A/N:
Hello! This story is my own interpretation if Tiny had joined Thunderclan, yet still somehow became the leader of Bloodclan. This story roughly follows the original storyline with, of course, some changes. This version of Tiny's story is only a small part of a larger Warriors AU that I am working on, this story being where everything starts (sort of). So please, if you find that you enjoy this story, stay tuned for more!
Thank you,
- vix 3
Tiny bounded into the forest, away from the two toms that perched on the fence. They thought he was too small to be out in the forest. He was plenty big!
They can think what they want, Tiny thought defiantly. I'm going exploring!
He padded through the forest until the fence was barely out of sight. Excitement prickled his fur every step he took, energy surging through him as he felt the cool leaves under his paws. He opened his mouth to smell more of the forest scents.
This is so great! He thought excitedly. I'm in the forest, and it smells wonderful!
Suddenly a new scent made him stop in his tracks, but before he could figure out where it was coming from, it appeared in front of him.
Uh oh!
In front of him stood three cats, but they were bigger than Tiny had ever seen! And they looked anything but friendly.
The largest cat, a grey and white tom with spiky fur, took a menacing step towards him. "What are you doing here?" he snapped. "This is Thunderclan territory!"
Tiny shrunk back in fear, not understanding what the cat was saying. What is Thunderclan?
The cat beside the spiky tom, who was a blueish-grey she-cat, stepped forward and spoke in a more calmer tone. "Thistleclaw, he's only a kit. It's not as if he poses a threat to us."
The spiky tom, Thisltleclaw, turned to glare at her. "An intruder's an intruder Bluefur! You're only saying that because he's a kittypet" He turned his glare back to Tiny and growled. "You've always been too soft on them."
Tiny crouched frozen in fear. He wanted to move, turn tail and run; but he stood rooted there staring at the cats.
Forest cats! Real live forest cats! I-I don't know what to do. If I run, they'll catch me. But if I don't…
A brown tabby, almost as big as Thistleclaw, snarled at him.
These cats obviously had ill intentions.
"Here," Thistleclaw said coolly, "Let's put it to my apprentice. What do you think, Tigerpaw? How should we handle this?"
Tigerpaw, the brown tabby, flexed his claws. "I think the kittypet should be taught a lesson, one he'll remember."
"So be it, then," Thistleclaw meowed.
Bluefur hurriedly took another step forward. "Now hold, there's no need-"
Thistleclaw turned to her, back arched. "Shut up!"
Tigerpaw lunged forward at Tiny. Tiny squealed as the large tabby barreled into him, knocking him away like he was nothing more than a mouse. Tigerpaw lashed at the kitten's neck; thankfully his collar protected him, but was snapped off by the force of the blow.
Tiny hit the ground hard, Tigerpaw immediately pinning him down. The forest cat's massive claws dug into his fur and Tiny mewled in pain. He tried to squirm out of his hold but it was no use.
Tigerpaw laughed maliciously. "Say goodbye, kittypet!"
Bluefur shoved passed Thistleclaw to intervene. "Tigerpaw, stop-!"
Suddenly Thistleclaw tackled Bluefur to the ground.
The she-cat yowled in surprise and started thrashing around, trying to throw off her attacker.
But Thistleclaw was a lot bigger in size and was able to pin her to the ground.
"You're always in the way!" he yowled at her. "Stay out of this for once!"
Bluefur hissed at him. She used her hind legs to kick him and knock him off balance. She quickly got out from under him but Thistleclaw got on top of her again.
The two warriors fought across the forest floor, hissing and spitting at each other.
Tigerpaw still kept a paw on Tiny but stared at the fighting warriors in shock, not knowing what to do.
Tiny took this opportunity to wriggle away out of the large tabby's grasp and dash away into a nearby patch of long grass. Tigerpaw was too stunned to notice.
Tiny crouched in the long grass, breathing heavily and trembling uncontrollably. His body stung with pain and his heart was beating hard against his chest. His fur stood on end as he watched the forest cats fighting.
Thistleclaw was clearly overpowering Bluefur, using his size against hers. When she tried to barrel into him to knock him off balance, he quickly side stepped and swiped his massive paw at her. The blow hit her in the head and she stumbled to the ground, clearly dazed. Thistleclaw pinned her with all his weight, digging his claws into her fur.
Tiny watched in horror at the warriors' brute strength and silently pleaded for the she-cat to keep fighting.
Come on, come on! Get up!
Bluefur struggled under Thistleclaw's hold, barely able to move at all.
I should help her! Tiny thought suddenly, his muscles tensing. She was the only one who defended me…
Suddenly a rush of determination prickled through his body. He stood up and tensed his muscles. Tigerpaw was still looking on at the battle looking anxious and uncertain. Tiny had the perfect chance.
He pounced out of the grass and dashed across the forest floor, swiftly passing Tigerpaw. He ran behind the battling warriors and skidded to a halt.
Thistleclaw was too busy holding Bluefur down to notice the small kit behind him.
Tiny grabbed the spiky warrior's tail in his jaws and bit down hard.
Thistleclaw screeched in pain and swung his head around to see what was behind him. That gave Bluefur a distraction to throw him off of her.
Thistleclaw landed on his back and Bluefur was on him in an instant.
"That's enough!" she spat. "What would Sunstar say about this?"
Thistleclaw hissed at her but said nothing.
"We are going to finish this patrol and report back to Sunstar," Bluefur continued. "Without fighting!"
She slowly let go of Thistleclaw and backed away a safe distance. Thistleclaw quickly got to his paws and gave her a withering scowl but made no move towards her. Bluefur let out a subtle sigh of relief and let her fur smooth down.
"Let's return back to camp," she meowed coolly.
"What about the kittypet?" Tigerpaw blurted.
He had his eyes on the black kit, glaring at him.
Tiny jumped as Bluefur laid her eyes on him. She regarded him for a moment before something flashed across her eyes. Her icy blue stare made Tiny's skin crawl.
"I'll take care of him," she meowed finally. She flicked her tail at Thistleclaw. "You and Tigerpaw head back to camp, I'll be right behind you."
Thistleclaw narrowed eyes, glancing at Tiny then at Bluefur. The she-cat held his gaze steadily, expressionless.
After a tense moment, Thistleclaw flattened his ears and turned his back on her and padded into the trees.
"Come, Tigerpaw," he growled over his shoulder.
Tigerpaw hesitated for a moment before quickly following his mentor. He shot Tiny a glare as he passed him.
Bluefur watched them leave and sniffed the air to make sure they were gone. She then turned her attention to the black kittypet in front of her. She stepped towards him and leaned down to sniff him.
"Eep!" Tiny exclaimed, shrinking back and shutting his eyes closed as she came closer.
She let out a mrrow of laughter, much to Tiny's surprise. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the older cat in front of him. Her blue eyes were peering at him curiously and her head tilted.
"What is your name, kittypet?" she asked softly.
Tiny opened his mouth to answer but all that came out was a squeak. Bluefur chuckled. Tiny's fur bristled in embarrassment, he swallowed and tried again.
"T-Tiny," he squeaked.
Bluefur raised a brow. "That you are."
Tiny felt hot with embarrassment. "Th-That's my n-name!"
Bluefur gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for coming to my aid; things would've turned out differently if you hadn't. You're braver than you look."
Tiny blinked up at her, a new emotion stirring in his stomach. She thought he was brave! This strong forest cat thought a little cat like him was brave! Tiny's heart swelled with pride and grinned up at the she-cat.
She flicked her ears. "Why are you so far from the fence? shouldn't you be with your Housefolk?"
Oh. My home…
Tiny stared down at his paws. "I live with my Mama and siblings. But they…" Tiny swallowed the lump in his throat. "They don't really want me…"
"You are strong for leaving them," Bluefur meowed. "It is not easy for a kittypet to leave the comfort of their soft life."
Tiny tilted his head at Bluefur. His mothers words echoed in his head: Those savages are a scourge on the name of all good cats.
Other than Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw, Bluefir didn't seem like a bloodthirsty savage. She was treating Tiny like any other cat, being kind to him. And she didn't look like a savage; her fur was neatly kept and she looked strong and healthy, strong muscles visible under her blue-grey fur. Maybe all forest cats weren't dangerous bloodthirsty creatures.
Tiny had the bright idea to ask Bluefur.
"Do forest cats act like savages," he blurted.
"Savages," Bluefur nearly exclaimed, her tail starting to lash side to side.
Tiny nodded. "Mama said they were dangerous and savages."
Bluefur regarded the small kit for a moment before deciding that this little kittypet didn't know any better.
"Well we may be dangerous," she explained, "but we definitely are more dignified than savage. We live by a code, a warrior code, and we follow it with pride. The four Clans live by it to keep the peace."
"Clans?"
"Four Clans occupy this forest; Thunderclan, Riverclan, Shadowclan, and Windclan."
"Whoa!" Tiny beamed at her with excitement. "Which Clan do you belong to?"
"Thunderclan," Bluefur mewed, impressed by Tiny's curiosity.
"What's it like?" Tiny prodded, leaning closer to the forest cat.
Bluefur stared down at Tiny, and again, something flashed across her eyes. A chill went down her spine.
After a moment, she gave Tiny a smile. "Would you like to see for yourself?"
Tiny nervously followed Bluefur through the forest, making sure to keep as close to her as possible.
The forest seemed to get bigger and bigger as they went deeper into the greenery, more and more scents filling Tiny's mouth. He almost felt dizzy from all of it.
"We are almost there," Bluefur informed him.
It had felt like hours had passed; Tiny wasn't used to walking this long and far and his backyard suddenly seemed extremely small compared to the forest. He was panting as he had to trot to keep up with Bluefur and he kept tripping over large twigs and branches.
Finally Bluefur came to a halt, looking back at Tiny. The small kit was breathing heavily, flopping onto the ground as he noticed Bluefur had stopped.
Bluefur gave him an amused look. "We are here." She beckoned to a gorse tunnel entrance.
Tiny perked up, his exhaustion suddenly replaced by anxiety. From beyond the entrance, Tiny could smell the mingling scents of other cats, and they were alive and fresh. And there seemed to be a lot of them. What will they think of me…?
Bluefur nudged him with her tail and her tone turned serious. "When we enter, I need you to stay very close to me. It is likely Thistleclaw has already returned and he might make a scene; I want to get to Sunstar as soon as possible."
Fear gnawed at Tiny's stomach. He swallowed, unable to think and nodded.
"Good, now come."
Tiny glued to Bluefur's side as they padded through the gorse tunnel, about to explode with anxiety and fear.
But that all vanished and turned into amazement when he stepped into the clearing of the Thunderclan camp.
The clearing was edged with thick grass but the ground at the center of the camp was hard and bare. The camp was surrounded by thick ferns and brambles, shielding the camp, but Tiny could see cat-made openings in the walls of the camp covered by ferns and lichen. And there were cats bustling about the camp.
Few of them noticed Bluefur entering and shot her surprised and curious glances as they saw the kit beside her. Bluefur paid them no heed and quickly led Tiny across the clearing and to a huge rock that jutted out from the ground like a tooth. Cats stopped to stare at Tiny as they passed, both curious and untrustful. Tiny tried to ignore all the glances but his stomach lurched as he made eye contact with a familiar face.
Thistleclaw.
The warrior's eyes widened as he recognized Tiny, then they narrowed into a scowl. He then shot Bluefur a disdainful look and got up from his spot where he was sitting. Bluefur ignored him, but laid her tail on Tiny protectively.
Bluefur stopped them at the base of the highrock, in front of a small cave where lichen was draped over the entrance. Bluefur called out and then a voice came from within.
"Come in!" the voice said.
"Let's go," Bluefur whispered to Tiny and led him inside the den.
The den inside was a quiet cove, smooth walls and floor, where a stream trickled through the back. To the side was a mossy bed, and there sat a large ginger tom.
His pelt was colored like the sun, with long fur and visible stripes. He had yellow eyes and a broad face, one of his ears torn.
"Ah, Bluefur," he greeted, "what can I-"
He stopped as he noticed the small stranger beside him. His eyes flashed, not with hostility but confusion and curiosity.
"It seems we have a visitor."
Bluefur nodded. "This is Tiny; my patrol found him a little far from the fence."
"Tiny, you say," Sunstar meowed, looking at the kit with amusement. "And why is he here now?"
Bluefur hesitated but took a deep breath and started to explain. "When Thistleclaw found him in our territory, he immediately took aggressive action, making Tigerpaw teach the poor kit 'a lesson.' When I attempted to intervene, me and Thistleclaw got into quite a…scuffle."
Bluefur looked down at Tiny, pride flickering in her blue eyes. "But Tiny was brave and was able to distract Thistleclaw long enough for me to get the better of him and stop the fight. Unlikely for a small kittypet like himself."
Sunstar hummed his response, his yellow eyes locked on Tiny. The same flash Tiny had seen in Bluefur's eyes flickered across Sunstar's eyes.
"So what do you plan on doing with him, Bluefur?"
Bluefur took another deep breath. "I would like him to join Thunderclan."
Tiny whipped his head up at Bluefur, his jaw dropping in shock. She wanted him to do what? Join Thunderclan? Had he heard that right?
Tiny looked back at Sunstar to see his reaction, but the ginger tom didn't seem surprised at Bluefur's offer. If anything, he seemed like he was expecting it. Him and Bluefur shared a knowing look for a long moment before Sunstar finally spoke.
"I trust your judgement about this kit, Bluefur," he said softly. "But I do not accept my warriors fighting amongst themselves; I will have a talk with you and Thistleclaw about that later."
Bluefur dipped her head. "Yes, Sunstar."
Sunstar turned his gaze to Tiny, stepping out of his nest to stand in front of him.
Tiny fought the urge to crouch under the tom's fiery gaze that was looking at him with such intensity. He swallowed hard and met the tom's gaze, trembling.
"Now, Tiny," Sunstar mewed softly, "you've heard Bluefur's offer, what do you think?"
Tiny stared up at the leader, not knowing what to say. Thoughts raced through his mind.
Join Thunderclan! But I hardly know anything about it! Or anything in this forest…but if Bluefur wanted me to join, she must've thought that I was strong enough to. He recalled when he raced to Bluefur's aid, overcoming his fear to help the she-cat that had defended him. I can be brave…and strong! I proved it.
He suddenly thought of his family. What about mama and my home? He then remembered his siblings, Socks and Ruby, and how terrible they treated him. And what Ruby had told him if no Twolegs chose him to take him home with them…
I can't go back, I don't want to be thrown in the river…
Tiny looked up at Bluefur and met her awaiting gaze.
But this cat wants me. She believes in me, and so does he. He looked back at Sunstar. I can make a new family here…
Tiny made up his mind.
"I would like to join, please," he mewed up at Sunstar.
Bluefur let out a purr and Sunstar shared it.
"Very well, Tiny," the ginger tom purred. He bent down to press his muzzle to Tiny's head. "As leader, I formally welcome you to Thunderclan."