Mirage1234: To all of your predictions: Maybe, maybe not. -shrug- huehue. You'll just have to wait and see. Also, I'm glad your excited. :P And yeah it was kind of like... bam, but I was waiting to like release that information for so long it was killing me. x_X And your reviews are for sure appreciated! ^_=';
WarriorCatLover: Don't worry, it's not ending. Well, I mean it is, but there will be a sequel. Bloodlust.
Lionblazelover332: Ik, the struggle of laziness is so real. I'm excited for the sequel too. :D
Willowsong of ThunderClan: That book actually sounds really good, but I've never read it. I wonder if the movie will be any good though.
Well, yeah. Here is the Sneak Peek/Preview of Bloodlust.
I leapt forward, my amber eyes blazing with the light and energy of a battle. Adrenaline pumped through me, and I felt the familiar thrill of anticipation and excitement dash through me. Heat flooded through me, and I relied on instincts as I twisted, ducked and lashed out at my enemy. I felt skin under my paws, then blood soak my paws and claws as I ripped at it, splitting it. Satisfaction ran through me, my amber eyes darkened with pleasure.
My enemy twisted, leaping upwards to face me. However, I leapt back up, twisting my body and kicking him heavily in the muzzle. A crunch. I gazed to see him, stumbling backwards, his fang chipped and half-broken off. I felt no remorse, no pity. I gazed at him with soulless eyes, nearly black with the fury of a fight. He let out a low growl of pain, before stumbling away. I smiled coldly. Every cat I faced. Every cat. They all ran from my outstretched claws.
"Good fight, Fallen." A black she-cat padded towards me, her red eyes gleaming with approval. Her voice was cold and emotionless, and she trailed her tail gently down my pelt. I shivered slightly, but felt no disgust towards this she-cat. My mother.
"Thank you." My voice was smooth as a river flowing when I responded. It was emotionless, and my body was tense and rigid, poised to attack if necessary.
"You can take a break." She gave me a brusque nod of approval, and I opened my jaws to protest. I didn't want to rest. However, I forced them shut, knowing she would not listen. Slightly seething with frustration at not having the thrill of a battle, of having flesh ripping beneath my paws, I veered away from the black she-cat towards my nest beside the dumpster. A few bones were scattered around the clearing, and I saw the repulsive remain of a cat's tail, brutally torn off, lying in the middle of the clearing. However, I did not mind. I had grown accustomed to this.
As always, my mind flicked to Emberstrike as I was alone. The ginger she-cat made me feel warm and fuzzy. I imagined how she was doing, picturing her stomach, our kits, in my mind. Half a moon had passed since we left each other's side, and I still lay awake in my nest, thinking of her, feeling pangs of loneliness. However, I managed to push her out of my thoughts when I fought. I felt more at home here than in ThunderClan, and I had even grown to respect Demonstar. She was brave and bold, and the clans had hurt her, and treated her as an outcast, as they did to me.
Revenge was a delighting thought, and every day I stayed here, the idea of revenge started to sound better and better. Maybe it was my heritage, or the way the clans treated me, or just my demon side, I don't know, but Emberstrike was honestly the only one that mattered from the clans. And she was safe. Safe here. She wouldn't even know that I had been with Demonstar to attack the clans. I purred with dark delight. Those stupid star-pelted cats betrayed me. StarClan would get what's coming to them.
I left the alleyway, and padded to join my mother.
"Hello." I greeted her coolly.
"I thought I told you to rest." She responded.
"I need to practice my fighting skills." I growled, the anger in my tone no longer a lie. "StarClan will get whats coming to them. The clans will pay for what they did to me. To us. To everyone."
Demonstar's red eyes shone bright with approval. She dipped her head. "Good." She meowed, her voice pleased. "I can see it now."
"You really are a true BloodClan cat."
The thought of what she said did not bring any disgust to my mind. No horror. No fear. I instead just sat there, pride pulsing from me. Excitement and pride as I replayed what she had just told me.
I really am a true BloodClan cat.
~•~•~•~•~•~
"You're joking." I giggled, my amber eyes sparkling.
"I swear I'm not!" Red laughed back, his green eyes bright.
"You're so stupid sometimes." I shook my head in amusement, cuffing him lightly over the ear. I gently curled my tail over my kits, as I often, not even thinkingly did. It had become an instinct. My belly was slightly swollen, and the rabbit droppings, or, twoleg brown pellet food wasn't as bad as I thought. Life as a kittypet was surprisingly decent.
I lay down in Linnea's yard, and I didn't even flinch when he pressed against me. I found it relaxing. His dark red fur mixing with my ginger fur. Our warmth flooded together, and it was a painful reminder of Fallenpaw. The dark silver and black tom was on my thoughts constantly, but I pushed him away often, as I knew it would just hurt. He would come back to me when he was ready, although it had already been a half-moon.
I rolled onto my back, gazing up at the sky. "It's so pretty." I murmured softly.
"I know." Red whispered. Almost shyly, he added. "Just like you."
Green met amber, and warmth flooded between eyes. A mixture of emotions rose in my chest, and I struggled to push them down. I wasn't sure what to think.
"I wonder how ThunderClan is doing… Or ShadowClan." I meowed, my voice slightly wistful. I felt Red twitch beside me, and felt his tail gently touching mine.
"I wonder what it would be like if I lived in ThunderClan." Red meowed, his voice hinting his longing. I could feel his warrior-likeness in every movement. The twitch of his muscles, the tilt of his head as he scented, the pricked ears, strong build and sharp claws. Most of all, his curiosity and adventurous nature. His warrior spirit.
"When me and Fallenpaw go back, maybe you can come with us." I responded.
Red stiffened beside me, as he always did when I said this. I know he didn't believe my mate was coming back for me. None of them did. Fallenpaw was my mate. The father to my kits. However, I had considered my options if he had not come back from me. I could say that Red was their father, or I could just say they didn't have one. I would wait till they were apprentice aged, and travel the perilous journey back to ThunderClan. Maybe even bring Red with me.
I know Red cared about me, and I cared about him too. Every day, since I had first met him and talked to him about warriors, the young and curious tom had been surprising me with new hidden talents and thoughts. We talked often, and sometimes even sat beside each other to watch sunsets, or hunted together if I was feeling up to it. I was drowning, in a way, and he had pulled me out.
"Emberstrike… I really care about you." Red confessed, his green eyes round. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I won't." I meowed firmly. My face then broke out in a smile. "And I really care about you too, Red."
I owed so much to Red. I didn't know what I would do without him. He was my best friend, and in some ways even like a slight replacement to Owlsoul. However, I was also attracted to him. Emotions and frustration surged through my pelt. How I felt to him was so confusing and every time I thought of it I would just get frustrated with myself and stop. It was necessary to figure out my feelings for him though, because Fallenpaw was there too. Despair made my eyes darken.
I shuffled a bit closer to Red, curling up beside him. I smelled his scent. He always smelled nice and fresh, he smelled often like mint or lavender. Loneliness surged over me, and I longed for Fallenpaw so much it took my breath away. I pushed back a mournful wail, and struggled to keep my emotions calm. "I miss him." I meowed quietly, my voice sounding strangled. Red knew who I was talking about. He always did.
"I know you do." He responded, his voice no louder than a whisper. He gave my ear a comforting lick and pulled away, his green eyes shining. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Wait." I meowed. "Will you stay with me tonight?"
His eyes gleamed in the dusk, and he nodded. "Always." He then padded back to me, and lay down. I again pressed against him, curling up against his stomach. He was always there when I needed him. And I always needed him. I pressed my muzzle in his fur, the wails rising in my throat threatening to spill. They slowly pulled down, and the loneliness seemed to cease as the red tom wrapped himself around me, his tail curled protectively around me. I pressed against him, my spine pressing against his chest and stomach. I felt his breath make his chest rise and fall as he breathed.
His breathing in a way, was a lullaby for me.
It comforted my loneliness, and drove away the nightmares. I felt my heart squeeze in the need and affection I felt for the tom, and I pressed tighter against him. My eyes fluttered shut, for once, not Fallenpaw's name, but a different name lingering in my thoughts as I drifted off to the world of sleep.
Red.
~•~•~•~•~•~
"Ripplestreak's hurt!"
A panicked yowl bounced along the walls of the gorge, and a black she-cat raised her head sharply. Her icy blue gaze swept across the clearing, fixing itself on a gray tom. Her silver stripes rippled as she twisted her body, her muscles tense and face dark with dismay. The gray tom was being carried by his clanmates as he dragged himself into camp. A bone in his neck was jutting out awkwardly, and his face was still. He lay limply from his clanmates grip, like a piece of dead fresh-kill.
"Poppywish, save him!" A fluffy white and gray she-cat begged, sounding almost choked with emotion. Her eyes were frantic as she dashed over to the gray tom. "He's so still…" She reached out a paw to touch his flank, and she sprang back as if her paw got burnt. Her voice was almost a scream of agony. "He's not breathing!" She wailed in horror, tipping her head back. "Ripplestreak!"
A dark red tabby she-cat with a tortoiseshell tail gazed sorrowfully at the gray tom. "There was nothing I could do." Poppywish meowed, her voice sounding almost broken with grief. She bowed her head in defeat. "I'm so sorry." She reached out a paw, and gently touched the bone jutting out of his neck. "He snapped his neck." Her tail trembled as she meowed quietly, almost as if it was a reassurance to others. "At least he felt no pain."
"But he's dead!" The gray and white she-cat exploded, her eyes shining with sadness. She pawed pitifully at the corpse of the tom, now set gently on the floor of the gorge. The black she-cat just stared in dismay, shocked to the bone. She stood, paralyzed as she watched her own warriors mourn and grieve for the gray tom. "He was so young…" For their clanmate. Tragedy had struck again, so soon after a twoleg had grabbed the heavily pregnant queen, Sagewing.
"This is the second dead cat in a moon." A dark brown tom meowed, his voice sounding resigned and horrified. He reached out a shaking paw and gently touched the gray tom, as if unwilling to believe Ripplestreak was actually dead. In all of the chaos, they had forgotten about their leader. And she had forgotten about herself, as she gazed, horrified at her loyal warrior, now lying in front of her, his life stolen from him.
"How did it happen?" Her voice escaped her lips, barely a whisper.
"The twoleg monster!" A brown tabby she-cat snarled, her eyes gleaming angrily. "It veered right off the Thunderpath, and crashed through the woods. It took down trees with it, and one of them fell on Ripplestreak. We tried to save him…" Her voice cracked. She looked so vulnerable and broken. She looked so angry and vengeful as well.
"Tigermist…" The dark brown tabby tom meowed, reaching out his tail towards the she-cat.
She snarled at him, batting it away. "No! Nettlestrike, we can't just keep ignoring this!" She snarled, her pelt fluffed up with fury. "The twolegs are wrecking everything. They're scaring away the prey, so we're all stick thin and unable to feed ourselves properly. They had captured and probably killed Sagewing, and now one of their twoleg monsters destroyed our trees and took Ripplestreak's life!" Her voice was no longer just an angry meow, but an enraged shout. "It's not fair!"
"Breezestar…?" A golden tom looked up at his leader helplessly.
She gazed, stricken, back at him.
Her gaze ran along her clanmates. Each and everyone of them. Shoulders sagging, tail dragging, ears drooping. Their eyes dull with defeat. Their bones jutting unhealthily out of their stick-thin figures. Their fur scraggly and unclean. Her gaze then darted towards the fresh-kill pile. A thin sparrow and a measly mouse were the only two things on it. Trembling, she gently ran her gaze across the clearing to the nursery. The nursery, where the kits were. Even the kits, so young, could understand something bad was happening. They were quiet and solemn, eyes round. She gazed, her heart twisting with pain at their stick-thin figures and weak, frail bodies. They coughed feebly, and their mother pulled them tighter, her eyes dark with dismay and grief.
"The twolegs had never bothered us like this before…" Breezestar began, her voice smooth and silky. She tried to act calm and brave for her warriors, but it didn't work. Her tail trembled, and her body shuddered with the strain of having to hold itself up high. She was so exhausted she could collapse. "Perhaps they will even stop."
"They won't stop!" A white tom meowed, panic stricken. "What about my kits and mate? Swallowfern can't produce enough milk to feed them, and Dovekit and Lilykit can't eat fresh-kill yet, even if there were any!" His tail lashed in frustration, and he gazed at his family, worry in his eyes.
Breezestar was silent. She couldn't think of anything reassuring to say to her clan. After all, there was nothing to say. "Bring a hunting patrol to the border on the opposite side of the twolegs." She commanded, her eyes dark with desperation. "See if there's anything to hunt. It's still leaf-fall, after all. There is bound to be some prey… somewhere. We just have to find it."
A dark tabby tom with black splotches leapt to his paws. Thistlespots. He gave her a small nod as he saw how exhausted she was. Her deputy leapt on to the rock, and began issuing out orders. "Cloudpath, Tallsun, Briarsong and Speckledash!" He called. "Nettlestrike will lead you guys to hunt, away from the twolegs. The elders will prepare Ripplestreak's body for burial."
Breezestar vaguely noticed he had chosen the cats that were the most fit. She couldn't even think of anything properly. Horror weighed her down as she sank into her nest. She sent a silent prayer to StarClan, wishing they would respond to her pleas.
My brave warriors… Stay strong and fierce. Hunt well for your clan. Just like we have gotten out of tough situations before, SkyClan will survive. We must.
Wow. Can't actually believe I'm officially done with this fanfiction. No more posting on this fanfiction. It is now ~complete~.
One last time, thank you so much for reading this story! (: Hope you continue on to the next one~ Bloodlust.
Anyway, hope you liked the sneak peek. :O