Post by ladyspectral on Sept 19, 2018 0:36:27 GMT
This piece is not canon, think of it as an AU. Without spoiling, this was written before new developments came about. So sit back, read and enjoy what might have been if things went differently.
A gray and white tom crouched low, tail swishing and ears flat against his head. Not even a fox length away, a squirrel sat with it's back to him, chewing on a nut happily. Oblivious to it's death, creeping ever closer. Stonetail tensed, hips swaying slowly as he made a few last minute paw adjustments.
A twig snapped, and a low snarl came from behind him. Followed by the sounds of metal clanking together, something snagging on a branch and tearing away. The squirrel dashed up a nearby tree, and then the beast was upon the Mistclan warrior. A blood curdling yowl tore through the forest, but then all was silent. Horrifically silent.
----
The dawn border patrol was rarely interesting, or that's what Oakgleam had realized. The brown she cat padded along after the two others, mind up with the clouds as usual. She hated waking up so early, even if the air was cooler and the world around her quiet and still. She preferred excitement, the thrill of maybe finding out there that truly made her heart thump in her chest.
She didn't expect to get it. Her paws fell out from under her, letting out a shrill cry as she was sent tumbling down a small hill. Her green eyes squeezed shut, and when she opened them she came face to face with the blue eyes of death.
He lay beside her, eyes glazed over and bright blood staining his gray tabby pelt. She yowled, terror evident in her voice. Two other voices joined hers as the two other Ivyclan cats peered down, finding their clan mate reeling in fear, away from the remains of the strange cat.
----
A ash gray elder sat by the freshly filled grave, staring at his dirty paws. It didn't make sense. No tufts of fur had been found under Stonetail's claws, only the fibers of two leg garbage. Most of the body was intact, only bits eaten. Any predator wouldn't have stopped, eating until nothing was left. He had never seen, nor heard, of anything like it. But still, a warrior had died and he had done his duty in burying the fallen tom.
Maybe he would speak to Bearstar or Sabletail of the oddness of the tabby tom's death. With that thought he rose to his sore paws and padded back toward camp.
----
The apprentices sat in a circle, their hushed whispers escaping into the air. Their hunting duties were over, and as usual the friends sat down to catch their breath. And of course, gossip. They had heard of what Oakgleam had found, the dead Mistclan cat deep within the territory. Bloody, covered in deep slashes made of rage.
The spotted black and white tom was the first to hear it. A dragging sound, bushes snagging and branches breaking. A terrible sound, something sharp and artificial. An eerie silence fell over the group, each of them peering over their shoulders in fear.
The beast emerged, head low to the ground. A cat, burdened by two leg garbage. Matted in the tangle were bits of metal, striking each other with loud clicks. It raised it's head, and it screamed. A horrible two toned sound from it's twin muzzles, causing the apprentices to join in with yowls of fear. They fled. It followed, a thud as the spotted apprentice tripped over a rock.
Behind them, a terrible yowl filled the air.
----
The beast was starving. Starving, lonely but so angry. The anger burned in her chest, and it felt like she was burning alive from the inside out. She wondered what her old friends and family would think. Not that it mattered at this point, she had changed. They had changed, too. She didn't care.
She continued her hunt.