Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I completely forgot to update! Sad thing is, I don't really have an excuse. I just completely forgot about this story because I started a couple of other stories, most notably 'Daring Scourge' and 'Ask The Warriors'.

Anyways, now we introduce Socks and Ruby! Yes, I own the manga and yes, I know Scourge kinda-sorta kicks them out ASAP, but I wanted to linger on this for awhile. I made them believe in StarClan just to add an argument…I don't think I know any atheists, though.

I'll just shut up and let you read this. I don't own Warriors, but I own Fang, Claw, Flora, and Maple (an alteration of my fan-character, Maple Leaf).

5

Meeting The Family

After Mom found out that I killed Terror, I thought that she would be proud that I earned some respect in the clan. But she was actually mad and even ashamed of me. But why? I had finally done the things Dad taught me.

Once she finally finished yelling at me, she turned on Scourge. Of course, he wasn't even expecting it; he had been sitting behind her, looking as confused as I was.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'teaching our son bad things'?! I'm teaching him how to survive!" he exclaimed.

"You know as well as I do that you don't have to kill to survive! I know that your siblings were hard on you, but you don't have to teach our son to take revenge by-" my mother countered.

"You have siblings?!" I asked in surprise. He had never told me about them!

"Yes, Claw, I did. And they were not fun." He growled.

"Why didn't you like them? What did they do?" I asked. Dad's eyes grew a little misty, and he stopped talking. He was just staring right through me like I was a piece of glass. It was kind of freaky.

Eventually, he blinked and shook his head. His eyes cleared as he finally said "Lots of stuff."

A few days later, Dad was eating a box of chicken and I was gnawing away at the last of a chicken leg. When I heard the tapping of claws on the pavement, I glanced up to see a calico cat wearing a red collar standing in the den entrance. Her nervous green eyes flitted around as she spoke.

"Hi, Scourge. A few cats are here to see you." She said. Now I remember her! She was one of the new guards!

"Thanks, Maple. Bring them here." Scourge said. The calico dipped her head before leaving. "It's probably just a few more cats with issues."

"Can I help?" I asked.

"Sure." Then two cats walked in the alley. They were scrawny and weak; skinner than our own warriors. One of them was a gray she-cat with a reddish tinge and blue eyes. The other was a black tom with a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip, also with blue eyes. They both looked a little like Dad.

Speaking of Dad, his eyes looked like they would fall out of his head. For awhile, they just stared at each other. I looked back and forth at them, wondering who would make the first move.

These. Cats. Were. Huge! They towered over Dad and I like we were blades of grass! Obviously, if a fight did break out, it'd be hard to predict who'd win.

"Tiny!" they exclaimed in joy. Dad narrowed his eyes at them.

"That is no longer my name. I am now known as Scourge." He said with a soft growl.

"…Scourge!" they shouted again, nearly knocking him over.

"Will you please stop knocking me over?!"

"Scourge? What's wrong?" the reddish-gray one asked in concern.

"You're humiliating me in front of my son!"

"You have a mate?!"

"Yes…that's what happens when you leave the house and grow up."

"Dad?" I asked quietly "Who are they?"

"You mean Scourge never told you about us?!" the black and white one asked in shock. I just shook my head.

"…Claw, these are your aunt and uncle; Socks and Ruby." Scourge replied.

"Scourge? Who's there?" my Mom asked, her voice floating down the alley.

"My brother and sister!" a few seconds later, Fang came down the hall with a mouse in her jaws. Socks got a nosebleed, and Scourge turned around and glared at him. "Hey! That's my mate!"

"You mean to tell me that you got a mate before I did?!"

"Yeah! Because all you care about are play fights and how much bigger you are than me!"

"Well, you're a pipsqueak!" Dad suddenly screwed his eyes shut. You could feel the tension in the air as Dad got angrier and angrier. Once he opened his eyes, they were icy chips.

"Uh-oh…" I murmured, beginning to back away. Usually, when this happened, Scourge clawed the fur of the cat closest to him. I preferred to have a full pelt.

"You've just made a big mistake, Socks." He hissed as he unsheathed his claws. Socks eyes widened…and then he began to laugh.

"Yeah, whatever! You cant hurt me!" he scoffed. Dad looked surprised.

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?"

"You don't know how to fight. But we can!"

"News flash; I'm the ruler of this clan! Just because you two were Mom's favorites and she gave you more training than she ever gave me, it doesn't mean that I cant fight!" Dad shouted "I've killed dogs and even other cats if I have to! I bet you two haven't even shed a drop of blood in your stupid kittypet lives!"

"Well, that doesn't mean we can't start now!" Socks countered. Ruby stepped in between the two cats to prevent a fight from breaking out.

"Guys, stop arguing! Scourge, at least I understand that you rule Twolegplace now. That's why we came to ask for help. And Socks, you know you got declawed moons ago!" she said. Dad froze in shock…and then he began to laugh really hard. He laughed so hard that he fell to the floor and started rolling around.

"Declawed?! And you think you can fight me?! Oh, this is priceless! This is too much! Ahahahahaha! You two are hilarious!" he said before he started laughing again.

"Dad, what does 'declawed' mean?" I asked.

"It's when you go to the Cutter and get your claws taken out so you cant hurt anybody."

"What's a Cutter?"

"Some Twoleg that kittypets go to. They 'take care of them' and 'make them better'. Apparently, Socks went not too long ago!" then Dad began to laugh some more.

"Oh, shut up about it already!" Socks leapt on top of Dad, who immediately swiped at his shoulder. "StarClan's kits, that hurts!"

"You still believe in StarClan? You guys are pitiful. And, of course it's gonna hurt! You got declawed while I got reclawed! You like?" Scourge held up his paws, and the dog teeth on it glistened in the light. Socks and Ruby stared in shock and fear.

"How in StarClan did you do that?!" Ruby asked.

"What's StarClan?" I asked. It had been mentioned a bit, and I wanted to know what it was. Apparently, Dad didn't like it, though. He rolled his eyes at my question.

"Nothing important; just a load of kittales." The two cats gasped in horror.

"You're an atheist?!"

"I'm a what?"

"An atheist! You don't believe in StarClan!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!"

"It is!"

"Really? I don't believe in StarClan, and I have my own clan, not to mention tons of food to eat. You two do believe in StarClan, and where has it gotten you?" when the two cats didn't say anything, Dad smirked. "I thought so."

"Scourge…" Mom said.

"Yeah?"

"At least respect their religion while they're here."

"Hmph, fine! What's that mouse for?"

"I just happened to catch it on the way here. Would your siblings like something to eat?"

"Uh…"

"Yes, please." Ruby said. Sock's nose just started bleeding again. Ruby whacked him upside the head with a paw.

"Alright, just don't eat all the food."

"…and you ate all the food." We were staring at a litter of chicken bones and a couple of mouse skeletons. They were bleached white, and bare "You ate all the meat off of it!"

"Don't worry about it!" I said with confidence "I'll go get more!"

"Can we come too?" Ruby asked.

"Sure!" I padded out of the alley with the two cats following not too far behind.

Once we got to the middle of the territory, I began to hear pawsteps. My ears pricked as I heard two voices.

"Claw!" a voice exclaimed. I turned around to see Concrete and Skye running towards me.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted. Concrete walked in a circle around me, her fur brushing mine. She had definitely taken a liking to me, and I must admit that I liked her too.

"How has your day been?" she asked with a purr.

"Good! Oh, guys, these are my aunt and uncle; Socks and Ruby."

"F-f-for a second I th-th-thought that they were B-B-Bone and B-B-Brick!" Skye stammered.

"I must admit, they do look alike…but they smell odd. Where did they come from?" Concrete asked.

"They used to be kittypets, but something happened and they came here." I replied.

"Our Twolegs abandoned us…" Socks murmured, shuffling his paws.

"So what was our leader like when he was a kit?" Concrete wondered, blue eyes sparkling in curiosity.

"…he was really small, for one thing. And he didn't like Twolegs too much. But he loved the little bell on his collar…I wonder where it went?" Ruby said.

"Dad used to tell me that a tiger's paw attacked him and tried to claw him until another cat with blue fur saved him…so now he likes cats with blue fur." I answered, remembering the stories he used to tell me.

"Th-That's a relief!" Skye exclaimed.

"Oh…" Socks murmured.

"…I've gotta go; we ran out of food at dinner." I said.

"Well, Scourge hasn't been feeding five cats in a long time, and he probably wasn't expecting guests…I'll see you tomorrow at the Clan Meeting!" Concrete said, waving her tail as she walked away.

"W-Wait for me!" Skye called out, running after the silver tabby.

"See you guys!" I exclaimed. Then I padded away with Socks and Ruby. We talked for awhile, and I must say they were nice cats.

Once we arrived at a good hunting spot, I turned to them. I expected them to immediately run off to try and scent a mouse. But no, they just looked at me expectantly. After awhile, I put two and two together.

"You guys don't know how to hunt, do you?" I asked.

"We were never taught." Ruby explained "And Socks got declawed…"

"Well, unless you want a very bloody mouse, you don't even need claws. Just teeth."

"Oh, okay! Please teach us!" for the next few minutes, I taught the two how to hunt the best I could, and we managed to catch a few mice and birds for dinner.

"So, what's Scourge like now?" Ruby asked on the way back.

"Well, he's a good ruler…but he's not exactly an expert on kits. I had a brother and a sister, but they're both gone." I replied.

"What do you mean?" Socks inquired.

"…well, life's pretty dangerous here. Not exactly the best place for curious kits to be running around, disobeying older cats. But that's kinda what he lets us do. It's a miracle I wasn't hit by a car…but, while Dad was fighting a dog, my brother Scratch was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Dad leaped out of the way of an attack, the dog grabbed him and snapped his neck. A few moons later, Dad found out that a few cats had been breaking the rules, and he had to kill him. My sister couldn't take it and ran away."

"Oh…"

Once we got back home, Scourge was asleep. His tiny pink nose twitched at the scent of food, but he didn't wake up.

"What's with the collars everyone around here has?" Socks asked in curiosity.

"…Dad told me that when he first came here, a few cats made fun of him for being a kittypet. Eventually, he found a dog tooth an old dog had dropped, and he tried to use it to take off his collar, but it ripped through and got stuck. When the others asked him about it, he said he killed the dog and took it as a trophy, which earned him some respect…but now he really does kill the dogs he wears on his collar."

"What about that bird skull in the middle?"

"Oh, that's just there for style."

"Claw?" Fang asked as she padded in "Wow, what a catch! Did you get all that yourself?"

"No; I taught Socks and Ruby how to hunt!"

"Oh, really? That's nice of you!" Fang turned to look at Scourge, who was now on his back, snoring. She prodded him with a paw as she said "Scourge, wake up!"

"…five more minutes…" he moaned, turning his back to her.

"There's food…!"

"Where?!" Dad woke up with a jolt, sniffing the air. Once he smelled the prey, he smiled. Mom smirked a little.

"Works every time." She said to Ruby.

"Does anybody mind if I invite Bone and Brick over for dinner?"

"Yay!" I exclaimed in happiness "I'll go get them!" I bounded out of our section of the alley and ran to Bone's den, where he and his mate Flora were play-fighting. Bone did look like Socks a little, except his eyes were green and the bottom part of his muzzle was black, making it look like he had a beard. Flora was a tortoiseshell cat with leaf-green eyes; she and Leaf were loosely related.

"Excuse me." I said. Bone and Flora froze mid-swipe and turned to look at me.

"Oh, hi, Claw. Does Scourge need me?" Bone asked.

"Well, he wants to invite you guys over for dinner; we have a bit of extra prey, since i=his siblings came over." I replied.

"Alright! I'll go get Brick!" Bone ran out of the den, and I chased after him. Flora poked her hear out of the den, watching us run.

"Toms…" I heard her murmur. Bone just kept running and stopped a little bit farther down the alley.

"Yo, Brick! We've been invited to dinner at Scourge's place!" he called out.,

"Be there in a second!" I heard a voice exclaim. A few seconds later, Brick came out of her den, her red-tinged fur glossy and smoothed. "Sorry, I was grooming myself."

"Good for you." Bone said sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out in disgust.

"Too much information! I just got this weird image in my head…ew!"

"Sorry!" Brick said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes were a pale yellow. We walked back to Flora, and began the trek back to Dad's den.

"So, what happened to the two guests that Leaf told me about?" Bone asked.

"Turns out, they're Dad's littermates! They're names are Socks and Ruby, and they kind of look like you and Brick!" I said.

"Really, now? Do they act like us, too?" Brick asked sarcastically.

"Not at all! Sock's been declawed, and neither one of them knew how to hunt until I taught them!"

"How does a cat not know how to hunt?!" Bone exclaimed in disbelief.

"Remember, Scourge was a kittypet before he came here." Flora stated.

"Good point." By that time, we were back in my father's section of the alley. We went around the corner to the entrance…and came face-to-face with a humongous argument.

"For the last time, we were just thanking StarClan for our food! And blessing it, so it's not dangerous!" Ruby snapped at Scourge.

"Oh, yes, that makes perfect sense! Lets thank a bunch of stars for the life of an idiotic mouse! 'Oh, StarClan! Can you pretty please make sure this mouse isn't dangerous by using your magical star-power?' Yeah, like that'll matter! It's fresh-kill, not crow food!"

"Now that you've offended them, they just might fill it with maggots!" Socks said.

"Fresh-kill? As in 'just killed less than five minutes ago' fresh? Yeah, right!"

"Uh…hi?" Bone said hesitantly. Everyone turned around to look at us.

"Oh! I didn't know you guys were here! Anyways, these are my idiotic, star-gazing siblings, Socks and Ruby."

"Hey!" the two exclaimed.

"Socks and Ruby, these are my co-rulers, Bone and Brick…and Bone's mate, Flora!"

"…hello…" Brick said, eyes flitting between the siblings like panicked butterflies. For once, Bone actually looked nervous to be in a den. Flora studied her paws, and I took a sudden interest in my white-tipped tail. You could feel the tension in the room, like lightning threatening to strike at any moment. Scourge and his siblings constantly shot glares at each other as we sat down to eat dinner.

'This is going to be such a fun visit!' I thought to myself, not really meaning it as I nibbled timidly at a bird.

I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll try to update this ASAP! Next chapter, Scourge'll probably kick out his 'idiotic siblings'. At the end of the intro to this chapter, I almost made Scourge say 'terrible things' instead of 'not fun', but then I realized that Socks and Ruby weren't exactly trying to kill him; they were just jerks. Siblings fight, right (I'd know).

I still don't own Warriors, but I own Claw, Fang, Maple, and Flora. BTW, I imagine Scourge looking like the way flightfootwarrior/XxflightfeathersxX/reaper-neko draws him, which is where I got the bird-skull reference from.

Adios, amigos!