Prologue

Over a snowy tundra, life was non-existent. All that was here, was snow which spread out farther than a naked eye could see. Small gusts of wind would pick up tiny fragments of snow, throwing them up to the air as high as it could go. Aside from the howls of the winds, the tundra was quiet. That silence however, would soon be disturbed by a distant rumbling noise, that grew ever nearer. Snow shifted and shook, as the rumbling turned into stomps. Suddenly, a large woolly mammoth stomped its way across the tundra, ruining the smooth surface with its footprints as it trumpeted in fear of what was chasing after it. Right behind it, was a pack of four saber-toothed cats that slowly closed the distance.

"Shin, this damn mammoth is heading right for the stick-holder camp! We're gonna lose it!" A saber-tooth cat yelled, not wanting to lose the only meal they could have for months to come.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Running atop a high ground, Shin would pick up as much momentum as he could to jump onto the mammoths back. Immedietly the mammoth let out a trumpet of fear and pain, as Shin dug his claws and teeth into its back in a futile attemt to bring the large beast down. In a desperate attempt to get Shin off it's back, the mammoth would shake itself with enough force to make Shin fall back onto the snow below. Unfortunatly, the mammoth had to slow itself down in order to do such an action, allowing the other three sabers to catch up effortlessly.

"Take it down! Now!" Shin yelled after the three, as he quickly got back up onto his paws. Taking advantage of this, each saber would pounce pounce onto the mammoth, in an attempt to bring it down with united strength. One attempted to go for the neck, while the other two worked in combined effort to claw and bite at its stomach. The mammoth tried everything it could to throw off its attackers, but it was a futile attempt. The sabers were far more persistent, and wouldn't let such a large meal slip from their fangs. Eventually, Shin joined in on the struggle, causing enough of a tipping point for the mammoth to trip over it's feet and fall over. The saber-toothed cats took quick advantage of this by going for stomach and neck now that it was easier to reach. Soon, the mammoth's movement ceased, allowing the four saber-toothed cats to take this moment to celebrate, and catch a breath.

"Ha! We did it! I can't believe you didn't believe we could do it, Lexor!" One of the saber-toothed cats laughed, glancing over at the large meal that they'd soon be having.

"What? Don't be absurd Diego, you were the one having doubts!" Lexor hissed with annoyance, as he swiped a sheathed paw at Diego. Taking this as a challenge, Diego leapt forth and began beating Lexor with his paws in the hopes that he'd submit. Much to his displeasement, Lexor was more than happy to fight back.

Turning his head away from the scene, Shin looked up towards the dust pelted saber, who had his gaze set on the snowy horizon. Joining him on the hill, Shin would look off in the distance to see a nearby stick-holder camp that was within hearing distance. He didn't realise how close they had gotten to it.

"Those wolves must've heard the commotion from here. We should get out of here as soon as we can." The large cat sighed, hearing the distant howls emitting from the camp before looking over at Lexor and Diego, who were still interlocked in a play fight.

"Khan, I don't mean to speak against your orders but this kill is ours, not theirs! We shouldn't run away from what's rightfully ours!"

Khan slowly walked down the hill, with Shin in toe. "As much as I hate admitting it, the stick-holders are far more stronger than us. They are no longer the mere prey we used to hunt."

"But they are only few in number father," Shin retorted, dashing in front of Khan. "We can easily overpower them!"

"That's exactly what your mother said," Khan said, pain and anger flowing in his voice. "And because of her actions, more than half of our clan have been slaughtered by the stick-holders."

Defeated, Shin sighed as he stepped out of Khans way. As the two ceased their arguing, the distance noises of the stick-holders and wolves grew ever so nearer.

"Lexor! Diego! Now is not the time for games!" Khan spat, getting the two grown sabers on their paws.

"Eat what you can, and carry back what your mouth can hold. The stick-holders will be upon us soon." Khan said, padding towards the untouched mammoth before sinking his jaws into it's flesh. Without much hesitation, Lexor, Diego, and eventually Shin joined in, eating up as much as they could. Savouring it while they could.

Lifting his head, Shin sniffed the cold air, as his ears twitched from one direction to another.

"Dad, their stench is starting to fill the air. We should leave before they get within attacking distance." Shin said, quickly glancing towards Khan. Lexor and Diego lifted their heads towards Shin, before looking towards Khan for his imput.

"He's right. We've been here far too long. Carry back what you can, we're heading back to the gorge!" Khan finished, before tearing a thick piece of meat from the mammoth's corpse. Mimicking his actions, Lexor, Diego, and Shin tear out chunks of meat from the mammoth. As the hunting group prepared to leave, a spear would imbed itself inside the mammoth with a thump. Looking up towards the source, Diego would spot the growing number of stick-holders, each bearing a stick sharp enough to pierce through the toughest of flesh. Rather quickly, all four sabers would turn tail and run. Obviously, these big cats were far too fast for the stick-holders to keep up, but speed would be no problem for the wolves, who immedietly dashed after the pack. If circumstances were different, Khan would've ordered his group to attack the wolves without mercy, but with the stick-holders not too far behind, they would stand little to no chance.

"Curses! Why did those damn wolves have to form an alliance with the stick-holders?!" Diego yelled, as blood from the chunk of meat in his mouth dripped onto his pelt.

"Less talking! More running!" Lexor huffed, as both he and Shin ran past him.

"Diego, you gotta run faster than that!" Shin yelled after the speed-lacking saber, before accidentally dropping the chunk of meat he carried just as he ended his sentence. Going back for it was no option, as the wolves were far too close to stop for even a second.

"I'm trying- Ack!" A sharp pain would shoot throughout Diego's hind leg, causing him to trip over his feet and fall. Because of his slower pace, a determined wolf had unknowingly caught up to him, and bit at his hind leg. Immedietly, the other wolves began to direct their focus on Diego, as the stick-holders drew nearer.

"Khan, Diego fell!" Shin yelled after his father, immedietly after noticing the ordeal. Turning around, a glint of anger arose in Khan's eyes. Growling under his breath, Khan would effortlessly turn tail before running past Lexor towards Shin, dropping his chunk of meat in front of the visibly confused saber.

"Carry this back to the gorge, and don't look behind you!" Khan snarled at his son, before dashing towards the pack of wolves that grew closer to taking Diego's life. Taking his order to heart, Shin quickly picked up the chunk of meat Khan had placed in front of him before running off to catch up with Lexor; all without turning around.

Once he was close enough, Khan let out a howl of fury as he knocked himself into one of the wolves, leaving it dazed and confused. Before the other wolves could react, Khan bit down on the scruff of another wolf, summoning up the strength to throw him to the side. Disorganised from the attack, the remainder of the wolves dispersed away from Diego and Khan. This battle was far from over however, as not too far behind were the stick-holders. Believing they were close enough, one by one each of the stick-holders would throw their sharpened sticks towards th two cats.

"K-Khan! Help me!" Diego begged, with fear in his voice. A known coldness could be seen in Khan's eyes, as he looked down upon his injured comrade. Without much hesitation, Khan would pick up the chunk of meat that Diego had dropped, before he'd run.

"No! Please don't leave me! I'm begging you! Ah!" Diego's screams plagued Khan's ears, before inevitably being cut off. Khan didn't need to look behind him to know that Diego had been killed quickly. Fortunatly for him, the stick-holders and wolves were satisfied with their own kill of the day.

He wasn't exactly sure how long he had been running. Of course, there was no way of knowing - not that he was keeping track of time. Nevertheless, Khan would slow down his pace as soon as he began walking alongside a cliffside. The camp wasn't too far from here, so he didn't have to waste anymore energy running. As Khan trotted closer towards the overpass where his clan was located, the unwanted sight of Lexor and Shin would show up in his field of vision.

"What happened? Where's Diego?" Lexor asked Khan, as soon as he was within listening distance.

"He sacraficed himself so I could get away. Without him, I wouldn't be here to tell the tale." Khan said, as soon as he had spat out the chunk of meat. Despite his tone of voice, he wanted nothing more than to wrap this up as fast as he could. Lexor choked back a whine, while Shin looked at him with a suspicious expression. Not wanting to break down in front of the leader, Lexor dashed off; away from the camp. As Khan began to trot away with a 'hmph' , Shin would snarl out loud before jumping in front of Khan.

"That's not what happened, is it?" Shin asked daringly. His act, which in his eyes was an act of bravery would quickly falter. He had forgotten that his father was far more skilled in fighting than he was. That, and the sight of him alone could make any weak willed enemy turn tail and flee.

"I didn't come here to be called a liar by the likes of you." Khan snarled, taking a threatening step towards Shin.

"I think you want to go and comfort Lexor, before he loses another friend." Taking his warning to heart, Shin would pick up the chunk of meat Khan had dropped, before running off in the hopes of finding Lexor. Khan wasn't one to make threats he wouldn't follow through on. Many found that out the hard way. With the two annoyances out of the way, Khan would make his way up a hill. On the other side, Khan could see his entire camp from below. If you counted the total number of sabers in this camp, there was at least twelve members. Himself as the leader, six warriors, one medicine saber, three apprentices, and one elder. It wasn't as big as it was before, but it was enough. The death of half the clan was honestly a good thing for everyone, as there wasn't as much prey to go around during these times.

Khan didn't realise he was lost in his head. That was a common for the leader, as he would sit idly in one spot lost in his head, all the while staring blankly at something, or someone. This became clear, as the medicine saber Sira would have nudge her head against his chest. Growling at the inturruption, Khan realised that if he didn't want to be inturrupted, he'd have to retreat inside his den.

"Khan, wait!" Sira yelled after him, as he began to pad away.

"Sira, whatever you're about to pester me with, it can wait. I wish to be left alone." Khan demanded.

"But there's something you must know!" The silver pelted she said, jumping in front of him. Seriously? Again? How many sabers were going to jump in front of him?!

"And it can wait! Are your comprehension skills growing as weak as your combat skills?!" Khan growled, his fur rising thanks to a growing anger. Despite this, Sira would ignore his demand and continued.

"Lexa has kitted." Sira said all at once. She needed to get the truth out before she suffered for it. Khan stood silent, his expression unreadable. He didn't say anything however, so she took this as a hint to continue.

"She gave birth to three healthy kits, two male, one she.." Sira sighed, dipping her head. Without saying anything, Khan would walk around Sira, but instead of making his way towards his den, he'd instead make his way towards the nursery. Just before he could enter, Sira jumped in front of him yet again. It nearly took all his willpower to not slash at her throat.

"Please, just don't do anything rash! You might not want to hear it, but these kits might give us a chance to bring our clan back to it's former glory days!" Sira said, in the hopes of making Khan think twice about exiling these kits on the spot, or worse.

"Move." Khan ordered. Following through, Sira dipped her head in apology, and watched at Khan entered the nursery.

Khan gave little care to being quiet and careful as he marched inside the nursery, intent on finding the mother of three kits.

"Lexa!" He yowled out, rage clear as day in his voice. Thanks to his sharp and loud voice, frantic mewing would be emitted somewhere in the corner of the nursery. Turning his head, Khan would set his eyes on Lexa and the three kits Sira had previously told hm of. If he were anyone else, the sight would've likely melted his heart. But he wasn't anyone else. Despite the clear need for it, having kits was greatly frowned upon; mainly by Khan and his close followers.

"I guess Sira told you?" Lexa sighed, preparing herself for the berating she would more than likely receive from Khan.

"How long have you hidden this from the clan?!" Khan asked, keeping his voice as calm as he physically could.

"Up until now." Lexa replied, leaving out the part where Sira played a big role in helping her keep in a secret. Despite the risk of being exiled or even killed, Lexa managed to staysurprisingly calm, as her answer wasn't full of fear. Despite this, Khan knew she couldn't keep up the little charade.

"Do you have any idea what position you've put us in?!" Khan asked, raising his voice this time. Although she flinched, Lexa didn't reply, so Khan took the chance to continue.

"Thanks to you, we now have more mouths to feed! We can barely feed ourselves!" Khan said, his voice growing louder with every word. Lexa stared at him dumbstruck. She didn't take into account the possible risks of having kits. Not only that, but she knew this would infuriate the leader. Why else would she hide it up until now? Was deciding to have kits really worth it?

"And worse yet, until they can walk properly they're going to be completely useless and fragile!" He took a paw step forward. At this point, any calm demeanor that Lexa may have had was far gone.

"You've put your entire clan in danger!"

"K-Khan, you don't understand! I thought that we could regrow what we previously had! After Matrisia sentenced half the clan to death, we need more sabers to defend what little we have left!"

"We need more food to feed what we have! These kits are going to be nothing but a burden; eating through what little we have! It was a grave mistake that you chose to have these kits, with whoever the unfortunate father is!" That broke her. His words were sharp and true. The clan was in no position to have more kits, or in Khans case; more mouths to feed. Worst of all, a tiny part of her did think it was a mistake to have these kits in such horrible conditions, but she quickly shook the thought.

"Khan, I know what I did is greatly frowned upon, but this clan has no future if there are no future generations! You must understand, I only did this because I love my clan! I want it to continue it's existance long after we're dead!" Lexa sobbed, causing her own kits mewing to increase in volume. Khan took the time to think about what he should do. The thought of exile was heavy on his mind, but one long look at the kits would tell him exactly what he needed to do. He chose not to exile - not because he cared, but because he had news that would more than likely destroy her, and that was enough to satisfy his anger.

"Only the strongest," Khan said after a while. "Only the strongest kit shall remain. The moment they're old enough to hunt and fight, - unless fate has been kind to us, only the strongest kit will stay here with us. The rest will be sent off to find life outside our territory, never to come back." Khan said. Before Lexa could protest, Khan decided now would be a good time as any to share the news. He found himself halfway to the entrance before he shared.

"Diego died. His life was taken trying to feed this clan." Khan said. Lexa didn't reply. The straightforwardness of the news made it so she couldn't. Without saying anything else, Khan left the den to leave Lexa to grieve, and grieve she did. Diego, as everyone in the clan knew, was Lexa's younger brother. The two were very close, supportive, and protective of each other. They had promised their mother that they'd take care of each other if she were to ever pass away, so it pained her to find out that she couldn't keep true on her promise. She failed to keep her brother alive. She choked back a whimper as her kits continued to mew in distress. With a broken smile on her muzzle, she began to comfort the kits despite her own pain.

"Hush now, my babies.." She said with the softest voice she could. The mewing quieted down as Lexa continued to comfort her kits. Eventually, they fell silent. Lexa let out a deep sigh, as she kept herself from crying, 'less she wake the kits. Thoughts of Diego, mixed with Khans sharp words plagued her mind. She didn't want to think that her kits were a mistake, and she most certainly didn't want them to think that they were. She wanted to believe that they would prove their worth, not only to Khan, but to the clan. She let out another sigh. Khan would most likely announce Diego's death when silverpelt stretched over the sky. Silverpelt? What was she, an elder? A low laugh emerged from her muzzle as she licked a paw. If there was a belief she had, it was that her kits were special.

Then again, everyone thinks their kits are special.

After announcing Diego's death, alongside the birth of the three saber-toothed kits, Khan had padded off to be on his own. He positioned himself ontop of a hill, so that he could see the entirety of his camp from below. However, he wouldn't be alone for long, as Sira would soon join him.

"Thank you for being merciful." Sira sighed.

"I'm surprised I was." Khan replied coldly.

"I have faith we'll make it through this. That no one will be exiled from he clan." Sira said. Her opinion mattered little to Khan, unfortunately.

"Faith is something the weak have. If I'm ever faithful, it'll be the day when I believe Starclan exists." Khan retorted. Sira simply let out a sigh, as she lifted herself up and began padding back down towards the camp.

"I really wish you'd adopt a more positive attitude towards those kits." She said, before marching off into the medicine den, leaving Khan alone. Letting out a sigh, Khan would glance up at the stars that were sprinkled across the black sky, before scoffing.

"I'll try." With that, he too would make his way back down towards the camp into his own personal den, to sleep the night away.

(End of Prologue)

I'm back! After months of inactivity, I return with a new story in toe! In all honesty, it was very enjoyable to make this. Creating a warrior fanfic has been on my mind, and I've gone through a lot of ideas on how I should approach it. Perhaps I might make another, if I get positive reviews for this one - making it the warriors we're more used to! Comparing this prologue to my first fanfic I ever made (when it was first released), I can tell that I've really improved with writing, and I hope to write more of this! Please leave positive feedback, or constructive criticism so I can improve my writing! Hope you enjoyed!