment with flying colours. For land hunting, Mapleshade had shown her where to find a thrush and a vole. For fishing, she'd successfully caught three fish in a minuscule amount of time. For fighting, she'd beaten her littermates easily.

Dockstar dipped his head to Cragstripe, the old, wiry brown tabby. "Cragstripe, I trust that you have been a good mentor to Tallpaw. As her mentor, do you judge that she had passed her assessment, and therefore, is ready to become a warrior?"

Tallpaw's heart was thudding so loudly she was sure ThunderClan could hear it on the other side of the lake.

There was a tense pause. "No," Cragstripe meowed flatly.

There were gasps of shock from the Clan. Darkfern almost stumbled backwards as he glared at Cragstripe, and Streampoppy lashed her tail.

"What?!" Tallpaw's sister gasped. "You can't possibly mean that!"

Cragstripe looked down, nodding his head surely. "She's not ready."

The clearing froze, transfixed by Tallpaw's shame and Cragstripe's shocking revelation. How dare he! Tallpaw glowered as her insides burned. Stupid mentor who doesn't trust me!

Even the usually calm Dockstar looked surprise. "Cragstripe, are you sure? I saw her myself coming in from her fishing assessment with three fish in her jaws."

"And she beat both of us in fighting!" yowled Darkfern, unable to restrict himself.

Both of Tallpaw's parents glanced at each other doubtfully. "And she did very well in land hunting," her mother, Hawktail, meowed, puzzled. Her father, Lightwind, looked at Cragstripe squarely. "Why should our daughter not become a warrior, Cragstripe?"

Cragstripe shrugged. "I just don't think she's ready, that's all."

Tallpaw was outraged. How dare he! Before she could unsheathed her class to slash his muzzle, Darkfern bounced up and glared at his sister's mentor. "That's not fair! Take that back!"

Useless siblings! Darkfern and Streampoppy didn't always need to jump to her defence. She didn't need it any more.

"Yes! I did everything you asked me to!" Tallpaw growled.

Streampoppy bared her fangs at Dockstar. "Make her a warrior! You have to!"

Dockstar looked regretfully at Tallpaw. "I can't. Cragstripe is her mentor, and his word is the warrior code. There is nothing I can do."

"Did you see that?!" spluttered Tallpaw as her dreams whisked her away to the shaded pine forest where she met Mapleshade every night. "Did you SEE that, Mapleshade?! The cheek! How dare he! I swear, when I get my claws on him, I'll-"

"Stop," a commanding voice ordered, and an orange-and-black patched calico stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes were sparkling bright and green against the black of the dark-rimmed pines.

Tallpaw dipped her head to Mapleshade, as she had learned to. "What should I do? I wasn't made a warrior today, when I should have!"

Mapleshade prowled closer, her fangs dripping with hungry saliva. "Don't let me tell you. Cragstripe is in your way. In the way of your path. Your path to becoming the greatest warrior RiverClan has ever seen."

Tallpaw heard a sharp intake of breath, and realised it was her own. Greatest warrior RiverClan would ever see? Ha! That would put him in his place! And to think, that, before Mapleshade had come along, she had just been a pushed-about over-cared weakling? He would be ashamed for underestimating her.

"As for Dockstar, he was just foolish," Mapleshade continued, circling Tallpaw menacingly. "And your siblings too! Acted so protective, as if you belonged to them." She swung round, and fixed her shining beady green gaze on Tallpaw. "Every great warrior has obstacles. Cragstripe is your main one to clear right now. You need to get rid of this problem."

Tallpaw's mind was spinning. How could she get rid of Cragstripe?

"But first I must do something." Mapleshade paused. "If RiverClan won't give you a better name, then I will. May all cats of greatness that roam this dark forest look down upon this cat. She has trained and thrived to find her path, and shown utmost skill and determination to become one of us. From now on, she shall be known as Bloodpaw."

Bloodpaw stepped back in shock, her head reeling. Mapleshade had given her a new name, for being part of the family? Great! Bloodpaw growled in pride. But then she realised that she still had "-paw" as a suffix, and her heart plummeted.

"Why do I still have an apprentice name?" she asked, raising her head.

"You still have much to learn, mite. You still know little. You are better than all of your RiverClan Clanmates. That doesn't mean you know everything," Mapleshade answered.

Bloodpaw dipped her head silently. "Thank you. It is an honour to be known as one of you."

Mapleshade nodded, pleased. "Now, let's plan. What do you think would be a suitable method to get rid of Cragstripe?"

Bloodpaw racked her brains. "Err...confront him? Blackmail him? Threaten him?"

Mapleshade shook her head. "See? You still have much to learn. No," San at this, she pushed her muzzle closer to Bloodpaw's, her eyes glittering in the dark. "When some cat is in your way Bloodpaw, you must get rid of them permanently. Efficiently. Cragstripe will never give in to blackmail. There is nothing to threaten him with. He is a hot-headed nuisance. He'll only do harm to the Clan by limiting your strengths. You should kill him."

Bloodpaw was shocked. "Kill him?" she echoed. "But- I've never killed another cat before! Does he really deserve it? It's cold-blooded and against the warrior code!"

Mapleshade slammed her paw down impatiently. "The warrior code is an obstacle as well! It is weak! It puts a limit on strength and power! And it wouldn't be wrong, would it, knowing that you would do so many great things for your Clan once you were a warrior?"

Bloodpaw was still confused, but she wanted to impress Mapleshade. "I- I guess so," she mumbled.

"Are you confident enough?" Mapleshade snapped.

Bloodpaw raised her chin. "Yes. Yes I am."

Thunder crashed in the air. Bloodpaw slipped into the medicine cat den, where Cragstripe was sleeping, due to a light cough. She had gone over the plan with Mapleshade every night, so as to never falter, never be caught, never forget it. Carefully creeping past Wingfeather, the medicine cat, she pause nervously. Was this right? It did seem a little low, after all.

No! Mapleshade's firm, decisive voice echoed in her mind. After all he's done to you? Still, after a moon, kept you an apprentice?

Pushed by endless greed and a thrust for blood, Bloodpaw padded to the stock of herbs, and nipped a few dark red berries, which she curled in her tail. She then wen to the sick cat den, and prodded Cragstripe awake gently.

"What is it, Wingfeather?" Cragstripe complained, stifling a cough. Bloodpaw was glad that he couldn't see her in the dark. Otherwise, her plan would fail.

"Eat these," she whispered, nudging the blood-coloured berries to Cragstripe, who gruffly wolfed them down. Bloodpaw strained a crooked smile in the dark.

"Tell me," she whispered, making her voice young and appealing, just like Wingfeather's. "Tell me, why did you stop Bl- I mean, Tallpaw, from becoming a warrior?"

Cragstripe swallowed the unpleasant berries. "She was not ready!" he sneered, jealousy edging his snarl. "She was too rough in fighting! And I'm sure she was cheating in the land hunting assessment."

Bloodpaw nodded. "Okay." Then she padded off.

The next morning, Cragstripe was found dead in his bedding, mysteriously. "Must have been greencough," thought the Clan, surprised.

Bloodpaw wasn't surprised.

She had fed him deathberries, after all.

"Do that backside-slide belly-rake again!" Mapleshade urged. It had been two moons since Cragstripe's death. Dockstar had named Leopardclaw her new mentor, who had immediately made her a warrior. Now, in the daylight world, every cat thought Bloodpaw was called Tallwhisker. Only she and Mapleshade knew the truth. She was far better than an ordinary warrior.

Bloodpaw panted. Twisting onto her backside and plunging forward, a slash of unsheathed claws permitted her to time the rake perfectly and leave Mapleshade's belly torn.

Bloodpaw slid out and back off, smiling cruelly. "I did it!" she meowed triumphantly.

"Well done," Mapleshade praised. "Though you could have dug deeper into my belly. Don't be scared of dealing damage in battle. That's how you win." The calico thrust her muzzle forwards.

"When will I get my warrior name?" Bloodpaw asked. She wanted Mapleshade to give her the honour of being named like a true fighter.

Mapleshade raised her glance, amused. "Soon, mite," she promised. "But first, I have one more mission for you."

"What is it?" Bloodpaw pricked her ears easily.

Mapleshade unsheathed a long, blood-streaked claw. "Kill Darkfern and Streampoppy."

Silence.

Then Bloodpaw leapt onto Mapleshade's back, and fastened her claws in, nipping at the spine. "I won't let you make me kill my littermates!" she snarled, tightening her teeth on Mapleshade's scruff. Mapleshade wrestled to shake her off, and the two furiously were locked into fight. Bloodpaw clung on as much as she could, strength bunched in her muscles, but Mapleshade was cleverer, and rolled to the ground. Letting go, Bloodpaw slashed two paws with outstretched claws, and there was a *chink!* as her claws met Mapleshade's.

Eventually, Mapleshade dealed a hard blow to Bloodpaw's nose, slicing it open. Reeling back with lost focus, Bloodpaw lost focus for a heartbeat, and Mapleshade twisted to get her opponent pinned.

Bloodpaw trembled under Mapleshade. A snarl was perched on the calico's lips, the pure white fangs dripping with blood from bites glinting dangerously. She had obviously been enjoying the fight. But Mapleshade didn't look angry. Instead, she looked...amused.

"Well done!" she congratulated, her crooked smile cruel but satisfied, to Bloodpaw's surprise. "I see I have taught you well."

Bloodpaw was still in shock. "But- You- You know I can't kill my siblings!"

Mapleshade backed off, curling up on the pine-needle-strewn forest floor. "Aren't you angry at them?" she asked, curling her lips. "After still treating you like a kit for moons, rushing to your defence, thinking you're a weakling, still bagging all the glory when you know you're better than them?"

Bloodpaw's veins hardened at Mapleshade's cold words. "I am," she replied, her eyes darkening. Why did they think they had the right to act like parents to her? She could look after herself!

"Look here," Mapleshade growled, thrusting her dripping muzzle to Bloodpaw, who was still panting, exhausted and wounded from the fight. "What's the most important thing?" she asked meaningfully. "Being loyal to your Clan! You have such a great destiny, Bloodpaw! A destiny so great even the stars cannot imagine it! But they - they have the power to stop it! Streampoppy and Darkfern! You're better than them - you'd make a better deputy, better Clan leader! You have to fulfill your destiny! As long as your littermates are alive, they'll destroy you! The Clan still shuns you! They love Streampoppy and Darkfern, since they were originally the strongest! Streampoppy and Darkfern are spoiling your chances! They'll extinguish your flame. They're still getting all the glory. They'll stop you. As long as the Clan runs around them, your great destiny will never be achieved!.

Bloodpaw was nodding, although a little empty void was stabbing her heart. It made her feel...hollow. It was painful.

She pushed it aside.

She had to do her duty.

"So, Tallwhisker, what is it you wanted to talk to us about?"

It was a sunny day. The bright orb that was the sun sucked in all misery from the lush shores of RiverClan, and a bright, twittering morning resulted.

Bloodpaw had asked her siblings if they could talk in private. She led them to a clearing, her heart thudding. She had to do this.

She spun round to face Darkfern. Go on. Her ribcages were thumping as blood roared in her ears.

Don't be scared, soothed Mapleshade's rasp in her mind. Get revenge.

Bloodpaw let the cold words chill her heart.

"My name is not Tallwhisker," she blinked, a faint smile creasing her lips. "It's Bloodpaw. Bloodpaw, because I will feel your blood at my paws." She advanced menacingly onto her sister and brother.

"What?!" Streampoppy's eyes were bright with surprise as she reeled back. "Of course it is-"

But Bloodpaw had already leapt.

Soon, Streampoppy and Darkfern were struggling under her heavy grasp. Bloodpaw fastened her teeth into Streampoppy's scruff, and Darkfern was heavily held down by her paws.

"What's going on?!" he yelped. "Tallwhisker, stop it!"

But Bloodpaw had exhaleration roaring through her veins. She wouldn't give up this opportunity.

"You always got all the glory," she smiled weakly, her heart like frosted ice. She felt no regret. None at all. "Now it's time for you to suppress to my power."

And she still felt no regret as she raised her paw, and slashed both her sibling's throats open.

"Well done. I see I have taught you well."

That was Mapleshade. He crooked smile perched cruelly on her face. Her eyes glinting like stars in the darkness. "You deserve your warrior name."

Bloodpaw felt exhilarated. This was the moment. The sacred moment

"All strong, mighty cats, look down upon your Clanmate! She has thrived to understand the ways of your power, and has succeeded in becoming but the best with her endless skill, courage and determination! Now, she shall be known as Bloodclaw!"

Bloodclaw smiled. That same, cruel, crooked smile as Mapleshade's.

"Now, I will rule."