The Ranger

Disclaimer: For all of my many quirks, I am not an Erin Hunter. So I don't own any of this. Poo. I don't make any money off this either. Super poo.

Chapter 1: Peace and Terror

I was born into a world both peaceful and terrifying. Those two aspects seem to usually go hand in hand. The peace is enforced by terror, the fear of breaking the peace. Some cats might say that peace ruled by fear is no peace at all, but those cats generally don't live long. Either way, it wasn't really my concern. I was lucky and unlucky enough to be born into this world, so I had to survive with the way it was.

My very first memory is of my brother kicking me in the face. Not the best first memory, I know, but it makes for a great story starter when I give the details of my life to others. The story starts with me being born in a large brown box. It wasn't the nicest of boxes; when it rained the soft walls would be damp for days, and it usually smelled pretty terrible. I couldn't even claw at the thin walls. The one time I did, my mother scolded me so bad I never dared to ever unsheathe my claws in the box again.

"Your father didn't have to give us this nice place to stay," she would growl. "If you tear it up we won't be allowed to live here anymore."

I didn't particularly want to live there anyway. Plenty of other queens and kits lived outside of boxes. All you really needed to survive in this city was some sort of skill that made you valuable. Then someone would care for you.

Queens would be fed and protected, as they provided the kits, and later on would provide either more kits or pleasure for the high-ranking toms. The Guards protected all the cats in the city and were fed by the Hunters for it. In exchange, the Hunters were protected by the Guards. The Healers healed anyone sick or injured, and so were also useful. The Rangers took care of themselves for the most part, but still had the support of the rest of the group. The Leaders, of course, did whatever they wanted and got whatever they wanted. Really, the only useless cats are elders and those who aren't skilled enough for any group.

It was a surprisingly effective system, a hierarchy where everyone had a role to play. I was still only 3 moons old. I wouldn't start training until I was deemed strong enough by a Leader, most likely in a moons time.

Mother had already told me I'd end up a Guard or a Ranger. Apparently my small practice sessions with my siblings proved hunting wasn't my best skill, and I obviously wasn't Healer material. I was far too good at fighting for that, I always won in my practice fights.

Of the two, the Rangers sounded more appealing for me. They roamed beyond the city limits for days at a time, finding hunting spots and herbs for the Hunters to hunt and the Healers to collect. They were the ones who found threats, like new cats heading towards the city. It was far more interesting than being a Guard, who just kept the peace and were the muscle of the city cats.

It wasn't my choice though. It depends on whichever cat a Leader assigns to train me. It'll be to them that I prove myself and earn my place in the city.

All of this is dependant on whether or not I survive training, of course.

My mind was the first thing that woke up. It always is. My eyes flickered open only a short while later, blinking away the last remains of sleep. I stood up in my small nest, (established a good couple of mouse-lengths away from Mother's nest, of course. I was the most promising of the litter, and therefore had to be independent.) and shook, starting with slow movements of my head and ending with my entire pelt rippling. The same routine, every morning.

I softly padded out of the soggy box and into the slight drizzle, sitting down on the cold ground. If I listened, I could hear the dull roar of the monsters flying by on their Thunderpaths. After 4 moons of hearing them constantly, they faded to white noise, along with all the other city sounds.

My mind turned to the topic I was avoiding: A Leader was coming to judge my siblings and I today. One cat's judgment would decide if we were strong enough to join a group. Failure was not acceptable. A female would be sent to be used as a pleasure toy for the toms, while males would just be exiled or killed on the spot.

So, no pressure really. I'm good enough. I'm more than good enough. I'm strong. Stronger than other kits my age. I'm going to be a Ranger. The best Ranger. Or a Guard. Guards are important too. Either way, I'd come out on top.

But what if I mess up? If I blow my chance in front of a Leader, I'll be exiled for sure. No, wait, they'll just summon a Guard to kill me right then and there. Oh no, I'm going to fail! Today's the day I die. No, I need to run. I refuse to be defeated! Wait, the Rangers will find me if I run! Ohhhh, I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm going to die, I'm going to-

"Shadow?"

My panicked expression was gone in less than a second. I couldn't show weakness, not to anyone.

"You're up earlier than usual," I casually said, not giving any sign of my internal panic attack.

My sister, Feather, slowly stepped out into the light drizzle, her fuzzy gray pelt dampening instantly. She delicately sat down next to me and pressed her pelt to my sleek, pure black form.

"It's finally that day. Of course I can't sleep," she meowed simply, staring up at the cloudy sky.

I turned my head to look at her. "You have nothing to worry about. You'll make a fantastic Healer."

"And you'll be the best Ranger of them all," she met my eyes, her amber to my blue. "Of course, you're still needlessly worried too."

I sighed. She had always been too observant. Feather was unusually mature for a kit, we both were. It was what bound us together, made us so close. My two brothers, on the other paw... they were rockheads.

Speaking of the rockheads...

"Eeyaaah! Feel my fury!"

"When is a Hunter going to bring some prey? I'm starving!"

It seems like Fang and Breeze woke up as well. And as per usual, Fang immediately attacked the first thing he saw, (a dead leaf, in this case) while Breeze whined for food.

Mother trotted out after them, a nervous look on her face. Immediately, she spotted Feather and I.

"Feather! Shadow!" she called. "Get out of the rain and wash your pelts! Your father and a Leader will be here soon." She said nothing to my brothers. We were the ones of promise, she gave up on them a long time ago.

Feather rose and padded to Mother, inside the box and out of the rain, where Mother began smoothing her damp pelt. I washed my own pelt, still in the rain.

And we waited.

He arrived around sun-high, (even though we couldn't see the sun through the clouds and rain) with another Leader by his side. Surprisingly, a beautiful queen padded on Father's other side, with three kits obediently behind her. This was probably another one of his mates, making the kits my step siblings.

"Petal," Father purred, walking straight up to Mother and giving her a lick on the ear. She affectionately butted heads with him before turning to the other Leader.

"Lizard, may I introduce my kits: Fang, Feather, Breeze, and Shadow." She motioned with her tail to the spot she instructed us to be in. Feather and I were already there, our pelts smooth and clean, silently awaiting our judgment. Fang, hearing Mother's words, rushed over to us. I stifled a hiss as he bumped into me in his haste to sit.

Breeze, fool that he was, was asleep in the box.

I could practically sense the disapproval in Lizard and the queen's eyes. I was inwardly yowling with fury. Breeze was making us look bad.

Mother stood up to walk over to Breeze, but before she could, Lizard raised his tail.

"Let him sleep, Petal dear," he purred in a dangerous tone. Mother gulped and sat back down.

The other queen stepped forward. "May I introduce my kits, Coal, Puddle, and Turtle." The three kits were in a perfect line, their pelts smooth and their ears up, ready for judgment. They looked far better than we did, with one sibling unsubtly trying to wash his pelt and the other asleep.

I was already mentally burying us.

"Brought all your kits together for judgment then, eh Night?" Lizard said. "Works for me, makes it faster."

"Not all of them," Night rumbled, looking over us critically. "Snow's kit is still too small."

"Snow, now that's one fine piece of tail!" Lizard laughed, nudging Night. "Tell me, just how good is she at-"

"Perhaps not in front of the kits, Lizard," my father interrupted.

Lizard looked disappointed. I was relieved. I may be a tom, but it'll be many moons before I'm allotted a mate by a Leader, and until then, I don't care.

Lizard sighed and stood. "Hmmm, let's get this over with then."

The first one was Puddle. The brown tom sat still, looking up at the leader nervously. Fool. Never show fear.

Lizard looked at him for only a short while, a clear sign he wasn't impressed. He apparently couldn't find a reason to deny him though, because he grunted out: "Guard. Go find Rat."

Coal sparked a lot more of his interest. I could see why. The sandy colored tom already had muscles peeking out from under his pelt, and met the Leader's gaze evenly. Lizard circled the tom, poking him occasionally.

"Which is more dangerous: the claw or the fang?" he asked suddenly.

Coal closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them with determination. "Neither, it depends on the cat and how he uses them," he answered.

This answer obviously pleased Lizard. "You look for Screech. He'll make a fine fighter out of you."

Coal dipped his head in reverence as Lizard moved onto Turtle. The kit wasn't really anything impressive. Thin flanks, small stature, eyes trained on the ground.

"What are you good at, kit?" He finally asked, probably unable to find anything distinguishing about him.

"Can... can I be a Hunter, sir?" Turtle asked in a weedy voice. I expected Lizard to slash his throat then and there.

Lizard thought it over for several long moments. "Eh, maybe you'll toughen up. Splash will train you."

Fang went by quickly and was judged a Guard, like I expected. Feather took no time at all. As Lizard sat down in front of her, she raised her head and declared: "Healer."

Lizard grunted, told her to seek some cat named Mauler, (odd name for a Healer) and then it was my turn.

I was hyper aware of every strand of fur on his pelt, every drop of thin rain still occasionally falling, every beat of my heart.

Lizard sat. I was sitting. He sniffed the air for my scent. I sniffed for his. He looked into my eyes. I stared straight back.

It seemed to last forever. It wasn't the stare of a Leader judging a kit looking at me. For him, it wasn't the stare of an arrogant kit looking at him. It was an unexpected primal battle of wills and character. Neither of us could look away without admitting defeat.

I would not be beaten.

"Guard. Find Screech as well."

Five words decided my fate. Five short, simple words. It wasn't until I heard those words that I realized how much I wanted to be a Ranger.

I could feel Feather giving me a sympathetic look to my right. Of course she knew what I wanted before I did. She knew everything about me. At least she had gotten what she wanted.

"Gah!"

The shout of alarm came from the box, where Lizard had just not-so-nicely woken Breeze up. I continued to look forward, not daring to watch what was going on.

Lizard's voice was sickly sweet. "So, decided to sleep through judgment, eh?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," I heard my brother stutter out.

Fool. He should have grovelled, begged for forgiveness.

"Now that you're awake, Breeze, was it?" He questioned. I assumed my brother nodded instead of respectfully replying like he should have. "What do you want to be, Breeze?"

There was a pause. "I-I d-d-don't know, s-s-s-sir."

At that, all went silent. Lizard was silent. Breeze was silent. Fang was glancing desperately at Mother and Father, but they both stayed silent. The other queen's kits, Feather, and I were obediently silent.

It was a tough decision for Lizard. On one paw, this was another Leader's kit, and you never wanted to mess with a Leader's kits. On the other paw, this kit was a kit like Breeze...

"Hunter. Find Rain."

He came later that night. The night before we were all supposed to go find our teachers and begin training. For a few foolish moments, I had allowed myself to believe Breeze would become a Hunter.

"Who are you?" My mother asked from inside the box to the young tortoiseshell tom standing outside solemnly.

The tom dipped his head. "My name is Fuzz."

There was a bit of silence. I realized my mother didn't know what this was for. Her subconscious grief was deluding her.

Fuzz shuffled awkwardly before taking a deep breath and looking my mother in the eyes.

"Fuzz of the Guards."

There it was. That one awful moment where everything clicks, and you know whats about to happen. I feel Feather stiffen beside me as she realized. I knew from the beginning, the instant I saw the tom standing outside. No... I had counted my brother for dead since the moment Lizard said he was to be a Hunter.

"Which one is he?"

My mother, tail drooping, replied in this hollow, broken voice.

"Light gray pelt, wrestling with the bushy black tom." She indicated to where Breeze was tussling with Fang, both of them completely unaware of what was happening.

Fuzz softly padded inside the box. Mother shuffled away. Feather and I waited in one corner. We all watched as the Guard approached my unsuspecting brother.

"Hey little one!" Fuzz called out in a happy, cheerful tone. My brothers stopped their fight and faced him, innocent kit curiosity in their eyes.

Fuzz examined the light gray kit. "You're called Breeze, right?" At his nod, Fuzz continued. "My names Fuzz, cause of my bushy fuzzy pelt. Mom had a sense of humor."

That sent both kits into fits of giggling. The rest of us weren't amused at all.

"Anyways, Breeze, a very important cat wants to meet you," Fuzz said excitedly.

Breeze was taken aback. "Why would someone want to meet me? Why not Shadow or Feather?"

Fuzz grinned at him. "Because, little kitten, you're special. Lizard saw something in you during your judgment."

What Fuzz didn't say was what we were all thinking. Lizard saw weakness.

I watched as my brother happily followed the young Guard, who's cheerful facade dropped the moment Breeze couldn't see his face. I watched the pair until they rounded the corner and I couldn't see them anymore.

But I could hear them. I heard my brother's excited babbling and Fuzz's dull responses. I heard when they stopped, just a tiny bit away from the box.

I heard my brother's innocent meow ask what Fuzz was doing. I heard the beginnings of a shriek of fear until it was cut off abruptly and replaced with a choked gurgling sound. The thud of a small body hitting the ground.

Then I smelt the blood, and I knew my brother was dead.

AN 1: Any questions, feel free to leave a review or PM me.

AN 2: ^^^ Review or PM me anyways. :P