Warriors: The Savage Generation

By x. Winterstar

Prologue

A screech ripped through the camp. Many cats, their legs mottled with dark mud, scattered into the corners of the camp, hiding among the vines that formed the dens.

Two cats grappled in the middle of the clearing, one a dark, muscled tabby, the other a long-furred warm brown tom. The tabby had the advantage, with his long claws and broad shoulders. The smaller brown cat beneath him seemed to be losing, but a snarl was on his face as he fought for his life.

Wolfkit watched on from the safety and warmth of the nursery. Her green eyes were wide open, horrified at the gruesome scene that folded before her. The MudClan deputy, Elmclaw, had challenged Clan leader, Mudstar. Mudstar was an older cat, but still fierce.

Wolfkit's mother, a tortoiseshell cat named Splotchedpelt, watched over her kits and the battle with only slight interest. The nearly six-moon-old kits were rambunctious and looked for all sorts of excuses to escape the nursery, but even they were scared to step outside when it was pouring rain and two screeching, experienced warriors were out there fighting bloody tooth and claw. Wolfkit's brother Moorkit came over and gave his ginger sister's shoulder a lick. Wolfkit looked at him gratefully. Moorkit was her favourite of her two brothers. He blinked warmly at her.

Turning their attention back to the battle, Wolfkit mewled fearfully in horror. Elmclaw was on top of Mudstar, sinking his sharp teeth into the old cat's neck. Mudstar screeched in pain, writhing in attempt to throw his deputy off. The muscular tabby only drew in his jaws together faster. Blood began to wet Mudstar's neck fur. The sharp tang was so strong not even the rain could wash it away. The rock on the bottom of the stony ravine that formed the MudClan camp began to stain red. Some cats began to look bored; this was a natural occurrence between Clans. The Clan names were constantly changing as new leaders rose.

Elmclaw stood over the dead leader, raising his chin in defiance. He stood to face the majority of the Clan cats. Wolfkit shrunk back further into the den, bumping into her mother's soft underbelly. Her mother's gentle green-gold eyes cast warmth over Wolfkit, making her feel slightly braver. Elmclaw's dark mew came from the murky outdoors.

"I am leader now. This Clan is now known as ElmClan. The new deputy is Grassfoot."

Cats began to exit from their dens hesitantly, becoming braver as they realized that Elmclaw was not going to leap out and kill warriors that were braver than some. A pale brown tom with faint tabby markings padded slowly up to Elmclaw, whose fixed his amber gaze on the cat that approached him.

"Elmclaw, I am honoured to be your deputy. I shall serve you as long as I can, and I will never defy your leadership."

Elmclaw scraped his unusually long claws across the rock, leaving small gouges. He was growing impatient, wanting to get Mudstar's cold, hard body out of his camp. Wolfkit watched him, his dark eyes frowning.

"You better not. Get this out of my camp." He poked Mudstar's still body. Two elders hobbled forwards on stiff, wet limbs, and slowly carried him up the rocks and out of the camp.

Wolfkit tilted her small ginger head to the side in confusion, wondering why Mudstar was going away. She understood that he was dead, that he was with StarClan, but surely… didn't he have nine lives?

Wolfkit questioned her mother on this. Dampkit, her other sibling, opened his pale green-hazel eyes wide.

"Leaders only have nine lives in fairy tales! Even I knew that!" he hissed quietly, not wanting the intimidating Elmclaw to overhear him. Wolfkit shook her flame-coloured pelt, then turned back to the aftermath of the battle. The cats outside had started to chant over and over again. "Elmstar! Elmstar!"

The huge, long-clawed, dark tabby tom raised his head, enjoying his new power ranking and the attention he was getting. "Grassfoot. I need patrols organized, now."

"But Elmstar, surely it is-" Elmstar curled his lip in the beginning of a threatening snarl. "I mean, yes, Elmstar." The deputy dipped his head in respect and rounded up a group of warriors.

Wolfkit looked up to her mother, but her mother's dry green gaze was fixed on Elmstar, eyes huge and horrified. She hissed a few unfathomable words to herself. Her eyes flicked to her kits, and she shook her head.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Wolfkit asked.

Splotchedpelt licked a few quick strokes over the top of her daughter's head, purring reassuringly.

"Nothing, dear. Go to sleep now, it's late and you have a big day tomorrow."

Wolfkit was confused. "Big day?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat smiled. "It's Elmstar first day as leader tomorrow, and you want to look like a good kit in front of him so you can be an apprentice, right?"

Wolfkit nodded uncertainly, then peered back out into the wet gloom. The new leader was stalking to his den, his broad shoulders slick with rain. There was a nagging thought at the back of Wolfkit's head; a thought that Elmstar would not be as great of a leader as he seemed.