The moon was just setting, and light beginning to show on the sky, by the time Scourge made it back to the Twoleg trash area. Storm and Shadow barely glanced up when he came through the hole under the fence. Only Cinder licked his ear in greeting, but Scourge could feel the she-cat trembling as she pressed her pelt to his. Raven was nowhere to be seen, but toms did not usually stay around after their kits had grown enough.
"Hi, Storm, Shadow," whispered Scourge. His brother and sister nodded briefly, but said nothing.
"Give them time," murmured Cinder. "They just want to avoid you. Let them, for a few days, and they'll see." But she didn't sound completely certain, and Scourge knew that his mother was scared of both him and of what Storm might do.
The black cat padded alone to the single tree in the Twoleg trash area. "Is this how you feel?" he whispered to the great plant. "Being by yourself, with no one who cares about you?" The tree was as silent as the stars had been, except for the rustling of its leaves in the wind. "Even you won't listen!" he hissed, though he didn't really expect the tree to talk.
Scourge saw Storm and Shadow move away from him as he turned towards them. What? Do they think I could kill them? He thought angrily. I'm a runt! I couldn't give either of them a single scratch, even if I did want to. And I don't!
Shadow finally looked at her brother. "You're back, then," she mewed. Scourge couldn't tell if she was being unfriendly or not.
"Yes."
Suddenly Storm stood up angrily, his tail lashing in the air. "Get away!" he spat. "Leave us alone!"
"Storm-," Cinder started, but the gray tom silenced her with a cold glare and the she-cat gave a startled gasp. "You would kill any cat who bothers you, Scourge," continued the warrior in a cold voice. "I've seen how you hate Leech. Your eyes give you away. Shadow knows it, too."
Scourge's tail brushed against the tree's root as he backed away from Storm. Why was his brother acting like some possessed demon thing? "I don't get it! What-?"
Storm cut him off with a hiss, unsheathing his long claws. "You won't kill Shadow and me. Leave! You have no place here!" He looked straight at Scourge, this time without flinching. "Go! Now!"
Scourge stared at him, eyes wide with terror. "Storm, why are you-?"
The gray warrior leapt at him, his teeth bared. Scourge barely whipped to the side before razor sharp claws slashed the air where his head had been a heartbeat before. "Storm!" cried Cinder as the tom leapt onto a tree root. Storm hissed and slashed at his brother again. Scourge ducked, but Storm's paw slammed into him, and he crashed onto the ground. Storm leapt down and stood furiously over the small black warrior. "Now," he spat, his eyes burning, "You will never hurt any cat!"
He raised his claws into the air, ready to bring them down on his brother. Scourge rolled under Storm as the cat slashed, and pushed upwards. Storm flew back a tail length and landed on the ground heavily. Scourge hesitated, and in that moment Storm was up and towering over him again. By instinct Scourge raked his claws across the furry gray pelt over him. Blood spurted into his face, but he ignored it and squirmed away from his brother.
Storm gasped in surprise and pain, toppling backwards into Shadow. The she-cat yowled and pushed him away as Scourge raced over to the hole under the fence. The warrior wriggled under the trash area boundary and bolted away from his furious brother and into the night.