CLANLIFE
This is an account of all the stories (in correct order) that have happened to the cats of ThunderClan. These tales will begin just after a great flood that has destroyed most of ThunderClan and RiverClan. In these times the Clan leader Greystar was sick with greencough and sent his deputy, Lionheart, to the gathering instead. That day the Clan was struck with a massive flood and the cats could not return from the Gathering. When they finally were able to get back they found everyone who was left in the camp to be dead.
Our story begins one moon later.
SWEET REVENGE, SWEET BLOOD - Thunderpath - Sunset
The leaders of the three Clan stepped forwards, standing with their noses hardly an inch away from each other.
"What are you doing here?" Demanded Lionstar, claws unsheathed, as were Riverstar's.
Redclaw, the WindClan deputy purred with amusement and stepped back from the leaders, proceeding to pace around the twosome. While he did so Lionstar noticed a particular absence in the throng of cats before him. It took a moment for him to realize who that was but when he had his pupils dilated with fear and rage.
The ThunderClan leader spun around to turn on Redclaw who stopped his pacing immidiantly. "Where is Tallstar?" Both cats were big and muscular, though by the glossiness of deputy's pelt it was clear who had eaten better in the last few days. It was also clear who would come off better in a fight.
"Dead." Announced Redclaw, taking a swaggering step away from Lionstar and smiling almost tauntingly.
Lionstar looked as if someone had just delivered a slap to his face. He stumbled backwards as few steps and glanced sideways at the solemn-looking WindClan. "You killed him." Breathed the orange tom.
The black cat nodded. "And I'll kill you too."
Black paws left the ground and the tom soared through the air towards Lionstar but was knocked from the air at the last moment by a filthy white clump of fur. The two tumbled to the ground, the white tom hopping nimbly away and turning to face his opponent.
"Snapbone!" Exclaimed Hopepaw, hopping forwards.
Redclaw spun around, splitting opened the young she-cat's nose. "Silence!" He commanded, and that was what he received; the cats became quiet and Hopepaw shrunk back, cowering beside her brother, who looked just as fearful. After a few minutes of utter silence Snapbone leaped forwards again, pinning the WindClan cat to the Thunderpath.
"Don't touch her." Snarled the thin white tom, eyes wide wit rage. Redclaw attempted to chuckle, but it came out as more of a hysterical giggle. He was afraid of Snapbone, Greyclaw realized, stepping forwards to Lionstar's side. Redclaw was scared of Snapbone.
Rolling to the side the black warrior freed himself from the white warrior and padded around him, looking amused. "When was the last time I saw you? Was I driving you out? Oh no, back at the battle in my territory." Redclaw turned on Lionstar, glaring coldly at the tabby tom. "I should have killed you then too, but I won't make the same mistake again this time."
Lionstar couldn't move. His feet felt heavy, like rocks. It was fortunate that Snapbone was there, he leaped up, colliding with Redclaw's side as the black tom flew through the air towards Lionstar.
A rumbling started up in the distance as the two cats clawed viciously at each other, blood splattering the path along with black and white fur. They took no notice as the faint sound drew closer, until a large red shape appeared on the horizon, making good time right towards them.
It took a moment for the cats who's eyes were not locked on the battle to realize what it was, and when they finally managed to get the words out it was too late; the two-legs monster roared towards the cats. They all looked up, the eyes of Snapbone and Redclaw grew wide. No one moved until the monster was almost on top of them, then Shadowpaw managed to croak, "Run!"
Cats leaped from the path, pushing and shoving as they struggled to remove themselves from the monster's path. Redclaw and Snapbone staggered to their claws and the white tom turned to run, but Redclaw leaped at him, pinning him to the road and jumping away at the last moment. A sickening crunch split the air and Lionstar flinched.
Slowly cats peered up from the pit lining the edge of the path. The monster had moved on, leaving the broken body of the deputy lying on the road.
"This is your fault!" Snarled Riverstar, turning on Redclaw who grinned victoriously.
"Well, of course it is, but thank you for stating the obvious."
"Murderer!" Cried Riverstar, lunching forwards and knocking the big black tom to the ground.
"That will be enough."
Every head presently intact turned to the opposite side of the path. There stood a black she-cat, her huge metal claws glowing in the diminishing sunlight. She was flanked by cats that stretched far down the sides of the road with more assembled behind them. Possibly the whole of BoneClan was present.
"What do you want?" Demanded Riverstar, hopping forwards off the murderous Redclaw towards Metalstar.
The black she-cat purred and stepped forwards onto the Thunderpath. "I see your grasp of the obvious has failed you," Said the BoneClan leader, almost laughing. When she spoke again, however, her voice was cold and quiet, "I want you to die."
Riverstar blinked as if she had never guessed this, as if the fact that someone wanted her dead came like a blow to the face. But it wasn't that, it was the fact that the BoneClan leader sounded tortured, her voice filled with so much sadness and pain that Riverstar almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
A sudden gasp split the air behind her. She turned to see Jumppaw starting up at the sky, her jaw hanging opened. The gathered cats followed the RiverClan apprentices gaze to see that the sun had slipped down past the horizon and above them lay not the starry sky, but a forest much like theirs. No Thunderpath ran across it and the forest ran for miles with only a river staining the perfect landscape hanging in the sky above them. Through the faraway branches in the trees above them they could make out cat shapes moving in the heavens.
"What is this?" Asked Cloudysky, his voice hardly a whisper.
No one could answer that question; even Metalstar looked stunned at the sight, frightened by the wrongness.
Though none of the Clan cats had ever doubted that there was a Clan in the sky, they suddenly came to realize that there really was a Clan up there, a Clan they could now see.
A small sparkle of light floating up into the sky caught their eyes. It was cat shaped, though sparkling white like no cat they had seen before. It was Snapbone on his way to StarClan.
The spellbound cats watched as the spirit of the tom floated towards the sky. The light sank down towards the trees, though as it touched their branches a flash of red light lit the air and a deafening yowl of pain split the air. And what did Metalstar do? She laughed. While every other cat was staring in horror at the sight, the black she-cat raised her head to the forest-sky and let out a roar of laughter. This seemed to reassure the BoneClan and WindClan cats who gave a halfhearted chuckle.
"You're going to die!" Gasped Metalstar, laughing hysterically now. "You're going to die and we're going to live forever!"