Chapter 4

Bush

It was a half-moon after the confrontation between Poppy and Fawn, the challenge of leadership was interesting for Bush to watch. Ever since, he had planned long and hard on how to deal with Cedar, his amber gaze dark as he padded up to the brownish-gray she-cat in question. Her brilliant green eyes lighting up with hope and full of love. The anger hardened in his belly as he began his plan. His first step was to invite her to hunt with him and act as though he is interested in her so she could show off to him. He had to be careful, any slip of this act could end with Cedar running to Fawn to whine about him being so cruel. After all, tabbies can't change their stripes, but they certainly cannot be calling a black tabby a dark gray or brown tabby. He kept his tail still as the she-cat walked up to him, the stars seeming to glimmer in her eyes.

"I have thought long and hard." He began, taking note on how his meow seemed to bring her ever closer to him with a soft airy sigh. "I have decided to try for you, to love and cherish every moment with you as you so desire." Each word felt like a thorn stuck in his throat, he wanted no more then to swipe his claws across her entitled face. However, the anger that simmered in his veins cooled and pooled into his stomach to harden even more there. In time, like catching a fish, he was going to demolish her even if it meant the end of the fragment altogether.

"I'm glad, I will be as perfect as I can be for you." She whispered affectionately.

Bush managed to purr. "Then hunt with me today. Let us bring plenty of prey for our fragment."

"Let's." She mewed, slipping away with her tail trailing along his jaw to lead the way.

It took everything within Bush to not latch his jaws onto the offending furry snake of a tail. Taking a deep breath, he looked to the dark ginger tom who was distracted by Leaf and Mint going through hunting crouches together. Ever since that fight, the drama between the leader and Council-cat had simmered down for the time being. It was unfair that Fawn had threatened them, but that was not the only problem. The other problem was that it would not take much more to make the tom and his adopted kits to leave. If he destroys Cedar, it would be dangerous for the kits. Narrowing his eyes, he knew what his next step must be. He had to get Dapple and Poppy on his side so they knew there would be somewhere safe. Let them spread the word of possibly leaving the fragment and allow cats to decide things for themselves. Anything, so that Cedar's broken trust wouldn't harm them.

With the plans forming a life of it's own, he began to follow Cedar. The darkness in his heart slowly enveloping him as he crept after her like a shadow. He was hunting a prey that was so dumb it would never realize what he was truly planning to do with her. Amber eyes gleaming, he hunted alongside her, planning their tactics to earn her favor even more. The cold anger he felt made him feel more and more like a snake-heart. They caught prey, never paying attention on what kind of prey it was as he worked his way into her idealized version of himself. Everyone would think they are finally becoming a sweet pair, but in reality he was hunting her to the best of his ability.

.

Another half-moon came and went as he finally pounced during their late night hunting. A tradition between cats who decide to have kits. However, usually they would wait until their twenty-fourth moon, a full twelve moons to court one another. Instead, he waited a moon and took the initiative for Cedar. He pounced on her, wrestling her into submission in a seemingly playful manner. She was no wiser, thinking he had been ready for moons upon moons and was just a shy tom. Gripping her scruff with a low growl, he shook hard, sinking his teeth into it until she yowled and shrieked in the pain on her scruff. If she bled, he didn't care. All he cared about was making sure she did not enjoy it one bit like he did.

It was beginning, the long desired revenge he wanted. He finished the first steps of his plan and began to enter the next phase. Not too long after, perhaps a quarter-moon or a half-moon after the late night tradition, he went into the Shard's den to 'find a perfect spot for Cedar' so she could have their kits. In actuality, he slipped in to speak with Dapple and Talon, who was visiting while Poppy went hunting again. The two were an old pair of mates, having kits that spanned across many fragments before now. Bush approached the two, ignoring the way the Shards looked at him with wide eyes.

"Should anything happen these coming moons, you should think about leaving with Poppy." He suddenly meowed.

Dapple looked up at him with a challenge in her gaze. "And go where? Talon hasn't been seeing well for a few moons."

"Follow Poppy." He told her darkly. "Follow him so your kit and future kits can be safe." It was a warning, one that had filled his mind the moment he saw them. A warning that came from somewhere else to seemed. Something whispered in his ears, into his very heart, and he had to let it out. "I plan to leave when Cedar's kits are weaned from needing her milk."

"That's awful!" Dapple gasped in horror. "What about her own feelings? She truly loves you!"

Bush lashed his tail. "And why should I care about her feelings if mine never meant a thing to her? I found a cat I loved dearly, but Cedar made me seem like I am dog-headed and never loved her at all and only wanted her territory for the group."

"Isn't that what happened?" Talon dared to ask, his ginger and white pelt slowly beginning to bristle.

"I was going to leave this fragment to live with the cat I chose. She thinks I betrayed her because of Cedar, so I am going to make her pay the price once and for all." He snarled, fury filling his chest as he told the older cats one last time. "In three moons, run as far as you can together. I don't care what it takes to take Cedar down, but I will not let innocent kits and shards get dragged into this if I can help it."

"But your kits can be dragged through this?" Talon's mew was hard with judgement. "Their lives will be at sake."

"You will understand why we must flee from this fragment. One way or another, you will understand. Now, ask cats who would be willing to leave the River-Fragment. Whoever wants to leave, has until the kits turn a moon old. After that, I'm leaving with my prize and I will no longer care what cat gets hurt along the way." Bush warned, turning back around and leaving the den.

The swath of reeds rattled as the heat was at it's strongest, drying up their part of the forest. A storm was brewing, but for the first time in moons, it was not from the sky. It was from Bush's blackened heart, twisted with rage and grief of what he had lost. A whisper echoed into his mind, devious and dark, ordering him to create this rift for good. A rift that would change this wanna-be forest forever. Everything that was left behind was now under his control, and he was going to tear the fragment to shreds even if it meant the cats would perish all around him i his need to make Cedar suffer for what she had done to his heart.

Two moons passed and the kits were born. Three girls, but only one was the most important in the fragment. Light had passed away due to an unknown illness, therefore he could not see his grand-kits. Bush remembered the pained wails from Fawn as her rapidly thinning mate, friend, and second-in-command hadn't woken up from his slumber that morning. Cedar had rose into the position so she may take over after Fawn perished from her many moons of life. However, the waiting game had begun. Like a doting father, he was catching prey for Cedar and making sure she was well-fed. However, his eyes were only on the eldest kit, a she-kit whose pelt was reddish-brown and white with tabby markings. She was the first-born and it was up to him to finish what was being started.

If you wish to shatter the heart of this cat, you must do the unthinkable, Bush. The great divide you will cause will only bring darkness in its wake. Please, be careful. A voice mewed in his head as Cedar seemed star-struck over her own kits. She was going to spoil them as rotten as herself, he knew it for certain as he leaned in to rasp his own tongue over each of their little heads. The voice in his head was helping him with what he was doing, so he knew it was the will of something stronger and more wiser than himself. He trusted the voice just as much as he trusted his own whiskers in the dark. A purr, deep and full of satisfaction of the future rumbled to life in his throat. Whether that pesky she-cat thought it was for their kits, he did not care. All he cared about, was following this darkness as far as he could go.

"What should we name them?" Cedar asked, looking up at him with hope in her eyes. "I wanted to name the youngest Timber, but I feel you should have the honor of naming the other two."

"Thank you, how about Jagged for the eldest? So she can be a powerful leader in her future?" Bush mewed as sweetly as snake's venom.

"I love it, and the second born?" Cedar breathed warmly.

Bush looked over the kit, the darkness clouding his mind until all he could see was their white splotches so clearly. "Frost for that frosty white fur."

"Those are strong and lovely names." Cedar mewed, "They will have big paws to fill, that's for sure."

"Perhaps, who knows." He murmured, watching the three kits, barely old enough to open their eyes and ears, paddle their paws into their mother's fluffy fur to drink her milk. "They certainly will have a rough life, but they will be strong enough to get through it. Like little warriors, but fierce like us."

"That they will." She yawned, curling up around them. "I'm going to take a nap, you can come by again later on. I'm sure you like it now that I'm out of your fur."

"Out of my fur or not," He whispered darkly. "We are bound by these kits and I will continue to provide."

Slowly, he backed out and away, slipping outside where Poppy was waiting. His amber eyes narrowed in suspicion as he rose to his paws. "We need to talk." He ordered. Bush nodded, following the dark ginger tom. A flicker of guilt crashed through him at the thought that the older tom might not be happy about his plans. They hadn't spoken before and often used Dapple as their messenger. Then again, now with Cedar in the Shard's den it would be hard to give messages now.

"I can explain." He suddenly meowed defensively as soon as he felt they were far enough way from camp.

"Hush!" Poppy hissed, lashing his tail. "We aren't there yet. We have to meet up with the hunting parties, so keep it down."

Bush blinked, confused, but nodded as he followed more quietly. As he crept closer and closer, he realized there was fourteen cats in the small clearing by the gorge. Three of which were Shards, one was a Shard-Mother, two were other Council-cats and the rest fragments like himself. Dapple blinked warmly, her fur smoothed. All the other cats were in the camp waiting for their turn to leave guard duty to hunt for the after high-sun time. He looked around, eyes wide as all the anger and hate he felt melted away.

"You all are interested in leaving?" He asked, bewildered.

Poppy nodded. "After that fight, we all realized that Fawn won't last much longer as a leader. She's weak and as soon as Cedar is able, she might take over. Not to mention, with Light gone she will be able to separate me from my kits as it is."

The blackish-brown tom stepped up. "And some of us are getting very old, so she might kick us out for all our moons of living! If not, then she might use us to do her bidding since we are beneath even the advisor!"

Other cats murmured their agreement, although a few picked up their already caught-prey. "We have to get going, we have to get to hunting and gathering bedding and the like to seem busy. But you said when her kits are a moon old we all leave, right?" The night-black she-cat asked from around her cod.

Bush nodded, feeling invigorated. "Yes. But if you plan on being with me, I can't promise the safety of any cat. Cedar will hunt me down until I'm dead for what I have in store for her."

"What do you mean?" Mint dared to ask.

"You will all see when we must leave." He turned and padded back since he was put onto guard duty for the evening. He just had to hope that it was all true. After all, with or without these cats, he was not going to cause a destruction in their fragile peace. He had to, for the sake of his broken heart.

Author Note:

In case you have ever wondered about how this fit in with the rest of the books, such as where Bush ends up; yes he is hearing a voice from StarClan. Which cat it is, we won't know for a little bit longer. But you also have to keep in mind that this prequel story may be very short chapter wise simply because I didn't want to make it impossibly long.

But that just means, this is how the war began between BushClan and FearClan and how that darkness changed the legacy of the stars forever.

Thank you for reading, have a fantastic morning/day/evening/night; if it's not then I truly hope it will get better before you know it. Also, hope everyone had a Happy New Year's Day! - NightSky