A/N - Ahhh, we have finally made it to what I consider the REAL start of this story!

Things are going to diverge A LOT from canon as we continue, so I'll tell you right now - if you want to read a more "canon-like" story where Tigerclaw kills Bluestar, then I suggest you read Twisted Tree or Brighter Fires.

Happy reading! ~

Disclaimer: Warriors is owned by Erin Hunter/HarperCollins Publishers LLC

…

Enter: Rising Storm Arc

…

A red sky loomed over the forest as the echoes of battle could be heard. Sunningrocks lay silhouetted against the setting sun, surrounded by nearly a dozen cats. Screeches of fury and the smell of blood carried far down the river banks. The whole forest seemed to lay still, watching the event unfold.

Slitting his eyes, Tigerstar leaped forward towards a RiverClan tom. Yelping in surprise, they struggled to break free after Tigerstar grabbed their scruff with his sharp teeth. Their efforts proved to be futile as the huge tabby used his terrifying strength, heaving the tom off of his paw and flinging him across the river shore as if they were rotten prey. The tom careened into another one of his clanmates - a warrior who happened to be locked in a heated battle with Tigerstar's clanmate, Sandstorm.

The two RiverClanners, both wobbling to their paws, spat something to each other before quickly fleeing towards the river. Tigerstar watched them leave, pitying their cowardice, before feeling Sandstorm looking at him. He shared a glance with her, before turning back to lunge back into the fray.

He charged towards the next closest RiverClan cat - a molly who had also been fighting another of his own, Willowpelt. Slashing her legs with his long, sharp claws, the molly jumped away with a hiss of surprise.

She looked towards both of them fearfully before scrambling away from them. Tigerstar scoffed, before nodding towards Willowpelt. The she-cat nodded back, before padding away, seeking another fight.

Tigerstar, having momentarily freed himself from the fighting, set his gaze on Sunningrocks. No cat had been fighting atop them, he quickly noted to himself. He ignored the screeches around him as he made his way over, leaping to their peak in one great jump.

Scanning the river banks, Tigerstar watched proudly at how well his patrol had been handling the RiverClan cats. Even when some of the fighting stretched into the shallow waters of the river itself - a place RiverClan ruled with an iron paw - his warriors looked to be winning even then!

He looked around a few moments longer, before furrowing his brow. The tabby released a low growl, noticing one cat, in particular, was missing amongst the fighting.

So… that strange cat was right about there being a RiverClan patrol, but where's that minnow-brain Crookedstar? They said he would also be here…

There was no hiding the disappointment on Tigerstar's face. This ambush he had planned in the hopes that the RiverClan leader would be present. If he wasn't here, then this whole attack was just a waste of his time.

However, as if StarClan themselves heard his complaint, it was then Tigerstar heard a loud voice thundering across the river.

"TIGERSTAR!"

The tabby's ears perked, and he was suddenly excited. Turning his head, Tigerstar spotted the huge form of Crookedstar glaring daggers at him from across the river. He watched as the older tabby dove into the river, swimming with frightening speed towards the other side.

A small grin formed across Tigerstar's face, noting the shock that'd been plastered all over the opposing leader. Of course, Crookedstar wouldn't sit by and let his clan be annihilated like this. How insolent of me!

Tigerstar leaped down from the top of Sunningrocks, whereby then Crookedstar had emerged from the river. The tom made no effort to shake out his fur as he stalked over. Tigerstar kept his grin as the RIverClan leader approached him, his pelt sopping wet.

"Finally, the brave Crookedstar shows his ugly face."

Crookedstar scowled at him but otherwise ignored his remark.

"What is the meaning of this, Tigerstar?! Why have you attacked my clan?"

Crookedstar's waterlogged pelt bristled as he leered at him, lashing his tail back and forth. The ThunderClan leader simply scoffed.

"Don't act so surprised, Crookedstar. This is all your fault, after all," he said with a chastising tone.

Crookedstar frowned, shaking his head.

"This is not a battle patrol, Tigerstar! We were looking for food! How can you not tell?"

Tigerstar scowled. "That's not the way I see it, fish-breath. Since when have hunting patrols been this big?"

Crookedstar just growled at him, irritated. Tigerstar cut him off.

"But yes, perhaps you were just looking for food," he muttered, lashing his tail. "And that's just it! You think ThunderClan is weak - incapable of defending their borders after that rouge attack. Otherwise, you would not have dared to travel so close to Sunningrocks - looking for food, as you say."

Crookedstar curled his lip. "We were not on your territory! You attacked us unprovoked!"

"From what I heard, your patrol strayed too close, thinking we wouldn't be able to retaliate," Tigerstar said. "What a foolish clan you lead, Crookedstar… and here I thought you were wiser."

Crookedstar simply ignored the tabby's mockery, now turning his head to look at the fighting. His face twisted in disgust - Tigerstar assumed he was surprised to see his warriors losing ground.

Crookedstar whipped back around.

"Have you forgotten we were the ones that practically saved your clan? We should be the least of your worries, Tigerstar!"

"You don't seem to understand..." Tigerstar growled. "After adopting both of our exiles, straying too close to our borders, and the history between us in general… I say RiverClan is our greatest concern!"

A look of surprise flashed across Crookedstar's face - Tigerstar thought he could see a hint of worry as well.

"How…" the old tom muttered. "How do you know about them?"

Tigerstar smirked. Aha, so that stranger is even discreet with their work? Interesting…

"My methods are not important," Tigerstar replied in a condescending tone. "Nevertheless, you are a fool for thinking I wouldn't find out!"

Crookedstar seemed to back away from him. He lashed his tail angrily. "You gave us Graystripe yourself!"

Tigerstar grumbled. This stupid tom doesn't get it, does he? And he's deflecting from Cloudpaw also…

Tigerstar never knew the old leader could be so daft. When has a leader ever done something like that for another clan? Did Crookedstar think he just gave him Graystripe because he owed him? No, it was about so much more than that.

The ThunderClan leader frowned, clearly annoyed.

"Why exactly do you think I did that, Crookedstar?"

A blank stare was all he got for an answer, causing Tigerstar to release a frustrated huff. The dark tabby lowered his head, before standing up, beginning to pace.

"Our debt for your help was paid with his kits - Graystripe was not involved whatsoever," Tigerstar growled.

His lip suddenly curled as he lifted a paw. "I could have driven that mousebrain out on the spot!" he roared, stomping the ground in anger.

After a moment of tense silence between them, Tigerstar scoffed.

"I could have easily… so easily…made sure that tom was never to be a bother again, but no," Tigerstar groaned. "I did no such thing, Crookedstar. Do you know why?"

He stopped, growling after no response. He turned to look Crookedstar in the eyes.

"I gave him away because I believed you should be the one to decide his fate!"

Crookedstar raised his brow, but Tigerstar continued, seemingly invigorated. "He is the reason your kit is dead - you deserve to see him grovel at your paws!" Tigerstar raised his voice. "That is what he deserves, and I thought that was what awaited him on the other side of the river, so then…"

Crookedstar kept a stern look as Tigerstar suddenly leered at him.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard what you did instead," Tigerstar muttered, baring his teeth. "Not only did you not drive that filth out of the forest, but you made him a member of your clan?!"

Crookedstar frowned towards the ThunderClan leader, almost as if he was disappointed. The look made Tigerstar's skin crawl in anger, although he tried not to let it show.

After a moment, the RiverClan leader sighed.

"Graystripe is not your business anymore, Tigerstar. Why do you care about what happens to him?"

The question seemed to set Tigerstar off. A dangerous gleam shimmered in his eye as he stomped again.

"Mousebrain! I don't actually care about him! That shrew can drown for all I care!" Tigerstar shouted, earning a surprised look from the RiverClan leader. "No, it's you who's the problem, Crookedstar! Your horrible decisions as of late have further divided our two clans - we could have been allies!"

The RiverClan leader bared his teeth slightly. "I would never ally myself with you, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar growled at his words, before shrugging it off.

"So it seems… that's just how it's going to be, isn't it?" he scoffed, before padding closer. "Indeed, we can no longer consider ourselves as potential allies - not after today. You have made a mockery of my clan, and worse, you have made a mockery of me-"

Tigerstar's growling became louder.

"I gifted you that traitor thinking you'd be grateful - being given the chance to flay his pelt yourself - but no!" he began to fume. "Instead, you go and spit in my face by keeping him!"

Crookedstar sneered as the tabby drew dangerously close. He eventually lifted off his haunches, seeing Tigerstar was not backing down. Crookedstar lowered his head, and the two began to circle one another. Both leaders had their hackles raised, sensing the growing tension between them.

Crookedstar observed the opposing leader carefully, before releasing a grunt. "Seeing how you truly feel about Graystripe, I'm glad that I took him in, Tigerstar. I've shown him mercy, something you clearly know nothing about!"

That was the last straw for Tigerstar as the dark tabby flinched in anger. He crouched down low, aiming straight towards the RiverClan with his teeth bared and claws exposed.

"Rotten fish-breath! I'll show you what mercy looks like!"

With a powerful leap, Tigerstar threw himself at Crookedstar. Tigerstar's long claws met his pelt, but the leader used his size to avoid being bowled over. Crookedstar growled, taking a step back, before lunging back towards Tigerstar. He scored a blow on Tigerstar's face, but the latter didn't even seem to react. Tigerstar returned with a powerful swipe of his own, and just like that, the two of them were locked in a battle of brute strength.

Both leaders met each other blow after blow, dodging each other's bites and chasing down the other whenever they got out of striking range. Their similarly huge sizes made it pointless to dodge, therefore the two massive tabbies repeatedly slammed into each other with everything they had.

Tigerstar's long claws scored hit after hit against Crookedstar's flank, but the RiverClan leader's thick pelt saved him from any major damage. Likewise, Crookedstar's attacks had been making a much bloodier mess on Tigerstar, but the darker tabby shrugged them all off like it was nothing - the adrenaline having gone to his head.

The two flailed across the riverbank, taking turns pouncing at each other. Their fight had crossed paths with several other conflicts. The participants in each instance - upon seeing the two massive, spitting cats - broke away, fleeing.

Eventually, the two of them had attracted the attention of nearly every cat in their respective patrols, their fight sparking awe in all of them. Both clans watched eagerly as the two leaders circled one another promptly after rolling across the ground - spitting and biting the entire time - just to leap at each other and do it all over again.

The battle seemed like it could last forever - both cats seemed evenly matched. Soon, however, one of them would make a mistake. That moment seemed to come for Crookedstar sooner.

Their fight led them closer and closer to the muddy shores of the river. Having not paid any attention, Crookedstar backed away from one of Tigerstar's attacks, only to slip on a streak of mud.

This sparked a glint in Tigerstar's eyes.

The ThunderClan leader sprang forward and managed to finally grab Crookedstar by the scruff after more attempts than he was willing to count. Crookedstar spat, struggling under his grasp. Tigerstar was surprised by his strength and looked towards the river beside them.

Knowing he couldn't keep a grip for long, Tigerstar thrust the RiverClan leader with all his might, sending him tumbling into the water. Crookedstar crashed into the shallow water with the splash, before quickly flailing back onto his paws. The two lashed their tails, circling each other in the bloody water, before engaging in battle once more.

Every warrior from both clans eagerly surrounded the river's edge, mesmerized by their leaders' fight. The two tabbies rolled through the water, hissing and biting at each other before Crookedstar finally managed to shove Tigerstar away.

Both of them stood with ruffled fur as they began to circle each other again, the water surrounding them was polluted with dirt and blood. Crookedstar panted as he circled the dark tabby, his energy wearing out.

Tigerstar was relentless - more so than he could recall. The dark tabby's lust for violence seemingly had no bounds.

The RiverClan leader's thick pelt grew more and more shredded and torn as their fight progressed; Tigerstar's long claws were now drawing blood. Even though the ThunderClan leader had received scratches just as bad, he still hardly seemed to pay them any mind. Crookedstar growled, watching his opponent as he lunged for him yet again.

Feeling his injuries, Crookedstar knew he wouldn't last much longer in this fight. With his remaining strength, the RiverClan leader did the last thing he wanted to: Dodge.

Tigerstar appeared taken by surprise as he crashed into the water, his attack missing such a large target was not what he'd been expecting. Furthermore, he didn't expect Crookedstar to continue to back away, not even bothering to capitalize on Tigerstar's mistake. Regaining his composure, Tigerstar grinned in realization.

The old RiverClan leader was tiring.

Crookedstar continued to back away as Tigerstar trudged closer through the water towards him. His mind restrained him from leaping again at him. What if he has a plan?

However, his doubts were flushed away as the cats of RiverClan yowled at their leader.

"Crookedstar!"

They called their leader's name - as if that would help him any. Tigerstar felt even more confident now - the old leader had no plan, he was just trying to get away.

Like a coward. Tigerstar thought. Although thinking about it again, he had to give RiverClan's leader at least a little credit - he lasted far longer than most.

Crookedstar edged away from Tigerstar, breathing heavily as blood dripped from his teeth. Tigerstar stalked closer, hissing at him.

"You want me to show some mercy, do you?" he hissed.

Giving no chance for his opponent to react, Tigerstar lunged. This time, his claws struck their target, and Tigerstar felt a wave of satisfaction as he pinned the RiverClan leader to the ground. This feeling… was something Tigerstar felt was something he'd felt many times before. Victory.

However, this time was different. This was his first battle as ThunderClan's leader and it was a battle he had won. He even fought against Crookedstar - and won. With this, he's proven that he was the stronger leader!

With these thoughts running fresh in his mind, Tigerstar frowned as he noticed Crookedstar glaring at him. His gaze was strong and unwavering - it unnerved Tigerstar. Did he not just let another cat pin him?

Tigerstar curled his lip. Does this mousebrain think he can still hold on to his honor?

With a malicious growl, Tigerstar raised his paw in the air.

Gasps of horror from every RiverClan warrior could be heard as Tigerstar struck the RiverClan leader's face. Crookedstar clenched his teeth in agony but kept his glare nevertheless. Scoffing, the ThunderClan leader raised his other paw, meaning to strike him again.

This time, he aimed for the eyes.

A cruel smile played across Tigerstar's face, hearing the old tom's loud hiss of pain. Crookedstar raised a paw over his left eye, his stern expression now replaced with one of suffering. Tigerstar lowered his bloodied claw, pushing his weight more into Crookedstar's chest. The old leader glared at him with his one good eye, his scowl now having weakened in intensity.

Tigerstar lowered his maw near his face, before spitting. "I won't take your pathetic life Crookedstar, even though this is likely your last. How does that sound for mercy?"

The older tom did not respond. Tigerstar flicked his ears, hearing the sounds of cats splashing towards them from behind. He groaned to himself as he raised his head.

"This is what mercy looks like, Crookedstar. I'll let you live today, and in return, you must take your pathetic clanmates back to your camp, and tell them to never even think about hunting here again!"

Again, the old tom did not respond. All he did was keep a stern glare on Tigerstar with his one good eye, curl his lip, and growl lowly to himself.

Tigerstar couldn't tell if the old tom had even been listening, but it hardly mattered seeing how the others in the RiverClan patrol would have heard him loud and clear. Speaking of them, the rest of RiverClan now finally became something Tigerstar could not ignore.

Tigerstar felt himself getting pushed away. Growling as he whipped his head around, he spotted a large tom with dark-gray fur, and for a moment Tigerstar almost swore it was Graystripe.

A surge of anger suddenly pulsed through him. Did that mousebrained traitor actually think he could take him on?

Taking another look, though, Tigerstar huffed in disappointment. The gray warrior before him was not Graystripe - it was just Stonefur.

"Get away from our leader!"

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes, regaining his composure. Seeing the number of RiverClan warriors swarming around Stonefur was growing, he decided to back away for the first time in his entire fight.

Ignoring the looks of horror and anger he'd been receiving, Tigerstar focused his gaze on Crookedstar as the older tom was helped back to his paws. He hummed in a mix of satisfaction and irritation, seeing his opponent in such a weakened state.

Tigerstar turned his head around, seeing the cats from his patrol watching from the river bank. He turned around, stalking his way out of the shallow waters.

No RiverClan cat tried to stop him.

Shaking his fur out, Tigerstar gave a signal to his patrol with his tail, bidding them to his side. His clanmates were by him not a second later, a knowing look spread across their faces.

They knew what was happening just as well as he did.

This battle was over.

Tigerstar looked at them all in silence, before nodding. Peering back around, he saw the entire RiverClan patrol had clambered to their side of the river. Half of them focused their attention on their heavily injured leader, meanwhile, the other half was shooting looks of hatred across the water, muttering curses.

Tigerstar grunted, looking away. His gaze landed on Sunningrocks, where an idea quickly formed in his head.

Using the remaining strength he had after such a drawn-out fight, Tigerstar jumped onto the highest point the large stones had to offer - just like he'd done when he was scouting for Crookedstar before.

The large tabby held his head high, as he peered across the river.

"Hear me, RiverClan!"

Tigerstar's voice echoed across the river banks. He saw most of the RIverClan cats flinch at his call; it wasn't long until he had the attention of both patrols. Tigerstar puffed out his chest as he lashed his tail threateningly.

"As we've just proven today, ThunderClan is the strongest it's been in seasons! And believe me, it will only grow stronger, now that I am their leader!"

He watched as the entirety of the RiverClan patrol tensed up. Each of them held a grim expression - a sight Tigerstar treasured. Crookedstar kept one eye open as he glared silently at the ThunderClan leader, blood from both his eye and his mouth seeping down his face. He and the rest of his warriors leered across the river in silence, the cats of ThunderClan doing the same in return.

Tigerstar raised his head again, having spared a moment to savor the looks of defeat in front of him.

"Let today be a lesson for all of you. A lesson I will soon teach to the other clans…"

He deadpanned across the entire patrol, watching as each cat he looked at shriveled up in fear as he passed over them. His gaze eventually landed on Crookedstar, and a wave of satisfaction flowed through him.

Baring his teeth into a grin, Tigerstar roared.

"Nobody messes with ThunderClan!"

…

A/N - And so… we have officially entered Rising Storm!

With the way I've planned things out, each Arc of this story could function as its own separate novel. While I COULD publish these Arcs separately and turn this story into a trilogy, I am much more content keeping the entire thing altogether.

That being said, here's a fun fact: If I had decided to make each Arc into its own books, then this small chapter would've been the prologue for Rising Storm!