Warrior Cats Fanfiction: The Changed Clan #1: The Dark Leadership

Chapter One

Ravenflight lay on a fresh moss bedding in the medicine den, staring blankly outside, watching the cats doing their duties outside. He sighed. It had been a moon since he had gotten hit by a monster on the Thunderpath and he was still in the medicine den, under Cinderpelt's care. One of his forepaws were broken all because of the monster and the cat who deliberately made Ravenflight run onto the dangerous path. It was boring in the medicine but he didn't complain to Cinderpelt. Then a shadow loomed over Ravenflight and the tom looked up, jumping slightly at the sight of a dark brown tabby with scars; Tigerstar. Cinderpelt turned, noticing her leader and dipped her head down respectfully. Tigerstar's blazing amber gaze burned down at Ravenflight and then looked at the medicine cat, who lifted her head.

"What may I help you with, Tigerstar?" Cinderpelt mewed.

"I have come to see how Ravenflight is doing," the tabby replied.

"He's fine," Cinderpelt said and Tigerstar asked if he could talk to Ravenflight in private and Cinderpelt nodded. She padded out of the den, leaving Ravenflight and Tigerstar alone. The TigerClan leader glared down at the black warrior once again. There was a slight smirk on the leader's face.

"That was mousebrained of you to run onto the Thunderpath just because of that cat scaring you," he said. Ravenflight all of a sudden flinched. Tigerstar knew about that cat! Perhaps he had something to do with the incident on the Thunderpath? If not, then he may have been watching. . . Ravenflight wondered.

"H-How do you know about that?" he then asked, stammering slightly. Tigerstar looked around.

"I know everything like a StarCan cat," he growled. One of his amber eyes twitched when he said 'StarClan'. He then stalked out of the medicine den, casting a glare at Cinderpelt. Fireheart was talking to Greystripe when all of a sudden a shadow loomed over him. He turned, noticing Tigerstar and staring up at the tabby's burning amber gaze. "Fireheart, go and bring fresh-kill to the elders." Fireheart froze. That was an apprentice job!

"But I'm not a --"

"An apprentice? You are. Get on with it, Firepaw. The elders are hungry for StarClan's sake!" Tigerstar hissed and then Fireheart just gave a nod, walking away. Greystripe stared at Tigerstar. "You want to join him, Greypaw?" Greystripe shook his grey head and bounded away.

"What are you doing?" Sandstorm questioned Fireheart, who was over at the fresh-kill pile. Fireheart turned his head to the she-cat.

"Tigerstar said I had to bring fresh-kill to the elders," he told Sandstorm.

"But that's an apprentice job!" Sandstorm said. Fireheart nodded and then picked a squirrel from the pile and walked away. Sandstorm watched.

"Let all those old enough to catch their own prey gather!" Tigerstar called out to his Clan. In a heartbeat cats began to gather beneath the Highrock. When all cats were there, Tigerstar began to speak again. "After Ravenflight's accident a moon ago, it has occurred to me that one cat is responsible for his accident, leaving him in the medicine den." Cats began to murmur to each other. Tigerstar began to slightly smirk. "The cat is none other than your kittypet Fireheart." Cats gasped and casted furious and hostile stares at Fireheart, who was shocked at what he had heard. Pelts around him began to bristle and cats backed away. Sandstorm and Greystripe stood next to Fireheart, staring at their Clanmates.

"Fireheart didn't do it!" Sandstorm protested. "Greystripe and I were there to witness the whole thing! Do you possibly believe Tigerstar, who wasn't there to even seen the incident?" Her gaze fixed on different cats. "Whitestorm, clearly you should know Fireheart would never do a thing like that at all. Even you, Cloudpaw. Has Fireheart ever killed a cat? No." Whitestorm stared.

"Sorry, Sandstorm, but Tigerstar is a great warrior. He would never lie to us at all," the white warrior said. Tigerstar leaped from the Highrock, cats moving out of their leader's way. He padded over to Fireheart, Sandstorm and Greystripe.

"Fireheart may look innocent," the TigerClan leader began, "but he is vicious like a rogue. Bluestar lost a life all because of that kittypet. I tried to fend the dogs off to save my leader, but Fireheart lunged at Bluestar, knocking her off of the cliff and making her fall into the cold waters. I ran to save her and pulled her onto the shore with a struggle as I am no RiverClan cat. The Mistyfoot and Stonefur happened to be there and helped me, but it was too late. Bluestar was.. dead."

"Fireheart didn't do that! He'd never kill a cat in his life," Greystripe defended his friend. Tigerstar stared at Greystripe and then Fireheart. He turned to face his Clan.

"And what about poor Spottedleaf? Fireheart killed her when we weren't looking. She would still be alive if it wasn't for that fox-hearted kittypet," he snarled. "Lionheart. Fireheart killed him, too."

"We should exile that fox-heart!" Longtail snarled.

"No, we should blind him and give him scars he won't ever forget!" Darkstripe hissed. Fireheart stared at his Clanmates with sadness in his eyes. Tigerstar silenced the warriors with a flick of his tail.

"Fireheart will stay with us," he said.

"But that tyrant will just kill more innocent cats!" Mousefur protested.

"But if we sent him into exile Fireheart would just kill cats in the other Clans," Tigerstar mewed, although he would like to send Fireheart into exile. Cats started to yowl in agreement with Tigerstar after the leader's wise words.

"But Tigerstar killed Redtail!" Fireheart blurted out and Tigerstar swung his head, his amber eyes burning into the ginger tom.

"You weren't there at the time, fox-heart!" Darkstripe snapped and cats agreed with the deputy.

"Don't bother trying to blame me for a death I wasn't responsible for. Oakheart killed Redtail," Tigerstar hissed with a bristling pelt.

"Tigerstar, can we just exile Fireheart? He's just going to kill like the fox-heart he is," Willowpelt snarled. Tigerstar shook his head, his tabby pelt beginning to lie flat.

"No, Willowpelt. We must think about the safety of the other Clans," Tigerstar said. "Fireheart will be guarded by two warriors each day. If he attempts to kill, report it to me so that I will know. If he keeps that up, he'll be exiled from TigerClan and will be killed if spotted on our territory."

"He'd just kill the two guards and run away like a kittypet," Dustpelt said. Tigerstar looked at the warrior, who was between Longtail and Mousefur.

"Yeah! Blind him now and let him die in the middle of the forest!" Swiftshadow hissed. Tigerstar flicked his dark brown tabby tail in a signal to be quiet. Fireheart, being blamed for things he didn't even do and being treated like an outcast, couldn't take it anymore and lunged at Tigerstar with a bristling pelt and unsheathed claws, his ginger pelt shining and turning brighter by the light of the sun. Tigerstar batted the ginger warrior away with his paws. Cats went wide-eyed at Fireheart for lunging at the TigerClan leader to attack.