I have received cat character suggestions, so there are some new characters. Thanks to wolfphase for suggesting the new cats. :3

BLOODCLAN

Leader- Scorn- tall black tom with eerie yellow eyes, called "Master of Flames"

Deputy- Sulfur- scraggly dark gray tom with a white muzzle and paws

Healer- Ashes- pale gray she-cat with crooked whiskers

WARRIORS

Viper- black tom with long front fangs and green eyes

Raven- sleek white she-cat with white eye spot

Panther- sleek black tom, new warrior

Chalk-dusty-looking brown tom, new warrior

Hunter- calico tom, new warrior

Sleet- sleek white she-cat (originally named Mist, had to rename because of a repeated use)

APPRENTICES (this lists all of them, I eliminated some)

Cement- gray tom

Star- pure white she-cat with yellow eyes

Jay- black she-cat with white chest and belly and blue eyes

Asphalt- black tom with amber eyes

Cliff- reddish tom

Rill- tortoiseshell she-cat

Blood- dark ginger tom

Fang- dark gray tom (all highlighted are the new recruits, and they are Viper and Whip's kits).

Fury- beautiful black she-cat with green eyes

Rage- very dark gray tom with blue eyes

Hunter- calico tom

Finder- tortoiseshell she-cat

QUEENS

Scrap- white-and-black she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Snook's kits- Ember, a white she-cat with fire-colored eyes, Mist, a gray-and-gold tortoiseshell, and Night, a black-and-white she-cat)

Willow- fluffy pale-gray she-cat with yellow eyes (mother to Mud's kits- Cardinal, a brownish-red tom, and Sear, a gray she-cat with one black ear)

Thanks again for the new characters. They made this chapter way easier to write- I thought I had too few kits! (Note: Fang, Fury, and Rage have just been crowned apprentices).

EIGHT
How To Avoid A Jay's Talons

Night hissed to Ember. "Do you really think it will work?" Her whiskers were taut.

Ember shouldered her playfully. "Of course it will work. They'll come; you'll see."

For the rest of the day yesterday after Jay had indirectly threatened to kill them, Ember, Night, and Mist had hatched a plan- a currently undeveloped plan, but it was still a good one. Jay couldn't be beaten by tiny kits like themselves, but perhaps with the help of the other apprentices and kits they would be able to beat her more easily. As Sulfur always said, "Many paws make for light work." Fighting Jay, even with the help of others, wouldn't be "light work", but definitely a more simple process than just taking on the leader's daughter alone.

Mist, her gray-gold fur flashing in the dim red light of the sunset, hunched her shoulders in disappointment. "You asked them to meet you here a long time ago, Ember," the tortoiseshell kit mewed. "If they haven't come yet, then they never will. We should just go back home to our nest. Alley cats could get us out here, you know."

Night had thought the plan would work, too, but she was impatient. The black-and-white kit wiggled around restlessly. She fixed her blue eyes on Ember, hissing. "Ember, seriously, let's go back to the nest! Scrap probably got us a nice turkey wing for dinner. I'm hungry, and if I don't get food soon, I'm going to be in a terrible mood."

Ember couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "You already are in a bad mood. And we can't lose hope. We invited Fury, and Finder...they're our best friends." Her tail-tip flipped to and fro fervently. "They can't back us down, and I know they wouldn't. They trust us; I trust them."

On cue, a pebble skidded down the alleyway, startling the three kits. Claws flashed like moonlight, and a slim black cat slid into view, followed closely by a smaller, bunchier tortoiseshell. Ember recognized Fury immediately, marred by tiny, kit-claw-sized marks and scars. She was a regular beauty, but no tom dared to confront her because of her fierce brother, Fang.

Finder's pink nose, which was often twitching when it scented anything, was dotted with redness. Ember blinked as she spotted a raw wound on Fury's side, ripping smartly across her shoulder and streaming blood. Her green eyes were thin with pain, but she did not limp.

Before Ember could ask, Fury spoke up. "Sorry we're late," she hissed, her voice miffed. "Fang was being stupid. He wouldn't let me go, so I had to fight him for it. Even worse, he sliced Finder on the nose. What a jerk!" She shook herself, dust puffing from her fur, and checked Finder's nose hastily. The two had been friends since they were newborn kits, and Ember could see worry flashing in the she-cat's emerald eyes.

Finder swiped her nose, smearing blood and turning it bright magenta. "It's okay, though," she mewed, her voice light as a whisker. "We got away, and that's the good thing. I hope we didn't hold anything up."

Ember nodded curtly, then looked around, her eyes round in the dark. "Hey...where are the others? I thought you were going to bring others." She looked at Fury, at the blood dripping down her side. She seemed confused, too.

"I invited Rage. He's been picking around in the dumpster lately. I guess he doesn't like being around the other apprentices." Her vision swooped upwards, scanning the massive piles of garbage for any moving shapes. "I could've sworn I heard his pawsteps behind us. Maybe he saw a mouse or something. He gets sidetracked with prey a lot."

Night cut in sharply. "There he is! He's coming this way!" Her voice was shrill, and Mist batted her on the cheek to quiet her. Sure enough, a dark gray coat matted with mud stumbled toward them, sporting two blue eyes.

Fury walked up to him, flinching as her shoulder wound stretched. "Rage!" she spat. "What took you so long? You're going to get us caught."

The tom scrambled up, shrugging. "I...um...fell into a mud hole. It took Star a while to get me out..." He gestured to the lithe white she-cat coming up behind him, her muzzle muddy and eyes flashing. She swiped a glistening pink tongue around her muzzle, mopping away the mess, and spit the mud out in front of her paws. She huffed ungratefully.

"An experience I would not willingly go through again," she mewed, her eyes vertical slits. "Your fur tastes all musty, Rage."

Finder sniffed the air, her sharp senses catching lingering traces of Rage's scent. She spat. "You smell musty too, Rage," she giggled. Rage turned his face away, his ears flicking in discomfort.

Night cleared her throat. "Alright, are we done conversing?" she mewed haughtily. "Because I thought we were here to fight." She unsheathed her claws, as if to further remind her piers of why they had gathered.

Fury lapped persistently at her wound, blood staining her crow-black fur, the thirst for battle surging in her eyes. She was obviously ready to scuffle even though she was wounded, so she was a vital team member. Quick-minded, with long claws- it made Ember feel better, knowing Fury was on their side. Ember looked around in speculation, measuring everybody else's abilities. Finder was small, and very sensible. She had a remarkable nose, which might help her during the battle. Rage, on the other paw, was klutzy...constantly tripping over his paws and tail, and pretty much every other minor obstacle that existed. His real skill was hunting, not battling. But at least he was an accurate pouncer, and had a nasty killing bite. If he was only brave enough to confront Jay, and he hit her throat in the right spot, he would be able to kill her. But killing Jay wasn't the plan- Scorn would probably kill them if they dared slaughter one of his kits. So Ember hoped that if he did get to the killing-bite stage, he would only deliver a bite hard enough to kill a mouse and not a cat. They wanted wounded Jay. Not dead Jay.

Night was a little erratic. Instead of plain ol' fighting, she would actually be excited beyond Ember's comprehension. Already a tricky kitten in everyday life, she loved outsmarting her opponents, and often did. It was Night's recklessness that worried Ember. Mist was shy, but she seemed to understand that sometimes fighting was necessary. While she avoided unreasonable fights, she would put heart into ones that had purpose. Mist knew as well as any other cat that Jay was dangerous, and couldn't be left alone. Her opened-up courage and strength were usually very impacting, especially since the enemy typically underestimated her power. Star was confident, but not overly so, and thought in a way Ember couldn't put together. Her plans appeared crazy, but often worked. She was also flexible and agile, her long tail increasing her balance and lowering the chance of her falling over. Ember remembered that Star had once been explaining a tactic to her that she didn't understand. Something about that if an enemy pounced on you, you should take the majority of the blow so that you can use the strength of their pounce to pin them, or something like that. Ember didn't get Star, but it was smart to go along with what she instructed them to do.

Six cats. Including her. So seven. Would it be enough to defeat Jay?

Ember squinted, trying to think of her own talents. She had fought before- many times. But she just seemed like a regular fighter.

What was her talent?

Finder's ears suddenly perked, turning gradually towards the giant trash piles. Her eyes were intently focused. "Uh-oh," she whispered. "I hear paws."

Star whisked herself over, her long white body puffing out like a cloud. She looked around, yellow eyes like two bright moons. "Rat's paws?" she mewed hopefully. "Oh, please...tell me they're rat's paws."

Finder shook her head, closing her eyes tightly, as if that would answer the question. "Cat paws," she mewed, her voice rising a notch. "And they're soft...it must be Jay."

Star hissed in disbelief. "How did she find us?" she mewed angrily. "She didn't even know we were coming. She probably always lurks out here at night. She always does this weird thing where she pops out of the darkness, and the moonlight somehow hits her fur perfectly so she's revealed slowly as she comes out..."

Night squeaked, staring horrified at a sliver of darkness wedged between two of the largest garbage mountains. "Oh, great Scourge," she mewed, gulping. "Jay...is that you?"

Ember turned to see. She nearly jumped out of her fur as she spotted two icy blue eyes peering out of the darkness.

Ember shut her eyes. "Rage. Tell me that's you, Rage."

Pawsteps sounded to her left. "No...I'm over here." His voice was edgy.

A snicker bounced off the walls of the alleyway, making Ember's fur prickle. "Of course it's me, you imbeciles," an ominous voice cackled. "I knew all along that you were planning to attack me. You think I have the ears of a mole?" Glossy, reflective fur shimmered in the cast of ivory light, leisurely revealing a tapered head and a trim, slender body. A stripe of gray light traveled along Jay's flank as she disclosed herself, her eyes two twinkling pebbles in the midst of her dark face. Ember looked at the two eyes and shivered...like there was a frosty chunk of ice sliding down her back. It came to her in a flash- they were replicas of Scourge's eyes. She had always heard the older cats who had lived in Scourge's time, describing how frigid they were. She had never seen Scourge in her life, and yet she knew. Jay was Scourge's descendant, and she had inherited his spirit.

She heard Mist scamper behind her. Rage looked stricken, as well as Night. She glanced apprehensively at Fury and Star, who had taken a few bold steps forward. Finder seemed stuck in place, her paws rooted to the ground. Ember felt the same way- paralyzed by Jay's freezing gaze.

Jay let slip a throaty laugh. "I heard you plotting earlier in the nursery. I was picking around. I've known all day about your little scheme. Doesn't that just crush you?" She laughed once more, tilting her claws so every cat could see. Ember swallowed her fear. Enormous dog's teeth were attached to her claws, just like Scorn did. Jay had always had those, but when you were about to battle her, it was much more intimidating.

Jay, taking note of their terror, crouched down low and wiggled her hindquarters. "Well?" she mewed slyly. "Aren't you going to attack me? Now that I know about your doings, you might as well."

Ember knew Jay was trying to trick them, but she couldn't decide whether to obey or stand still. It was as if Jay was beckoning them with her eyes. But Ember knew better. She didn't budge, glaring at Jay for expecting them to attack. They weren't that stupid!

Well, at least she wasn't.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cat step forward. Too much forward. "What are you mewing about?" a very familiar voice spat. "We're not going to do what you say!"

Ember closed her eyes. Oh, great Scourge...she thought, digging her claws into the ground. Night.

Jay blinked innocently, cocking her head. "Oh really?" she mewed, baring impeccable white teeth. "I doubt it. You kits are so moronic, I bet if you saw a fox you would invite it over to eat chicken with you."

Night bristled. "What?" she exclaimed, purely furious. "Don't call my sisters stupid!" She arched her back and hissed, lowering herself to the ground.

Oh, tails and whiskers, Ember thought. We're dead rats.

Jay moved her shoulders. "Come and get it," she growled darkly.

As Ember predicted, Night let her anger get the best of her. She leapt at Jay with her claws outstretched, reaching for her throat. Taking this as a signal to go into battle, the other cats launched themselves after her, all crowding towards Jay's thin black frame. Ember felt like banging her head against the ground. Instead, she let her frustration out on Jay, sprinting toward her as fast as she could.

Feeling rushed, Ember hoped with every stone's weight of her being that nobody would get hurt. Why, oh why did Night have to be so reckless?

It all happened at once. Ember was racing towards the mass, trying to find a spot to wedge herself in, and found herself colliding with a wreck of limbs and fur. Tumbling tail over paws, she struggled to get up, and was shocked to see Jay standing, unharmed, over to the side.

The black she-cat licked her jaws, amused. "How charming," she mewed in mock-adoration. "It seems you kits are way dumber than I thought. You know what went wrong, don't you? You all came rushing at me at once. Stupid! That way I can easily judge how long it will take you to get over to where I'm standing. Now you seven stupid cats are tangled up like a bunch of spiderwebs, and I'm over here, watching you make fools of yourselves." She tittered.

Night was the first to squeeze herself out of the crowd. "You tricked us!" she mewed accusingly.

Jay snorted. "Nice realization, but I just told you that. Now, you're not going to get all riled up again, are you? It's annoying me."

Ember, from her place in the struggling cats, saw the signs and grabbed Night's leg with her teeth, making her topple over. Night whipped around, glowering at Ember. Ember returned it.

"Don't be a pigeon-brain, Night," Ember hissed. "Do you know the reason we're losing? Because you got angry and attacked her. Don't listen to her."

Night yanked herself free, only to faceplant herself into the dirt. She got up, shaking herself, as Jay laughed. Ember scrambled out of the mass and jumped in front of Night protectively. The rest of the cats, wrenching themselves up, followed.

Jay sneered as she watched them take stance. "Oh, so you're ready to fight again," she mewed, a hint of disapproval in her voice. "Great. I can watch you mess up again. So. Who's gonna be the first kitty to take me on?"

Fury and Star padded forward. "Kitties," they mewed at the same time. They began to circle Jay, making sure to stay on opposite sides of her.

Jay stood up, but didn't make a move. Ember noticed that, for whatever reason, she kept her eyes focused on Fury. Didn't she know that Star was the tricky one? Fury was hurt anyways, so wouldn't it be less risky to have her behind her instead of Star?

She could see Star back away from the circling, up to one of her tricks again. Jay's ears immediately pricked, and she turned around, much to Ember's surprise. Fury, taking advantage of this, leapt nimbly at Jay, not emitting any sound. She only screeched when she was half a tail-length away from Jay's ear.

Jay was a blur. She ducked, making Fury's green eyes go wide. Fury crashed into Star, her claws sinking into Star's side. Star howled. As soon as Fury made contact with Star, Fury flashed over to Fury- yes, flashed, not pounced...this was the only description Ember could come up with- and bit, hard, into Fury's back paw. Fury yowled, kicking up her back leg in defense, trying to claw Jay's face with her back paws. In the split second that Fury kicked up, Jay slipped her head under Fury's legs and headbutted her over, exposing her soft belly. Jay raised her claws, and brought them down on Fury's belly, four long red scratch marks left in their place.

Blood seeping down her belly, Fury squealed. Ember was horrified to hear her voice close into a whisper, but she didn't see her eyes cloud. Instead, Fury shut them tight, her paws shifting. Ember thought at first that she was dead, but she could still see the black she-cat's side moving down and up.

Star, her white fur bloodied, carefully and quickly removed herself out from under Fury. Staring in despair at her friend, Star reached out to paw her. "Fury...?"

Jay came up from behind, and slashed Star on the head. Star fell over, hitting the ground with a dull thump. She was also knocked out, but at least she was alive.

Ember slowly began to realize just how dangerous Jay really was.

Jay turned to the other cats, licking blood off her claws. "Next?" she mewed.

Finder stepped forward. Ember turned to her in alarm. Sensible Finder? The next one to step up? But then she saw the cold hurt in Finder's eyes at she stared at Fury. Of course. They're best friends.

Jay laughed as she saw how small Finder was. "Really? You?" she hissed. "You're so tiny. This will be boringly easy."

Finder didn't lose her patience, like Night would. "I'll fight you when I'm ready."

Jay shrugged dismissively, and began to circle the small tortoiseshell. "Do what you like. But don't get your hopes up, little kitty."

Finder didn't move, letting Jay circle her like a hawk. She didn't even follow Jay with her eyes. Instead, she listened with her ears, breathing in deeply. Ember closed her eyes experimentally. She couldn't hear Jay's paws.

After a few moments of circling, Jay stopped, licking her paw. She watched as Finder's ears pricked, revolving and twitching at the sound of Jay's tongue. Jay squinted.

"Looks like I'm going to have to do something else with this one," she muttered under her breath. She turned away, her face a blank mask. Ember watched her, confused, as she treaded soundlessly up the hill of trash. Was she leaving?

Even after Jay's dark body had disappeared into the shadows, Finder still didn't move. The she-cat's eyes were shut tight, as if she was scared to open them. Rigid, she hunched over, her ears still twitching even though the only sound was the chirping of crickets.

Ember turned to the mountain of garbage once more. Jay couldn't have left. Could she? She narrowed her eyes at the top of the hill where she had last seen Jay.

And before she could react, a black blur appeared in the moonlight, and landed on top of Finder.

Finder yowled in surprise, wheezing for breath. The impact of Jay seemed to have shocked her, and her head dropped to the ground.

Finder was defeated now, too.

Ember was still dazed from the attack, but happy and perplexed at the fact that Jay hadn't snapped Finder's spine- however she had pulled it off. Jay hopped off of Finder, staring at the four remaining cats.

Ember saw something quivering in hindsight. She turned to see Rage trembling, his face frighteningly furious. His gaze flickered back and forth from Finder to Jay. Ember was confused. Why was Rage so...enraged? He hadn't been like this with Fury and Star.

Then it dawned on her. Looking at Rage, she just knew.

Rage loves Finder.

She looked back at all the times when Rage had tripped over a pebble or fallen into a mud pit. Finder had always been around. He was in love with her. He had been in love with her all his life.

Rage snarled at Jay. "I'm going to kill you," he mewed. His voice was serious, more serious than Ember had ever heard him before. Quickly, Ember put her tail in front of him, stopping him.

"No, Rage," she mewed. "Think before you act. She keeps defeating us because we only attack singularly or in twos. We should attack all at once this time." She tried to meet his eyes, but they were still fixed on Jay. She nudged him. "Okay?"

Mist and Night stepped up, surrounding Rage. He breathed heavily through his nostrils. "Okay," he growled, gritting his teeth. As soon as the words left his mouth, he was in the air, leaping not to Jay, but over her.

He was still using his old battle tactics- dodge and hope that eventually he'd be able to get a few hits. Jay grinned evilly as she heard Rage take flying leaps behind her, his claws stretched towards her neck. Instead of whipping around to greet him with her claws (like Ember hoped she would so she and her sisters could leap at her) she ducked. Rage smashed immediately into the ground, skidding through the dirt. Rage cursed, trying to flip over on his side. Ember glanced at the foreleg he had landed on...it looked wrong; all twisted up.

Jay sniffed. "Aww, poor little kitty trying to defend his friends...you were too easy, Rage." She stepped lightly over him, heading towards the three remaining cats. Ember watched as he pitifully tried to bite at her retreating paws with his teeth. She could barely take it anymore.

Jay was right in front of her, her whiskers almost intertwined with Ember's. "Oh, so it's you three," she mewed nonchalantly. She licked her paw once, cleaning off the extra blood from earlier. "Hm, let's see...oh, yes. You're Scrap's kits. The high-ranked ones." She laughed, her breath clouding Ember's nostrils. Ember almost choked in surprise- it smelled like dry ice.

Jay whisked herself behind them, but Ember didn't dare turn around. What if the black cat clawed at her face? She instead tried to look intently at Rage. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing in short breaths. She figured that he had fainted from the pain, which was just like him. She wished she had never tried to challenge Jay in the first place.

The leader's daughter snickered, her pawsteps having ceased. "Four kits Scrap has," she mewed, her voice like dry leaves swirling in the wind. "Cement, Ember, Night, and Mist...oh, yeah, I was wrong. Five kits, including Ice."

Ember's fur rose at the mention of her deceased sister. How dare Jay bring that up?

"I remember Ice," Jay mewed coldly. "She was such a coward, just like you three. Too goody-goody...such a shame. If she had a better attitude, she wouldn't be gone now."

Ember knew it sounded like a regular insult, but there was something in Jay's voice that suggested something else. She gasped. "Wh-what...what do you know about Ice?" she squeaked.

"Hold on a minute," Jay mewed. Ember heard the swift whoosh of paws, and her ears pricked as she heard screeches on both sides of her. Night and Mist fell to the ground, tiny drops of blood welling from their heads. Ember scrambled around, looking at Jay. Fresh blood stained her claws.

"Night...Mist..." she mewed, alternating her gaze between them. She glared at Jay. "Tell me about Ice...right now."

Jay giggled. "Wait...one last thing." She bounded up the mountain of trash, picking around in the garbage. Ember stiffened. Was she going to do the same thing with her as she did to Finder?

"Ah, here we go." Jay came back down the hill with three things in her mouth...a dirty old can, a piece of something that looked like sand-coated bark, and a box of little sticks with red ends. Ember stood still, trying to figure out what Jay was doing.

She watched closely as Jay shook the sticks out of the box, taking one in her teeth. Moving the sandy-colored bark with her paw, she scraped it hastily across the surface, and Ember was alarmed to see the cushy red tip of the stick burst into flame. Jay stared into Ember's eyes, and immediately regretted it. Once again, Jay's eyes froze her into place.

Jay swiped the burning stick across the old can, lighting it. She pushed the unlit part of the can with her paw, circling Ember with flame. Ember yelped as heat surrounded her, the bright orange flames leaping towards the sky.

Jay tossed the stick into a nearby puddle, then stared into Ember's eyes. "Alley cats didn't kill Ice," she mewed. "I did."

Ember jerked. "What?" she mewed in disbelief.

Jay shushed her. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. She's not your real sister anyway." Her cold blue gaze stabbed at Ember. And before she could reply, Jay leaned toward her, pushing her head above the flame. And her whiskers didn't light.

"You're the reason my father barely ever looks at me anymore," she snarled. "You. Your stupid fire-colored eyes...that's why he picked you up from the forest. That's why he gave you to Scrap, and made you and your sisters his trainees!"

Ember's head spun, and she began to cough from the smoke. "Wh-what are you talking about?" Her vision began to sway. "What..." She crumpled, her limbs suddenly feeling like goo.

"You can remember that when you're dead, little kitty," she mewed. "Say goodbye!" Jay raced away, leaving Ember in the flames.

Ember couldn't move. She coughed, wheezing for air. She mashed her head into the dirt...the cold, inviting dirt.

Everything was starting to go black. In the distance, she saw a shadow coming toward her. Jay?

No, it was a bigger figure. Large, lean, with tufted ears. As the cat came closer, just before she blacked out, she saw its gray-black fur.

Sulfur.

R&R.

Agh. I don't feel like doing a Q&A thing right now, because I'm tired and I have to get ready for soccer practice. Bye bye.