FACE SNATCHER

A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry for the lame chapters lately. I guess I'm just in a funk. To make up for it, I'm gonna give you a teaser to my new upcoming story along with a (hopefully) scarier chapter. Enjoy! WARNING: Dark themes ahead.


Oh, you must be very brave if you want to hear about that. But don't blame me when you have nighmares.

It was pitch dark the night it started, if I remember correctly. I was on a late night patrol along the RiverClan border. Those fish-faces had been staging late night river raids and were stealing our fish. Yes, at that time we had laid claim to the river and fish within our borders. Our leader at the time, Sagestar, was ready to teach them a lesson. But what we didn't know was that we would be the ones taught a lesson that night.

My patrol was near Fourtrees when a cry split the silent night air. We pricked our ears then turned and raced across the springy ground of the moor off in the direction of the yowl, which happened to be deeper in our territory. We didn't realize it then, but something wasn't right. As we reached our destination, we were left to peer into the darkness in confusion. There was no cat anywhere, not even a scent. All there was was the silence of the night and the tough grass beneath our paws.

"Spread out," the patrol leader told us. "Search for any sign of a struggle." We did. And we found nothing, not even a tuft of fur or a whiff of any kind of scent except that of the moor. We regrouped by a heather bush, even more stumped than before. Giving up, the patrol leader, Archfall I believe was his name, ordered us back to patrolling the border. All of us were a little shaken. Where had that yowl come from? Surely it was an animal of some sort and not a spirit. Right?

It wasn't until we returned to the camp that we realized something was not right. Something in the air told us that some sort of...How do I put this? Some sort of evil you could say, had descended upon us. But we all shrugged it off. Other cats had previously reported this type of feeling to the medicine cat. She had said to brush it of; StarClan was bound to tell her if something evil was around.

Only the sound of the wind blowing across an empty moor disturbed us as we curled up in our mossy nests lined with sheeps' wool. It was an eerie sound, but a soothing one nonetheless. But yet, my body refused to let me sleep. There was this strange tingling sensation going up my spine; a chill. It was like someone was staring at me as I tried to fall asleep. The fur on my back stood on end as I decided to wait out the sensation before trying to sleep again. It didn't go away.


Dawn had crept over the horizon when I finally fell into the darkness of sleep. Exhaustion had overtaken me as everything faded into cozy darkness. My dreams started as soon as I was asleep. They were jumbled and terrifying. Most involved faceless cats, what had been their faces were bloody and scarred. But as the day progressed and I slept longer, the faceless cats changed. Their faceless heads became smoother and softer. Soon, they looked as if they had been born that way.

Don't take it the wrong way, they still terrified me but I felt as if the cats were trying to tell me something. But what did they need to tell me? I already knew what was going on. It had happened before. It had happened when I was a kit just weaned from my mother's milk. It had started much the same as it was this time. A patrol hears a screech on a dark night but finds nothing.

And just as before, I woke to the stench of blood. It coated the light fur on my paws and on my chin. I recoiled, horrified. Once I had gained the courage to gaze in front of me, I was met with an even worse sight. One of the patrol members was lying in their nest dead. Their throat had been brutally torn out, leaving a gaping hole where the windpipe should've been.

I shakily got to my paws, my throat tight with fear, and backed slowly out of the den, as if I was afraid the corpse would come back to life and eat me. Luckily, I happened to bump into some cat on my way out of the den. I quickly spun around and tried to speak. But it came out as a whimper. The cat, a tom with a light brown pelt and green eyes, gazed at me stupidly. I quickly gestured to the dead warrior's nest with my paw, my breath catching in my throat.

The warrior cautiously made his way to his clanmate's side. He gasped and quickly stumbled out of the den. He returned with our leader, Sagestar, hot on his tail. When our leader caught a glimpse of her mangled warrior she stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh great StarClan. Not again. Anything but this," she whispered. Then, she turned away to make her way to the Tallrock. I caught another whisper as she stalked away, "How in the name of StarClan did no one see that earlier?" I was wondering the same thing.

I pushed my way out of the entrance to the den on shaky paws. As I emerged, my leader was just about to call the Clan together. As she yowled the now familiar summons, I sat down carefully by the base of the rock. Cats streamed from their respective dens. I saw one of the queens usher all the kits back into the nursery. They weren't allowed to attend this meeting. My friend, Flintfoot, limped over and took a spot next to me. The gray tom had torn a couple of claws chasing rabbits.

As the meeting commenced, I couldn't help but wonder why this wretched this had decided to curse WinClan. We had never done anything wrong. We were never the ones to quarrel with the other Clans-that was ThunderClan's job. What made this thing want to cover us in its darkness? Why kill our warriors when others deserved it much more? As I silently pondered, Sagestar continued talking, discussing ways of getting rid of this thing once and for all. My train of thought broke as I snickered in my head. I knew just as well as her that this thing could be anything...or anyone.

As the meeting ended, I meandered over to the camp exit. Quietly, I slipped through onto the moor. I needed time to think. As I wandered through the windblown grass, a sudden insatiable thirst-more of an urge really-swept over me. I needed to find someone, and fast. I took off through the grass, leaping over tussocks and swerving between bushes. That's when I spotted Windfall.

The she-cat was a unique one. She had been given a forbidden name, yet she made no request to have it changed to fix her parents' mistake. She was feisty, yet sweeter than honey. Her fur was the color of the sweet smelling heather that surrounded her. She was perfect.

I made my way stealthily over to her. When I had reached her, I flicked her in the shoulder with my fluffy tail. Windfall whipped around, startled. She sighed with relief when she realized it was only me. But as quickly as she had relaxed, her muscles tensed again. Her eyes grew wide and frightened. But I couldn't tell if she was looking at or behind me.

That was when everything went black.


Windfall whipped around as a fluffy tail flicked her shoulder. She relaxed when she saw it was only Liontail. Then, she saw it. the black shadow that rose from him. As she recoiled in terror, Liontail's eyes slowly dulled and glazed over. The black cloud separated itself from him and writhed against a clear blue sky. Suddenly, it whooshed down towards Liontail's body. It sliced him open from chin to tail.

As entrails and blood leaked from the light-furred tom on the ground, the shadow enveloped Windfall. The she-cat shrieked in agony as the thing forced its way inside of her. She fought as hard as she could to keep it from gaining control. She failed and the dark cloud took control of her. Her body writhed on the ground then lay still. It was in complete control now. It flexed its muscles, getting used to the new face before turning and racing back to camp, feigning fear.


A young tom, barely and apprentice, wandered the moor under the waning light of a crescent moon. The stars shone brightly up high in Silverpelt but did little to scare away the gloom of the shadows. Tough, springy moor grass bounced against his paw pads. He had to put an end to this, and fast. But it wouldn't be that simple, now would it?

I heard the pawsteps of the Young One. He was marching valiantly towards me, ready to slay me. He thought I was the evil one. Of course, I had come from the darkest depths of what these cats refer to as the Dark Forest. Where I came from, it was called Hell. I was sent to collect the sinners, not help them. They had done nothing wrong, though. Nothing visible just by peering at the surface, that is.

I waited for him in the shelter of a hawthorn bush. How suiting, I thought wryly, Hawthornpaw will never notice, though. He'll be too busy trying to slit my throat and rip out my heart. I lay lazily in the shadows, my body barely visible. Liontail had been found dead this morning on the moor, Windfall around sunhigh right behind the medicine den. As I mulled over these thoughts, the Young One arrived. He stood in the ring of bushes, genuinely frightened.

The only thing keeping him from running was the little voice in his head. They always have one, just like me. Hell, mine's talking to me right now. They tell him things, things he has to do to me to kill me. They also give him confidence and a feeling of safety with their lies. Of course They would know my weaknesses. Apparently, They know all.

Hawthornpaw takes a shaky pawstep forward, towards my bush. I only sit and wait. I know how this will turn out. Their precious StarClan warriors will give him strength and he will kill me, sending me spiraling back down to my place in the Dark Forest. It always happened that way, no matter what I did. What came after was their problem. Like with Tigerstar. He kills, no war. He is killed, war starts in three days against BloodClan.

I hear the crunch of dry grass and heavy, rapid breathing. He's standing right in front of me. He was a handsome cat, his dark ginger coat and soft blue eyes made a stunning combination. His eyes shined like ice while his coat was a dull contrast that reminded one of that strange, red dirt found on small thunderpaths. His eyes were huge as full moons, and shined just as bright.

Finally, he called out in a shaky voice, "I-I k-know yo-ou're here. C-Come out a-and fight me!" Poor little kit. Why did they choose innocents to fight me? Oh, right, to bind my paws and make me helpless. I just wish it didn't leave the poor little mites scarred and broken for life. I rose and slid out of the shadows.

"Hawthornpaw," I greeted him. He jumped and hissed in terror. I sat and gazed at him with soft eyes. "Let's just get this over with, Young One. And remember to aim for the neck," I tell the scared apprentice. Determination lit Hawthornpaw's gaze, undoubtedly brought on by the whispering maggots in his head. Then, he leaped. I sidestepped and let out an unearthly screech. The Young One froze. Stepping forward, I peered deep into his eyes. "Not so innocent after all, are we?" I chuckled. He was a sinner, plain and simple. It was rare for his age, but it was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for all these moons. I rose out of my hist and enveloped Hawthornpaw. Slowly, I eased myself into every last crack and crevice of his body. Of course, he resisted as so many do, but I won. He was mine. I flexed my muscles. I quickly disposed of my previous host. Not like he would remember a thing or even know he was possessed, but better safe than sorry.

I was exstatic. There was no way StarClan could stop me now. After all, I had caused Tigerstar to kill those cat, didn't I? My actions ultimately lead to war didn't they? And back then, before that stupid ginger kittypet came along, no one had been able to stop me. Yet again, I shall rule all the Clans, or die trying. I let Hawthornpaw take over for a while as he raced back across the springy moor back to camp. And I thought, This'll be a fun one to corrupt.

So, you stayed through the whole thing. Frankly, I'm quite impressed, me being a demon that could steal your face if you did something sinful.


It was a dark night, the moon barely a claw-scratch in the sky. A shadow flitted from bush to bush at the edge of the hollow and two eyes flashed faintly in the pale light of the stars and crescent moon. It was moving in the direction of the bramble barrier at the entrance to the hollow. Rocks tumbled over the edge of the hollow as the shadow crossed the entrance. It stopped and slipped into the tunnel, thorns scraping its sides.

Slowly, this shape made its way silently to the neatly woven nursery. Peering in, it picked out a kit. It was five moons old and perfect for what the shape had in mind. Quick as a snake, it snatched the kit and stole across the clearing, intent on getting out of there. Once it was safely hidden in the dense undergrowth of ThunderClan territory, it nudged the kit awake.

Sleepily, the kit awakened. Quietly, it mewed, "Falconclaw, why did you wake me up?" The kit raised its head and gazed around, and she realized she didn't know where she was. "Where are we?" she asked the big ginger tom hovering over her. His forest green eyes shone in the half-light.

"Oh, nowhere special. Now, my dear Shadekit, let's have some fun," responded Falconclaw, a malicious grin spreading over his face. He unsheathed his claws, wincing as his deformed ones slid out of his right front paw. He loomed over the tiny kit, who was now shaking with fear as dead leaves crackled under them and the wind rustled in the treetops. "Time for this kitty to learn the meaning of fun."


A/N: Sorry it was so short! This story was hard to make long. And keep a lookout for the first chapter of Horrible Legends: Book One: Falconclaw. And just so you guys know, after I finish the RiverClan story, I will be revising chapters four, five, and six. They deserve a revision and scarier content. So, if you have any ideas, PM me. Please don't leave me a review with ideas. It's easier to keep track of them if they are PMed. Thanks!

QOTC: What do you think would be worse, being hypnotized by and evil overlord or being infected by a zombie virus that leaves you alive but with no control over your body?

AOTC: I think the zombie thing would be worse. You have to watch as you eat innocent people and can't do anything about it.