CHAPTER TWENTY
Claws scraped across bare ground. It was early morning.
Soot blearily opened his eyes to find his nest empty. His brother and sister were gone, along with his mother. Not that he didn't mind the emptiness of his nest. He preferred being alone from the constant arguments shared between Mist and Crag.
They'd been living on the streets for what felt like moons. His mother, Frost, had found a warm place for them to live. Meanwhile the rogues were gathering in numbers. His father, Storm, was second in command for these rogues.
Carefully, Soot stretched out of his nest and looked for signs of his family. Knowing Crag and Mist, they were playing near the edge of the forest. Going into the forest was forbidden by the leader himself. According to legend, ghosts of the past haunted the forest and killed anyone that got too far.
"We move tomorrow at dawn." Soot's ears pricked forward when he recognized his father's voice. He peered around the corner and saw that Storm had his gang gathered around an alley. To his surprise, Frost wasn't with the small group. "By this time tomorrow, we will be the most powerful gang in the city."
Yowls of agreement followed Storm's words. Soot felt a shiver run down his spine. His father, ruler of the city. He couldn't imagine a better triumph. But something seemed off by the way Storm acted. He'd never talked about taking over the city around Frost. In fact he rarely spoke about his battle plans around Frost or her kits.
"What are you doing here?" Soot nearly leaped out of his fur when he was pried away from his hiding place. He whirled around to see that Frost was staring at him in alarm. "Did any of those cats hurt you?" she demanded after giving his flank a few sniffs.
"Mom, I'm fine," Soot hissed in frustration. "I can take care of myself!"
Worry clouded Frost's eyes as she watched him. Before she could say anything, Storm rounded the corner and noticed them.
"My son has the attitude of a fighter," he purred. "You will be joining us in the battle," he added after giving Soot a thoughtful look.
"No," Frost growled.
"Sooner or later our kits will face their first battle," Storm snapped. "And the sooner they learn the harsh reality of life, the better."
Frost stared at Storm in alarm. "But they are not old enough!" she retorted. Desperation was evident in her voice. Soot felt his fur bristling slightly. He was old enough to know which areas of the city he could and couldn't go near.
Before Frost could say anything else, Storm lunged forward and pinned her to the ground. A paw was placed on her neck as he glared down at her coldly.
"Do not ever disobey my orders," he snarled. "I may have chosen you as my mate, but that does not spare you from my laws."
Panic showed within Frost's eyes. Soot felt as though he was glued to the spot. Storm was treating his mother so cruelly. Why did he have to threaten her when they were in love? Soot had never seen this side of Storm, and he never wanted to see this side again.
Storm slowly let her up again. Frost was struggling not to glare at him in order to avoid getting clawed again. She didn't want her son to watch this. She didn't want him to realize how violent his father really was. But she couldn't keep the truth away for long. Sooner or later her kits would discover who their father really was.
"We will attack at dawn," Storm instructed after looking down at Soot. "I expect you to be up before that time."
The young kit could only nod in agreement. His tongue felt dry as he followed Frost to their nest. Crag and Mist were already back. They were playing 'catch the mouse', with Mist being the mouse this time. Soot couldn't bring himself to join their game. His thoughts were too focused on the battle that would happen tomorrow.
"Try and get some rest," Frost told him after noticing how quiet he was. "You will need it."
"Mommy, why is Soot so quiet?" Mist finally asked when their game was finished.
"Hush," Frost scolded her. "You should all get some rest."
The three kits curled up beside their mother. Crag and Mist were oblivious to the battle approaching. Soot felt his eyes growing heavy as he thought more and more about it. His first battle! And he was more than ready for it.
. . .
Dawn had approached all too quickly for the three kits. Soot was already wide awake when Crag and Mist finally woke up. Frost had slipped off to go hunting while waiting for Storm to arrive. Soot washed the back of his paw as he prepared himself for the fight to come.
Finally, after what felt like moons, Storm approached them. Standing beside him was a large dark tabby tom with pale yellow eyes. The tabby was looking down at Mist with a sly grin. Mist crouched down beside Crag, pelt bristling slightly.
"Today you will all fight in your first battle," Storm explained. "I expect you all to come out victorious. If you fail, you know what will happen." He glanced at the dark tabby, whose eyes flashed with malice. Soot felt a shudder run down his spine. He didn't want to know what Storm meant by that.
"We are ready," Frost murmured after joining them. Her head was bowed as she refused to meet Storm's piercing gaze. Storm's eyes glowed with what Soot thought was pride.
"Good, let's get started." Storm flicked his tail and turned around, leading the way. Soot felt his shoulders burn with anticipation and anxiety. He glanced at Crag and Mist to see what they were thinking of this whole idea. Mist's eyes clouded with worry while Crag's claws were sheathing and unsheathing.
We're nothing alike, Soot realized when they reached the meeting area. Crag was much bigger than him, and possibly the dumbest cat he'd ever met. Mist on the other paw was smaller and quick to act above her mind. She didn't know the difference between right and wrong. But Soot knew that it was wrong to kill. He didn't like the idea of killing other cats. And this was what Storm was expecting them all to do.
Cats of all sizes and ages were gathered in the alley. Soot noticed that most of them bore the scars of battle. One she-cat had an ugly scar running from her muzzle to her left eye. Another was missing part of their ear. Shudders ran down Soot's spine as he sat beside his mother and sister. These cats could kill if they wanted to. And he knew that they had killed before.
"Cats of the alleys, we are gathered here this morning to take over the smallest gang in the city!" Storm cried. Yowls of encouragement followed his chilling words. "Those who resist will be killed. And those who agree to join us will understand the glory of my goal: To unite the gangs under one leader!"
With those final words, Storm began leading the way. Soot braced himself for the oncoming sounds of battle. But to his surprise, as they reached enemy territory, the streets remained oddly empty and silent. Soot looked around warily and noticed that the battle-scarred she-cat had launched herself at the first cat she spotted. A small, gangly looking kit that had wound up at the wrong place at the wrong time.
He forced himself to look away when the she-cat tore her claws down the kit's neck. Storm was facing two cats at once. He twisted around and snapped his teeth onto the ear of a tabby she-cat. The dark gray tom he faced tried fighting back, only to feel stinging claws down his muzzle.
"Soot, get away from there!" It was too late. Soot felt his teeth grind together when claws dragged down his back. A large dark orange tom had found him. His green eyes were dark with malice as he towered over Soot. He grabbed Soot by the tail and threw the young kit across the gravel. Pain seared through Soot when he landed on the ground with a soft thud. The tom didn't have a chance to attack again as Frost dragged him off of Soot.
Frost glared at the tom with pure hatred. Soot had never seen such a glare from his mother. But the more he watched her, the more he realized why Storm had chosen her as his mate. She dodged each of the tom's attacks. Her paws were skipping from side to side as the tom struggled to strike back. Frost suddenly struck out her claws and swatted them across the tom's already scarred muzzle. Scarlet droplets covered the ground as the tom screeched in pain.
"I will not let you hurt my son," she snarled after pinning the tom to the ground.
It all happened so fast. Soot didn't have time to react as another cat pried her off. In the blink of an eye, Frost was thrown to the ground in a vulnerable position. The attacker drew his fangs and bit down on her neck, holding her until she stopped screeching.
Pain stabbed at Soot's heart as he watched. He couldn't close his eyes as much as his mind screamed at him to. He couldn't run. He couldn't even lift a paw to help his mother. And in less than a heartbeat, Frost stopped moving. The attacker let go and stepped off.
"Well done, Thanos." Soot's ears flattened when another cat stepped beside the large tom. The dark orange tom had fled once Frost was dead. The cat known as Thanos simply dipped his head before looking down at Soot. "I will not attack a weak fool like you," the stranger added. "Why that cowardly leader brought you along is beyond me."
Soot felt his fur bristling with both shame and rage. He lunged forward, claws unsheathed. Thanos was about to stop him when the stranger stepped in front of the larger cat. The stranger didn't even flinch when Soot dug his claws into the his chest. The stench of blood filled his lungs as Soot struggled to control his anger.
"Pathetic little scrap," Thanos sneered when the stranger flicked him off as if he was an annoying fly. Soot fell back into a pile of garbage with a wail of pain. "We need to retreat before this gets worse," he added to the stranger.
"Well said," the stranger replied. He looked one last time at Soot before sounding the call.
Soot struggled to his paws. Pain stabbed at his heart when he saw his mother. Her pelt was stained red with blood. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared at nothing.
"Mother, why couldn't they take me instead?" he wailed. Bitter sorrow throbbed in his throat. He wished there was a way to bring her back. But the more he stared at her unmoving body, the more pain and sorrow he felt. "I'm sorry... I should have listened to you," he whispered after burying his muzzle into her already cold fur.
"What a waste." Soot flinched when he recognized the large tom that was always at Storm's side. He looked up to see that the tom was covered in fresh battle wounds. "You'll never amount to nothing if you can't even take on a couple of worthless followers," he added in a sneer.
"This territory is now ours!" Storm cried after standing over a fallen body.
Soot didn't even know who it was, but at this point he didn't care. He knew now why Frost had been so reluctant to let them join this battle. She didn't want her kits to endure the pain of loss. And Soot had to watch his own mother die.
"Storm, we lost so many," meowed the battle-scarred she-cat. It seemed as though she had survived again. "What will do if they invade our territory again?"
"They wouldn't dare," Storm snarled. "If they know what is good for them, they will avoid us at all costs."
Closing his eyes again, Soot followed the rest of the group towards the meeting place. Storm stopped him before he could get any further. Soot resisted the urge to glare at his father as Storm locked gazes with him.
"You fought like an idiot in the battle," Storm spat. "We have no room for soft hearts in our gang."
Soot held his steady gaze. He wasn't going to let his emotions overwhelm him.
"You don't even care, do you?" he whispered bitterly. "You don't care that mother died, or that countless other cats died. If you did you would go back and bury their bodies." His body began to tremble with grief and anger. Storm didn't even flinch from the glare he gave him.
"If they cannot defend themselves, than they have no right to be part of this gang," Storm retorted. He swatted a claw over Soot's ears, sending a jolting pain through Soot. "And that is why you are banished from this gang. I don't care of you are my son. You are a worthless scrap of foxdung."
Without warning, Soot leaped forward. Storm didn't have a chance to respond as Soot pinned him to the ground. His claws buried deep into Storm's chest. His father didn't even hiss in pain as Soot locked gazes with him again.
"I'll show you worthless!" Soot screeched. "I'll show you who the stronger cat is!"
He stopped himself from taking Storm's life than and there. Something held him back as he suddenly stepped off. Storm was too stunned to stand up and fight back. He could only glare at his father with hatred. This wasn't over. One day he would come back and take on Storm, even if it cost him his life.
The promise that that day would come would continue haunting Soot forever. He wasn't going to let Storm forget him so easily. And he would get his revenge, one way or another.
AN: Yay for long and depressing chapters! This one is quite possibly my favorite by far. Soot is just such an interesting character, because nobody knows if he's evil or if he's just suffering from his past. Thanks to Cookies and Cream for reviewing. I really hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed typing it :P
PS: You can thank Matthew West for this update. For some reason I was listening to his music and thought of what it would be like from a different pespective.