Hey :) so this is basically a reboot of my other story, IceClan. I felt like I could do a better job, so here we are. A bit of history, the four Clans mentioned below are: IceClan, FireClan, SunClan, and RockClan. Not the original four. This is completely AU. Anyway, they got attacked by BloodClan, pretty much the same way as in the books (contradicting my previous sentence). I'll kind of try to explain more as the need presents itself; for now I'll just say that Scourge is the only non-oc in this story, even though some others have the same names as actual Warriors characters, they are mine. Ravenwing, the main guy in this chapter, is the deputy of IceClan, the Clan that my story centers around. Mistyfur is his littermate, and the mother of Flamingstar's kits. The prologue is maybe a year or so before the rest of the story. Hope it is enjoyable and not too confusing :) Also, there be blood in this chapter. I warned you. Oh yeah, and the description is crappy because I had to trim it considerably from the original I wrote.
"We aim to purge this forest. Cleanse it with blood; the blood of you and yours. We will unite the remaining cats of all four Clans under myself, and together we will rule."
Claws slashed through fur and flesh, staining the ground crimson. Ravenwing ignored the cries of pain around him as cats fell to the earth, never to rise again. Most were his own comrades; others rogues that came to invade the forest under order from a bloodthirsty tyrant who called himself Scourge. Ravenwing could see why; although his warriors lacked discipline, they had nothing absent in the area of sheer brutality. All four Clans had united to face this new threat, although now it seemed for naught. He caught a glimpse of Flamingstar battling with a huge tortoiseshell she-cat, blood oozing from several critical wounds on his shoulders and back. One of the leader's eyes was torn out, in its place was a gaping hole and a stream of blood. Trying to perceive the pain he must be feeling, Ravenwing gritted his teeth. He ran over to where his sister, Mistyfur, lay panting on the ground, her eyes closed.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his torn dark form looming over her.
"Never better," she rasped in reply, heaving herself up. "But we are losing."
"What can we do? They are just too many."
Mistyfur wheezed and caught her breath.
"We can fight to the death, so they see that we will not be their mindless slaves. Or we could surrender, and condemn ourselves to a life of pain."
"There has to be a strategy we can figure out. What if we kill Scourge?"
His sister did not reply for along moment, eyes scanning the battlefield.
"You're right, it would make them scatter like mice. But that's not going to be easy."
"We can do it, you and me."
The she-cat flexed her claws and swished her tail.
"All right, let's go. I'll see you on the other side."
Ravenwing made to follow her, but a frenzied yowl caught his ear. Hawkpaw, a newly-named apprentice originally from Twolegplace, was pinned under the same angry tortoiseshell that had fought Flamingstar earlier. Where was Flamingstar, anyway? Ravenwing stifled a gasp as he saw the fiery pelt not far away, broken and motionless. He sprinted over to his leader, relieved when he opened green eyes and growled defiantly.
"Flamingstar, it's me," Ravenwing paused a few tail-lengths away, adopting a non-hostile stance. Flamingstar forced himself to stand up, and Ravenwing could see that it caused him a great deal of pain by the way he hissed through his teeth.
"Do you need me to fetch you a medicine cat?"
"No, don't bother. They only have...a limited amount of...herbs. Let them ease the pain...of those who will live."
Mistyfur joined the two toms, looking down worriedly.
"Both of you, go fight...I'll be fine."
Ravenwing and Mistyfur remained unconvinced as Flamingstar's chest convulsed violently and he spat out blood. Drawing in a shaky breath, the ginger tom rose to his full height and wavered. Flamingstar's next words drowned out the caterwauling around them, despite how quietly he spoke.
"I am going to die here today. Ravenwing, I believe the Clan will be safe and secure in your paws, and whomever you chose to succeed you. Mistyfur, take care of our kits. They will be great warriors one day, perhaps one of them even leader. Now, go fight, and see that my death will not be in vain. Retake the forest from these crowfood-eaters, in the name of StarClan and each noble warrior who fell today."
"I am not leaving you here to die alone," Mistyfur growled, with an undercurrent of grief in her words.
"Go fight...your leader commands it..." Flamingstar mumbled as he lay down, eyes beginning to glaze over.
"I'm going to defy his command, this one time," Mistyfur murmured, pressing her muzzle to his neck.
"We will meet again, my friend, in the eternal sky," Ravenwing added in a thin voice. Flamingstar's ribcage shuddered with a deep breath, and then stilled, blood pooling thickly around his body. Mistyfur lifted her head, a vengeful blaze in her deep hazel eyes instead of the sadness Ravenwing expected to mirror his own.
"I will find the cat that did this, and i will slay them in the most vile manner," his sister snarled. "But first, let's go take care of the Scourge."
They skirted a group of forest cats encircling three BloodClan rogues, hissing menacingly. Scourge was battling the IceClan warrior Cloudstorm and a SunClan she-cat Ravenwing did not recognize. Before they could reach him, Scourge dispatched the she-cat with a quick blow to the head; she would probably live, but would be unconscious for a good while. Next he forced Cloudstorm between two rogues, ensuring that there was no chance of escape.
"You take the tabby, I got the white one," Mistyfur directed, leaping at the cat she pinpointed. Ravenwing barreled into the tabby, giving Cloudstorm an opportunity to fight back. He wrestled the tabby into the bloody dirt, teeth and claws bared. At an agonized yowl, Ravenwing turned swiftly to see Cloudstorm stagger backwards and collapse into a heap. The tabby took advantage of this distraction and swiped his claws across Ravenwing's face, causing the tom to become blinded by his own blood. He flattened his ears and dove at the tabby, who darted to the side just in time. A pang of remorse struck Ravenwing as his vision cleared and he caught sight of Cloudstorm again. His body was covered in blood, clumps of white fur scattered around the clearing. The benevolent warrior was dead.
"This one's for Flamingstar!" Mistyfur's bitter outcry reached his ears, and he cringed at the sight of the white tom she was battling being sliced from neck to hind legs. The cat let out a terrified screech as blood spurted out, causing him to fall to the floor and gurgle feebly. Forgetting the tabby he was fighting, Ravenwing charged forward at Scourge, who was trying to catch his breath in the center of the fray. He let out a howl and landed square on Scourge's shoulders, sending the smaller cat sprawling into the dirt. Enraged, Scourge twisted to face Ravenwing, blue eyes glinting with malice. Before he could react, Scourge kicked him in the underbelly with both hind legs, causing Ravenwing to shift his weight. In a flash, Scourge was on his paws again, his gaze fixed on Ravenwing. Scourge prepared to leap into the air, but was intercepted by Mistyfur, who was seething with rage. Ravenwing felt a blinding pain slash up his spine, and turned in time to see a bloodied tortoiseshell pelt. The she-cat shifted her stance, blocking his attempt to attack Scourge again. Growling, Ravenwing lunged at her, knocking both of them into the ground with surprising force. Blood sprayed from fresh claw scratches that she inflicted on his neck as they rolled through the crowd, screeching and tearing at each other. Blood began to seep down into Ravenwing's eyes again, obscuring his vision. He lashed out blindly, striking flesh by pure luck and sending another fountain of blood into the air. Shaking his head to clear his vision, Ravenwing saw that he had struck her on the head, leaving deep marks perpendicular to her fur line.
"Your cats have not seen the last of me, forest feeder," the tortoiseshell promised darkly, amber eyes blazing with hatred. It seemed like slow motion as she knocked Ravenwing into the ground, ripping open his throat with her teeth. He gasped in shock as the pain numbed all emotion, his senses becoming dulled. The she-cat stepped back with blood dripping from her jaws and a look of satisfaction on her scarred face. Ravenwing's limbs were rendered useless as he tried to stand, and his hearing faded away. The tom's gaze shifted to where Mistyfur fought Scourge, in time to see her deliver the death blow. A cry went up as soon as the other cats realized what had happened, causing panic to ripple through the crowd. He was vaguely aware of Icywind, the medicine cat, and Silverpaw, who was bleeding badly, at his side. They were speaking his name, he could tell by looking at them, but he heard nothing. The deputy's eyes clouded over, his last thought the realization that they had won.