Warriors AU: The Darkest Hour

Chapter 22

Dismay kept Sandstar's paws rooted to the ground as he watched the newcomers approach. He noticed that some of them were wearing collars.

"Collars?" Ashpaw spat behind him, echoing his thoughts. The apprentice's voice was sharp wih disgust. "Look at them—they're kittypets! We won't have any trouble beating them."

"Keep quiet," her mentor, Ferncloud, warned quietly, "until we have the full measure of our enemy, we don't know anything about these cats yet."

Sandstar remained silent until all the strange cats had moved into the clearing and gathered around Tigerclan. A huge black and white she-cat stepped out of their ranks and went to stand beside Goldenstar. Sandstar presumed this was the leader of the newcomers. She was almost as big as Goldenstar himself, and she was muscular and battle-scarred. Even though they wore collars, Sandstar knew these cats were far from being pampered kittypets.

Behind the black and white warrior appeared a much smaller black cat, who stalked light-footed through the grass to stand on Goldenstar's other side. Sandstar could not imagine who she was; she looked more like a medicine cat than a warrior.

Sandstar could feel every hair in his pet tingling, and the air tasted thick, as if a storm were about to break. "So, Goldenstar," he meowed, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Do you want to tell us who your new friends are?"

"This is Bloodclan," Goldenstar announced. "They come from Twolegplace. I have brought them to the forest to persuade you foolish cats to join with me. I knew you wouldn't have the sense to agree on your own."

A hiss of outrage rippled through Thunderclan and Windclan. Sandstar heard Blossomfall whisper, "Remember those rogues we scented the day I was made a warrior? I bet they came from Bloodclan."

He could well be right, Sandstar thought. A patrol of these rogues from Twolegplace, checking out the forest to see what Goldenstar had to offer them. And what exactly had he offered? To share the forest in return for their help in battle?

"You see, Sandstar?" Goldenstar's voice was exultant. "I am even more powerful than Starclan, for I have changed the Clans in the forest from four to two. Tigerclan and Bloodclan will rule together."

Sandstar stared at his enemy in alarm. There was no possibility of reasoning with Goldenstar now. His hunger for power had twisted him so that in his mind his own huge figure dominated everything, blotting out even the light of Starclan.

"No, Goldenstar," he answered quietly. "If you want to fight, let us fight. Starclan will show who is more powerful."

"You mouse-brained fool!" Goldenstar spat. "I was prepared to come here and talk with you today. Just remember that it was you who drove us to this. And when your Clanmates are dying around you, they will blame you with their last breath." He swung around to face the mass of cats ranged behind him. "Bloodclan, attack!"

Not a cat moved.

Goldenstar's yellow eyes widened and he screeched, "Attack, I order you!"

Still none of the warriors moved, except for the small black cat who took a pace forward. She glanced toward Sandstar. "I am Scourge, the leader of Bloodclan," she meowed, her voice cold and quiet. "Goldenstar, my warriors are not yours to command. They will attack when I tell them, and not before."

The look Goldenstar gave her was incredulous and glittered with all the hatred he had ever shown to Sandstar, as if he couldn't believe that this scrap of a cat was defying him. Sandstar seized his opportunity. He paced forward until he stood right in front of the two leaders. Behind him, he heard Silverstream hiss, "Sandstar, be careful!"