Summary: After a ruthless combined attack from all three Clans, ThunderClan has been destroyed. Their leader, deputy, and medicine cat have been brutalized in front of their own warriors, and even their kits have been massacred. Only six members of the Clan remain – five warriors and an apprentice. The group is split up and imprisoned as slaves within the other three Clans, forced to work for their captors. The past haunts them, and the future looks bleak; however, all is not yet lost. After all, not everyone supported the attack…
[adopted from Claudaujay]
A/N: So, as stated above, this fanfiction was originally written by the fantastic author Claudaujay. However, he didn't feel that he could finish the fic himself as it had become a very large and time-consuming undertaking, so he allowed me to adopt the story from him and continue writing in his place so that it doesn't go unfinished. Just about all of the ideas for characters and plot in this story belong to Claudaujay, I'm simply writing them out! I'll begin by reposting the chapters he has already written (with Claudaujay's permission, of course), which may take some time, but afterward I'll start posting the chapters I am currently in the process of writing to continue this fanfic until the very end.
-CCM
SLAVES
PROLOGUE
A bright shaft of sunlight filtered in through the entrance to the medicine cat's den, illuminating its shadowy interior. Willowflight turned over in her nest, her eyes screwed tightly shut. She had woken up before the first signs of dawn had shone through the lichen entrance, but she still felt exhausted after the previous day. One of ThunderClan's patrols had been attacked while they were patrolling the ShadowClan border, which of course, meant work for her.
The she-cat shifted over onto her side and breathed in deeply, inhaling the comfortingly familiar scents of the medicine cat den. Greenleaf was in full swing, and her herb store was stocked full of freshly picked herbs from the thriving forest. Even catmint was growing in abundance, and despite the seemingly constant threat from the other Clans, ThunderClan's morale was at an all-time high due to the plentiful flow of prey in the forest.
Willowflight opened her right eye a little, before snapping it closed again. The sun was bright, and somewhat harsh compared to the bitter chill that filled the air. Willowflight was taken aback by how cold it was; she'd grown accustomed to the usual sweltering heat and dryness of the greenleaf days previously. But now that she'd opened her eyes, it was pointless to wait for her exhaustion to lull her back to sleep. Slowly, she blinked and sat up in her nest, yawning loudly.
As she did so, another scent became apparent amongst the usual aroma of herbs in her den. The now faint, but ever present, scent of blood. She turned her head toward the shape of Eaglefang, huddled up in the corner of the den. His usual short, tawny brown fur was matted and ruffled; a few nasty-looking wounds that would soon be scars writhed like snakes down his flank, covered in cobwebs. He had taken the brunt of the attack from the ShadowClan patrol, and he was still weak after his injuries. Willowflight had told him to stay in the medicine cat den with her so she could supervise his recovery.
Slowly, she padded forward, making sure not to disturb the quietly sleeping tomcat from his slumber. She inspected his wounds – the poultice she'd used yesterday seemed to have worked effectively. The bleeding had stopped due to the cobwebs and the marigold ensured that none of the wounds would get infected. Eaglefang shifted in his sleep uncomfortably as she sniffed over his pelt, before raising her head and backing away.
The medicine cat sighed. It seemed to her that not only ShadowClan, but every Clan was against them at the moment, although she wasn't sure why. ThunderClan had kept to themselves over the course of the season. They hadn't intruded or involved themselves in any of the other Clan's personal affairs, as they'd often been criticized of doing in the past. So why did they all seem hostile? She recalled her last visit to the Gathering, a few sunrises ago. Her fellow medicine cats had certainly seemed a little… wary of her. The ShadowClan medicine cat, Pinefeather, especially.
She shook her head, emptying her mind of the unsettling thoughts, and ducked out of the medicine cat den into the camp clearing. Only a few warriors had already woken up. Many were dozing by the fresh-kill pile in the early morning sun, waiting for the deputy of the Clan, Beechfoot, to organize the dawn patrol. Willowflight's eyes came to settle upon a pale white she-cat seated below the Highledge. The she-cat smiled brightly and beckoned Willowflight over with her tail. She purred, padding over and settling down beside the warrior.
'Hi, Palewhisper,' Willowflight mewed cheerily, resting her tail neatly across her paws. 'Get a good night's sleep?'
"Yeah,' the other she-cat replied, shrugging, before turning her head to look up at the leader's den. 'Those poppy seeds you gave me really helped.'
Palewhisper had been one of the cats on the patrol that had been attacked yesterday. She'd escaped without any major injuries, but hadn't been able to relax after seeing how badly Eaglefang had gotten hurt. Willowflight had resorted to using herbs to try and get her to sleep. Palewhisper had never told anyone but Willowflight, but she'd had a crush on Eaglefang since they were apprentices, although the oblivious tom paid little to no attention to her.
Palewhisper turned back to her, her blue eyes full of concern. 'Eaglefang's going to be okay, right?' She hesitated. 'He's not injured too badly?'
Willowflight's whiskers twitched playfully. 'Oh no!' she meowed teasingly. 'He'll be up and moving again in no time. After all, nothing could bring down the most handsome tom in ThunderClan, right Palewhisper?'
The she-cat sighed dreamily. 'Isn't he just…'
Willowflight rolled her eyes. Personally, she didn't see what her best friend saw in the tom. Sure, he was a good, strong warrior, but he'd never seemed anything more than that to the medicine cat.
Her whiskers twitched. 'Are you hungry?' she asked, gesturing toward the fresh-kill pile.
Palewhisper shook her head. 'I've already eaten, but you can go and grab something.'
Willowflight nodded, before rising to her paws and shaking herself. 'I might just.' The medicine cat turned around to leave, the stopped abruptly. 'Oh, I almost forgot!' she exclaimed. 'Skystar asked to speak to you yesterday, but I didn't get around to telling you.'
Palewhisper's eyes widened in surprise. 'Really? What about?'
Willowflight shrugged. 'I'm not sure. Maybe she just wants to see you.'
Skystar was Palewhisper's mother, and obviously so, at that. The two she-cats were spitting images of each other, with the same short white fur and glistening blue eyes. Though despite their strong physical resemblance, in personality they couldn't have been more different. Skystar was a very strong, authoritative leader, whereas Palewhisper was shy and reserved, and hated being the center of attention.
Palewhisper glanced at her paws. 'I guess,' she murmured, before rising to her feet. 'Alright. I'll go and see her right away.'
Willowflight watched curiously as Palewhisper padded up to the top of the Highledge, before ducking under the lichen and into the leader's den. Palewhisper had always had a difficult relationship with her mother. Her father had died in a battle when she was only three moons old, and since then, Skystar had never really been the same. Palewhisper had always strived to impress her, but her mother showed only cold indifference toward her calm determination. Willowflight felt a sudden burst of pity for her friend; she herself had never experienced such problems with her own parents.
Most of the ThunderClan warriors had emerged from their dens by the time Beechfoot finally showed himself. Willowflight padded back to her den and lingered outside as the jet-black deputy announced the morning's patrols. The medicine cat watched as the chosen cats darted out of camp and into the lush, green forest. Secretly, she prayed to StarClan that they didn't encounter any more trouble with the other Clans. She didn't want to have to treat any more cats with carelessly acquired injuries.
Speaking of injured cats, Willowflight thought, flicking her tail and ducking back into the medicine cat's den. Eaglefang looked up from his nest when she did so. His tawny brown fur was still very ruffled by his wounds, but the flair that usually remained in his eyes had returned. The tom blinked, before cricking his neck and stretching out.
'Morning, Eaglefang,' Willowflight mewed politely, padding forward until she was standing beside him. 'How are your wounds feeling today?'
'Better,' he grunted, before sitting up onto his haunches. The tom winced, his muscles aching under the pressure.
Willowflight shook her head. 'Don't try and put your body through anything too stressful until later today,' she warned. 'You might reopen your wounds.'
Eaglefang nodded absently, staring at the entrance to the den.
Willowflight nudged him. 'Don't worry,' she told him reassuringly. 'You'll be up and about in no time.'
The tom shook his head, before finally meeting Willowflight's gaze. There was a grave look in his deep amber eyes. 'It's not that…' He hesitated.
'Go on,' the medicine cat prompted.
'It's just… I'm worried about all of the other Clans' hostility at the moment, especially after what happened yesterday,' he confessed, before looking away and breaking eye contact. 'ShadowClan's attack was completely unprovoked. We were just patrolling the border, for StarClan's sake! And yet they felt the need to ambush us, without even justifying themselves. It's as if we've done something wrong, at least in their eyes.'
For a moment, Willowflight didn't know what to say. Eaglefang had voiced her own exact fears. 'It's just ShadowClan being ShadowClan,' she murmured, trying to sound confident, although even she could detect the bitter uncertainty in her own voice. 'They've always made a habit of trying to unsettle us. This is no different.'
'But in greenleaf?' Eaglefang retorted. 'Not even ShadowClan purposefully tries to stir up trouble in the heart of greenleaf.'
The she-cat shrugged. 'Maybe they're just trying to make their mark,' she suggested. 'Ravenstar was only appointed leader a moon ago. It's natural for him to try and impose himself on the lake.'
'Well, then how do you explain the hostility of the other Clans, as well?' Eaglefang challenged. 'A few sunrises ago, my apprentice, Aspenpaw, caught a rabbit that had wandered onto our territory. He never crossed the border or anything. But one of WindClan's patrols saw him – and he said they nearly chased him back onto ThunderClan's land!'
Willowflight stared at him, completely lost for words. Eaglefang spoke with the kind of persuasive conviction that only leaders possessed, and she had no idea how to respond to his charisma. The medicine cat opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Eaglefang sniffed, before licking down the fur on his chest with a few smooth strokes of his tongue. 'I thought so.'
Willowflight shook herself self-consciously. 'You know, maybe it would be good to speak to Skystar about what you think,' she suggested. 'She could bring it up at the next Gathering an-'
Suddenly, a brilliant white light flashed in front of Willowflight's vision. She gasped, screwing her eyes tightly shut. For a few moments, she was completely blinded, until the stage subsided and she was left with only a harsh glow burning around the edges of her vision. Willowflight looked around, but she still couldn't see a thing. Is this StarClan? she thought.
The blurry light remained prominent for a few moments, before it finally began to fade away… or rather, transform. Something red edged into the scene taking place in front of her, along with a constant streak of black. The vision kept on changing and morphing, until it eventually settled and her sight cleared.
And what Willowflight now saw before her struck her with horror.
It was the ThunderClan camp clearing. Everything was there. The leader's den up on the Highledge, the medicine cat den, the fresh-kill pile – but one aspect was terrifyingly different. The high, stony walls of the camp were drenched in thick scarlet blood. It dripped down to the floor, seeping its way across the clearing and out into the forest, staining the ground a sickly crimson. Willowflight tried to back away, but she couldn't. Her limbs were paralyzed with fear.
And then, the blood began to shift. Twisting and turning in and out, rising from the deep red liquid, something began to take shape. Willowflight realized with a jolt what was being created. Cats. One for every cat in her Clan. She recognized all of them. Beechfoot, Skystar, and –
Even herself.
Suddenly, from the group of blood-drenched warriors, out stepped one much larger than the others. Willowflight didn't recognize it, and her heart swelled with fear, but she still couldn't move. She watched as the cat approached, nearer and nearer, with the deliberate intent of a hunter to its prey; until finally, it stopped right in front of her face.
For a few moments, there was only silence. Then the strange cat's jaws widened, and it began to wail.
'The past is drenched in blood, but the future is pale as light…'
Willowflight barely had a moment to process the cat's ominous words before the vision abruptly began to fade. The blood seeped away into nothingness, and the surreality of the camp clearing disappeared with it. The she-cat felt as though she were falling into an abyss, too dark and too terrible for a cat to even imagine. She closed her eyes, waiting for the darkness to consume her.
'Willowflight?'
All she could feel was an intense, aching despair –
'Willowflight?!"
And a future as bleak and harsh as the coldest night of leafbare –
'WILLOWFLIGHT!'
The she-cat's eyes jolted open. She was back in the medicine cat den. The usual smell of herbs wafted back into her nostrils. The horrifying vision had passed. She was safe.
'Willowflight?' Eaglefang's shocked voice echoed through the den. 'Are you alright? What happened?'
The tom was standing over her, his face filled with concern. Willowflight realized that she must have fainted. She was lying on the floor, facing the cold stone ceiling of the den.
The medicine cat coughed. 'I'm fine,' she rasped. Her breathing was shallow and erratic.
'Are you sure?' Eaglefang asked worriedly.
Willowflight didn't answer. Her mind was still spinning from the prophecy she had just been given. All she could see and hear was the cat in front of her, and its strange, enigmatic words. The past is drenched in blood, but the future is pale as light.
Slowly, she began to get back to her paws. The she-cat winced, her muscles screaming in protest. One side of her head throbbed angrily. She must've hit it on the rocks when she fell down.
'Can I help you?' Eaglefang questioned as she did so. 'Should I fetch someone to help?'
'I'm fine!' Willowflight snapped, turning ferociously on the tom. 'I just need some–' She paused. 'I just need some fresh air.'
And with that, the medicine cat turned, ignoring the stinging pain in her head, and dashed out of the den. She heard Eaglefang's shocked voice calling out after her, but she ignored him, screwing her eyes tightly shut. A few cats glanced up, surprised, as she ran through the camp and out into the forest, but no one protested. She was glad they didn't.
The forest passed in a blur as she ran. All of her senses were numbed by panic and confusion. Willowflight had never experienced a prophecy as dark and foreboding as this one. What does it all mean? she thought wildly. Why were all my Clanmates covered in blood?
When she finally came to a halt, she no longer recognized the thick, dense undergrowth that surrounded her. She had stopped in the shadow of a large oak tree, standing proud and tall over all the other trees nearby. The medicine cat had never gone so far away from camp before. For a moment, she wondered whether she'd accidentally crossed the ShadowClan border, but swiftly passed off the thought. She would've been able to smell the pine forest if she had.
Willowflight sighed, slumping down onto her haunches with her shoulders hunched over, shivering silently. She may not have understood the mysterious omen's full meaning, but she knew that all the blood and darkness could only signify one thing. Destruction, and the death of many. 'But who will die, and what will be destroyed?' Willowflight muttered under her breath.
Suddenly, a terrible thought entered her mind. What if every cat I saw in the clearing will die?
Willowflight's eyes widened in horror. That would've meant nearly all the cats of ThunderClan. Skystar, Beechfoot, the kits and queens...
At this thought, the medicine cat shook her head in denial. No! she thought. It can't be! The death of so many cats would mean the end of ThunderClan; StarClan wouldn't let that happen. Would they?
Such awful thoughts made Willowflight's head hurt even more. She wouldn't believe it. In fact, she couldn't believe it. There have always been four Clans beside the lake, she reasoned with herself desperately. Why would StarClan want that to change now? The she-cat remembered what Eaglefang had confessed to her earlier. About the hostility of the other Clans. Could that be related to the prophecy?
Willowflight clenched her paws together, trying to convince herself. No. StarClan can't be foretelling the end of ThunderClan. It has to be something else.
But if it wasn't that, then what was it?
Slowly, the she-cat got back up to her paws, trying to ignore the fear that coursed through her veins. She attempted to shove the unwelcome thoughts away, but no matter how hard she tried, they remained at the back of her mind, bothering her. Willowflight glanced up at the sky, searching for any sign of her warrior ancestors. The burning sun gave her nothing in return.
After a moment's pause, she decided there was no point in staying out in the forest like this any longer. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she turned back in the direction she had come, and slowly headed back to camp.
ALLEGIANCES
ShadowClan
Leader:
Ravenstar – Black tomcat with icy blue eyes.
Deputy:
Emberheart – Bright ginger tom with green eyes.
Medicine Cat:
Pinefeather – Grey tabby tom with dark yellow eyes.
Warriors:
Nightwhisper – Black tomcat with yellow eyes. Brother of Ravenstar.
Bonefur – Large white tom with blue eyes.
Duskwing – Russet colored she-cat with dirty yellow eyes.
Badgertail – Black and white tom with hazel eyes and a long tail.
Addertooth – Mottled brown tom with green eyes.
Cedarheart – Light grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes.
Whitepool – Attractive white tabby she-cat.
Apprentices:
Wolfpaw – Greyish white tom. Apprentice of Addertooth.
Tanglepaw – Dark ginger tom with a messy tangled pelt. Apprentice of Duskwing.
Queens:
Poppycloud – Pretty calico she-cat. Mate of Badgertail.
Ivynose – Very dark grey she-cat.
Elders:
Mudeyes – Muddy brown tom.
ShadowClan Slaves:
Smoketalon – Jet-black tomcat with bright amber eyes.
Aspenpaw – Grey tomcat with amber eyes.
o0o0o
RiverClan
Leader:
Streamstar – Attractive grey tabby she-cat.
Deputy:
Shellstorm – Huge grey tom with blue eyes.
Medicine Cat:
Minnowdusk – Brown she-cat with hazel eyes.
Warriors:
Reedshade – Pretty brown and white patched she-cat with blue eyes.
Beetlenose – Black tom with pale green eyes.
Dappleheart – Gentle dappled she-cat.
Eelscratch – Lithe grey tom with amber eyes.
Rowanleap – Ginger tom.
Lilypelt – Bulky brown she-cat with yellow eyes.
Apprentices:
Troutpaw – Very dark grey tom. Apprentice of Beetlenose.
Spottypaw – Spotted she-cat. Apprentice of Eelscratch.
Queens:
Robinsplash – Tabby grey she-cat.
Elders:
Oakfrost – Elderly brown tom.
Fernstep – White she-cat with green eyes.
RiverClan Slaves:
Sageclaw – Brown and white tabby tom with green eyes.
Foxflame – Dark ginger she-cat with musty yellow eyes.
o0o0o
WindClan
Leader:
Gorsestar – Shrewd brown tabby tom.
Deputy:
Sandpelt – Yellow she-cat with green eyes.
Medicine Cat:
Ryesong – Small, dark brown, almost black, she-cat.
Warriors:
Harestoop – Brown tom.
Slatefrost – Greyish tomcat with amber eyes.
Cloudstreak – White tabby she-cat.
Morningflight – Distinctive olive colored she-cat.
Thrushstrike – Burly tabby tomcat.
Dawnheart – Black and white she-cat with a stripe on her nose.
Apprentices:
Owlpaw – Brown tom. Apprentice of Thrushstrike.
Doepaw – White she-cat with streaks of grey on her pelt. Apprentice of Dawnheart.
Queens:
Leafcall – Brown and white she-cat with hazel eyes.
Elders:
Chivedash – Long and slender she-cat.
Branchfur - Elderly brown tabby tom.
WindClan Slaves:
Eaglefang – Tawny brown tabby tomcat with sharp amber eyes.
Palewhisper – Pale white she-cat with blue eyes.
o0o0o
ThunderClan (Before Attack)
Leader:
Skystar – White she-cat with sky blue eyes. Mother of Palewhisper.
Deputy:
Beechfoot – Black tabby tom. Brother of Smoketalon.
Medicine Cat:
Willowflight – Small, light brown she-cat.
[prologue and allegiances originally written by Claudaujay]