Sage-eye's Story

Prologue-Brightwing

Brightwing walked through the forest, the wind ruffling her black coat that had white markings all over. Her blue eyes searched among the trees for other cats, but none were to be found. Her grandfather was walking with her, an old green-eyed, pure white cat. He dragged himself along as they walked. They wind whistled through the soaring trees, blowing leaves and tiny particles. Gray clouds loomed overhead in the dark sky, hiding the bright sun. The lied down to take a rest and the grandfather asked Brightwing a question.

"So, Brightwing, why did you truly bring me out here," he rasped, "I do have a cold you know. I know you want more than a walk. Plus, it is to rain soon. Hurry this up."

"Well, Snowrock, grandfather, I wish to talk of our clan," responded Brightwing, " And the unfairness of how they treat some! There is prejudice within our clan that I don't understand! Why is it the unusual, the less skilled, anyone deemed not good, is treated so badly? This is something that can not be spoken of in the clan."

Snowrock felt the same as well. "Brightwing, I feel the same. I do not understand it either. Arlt first, our clan looks normal. But deep down inside, there's prejudice. As you said, the unskilled the deformed, the different are treated worse. They eat less, last, have less training, worse nests, they are abused, assaulted, and so much more. Half the clan is like this. The sad thing is that a good number can't even have kits if they want too. But they can only mate with each other. And their kits are shunned too. Your father rejected me to follow the snobby ones. Now he is leader. It is part of our clan, a disease that can' be destroyed. It is an internal plague."

Brightwing shot back furiously with her words. "I know that But why must it be this way? Why can't it change? Only the favored ever become leader, so it is never changed. But if it is part of the clan mentality, it is permanent! Unless the clan splits, or is destroyed, there is no way!"

"I can't tell you what to do, Brightwing. But you could be pretend to be snobby and once you become leader perhaps, live out your life and change our ways over the generations. That may work. You must be patient and careful if you do so."

"No!," screeched Brightwing, standing up as she did, "I can not endure the torture of unfairly treating others just to have others treated fairly. There must be suffering for all, or none at all. I will not wait! Complete control is the only way to happiness. Suffering for all for no suffering at all!"

"I know you wish change," said Snowrock, raising his voice, " But sadly, that is not the way! There is only one way to way to change, and that is to become leader. Peace is always better than war!"

Brightwing suddenly became angered. How dare this old fiend dare disagree with me? I thought he was like me! There is only one path too change! And I must take it, no matter the consequences! "No, you are wrong!", yelled Brightwing, "The clan must be controlled completely or not be existent at all! You are just like the rest of them! You are just a false insider! The clan must be destroyed! And you are just another obstacle that's in the way!"

"Brightwi-," Snowrock began to say, but he never had a chance to finish. Brightwing whipped out her claws and slashed Snowrock's throat. Snowrock screeched in pain. His body slumped and shook from Snowrock's last thoughts of shock Blood spilled on the ground and splattered onto Brightwing's face, chest, and paw. The clouds suddenly rumbled and the rain began to pour heavily, soaking Brightwing and staining the blood onto her fur.

"It is time for the destruction of Valleyclan!," Brightwing angrily said before she spat at Snowrock's body. Suddenly, the bushes shook and the hunting patrol came through. Her father led several of her variously colored clanmates, and they all gasped in shock when they saw Snowrock's dead body, and the blood covered she-cat standing above it, looking angrily at them.

"What have you done?," her father demanded. His blue eyes gleamed a her and his black fur stood up, a sign of anger.

"I have begun the rightful destruction of Valleyclan, Stonestar! You are no longer my father, nor are you my clanmates now!" Brightwing then turned around and ran for her life. I must escape them, or else no one else will destroy them!

" Follow that traitor! She must be killed for her actions!" ordered Stonestar. Stonestar and the patrol immediately bounded after Brightwing in hot pursuit. Lightning flashed. And thundered roared. The wind blew hard, tossing around sticks, leaves and dirt. The rain made it hard to concentrate for both the patrol and Brightwing. It also made the ground muddy, and the leaves slick. Brightwing stayed just ahead the patrol, determined to escape.

Suddenly, the trees and dirt gave way to the plantless, sand shore of a large stream. The filling stream crashed against the shoreline. Brightwing was confused for a moment, hesitating. This gave enough time for the patrol to surround her.

Stonestar came into view, standing in front of her. Both glared menacingly at each other. Stonestar spoke first "Give up, daughter! We know that you can't swim. Almost nobody in this clan can! Your time for execution has come to pay for your crimes! You killed my father, your own grandfather! How to do you explain yourself! How does a nice, reasonable cat tuned evil in one day?How? HOW?"

Brightwing's voice was an inferno of anger by now at her clan and father. "You don't know me at all! I see the struggle of our clan, and I share it. You have no idea what your own clan is truly like, Stonestar, to truly live within your own clan! You discriminate against the weak, different, and unfavorable! It is unfair to us all! More kits could be born, and we could be more united if we changed our ways! We need to be stronger. But no-one will change our way! You refuse to see it because you are too stubborn and proud of yourselves for being the so called best! You are selfish, caring for only power and yourselves! Great power comes with great responsibility, and you are being irresponsible with your power! So therefore, the only solution is the destruction of the clan! Beginning with your father!"

"You are wrong, Brightwing! We deserve all equally as they deserve it! If someone is disabled, they deserve less, as it is their fault they can't serve the clan as good! Genocide is not an answer to anything, no matter how you feel about something!" argued Stonestar.

Brightwing argued back. "Genocide is an answer if there is no other way! Sometimes reasonable cats must do unreasonable things ! And it is not the disabled's fault! It is their parents! But even so, they need to be helped, not rejected! Menders do not do the same things a the rest of us, and yet they get treated the same! How do you explain that?"

Stonestar was aggravated now. "They are chosen by Starlan! They deserve their treatment! It is like how different leaders are, getting nine lives! You are wrong either which way! Enough arguing is enough! It is time for your death! Warriors, this is my fight alone! I will get revenge for my father's death!"

Stonestar unsheathed his claws and swung at Brighwing's throat, but she dodged. She unleashed her claws and threw them at Stonestar's throat, and he dodged in return. The he leaped onto her. Brightwing fumbled onto the ground, with her father on top of her. Suddenly, she remembered the stories of the The-Realm-Of-Banishment and she smirked. "I will have my revenge no matter what!" she blurted out loud.

"Get revenge from the realm of the dead? I think not Brightwing!" said Stonestar. His claws connected with her throat, leaving a huge, bleeding gash. Brightwing immediately went limp, and her blood stained the sand around her fatal wound. The rain washed it towards the stream. "Come, warriors, we will retrieve my father's body. Speak nothing of what she said. We will leave her body to the crows, for she deserves it. She was just an insane cat who finally snapped all in one. It's about time my unworthy daughter came around to it." As they walked of, thunder struck her dead body and set it alight. Stonestar told everyone to ignore, seeing it as a curse to Brightwing from Starclan. As they continued, Brightwing's soul traveled off to the The Realm Of Banishment, already thinking of her master plan. Snowrock was right on one thing. It would take a very long time, generations, for her revenge to be served. But for now she would watch and wait from the shadows, patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike once again. Snowrock was merely the first death in the many to come.