Sharptalon's Vengeance/Prologue

Prologue

Warning: Mild gore.

Sharptalon banked and folded his wings neatly, settling beside Hawkfeather. "What are we going to do about the dogs, Hawkfeather?" Sharptalon said scornfully. He still wasn't going to accept that Hawkfeather had been made deputy when there were clearly better and more experienced choices. Dapplestar must have had bees in her brain to choose the young warrior!

Hawkfeather turned his ice-blue eyes on Sharptalon, and the solid brown tom tried not to flinch under that cold gaze. "Maybe if you gave me a little more time to think, then I can come up with a reasonable plan," Hawkfeather snapped.

"Suit yourself." Sharptalon muttered under his breath, flexing his claws, leaving deep gouges in the earth.

"You could chase them off, Hawkfeather." Cloudrunner suggested. Sharptalon agreed with the wise senior warrior. At least he had some sense in him, not like the others.

"I don't want to sacrifice any more warriors when our leader is madder than a fox in a fit and sending them out to die in impossible missions!" Hawkfeather growled, and Sharptalon was satisfied to see the deputy struggle under the pressure.

"Maybe send the three of us on patrol, to give the dogs a good scare?" Sharptalon's beautiful sister, Aspenheart, suggested lightly, resting her tail on Hawkfeather's flank to calm him down. Sharptalon puffed his chest out with pride. Of course, his smart and capable sister would provide the most sensible ideas!

"Which three?" Hawkfeather said roughly, and Aspenheart flinched at his tone. Sharptalon unsheathed his claws and drove them deep into the earth. If Hawkfeather wasn't deputy, he would've shredded him by now. No one dared to talk to Aspenheart and expect to get away with it!

"Me, Sharptalon and Cloudrunner." Aspenheart meowed, pointing her tail at the cats she listed.

"No." Hawkfeather snapped, and Sharptalon let a low growl rumble deep in his throat. "We'll do nothing about the dogs until I can think of a better plan."

Aspenheart flattened her ears at the harsh rejection. "You can be at least a little nicer, you know. You're not the only cat under stress here." she hissed, and whipped around, stalking off into the bracken. Sharptalon's gaze followed, and he saw the faint figure of his sister shoot up into the sky and fly off.

Hawkfeather just gave a disdainful sniff and with two easy flaps of his wings, he flew to the warriors' tree and clambered inside through the entrance, to his designated perch. Sharptalon followed, and landed swiftly on his own nest. He shimmied into the deep crevice in the bark, nestling deeper in the soft moss of his nest.

Sharptalon was just settling into comforting sleep when a shrill, sharp cry sounded through the air. Sharptalon recognized the voice of his sister immediately, and the FeatherClan alarm call. Sharptalon spread his wings and dashed out of the tree, flapping his wings strongly, trying to find where Aspenheart was. ''Mouse dung! She shouldn't have gone out by herself when there are dangerous dogs running loose in the forest! ''Sharptalon thought angrily. Hawkfeather heard the call, and heaved himself to his paws, his gaze dark and worried. Meanwhile, Sprucefur and Cloudrunner were already flying steadily through the air, their eyes surveying the land below.

Another cry sounded through the air, but this time it was a scream filled with anguish. Sharptalon took into the air and flew as fast as he can to the spot that Sprucefur and Cloudrunner were hovering over, their eyes calculating. "What's going on?" he mewed briskly to Sprucefur.

"Not good," Sprucefur meowed darkly, pointing his tail to the spot below. Sharptalon's eyes followed, and he let out a gasp of horror. Aspenheart was being attacked by two ferocious dogs! One of the brutes was holding down her wings in slavering jaws, keeping a firm grip, while the other mauled her brutally, snapping at her exposed belly, tearing off chunks of flesh and fur.

"Why are you hovering here? Attack!" Sharptalon snarled, not being able to bear seeing his sister being torn apart by dogs any longer. Now the dog was snapping at her throat, and though Aspenheart was putting up a good fight, it was no use. The dog got a part of her face and ripped it straight off, tearing out her extremities.

"It's too late," Hawkfeather said behind him, his tone flat. "The dogs have gotten her good, and only a stupid warrior would go down that death pit." More briskly, he added, "I want all of you straight back to camp."

Sharptalon unsheathed his claws and whirled on Hawkfeather. "I'm sick of listening to your stupid orders! I can't believe you're so cowardly that you dare not send your warriors to save a fellow Clanmate! If no one saves her, I will!" he snarled, and dived down into the forest.

Sharptalon landed straight on the dog attacking Aspenheart, and slashed ferociously at its eyes. Blinded, the dog ran off, yapping in pain, crashing through the bracken. Sharptalon flew easily out of the other dog's snapping jaws, and in its frenzy, the dog let go of Aspenheart, lunging for Sharptalon. Sharptalon clawed the dog's tongue and the dog whined in pain before tearing off, following its packmate. Sharptalon sheathed his claws and immediately flew down to Aspenheart's side.

"Why... are you here..." Aspenheart croaked out, blood spilling out of her mouth in a steady stream.

"Don't worry, I'll get help. Please, Aspenheart. Please stay with me..." Sharptalon meowed frantically, rapidly licking his sister's undamaged cheek. But Aspenheart let out a rusty purr of laughter that rattled her entire chest and soon she was gasping for breath.

"You think you can...save...me?" she choked out, her words so garbled that Sharptalon had to strain to hear. "Don't... bother...go back...your Clan...needs you. Please, Sharptalon... do this for... me."

Sharptalon let out a wail of grief as the light faded from Aspenheart's eyes and he yowled his misery into the night.