Double update! Who would have guessed!
Anyway I would like to introduce SnowClan!
Read and Review as always guys!
Leader: Flurrystar: Fluffy gray she-cat with white throat, chest, underbelly and tail tip.
Deputy: Darkstorm: Dark tabby tom with gray paws and ear tips.
Medicine Cat: Silverpool: Sleek silver tabby she-cat.
Warriors:
Birdflight: Small light brown tabby tom with white flecks.
Dawnfrost: Tortoiseshell she-cat with creamy paws.
Oakfrost: Smoky black tom.
Brackentail: Brown tabby tom with white chest.
Mapleshade: Fiery ginger she-cat with lighter fur around her eyes.
Eagleclaw: Dusky brown tom with black paws.
Feathersong: Gray tabby she-cat.
Spottedcloud: Silver tabby she-cat with black spots.
Tigerstripe: Dark brown tabby tom with bold black stripes.
Dewfire: Black and white she-cat.
Robinfrost: Ginger tabby tom with white fore paw.
Owlflame: Tawny tom with gray hind paws.
Fernshade: Light black she-cat with slightly lighter patches over her eyes.
Palefur: Light gray tom with white muzzle and throat.
Thorntail: Golden brown tom with white flash on his chest.
Apprentices:
Dawnpaw: Cream calico she-cat.
Shadepaw: Dark gray tabby tom with black splashes.
Mintpaw: Fawn tabby she-cat with light throat and chest.
Stonepaw: Blue tabby tom with gray tail tip.
Queens:
Mistybreeze: Fluffy blue she-cat with white splotches. Mother of Palefur's kits; Silverkit, Blizzardkit and Whitekit.
Elders:
Rushfeather: Pure white-she cat. Blind in both eyes.
Whitefoot: Red tom with a single white forepaw.
Chapter 1: SnowClan
A single pristine snow flake floated down to the white ground, looking so out of place in a world filled with misery and death. Despite the depressing mood that threatened to smother the snowy white clearing three kits romped happily in the snow. Their mother watched from the safety of her dens alcove, her eyes watching her kits with sadness sharp in her pale amber eyes.
As more flakes of white began to topple out of the heavy clouds the queen called her kits.
"Blizzardkit, Silverkit, Whitekit come inside now!" her voice floated on the growing wind as the blizzard sharpened its fury. The three kits ploughed through the snow to reach their mother and by the time they arrived their backs were coated in a coat of fluffy snow.
A shadowy shape watched the kits from atop an icy cold boulder. Her thick gray fur kept her warm no matter how hard or cold the wind blew.
"Flurrystar," a voice reached the gray she-cats ears and she twisted her head to look down at the speaker.
"What is it Darkstorm?"
Darkstorm gathered his powerful haunches beneath him and sky rocketed onto the boulder, his claws making a satisfying screeching sound on the boulder's rocky body. "RogueClan have been spotted extremely close to our border again."
Flurrystar lashed her plumy tail in un-masked rage, "How dare they! Have they forgotten what tomorrow means!"
"How could anyone forget about tomorrow?" Darkstorm hissed in disbelief. His dark tabby fur blew backwards in a sudden gust of wind, almost pulling him from the boulder.
"I would ask you to attack their next border patrol but that will be unnecessary." Darkstorm looked up at his leader in confusion.
"Why would that be unnecessary Flurrystar?" he asked.
A chuckle rolled out from the depths of Flurrystar's chest, "Tomorrow is the Calling. Tomorrow two cats from their vile Clan will be chosen to die under the claws of better trained warriors," she turned her piercing blue gaze onto Darkstorm, "Tomorrow is the start of the Game of Blood."
"Yes but we too will lose two cats in this game of life and death where to die means nothing to anyone," the dark tabby sighed, stress shining through his voice.
Flurrystar gave the tom a sympathetic purr and nudged him gently, "You worry about your kits?"
The tom simply nodded.
"Then maybe it would be wise to spend this blizzard with your mate and kits instead of with me."
Darkstorm looked up, "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now go before the storm gets any worse!" Flurrystar ordered shoving Darkstorm off the boulder and into a heap of snow. She watched in amusement as the deputy pulled himself from the snow and staggered through the blizzard to where his mate lay with their kits. A sigh graced her jaws as the leader slunk into her den. Tomorrow two cats would leave their Clan on a path to their deaths.
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"You know why I am here!" a dark tabby tom with eyes the colour of blue ice yowled. The cats in the snow covered clearing simply nodded and hung their heads. "Today is the day of the Calling. Today two cats will be named to fight to the death in the Game of Blood!"
Flurrystar watched from the side of the clearing as their Clan's caller paced back and forth across her boulder. She seethed with rage at how he could stand up there and mock the cats called upon to fight. If she could she would rip his throat out and watch gleefully as his blood pooled around his head turning the snow crimson.
The gray leader sighed and shook her head gently. Thoughts like that could get her killed.
"The names I am about to say belong to two cats in the very clearing! If I say your name you must step forward and be marked as a contestant!" the dark tabby was yowling orders again as the Clan watched silently.
Apprentices squirmed besides their mentors, fear flooding through their veins. Warriors sat with their heads bowed, ready to say goodbye to their loved ones. Elders watched from the mouth of their den as a silent word passed through the Clan.
Hope.
But like all the hope that cat's had had before these dark times it too was squashed with the names of two cats.
"The cats representing SnowClan are Thorntail and Shadepaw."
Flurrystar felt her muscles clinch together at the sound of Shadepaw's name. No! He can't be the one!
Darkstorm let out a heart wrenching wail as his only son stepped forward to take his place as a contestant. His mate, Fernshade pressed her black fur against Darkstorm's in an effort to comfort him.
By now both warrior and apprentice had made their way to the front and now sat tensely before the dark warrior.
"You must both be so happy to be able to represent you Clan in the Game of Blood," he drawled mocking the chosen with their own deaths.
"It is an honour Hawkfrost," Shadepaw spoke up his black fur fluffed up against the cold. Hawkfrost let out a growl and jumped to the ground.
The dark forest warrior stalked over to where Thorntail stood, his face drawn in a thin line as if he was trying to hide himself from the nightmare that was about to begin.
"Thorntail. Son of Weaselfang and Sunspot. Mate none. Kits none," Hawkfrost said the list that was compulsory for every caller to say when a cat is chosen. Except his tone was dull and bored. "Do you Thorntail of SnowClan accept your position as a contestant of the Game of Blood?"
"I do," Thorntail's hoarse voice rang out across the clearing.
An evil look flitted across Hawkfrost's face at the thought of his next job, "Then I hereby mark you a contestant!"
With a snarl he raised an unsheathed forepaw and slashed Thorntail across both eyes. Blood spattered both Thorntail and Shadepaw as Hawkfrost licked the blood from his claws. As if in slow motion three drops of blood rolled off Thorntail's face and splashed onto the ground before his paws. A voice rang clear through his head, whispering words he had never heard before.
"Beware the moon that drips with blood."
Hawfrost's voice awakened him from his strange dream, "Shadepaw. Son of Darkstorm and Fernshade. No mate. No kits," he paused in his speech to fix his icy cold gaze on Shadepaw, "Do you accept your position as a contestant of the Game of Blood?"
"I do."
"Then I hereby mark you a contestant!"
A pained screech followed Hawkfrost's words and a spatter of blood coated the left side of Thorntail's face shocking him. He hadn't bled that much.
He turned his head to stare at Shadepaw and gasped in shock. The black apprentice was on the ground, writhing under Hawkfrost's heavy paws as he dragged his claws through Shadepaw's skin slowly. Fire burned through Shadepaw's head. He could feel Hawfrost's claws tearing through his skin getting dangerously close to his eyes.
Then the pain was gone. Blood dripped into his eyes and he received the same strange words that Thorntail had heard.
"Beware the moon that drips with blood."
Flurrystar's voice summoned Shadepaw from his state of paralysis and he strained his eyes to look up at his leader. "SnowClan! These are your contestants. Wish them luck. Say goodbye. Have one last smell of their scent as you may never smell it again. You all know the rules to this game. 12 go in. 1 comes out."
Her words were met with silence as the Clan moved forward slowly. The silence was broken when Fernshade saw Shadepaw's torn up face. As if she had broken a spell the rest of the Clan began to share words with the two cats that were doomed to die on a bloody battle field.
Hawkfrost watched from beneath boulder with a disgusted look on his face at the Clans hope for these young contestants. They won't be coming home.
A lightning bolt lit up the sky. The signal for the callers to bring the contestants to where they would train for 5 sunrises. On the sixth they would be cast into a wilderness and forced to kill.
"Leave us now! I must take these two cats to meet with Tigerstar in the darkest realm of the dark forest," the dark tabby warrior strode forward and draped his tail over the shoulders of both Shadepaw and Thorntail. "Hold on now."
Then they were gone as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky in a spectacular feat of white and blue light melting together.
This is by far becoming my favourite story to create. It has such an intrepid storyline that I hope to bring to life throughout the story. Some of the characters are very difficult to write about as they have many emotions. Darkstorm is a good example. He needs to act strong as deputy for his Clan. If he shows fear then the Clan will fall around him. However his only son was just picked to fight in a battle where only one cat can win.
Lol I'm going to stop writing there before I explain his personality and character too deeply!
As always Read and Review!
Hunter Out~