Ravenblaze's Determination [Warrior Cats Fanfiction]

Prologue

The claw-shaped moon shone high in the newleaf sky, illuminating the small forest below. Not a single breeze stirred the branches, and the only noise that could be heard was the hooting owl in the distance.

A brindle she-cat, mainly gray, walked quietly through the small patch of forest by the small twoleg thunderpath, keeping her senses alert for any bit of prey.

Then, a scent entered the she-cat's muzzle, making her mouth water. She was sick of the Twoleg food given to her, and this was the first scent of prey she smelled for moons.

Dropping into her self-taught hunting crouch, the cat began to creep towards the scent of mouse. Her black tabby stripes may have offered her some camouflage, but her white belly, chest and muzzle offered the opposite.

If anything lowered her chances of catching some real food, it was her collar. She was lucky enough that there wasn't one of those hideous noise-making balls attached to it, which would of jingled and scared away any prey even fox-lengths from her.

When the she-cat was able to see the mouse, she stopped a tail-length away. She could hear a faint rustling, but as long as the mouse didn't hear and scuttle away, she would be able to get it.

The time was right, and the she-cat leaped in the air. While mid-air, she saw a dark silhouette of another cat leaping for the mouse from the bushes to the right. This cat wore a collar as well—but their's had one of those noise-making balls on it.

The jingling noise scared away the mouse, and the she-cat was infuriated. She landed on the ground a second before the other cat, who landed on top of her. The she-cat hissed.

"Get off of me, Wizard!" The she-cat yelled. The black tom quickly got off of the she-cat and sat, licking his thick chest fur in embarrassment. "Sorry," he apologized between licks.

As the she-cat got up, she growled, "It's always the same thing, you fool. I try and hunt, and you ruin it for me! Every time! Go hunt somewhere else." She stared at Wizard angrily with her piercing yellow eyes.

Wizard looked up, his guilt shown in his copper eyes. "I said sorry, Willow," he told the she-cat.

Willow was still mad. She slowly padded forward to Wizard as she said, "The first prey since the snow has melted, plump and fat, smelled delicious, and you ruined it."

Her muzzle was soon less than a mouse-length away from Wizard's. She could see the sudden fear in his eyes. Both stayed still and quiet for a moment, then Willow yowled a battle cry as she slashed Wizard's muzzle with her thorn-sharp claws, making it bleed. Wizard winced and took a step back, not looking Willow in the eyes.

"That should teach you a lesson," Willow sneered, pleased seeing Wizard's pain. He ruined her prey hunting, she'd inflict him pain. "Now, go hunt somewhere else, or else I'll give you some more wounds to think about!"

Wizard finally looked up, the bleeding somewhat stopped. His eyes were suddenly filled with anger and hatred. "No," he said firmly. Willow narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, no?" She asked threateningly.

Wizard took a step forward and stood tall, trying to intimidate Willow. "I said no," he repeated. Willow hissed and lifted a paw.

Wizard exclaimed, his mews getting louder every word, "Why don't you go somewhere else?! I don't care where! Just away from me!"

Willow hesitated, then sheathed her claws. "Fine," she decided. "I'm sick of you anyways. Sick of the Twoleg nest and the Twolegs inside. You've grown soft, Wizard. You love those Twolegs. What ever happened to the cat you used to be?"

With that, Willow unsheathed her claws once more and stuck her back paws up her collar, rolling in a ball. She dug her hind claws into the collar and pushed her legs away. The collar eventually snapped, and Wizard's eyes widened.

Willow's collar was off.

Willow yowled her little victory and rushed across the small, empty thunderpath, into the big forest on the other side. Wizard couldn't help but feel sad despite his acclaimed triumph.

Willow was gone, and she'd never return.