Prologue
Frogeyes hopped up onto the fence, letting out a sigh as it creaked and wobbled under his weight. The older tom looked out at the old, dilapidated building that Warriorclan once called home and blinked sadly at the sight. Sick cats lay coughing or curled in makeshift nests, with tired less sickly-looking cats looking after them. Further away from the larger collection was a grouping of nests where the healthy cats slept, as few as they are. Whatever sickness was running through the clan was slowly killing them off.
A smaller tortoiseshell hopped up onto the fence to sit next to him, the structure once more taking its time to wobble and creak. The thin she-cat curled her tail over her paws and looked out over the crowd. Frogeyes looked at her once and then turned to look out with her. She meowed after a couple minutes of silence.
"What are we doing here?" She croaked, her throat dry from what could be assumed a symptom of the disease.
"Trying to make it, Nettlepelt. So we can raise our families in this group." He replied, raising an eyebrow to her. "I know you're upset about Opalstar not making it, but-"
"I'd appreciate if you didn't bring that up right now. I'm struggling to take her place as is." Nettlepelt hissed, "There's barely a clan to lead. All of the daylight warriors have left out of fear of catching whatever this stupid sickness is."
He looked at her with sadness. The she-cat was shaking with anger, but deep down it came from grief. They had lost a lot of cats over the last season and it was pushing everyone really hard.
He looked back out at the abandoned shack. His mother had told him tales of when it was hoarded with so many of them in there, how after the old woman caring for them left they were all locked inside. He thought long and hard for a minute, long enough for Nettlepelt to stare. He spoke after awhile.
"I think we might have to declare the group defunct. There's nothing we can do other then send the healthy cats away and try to survive for as long as we can. Long enough to catch up to them." He croaked, his voice catching in his breath. Nettlepelt placed a paw on his.
"I knew you would go along with the idea eventually. It has been coming for a long time." She sighed in relief, and hopped down from the fence, heading for the smaller cluster of nests. Frogeyes watched for awhile, before turning his back and hopping down towards the sick group.
He would have to tell them. That Warriorclan was no more, and that they were all on their own now. That they had to do what they could to survive from this point on