Author's Notes: I am happy to present the first chapter of the newest installment of my Warriors fanfiction series, Tricks of Magick! I really hope this one is as enjoyable as the first two. Please read and review! I may or may not continue this in the near future, but I will try my best to get some chapters written and uploaded!
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, but I do own the characters used for this story. Please don't steal any of my characters.
Prologue
His orange eyes glinted maliciously in the darkness. The tom seated before him lowered his head to place the mewling, cream colored kit before Sly. Both toms looked down at the squealing scarp with disgust.
"Was it difficult?" Sly whispered, a thrill going through him at the prospect of a good story.
"The light demons never stood a chance," the tom laughed cruelly. "They were all asleep in their nests until the last moment. That's when we chose to become fliers and fly away with our prize. You would have been delighted to hear the yowling of the queen when she realized her precious kit was gone!"
Sly chuckled with pleasure. "You have done well, Crusade. Please report on your comrades. How did they fare during the mission?"
Crusade's dark orange eyes turned to slits. "Most of them did well. Gore fought off a tom with ease before we flew off."
Sly's tail-tip twitched impatiently. "What do you mean most did well?"
Crusade's lip pulled up. "Switch refused to come. He said he had hunting to do."
Sly snarled in anger. "How dare that impudent, fox dung of a tom defy me! Hunting is left to the slaves so the we may use our strength in battle against the light demons! How dare he!"
"He doesn't seem to think so," Crusade whispered.
"Bring him before me!" Sly stood and curled a paw under the mewling kit. He dragged the helpless kit toward him. "He will show us tonight that he is loyal to our cause, or he will die for his conversion to the light!"
Crusade gave a hearty yowl and raced off to get Switch. He found the tom beside the tree the two light demon prisoners had once been tied to. A vole sat between his paws.
"Does Sly know the prisoners are gone?" Switch wondered when he saw Crusade.
"That's not what you have to worry about!" Crusade sneered. "Sly wants to see you! Right now!"
Switch's ears twitched. His mismatched eyes, one blue and one green, turned to slits. "I guess I knew this day was coming."
"Come along, before I have to drag you by the scruff like a kit!" Crusade hissed.
"I can walk on my own four paws," Switch replied before following Crusade to the entrance of Sly's den.
A crowd of toms and she-cats had gathered around Sly. All of them were glaring with anger or suspicion at Switch as he padded forward behind Crusade. Crusade turned and sat with the crowd as Switch sat before Sly. None of the cats missed the worried glance Switch gave the kit at Sly's paws. A few cats hissed with agitation.
"I've heard some interesting news today. Crusade tells me you refused to go on a mission because you had to hunt! You know our slaves are our hunters! We must keep up our strength so that we may fight the light demons and win!" Sly's orange eyes were wide with anger.
"I understand your logic. But I wanted to hunt," Switch replied.
"So you don't deny that you refused a direct order so that you could do something that is against the code?" Sly yowled. "It is time for you to establish where your loyalty truly lies, Switch!"
Switch's eyes widened in shock. The fur along his spine stood up.
Sly hooked a paw beneath the kit again and rolled it toward Switch. The kit squealed with unhappiness.
"Kill this light demon scrap and give us the assurance that you are loyal to our cause!" Sly glared at Switch with burning orange eyes. "Or are you a traitor, Switch?"
Switch looked down at the kit with shock. He beagn to pant with stress. All of the eyes of the cats around him felt as if they were digging holes in his fur.
"Well?" Sly sneered.
Switch stopped panting and took a deep breath. He lifted his head slowly to meet Sly's eyes. "I won't do it. This is ludicrous! The kit has done nothing against us! So what if her pelt is lighter than darkness?"
"Traitor!" Sly screamed, spit spraying from his lips. "You are exhiled! If you ever set paw in our camp again, we will kill you without question! Traitor! Get him!"
Switch snatched at the kit's scruff. He turned and ran as fast as he could away from the crowd. Three toms and a she-cat raced after him, caterwauling loudly. The tiny kit mewled in fright as she bounced in Switch's jaws. Switch ran faster, going as fast as his paws could take him.
Soon, the DarkClan cats stopped giving chase. Switch continued to run, dodging bushes, jumping over logs, and leaping over puddles. The kit bounced in his jaws as he ran, but the little scrap had stopped mewling. Afraid the kit had died, Switch stopped beside a puddle and put the kit down. He pressed his ear close to the kit and heard her faint breathing. Switch began to lick the kit to try and warm her up. He sniffed her between every few licks to try and determine where she had come from.
"You're from those water cats," Switch whispered. "Your mother must think you've been killed."
Switch stood up and stretched. He looked around, trying to determine where he was. After one last check of the kit's breathing, he gently picked her up again. Without much thought, he headed toward the river cats' home. He'd been on the territory twice before.
He let his tail drag in the dust and put his ears flat against his head in a submissive gesture. It wasn't long before a patrol found him.
"Intruder!" a gray tom with black stripes yowled.
"Switch!" a familiar voice gasped.
"He has Secretkit!" a brown tom snarled. "Ashpaw, go get Blizzardclaw!"
A small, gray tom took off.
"Switch! What happened?" the familiar voice asked. "You look like you've been attacked!"
"You know this DarkClan cat?" the gray tom with the black stripes sneered.
"Yes. Instead of making slaves hunt for us, he hunted for Gingerpaw and me all by himself. He gave us extra food and water," the familiar voice said. "Switch, what happened?"
Switch looked up to see a dark brown tom with silver eyes looking at him. "Hello there, Lionpaw."
The tom shook his head. "I'm Lionstorm now. What happened to you, Switch?"
"Sly exhiled me. He wanted me to kill the kit, but I refused. I grabbed her and ran here," Switch panted.
"I'm here! Where's the kit?" A black tom with a speckled white muzzle came up. He took the kit from Switch and began to look it over.
Lionstorm turned to the brown tom who had ordered the apprentice away. "What are we going to do with Switch?"
"We are going to thank him and send him on his way," a new voice said.
Switch looked up to see a she-cat with long, gray fur. A blue-gray tom sat beside her. He recognized the gray she-cat as the leader of the water cats.
"But..." Lionstorm stuttered.
"I heard what you said about him helping you and Gingerpaw, but I cannot allow him to stay with us. It is better to be cautious than foolhardy," the gray she-cat said.
Switch stood and bowed his head to their leader. "I understand your reasoning. I won't be a burden. I just wanted to make sure she got home safely."
"She is fine," the old, black tom meowed. "Hungry and tired, but okay."
The leader nodded to Switch. "RiverClan thanks you for the safe return of Secretkit."
Switch nodded again.
"Let's get back to camp. Maplerose will want to see her kit," the leader said.
The RiverClan cats all headed off, except Lionstorm.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me and Gingerpaw," Lionstorm said.
"You're welcome. I couldn't bare to see you two suffer," Switch said. "I had better go now."
"Wait. I think you should head to ThunderClan. Gingerpaw is there. She may convince Clawstar to let you stay with them," Lionstorm said.
"Thank you for the suggestion. Good-bye," Switch said.
He stood and disappeared into the shadows.
Lionstorm blinked. He turned, looked over his shoulder for a second, and then turned again and walked away.
End of Prologue