"We found a cat!" Storm awoke in a start. She saw Stride prancing in with Stride shoving Redspirit into the cave.
"Where am I?" Redspirit trembled. Then her eyes rested on Storm. "Rabbitstrike! It's you! I have been looking everywhere-"
"I am not Rabbitstrike, I am Storm." Storm started coldly. "And why must you look for me? You choose WindClan over us, see I now have cats that are completly loyal to me, I don't need any others. Why should I spare you?" She snarled. Redspirit was taken aback.
"Because I was wrong and I wish to destroy the Clans with you. They were different then I thought, please just don't kill me." Storm was about to give the killing order but looked into her friend's eyes. Suddenly the world shrunk around her and she was having a vivid flashback.
...
"Look at me!" A gray bundle of fur shouted. The kit ran and jumped over a puddle,She then plucked a leaf out of the air before it could fall into the water, twisted onto her back, and fell chewing at it without touching the water.
"How do you do that?" A bigger cat asked with a red coat. They was Rabbitkit and Redpaw!
"Easy," Rabbitkit started showing her the starting move, "You leap at the leaf over the puddle and you attack it as long as you keep moving in mid-air." She responded happily giving her a deminstration.
Storm felt her heart be torn in two. That was how she was as a kit? If only she stayed that way.
"Fine, let me try!" Redpaw ran to the puddle and jumped and tried to grab a leaf directly over head, which was a mistake. Redpaw missed and fell straight down right into the puddle of water. Water splashed on every direction, including on a dark gray kit who was sunning himself. Smokekit.
Smokekit got into a sitting position and looked at his wet pelt, he looked directly at Rabbitkit and raised his head.
"M-M-Mom!" He cried painfully. Cherryfrost dashed out and gasped at her son.
"My word! Rabbitkit!" She shouted. She marched up to the gray kit and cuffed her ear hard so it bled. Rabbitkit let out a cry of shock as the blood dribbled down her ear and a few droplets landed onto the dirt.
Cherryfrost raised her paw to swat her away, but Redpaw dashed in front of her, taking the damage.
Redpaw let out a heavy grunt as her paw connected to his stomach and she flew through the air. He layed in a dazed heap, Cherryfrost's eyes widened in surprise and looked at both of them.
"Why did you take Rabbitkits punishment?" She gasped confused, Redpaw didn't respond at once. He slowly put his paws out and lifted himself up and looked at her bravely.
"It... It was... Me..." She stammered, her paws shaking like Starclan just visited her.
"Redpaw, don't you dare cover for her wrong!" Cherryfrost spat bitterly.
"But it's true!" Redpaw argued back refusing to back down. Luckily she seemed mostly recovered from getting swatted.
"Nonsence!" Cherryfrost seemed over outraged, spit flew from her mouth. "Don't you ever try to protect this traitor over your true Clanmates!"
...
Suddenly the memory started to turn gray and Storm opened her eyes again to see Redspirit looking at her still with the same frantic look.
"Alright, I will take her out for a bit, then I will decide weather she stays or leaves." She annoused raising her voice even though most cats where already gathered.
"And what if you decide to kill her?" Slither asked his eyes fixed onto Redspirit and flicked his tail back and forth like she was a plump rabbit.
"Then she won't come back." Storm assured him. Slither really is turning out to be a strong spirited member. She told herself although she made sure to not give the tom any approval on his hospitality. "Stride your in charge. I want to see how your leadership is coming along." She looked around at the other cats and they where dipping their heads in agreement. Stride gave her a blink of confusion but it turned into determination quickly.
"It would be an honor." He meowed standing up and bowing his head.
Storm rolled her eyes and got to her paws. Redspirit stayed silent during the commotion, though at the mention of her being killed she seemed almost relieved.
"Redspirit come with me." She turned and walked towards the exit of the cave, Redstorm stayed pratically glued to her.
She made sure to walk far out of range from the camp sight before she whirled around to meet the she-cats gaze.
"So... You want to join my clan do you?"
Redspirit was solem as she spoke. "Yes Storm."
"But why, why do you want to join my savange clan?" She asked.
"They all need to die." Redspirit said gravely, looking down at her paws.
"What made you want to join?" Storm questioned.
"Because, they threatened to kill me. Your-your son, he faked an accident and many clan-mates thought that I should die as punishment and how I was loyal to you. I ran off yesterday." Redspirit's voice was hevey with anger and pain.
"My son is becoming a problem." Storm muttered. "Well, fine, I will give you a chance, if you fail. I will finish what WindClan has failed." Redspirit nodded looking up at her. Above them, a crow crackled loudly.
"Follow me." Storm turned and guided her back to camp.
When they arrived Slither was waiting eagerly.
"Can I kill her?" He asked clawing the stone with his unshelthed claws. Storm didn't reply and kept walking. She jumped onto her Perch. Redspirit tried to follow but she hissed at her to get down, she must learn the Clan rules fast if she was to become one of them.
"Redspirit shall join!" She called when Redspirit finally sat down sadly. Half the Clan seemed happy, others, like Slither, seemed outraged. "If, she is to jump onto this Perch and pick a name that will not be a mistake." Storm glared at Flame but she was spaced out. She had to deal with that cat soon. Flame was a disgrace to her and the other cats that were really strong.
"Fox-dung I thought that I could sharpen my claws on him." Slither hissed bitterly, Storm shot him a warning glance.
Redspirit sat paralyzed at all the commotion, unknowing that she was to jump up.
"Well, c'mon!" Storm hissed at her.
Redspirit snapped out of it and bunched up her haunches. Then she sprung. Too early. Her feet got mangled up together so the jump was mixed up. Redspirit landed very shortly, instead of falling down, she unsheathed her long claws into the wall that held the Perch. She sat dangling from the mostly smooth stone, her hind legs swung wildly to get a grip. The Clan laughed at her. Slither was the loudest. Rip and Chaos exchanged worried glances. Storm flattened her ears in embarassment. She had hopes for this cat, yet she was unable to get up on the Leader's Perch.
"You have failed-" Storm was cut off.
"No! I am going to become a part of this Clan!" Redspirit howled in fury her face scrunched up in determination. All the laughter stopped and silence rippled among the cats. Redspirit swung her body to the side and her back legs finally caught a foot hold so she was on her side. Slowly, Redspirit worked her two front legs up to another gap in the stone.
Storm looked in confusion. This wasn't supposed to happen. The cats had to show they were strong enough to easily bound up onto the rock, not fail and decide to slowly climb up.
"Give up already!" A cat called, Storm couldn't identify who. Redspirit moved her hind legs, upwards this time to even out her body horizantally. She moved up a few more inches.
Storm couldn't help but laugh when she noticed she looked like a snail moving up a leaf. No way at this point would she hold up long enough to climb up to the top, eventually she would collapse, or a foothold would give way and she would fall.
Redspirit was about halfway up until her paw grabbed a loose edge, it crumbled beneath her front paws. Redspirit let out a squeal of shock. But instead of falling, she leaped for the perch, this time her legs were all straight and she had enough power and she managed to reach the top. Once on, she lay in a panting heap. Storm marched over to her.
"You never cut off me, or embarass me in front of my Clanmates!" She then slashed one of Redspirit's cheeks, letting blood pool off the Perch. She examined her claws that where now covered in blood. Before looking at Redspirit, who was still standing panting.
"But yet, you are strong. You didn't follow my rules but you have shown enough strength and courage that I am accepting you into my Clan. Pick a name." Redspirit rose with the blood, letting out a small wince.
"I am Venom, for the clans will perish for what they have done to me!" Venom cried. Some of the Clan cheered. Others, seemed silent at the suprise of the acceptence of the Clan member. Venom leaped off the Perch and walked over to Rip and Chaos, both toms let out a mutters of welcome.
"Alright, Rip your in charge of Vemon's training this meeting is over." Storm leaped on the perch and saw Drift walking towards her brother. "Drift come here." She called waving her tail, Drift turned and walked over to her.
"Uh... Yes Storm." She muttered not meeting her eyes.
"Where are the new kits." She demanded, it almost slipped her mind completely. She needed to know where the new member where, they would grow up knowing revenge, tooth, and claw.
"In the corner, they turned out fine Storm, just like you asked." Drift pointed her tail towards the corner where Flea was laying. Storm wanted to laugh about how pathetic the cat looked. Her eyes were glazed with exaustion and her ribs were poking out everywhere.
Storm padded over to her and saw Bird, Blizzard, and Clear at her belly along with four more tiny bundles.
Flea raised her head as she approached and she curled her tail around the new litter protectivly.
Storm let out a low growl, showing her teeth and immediatly Flea moved her tail so she could see better.
The hair along Storm's spine stood up as she felt another cat near. She whipped her head back but didn't see anyone and turned back to the kits.
"Three she-cats one tom." The ghostly voice of Lionclaw made her jump.
"Lionclaw!" She hissed quietly under her breath.
"What? Can't I come to check out the future of your clan?" He teased, Storm tried pretending he wasn't there next to her. "Look at the tom, he's different." He continued.
"Can you shut up?" Storm hissed raising her voice. Lionclaw vanished and Flea tilted her head sleepily but said nothing and lowered it again.
Taking a deep breath she examined tom and noticed that Lionclaw was right. He was smaller and wasn't moving that much, his hindquarters where dragging along the ground behind him useless while his front feet tried hard to push himself to his mothers stomach.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Stride asked walking towards her.
"Yes they are Stride, except this one." Storm reached down and grabbed the little tom in her mouth. Flea, didn't move, she was out cold. In her jaws, the tom let out a squeal. His front paws churned the air while his hindquarters weighed him down.
"What are you doing?" Stride asked in alarm.
"Sorry." Was all she could say. She promised him healthy kits to be born, and they were, everyone but this one.
She wandered over to the Perch and leaped onto it with the kit still swinging in her jaws.
"Everyone!" Storm called. The cats all gleefully pranced back over, not caring the last meeting ended only a few heartbeats ago. "Flea had four kits, which will turn into three kits!" She announced to her Clan. All the cats looked confused. Stride mostly, until he figured out what that meant. Stride turned pale.
"The only tom, is this one." She held him up in the air. "He was born wrong, his back legs aren't working and never will, his front ones are too small to make him hardly move anywhere. He is weak." She snarled the word "weak" in disgust.
"So we are going to kill him." Slither nodded, figuring it out. He didn't have any fear or worry in his voice. He sounded cold.
"Not we, someone who volenteers." Storm said. "Who wants to kill him?" She swung the body and he let out a squeal.
Slither jumped up and down, wanting to do it. Flame backed away. Stride remained frozen to the spot. Venom gave a grin, but didn't seem like she wanted to kill it. She didn't want any of those cats, she wanted one that wanted to prove themself worthy. Some cat that would do it without question, yet would still manage to hesitate for a split second.
"Let's see...Drift?" She asked. She choose Drift for a reason, since her brother who was the same age, Slither, made it, she has been wanting to prove herself worthy to also become a full cat of her Clan. Not to mention she helped rear the kits, only a true cold blooded cat would kill the same ones.
Drift glanced around nervously, obviously not wanting in this postition.
"Everyone who makes it on the Perch becomes a true member of our Clan, a cold blood." She meowed. Cold blood sounded nice on her tongue. Better then warrior. She randomly thought of that name. From now on this will be her Clan. A Clan of cold bloods. "As far as I recall, your brother made it up yet you didn't and are still a kit. If you make it on the Perch and kill this kit, you will become one of us, if not..." Storm didn't want to add the last part. "All cats that make it on this Perch, or on the Perch doing a duty, will become a cold blood. A cold blood is someone who makes up this Clan and are not a kit. Will you join your brother?" She questioned.
Drift sighed deeply. "I will become a cold blood!" She finally replied. Slither cheered for her. As Drift started to go toward the rock, Storm turned to Stride, who was now white as a sheet.
"Stride, you are the father of the kits and I want to test your loyalty now. Are you a true cold blood?" Stride seemed to snap out of the trance he was in.
"Y-yes." He squeaked.
"Hmmm, I didn't like that answer. Come up here next to your son." She laughed. Stride gulped and started to head up with Drift. Stride jumped up the rock first, some how getting his trembling body up. Drift came second. She bunched up her hanches with determination marking her face. She let out a huge leap and she made it up by a whisker. Drift stared at the kit, who Storm placed on the ground, her blue eyes grew huge. Stride now shaking and he gave his son's fur a lick.
"Goodbye son." Was all he said.
"Now Stride, step back, and watch your son die." Storm curled up her lip in a warning. Stride stepped back slowly.
"Drift kill him." She ordered. Drift let out a small flinch, then she moved toward the pink scrap. He let out a small mew as she came near. He was almost a exact replica of his father, with white fur with black splotches. It was almost like killing a mini Stride. His mews became pitiful, he was very hungry.
Drift stood over the small tom. She unsheathed her claws, held her breath, then swung it down. The newborn let out the loudest squeal she ever heard. It was very high pitched. So that's what it sounded like when a newborn kit was dying.
The Clan around her looked at the kit, expressionless. Stride next to her whimpered something she couldn't catch. She put her eyes transfixed on him, looking at his reaction. He tried to squeeze his eyes shut but Storm hissed at him.
"Watch!" Stride opened his eyes at the scene infolding in front of them, horror danced in them. Finally, the kit grew cold and the last of it's blood drained out. It was dead. Drift was panting. Her whole pelt was splattered in it's blood. Tufts of it's fur stuck in her claws.
"Stride you may go. Drift, choose you name." Stride stumbled down and slowly went over to Flea. Drift stood there thinking before finally announcing to everyone.
"My name shall be Burn, for I will leave all my enemies in ashes once I'm done with 'em!" Burn called. Storm felt uneasy having another one's name having to do with fire, like Flame's. But it was unique and powerful, which is all that matters. The cold bloods will rise and wipe out all the Clans!
