Prologue: Melting Shadows
Shadows flew across the forest floor, quick and quiet, melting into the background, disappearing into darkness. The pitch-black shadows of the new moon concealed all of us, from the prying eyes of the other cats that hunt here.
Their strange life-filled colorful eyes cannot pierce through darkness like mine. Shinning with green, yellow, and brown: like leaves, sun, and bark. As for us, only the lifeless gray filled our hungry eyes.
The life-filled cats cannot see the creatures that lurked outside of their home, stalking them like the prey they are, for they are soft. These cats are nothing but a bunch of wild, soft kittypets hunting in a forest soon to be ours.
Here, under the canopy of the forest trees, I waited, like so many others beside me, for a signal. With one small flick of a tail, or twitch of whisker, one heartbeat away, we will be alive again. Claws stretched and teeth bared, us band of rogues shall let our spirits leap forward from the shadows, and begin our hunt.
Murder shined gluttonously in my eyes, for I was the one looking forward to this the most.
I could feel my shoulders tense, ready to sink my claws into fur, impatient to kill. Curling my lips back, I took a daring step forward. Instantly a cat stepped in front of me, this tom was bigger than I by four mouse-lengths was. His teeth and claws were longer, and his muscles had the strength to overpower my feeble attempt to fight.
The leader stepped in front of me and raised his tail, at the same time erecting his ears toward the black night. He was trying to intimidate me. His cold, soulless gray eyes bored into me, as I stayed still, not showing any sign of respect. Finally, I looked away and he padded forward.
For a moment, all was silent. The songs of the singing cricket subsided, the wind slowed, and even the lake's ripples became distant. All of this occurred for one reason…
Our leader had raised his head toward the stars; his powerful ice-gray eyes were glowing with blood lust, for in mere seconds we shall run forward, destroying everything that our claws touch, until nothing else can be torn.
Our claws will soon demolish even the spirits of our prey.
All of the cats behind us looked up; the dim starlight flickered off their eyes in excitement. Some unsheathed their claws, and others bore their teeth.
I watched my leader, envy growing endlessly in my heart. He had come to my Pride of felines, beat me, taken my fighters, and with that forming them into this feared group known as a Pack.
As for now, I wait with the others, just like one of them: worthless.
I have Opsa's eyes, yet he is leader; he stole the title from me.
My fur prickled with this thought, lips curling back into a disgusted snarl as he gave out the signal I should be giving. With a single flick of his tail, every cat from my Pride slipped out from the protection of the forest and dashed forward. I followed, for even though I am just as worthless as they are, I am still in control.
Ahead, two cats and a pile of thorns protected a small hollow, where this newly found Clan had settled. This pathetic excuse for protection was not going to hold us back. "Lure!" The leader snarled, gray fur bristled, his teeth gleaming in the darkness.
The moment he said my name, I blinked to use my power, the ability to see the future of another, read the minds and thoughts of any animal.
Even better…
To see if they will die.
It took only one second, one moment of my life, to end another. I felt my body curl in delight of this powerful feeling, for I had seen what I wanted, and lunged.
Inhaling deeply, I pried my jaws into a horrific caterwaul before slashing this cat's throat open. The scent, noise, everything sent my nerves pulsing for more as this cat choked for life, that was beyond paw's reach. I watched for a moment, seeing the life fade away, with every heartbeat its eyes became darker.
A screech erupted from the rage-filled cat beside me. He had seen his Clanmate die by my paws and planned to avenge him; I had already seen what he was about to do. With power, excitement, and life still pulsing powerfully in my veins, I leaped before he could gather his strength. With a flash of claws, a splatter of blood, the tom fell and the pack launched their attack.
The eerily silent night suddenly filled with noise: yowls of fear, terror, and even death. I prowled in last, after seeing that both cats were dead, to watch my old Pride destroy this Clan. I sneered gleefully as I watch blood flow; cats fall. Only the strongest will live to join his Pack.
My job to this Pack was to find the leader, and destroy him for our own leader to take place. I looked above to see him watching us, waiting for the death.
Suddenly, I spotted their leader.
As quick as an adder I swerved through the fight, until I was face to face with this she-cat. We stared at each other for a moment, like old rivals; her eyes were shinning with confidence, as mine with blood lust. The fighting seemed to slow as they all tried to fight, and watch at the same time, ready to attack if either needs help.
She leaped.
I lashed my claws at the oncoming attacker. Long claws pulled apart the skin under her fur as easily as though she were a mouse. That was what this leader would soon be: a mouse under my paw, unable to escape certain death.
When my claws cut open her shoulder, after the blood had touched the ground, the leader's eyes changed. She was not confident anymore, but bold. The torn fur and the raw wound would not let her be defeated so easily. She opened her jaws to let lose a wild caterwaul of rage before leaping at me again.
Arching my back in a stance she had never seen before, I quickly leaped above her. Grasping my teeth around her scruff, I pinned her into the dirt. I felt the blood swell in my mouth as I bit deeper into the back of her neck, making her open her jaws in a silent yowl.
Then, she stopped moving.
The silence and stillness of this cat marked her death. Now my leader was to control this Clan of cats.
Spitting out the blood and fur, I turned toward the gathered cats that had stopped fighting. With a spit, I snarled and slashed at the remaining Clan cats to stay, for my leader had come forward to confront them, his gray and black patched fur had laid flat in approval of my kill.
"What is this Clan called?" He scowled as I nudged the dead body on the ground, seeing if she would arise again, a power only I have.
A tom had answered saying, "ThunderClan."
"We will not be called ThunderClan anymore," the black and gray tom snarled. His tail lashed out, whipping like an adder striking its prey. His claws unsheathed menacingly. "We shall be known as the Pack of Snag and Lure. I am your new leader and she is your second in command, or deputy as Clan's say. You will refer to me as Snag, and she is Lure."
I growled softly, for Lure was my pack name. I hated it more than this dead cat before me. Snag had changed my name when he won my pack.
My mark is Lure, but my name is Snow.
