Heart of Darkness Pt.1

Disclaimer: Warriors and all related characters therein are not mine.

This is one of the first chapters that focuses on events from Scourge’s viewpoint and how he feels. He might seem out of character but it’s not intentional; it’s to make him more believable for the story.

If ever there was an emotion Scourge hated, it was fear. It fooled the body and clouded the mind. It made you weak and gave others - whether real or imaginary - power over you. To him there was nothing more disgusting.

He had only felt fear few times before in his life. The first was when his sister, Ruby told him that he would have been thrown in the river. The second time Scourge had felt that dreaded emotion, Tigerstar, then Tigerclaw, had beaten him nearly to death. The last time he’d ever felt fear was when he had faced the dog after his arrival in what would become his domain.

Looking back on it all now, Scourged scoffed at the memories. He had been neither drowned or killed and had risen to power by besting said fears. But now…

Scourge arose and stretched on the hard wooden floor of the Twoleg den they had come to inhabit only a few hours earlier. Several stories high, they had had to climb more than they had thought, but in the end Blackheart’s decision to move there had proven wise. They were warm, mice littered the place, and they had a safe hideaway from StoneClan. But…

Though Scourge was loathe to admit it, Blackheart frightened him immensely. The cat was strong and fast. He managed to hold his own against Bone in a weakened condition on his first night. Scourge saw from observation that Blackheart’s speed was his greatest asset; he could move in, slash you a few times, then practically float several feet away from you before you could even recover.

His intelligence was another factor. It had been he that had come up with the idea for rooftop patrol. Then he had found them a new territory.

Scourge silently padded past Bone and Brick where they lay together on the wooden floor. If he was one to laugh, he would have. Since the day they had first come to him, those two were inseparable. Eating, sleeping, talking, even sharing tongues, they did it all together. As tough as they were to survive in the place they called home, it couldn’t disguise the fact that they were friends to the core.

Churning inside him, the familiar feeling of envy resurfaced. In Twolegplace it is a dog eat dog - or cat eat cat - life. Everyone out for themselves. A ‘friend’ could turn out to be someone who only spent time with you to claw you to death then steal your food. Fear and strength were the only ways to not only survive, but thrive.

The dark cat grimaced as he sat before the source of his agitation. I tried ruling through fear and power and this is where it brought me and what remains of my Clan.

“Fear only leads to being despised!”

Inside his black heart, Scourge’s anger curdled. Blackheart had been right. The cats that had made up his Clan may have feared him enough to stay, but they hated him so much more that they had fled when the first chance arrived.

“They hate you Scourge. And I don’t know of anybody who would serve a being they despised! Look around! See how alone you truly are!”

Rage and anguish tore through Scourge, threatening to rip his chest open, to make him yowl, make him screech, make him kill…

With eyes as cold as leafbare, Scourge raised his claw over Blackheart’s throat. One swipe was all it would take…

“You have no sense of restraint. You’re compelled by your bloodlust to the point that you lash out in cruelty at every turn, treating even your own allies as if they were enemies. Eventually, that is what they became. Use your strength to become leader, but use your head to stay that way. Otherwise you’ll end up dead a lot faster.”

The horrible paw lowered with a sigh. Scourge hated the way things were. He hated his cats for leaving. He hated Sinew for taking control and forcing them into hiding. Most of all, he hated that Blackheart held sway over him.

With just a few words the tom could turn his rage into reason, make him see the light where there was only darkness to him. Blackheart could turn hopelessness into survival, doubt into support.

Worst of all, with every act that brought them closer to reclaiming Twolegplace, Blackheart was slowly sinking his claws into a part of Scourge that he thought he had killed long ago.

And that fact about Blackheart frightened him more than anything else ever had.

Thanks for reading. I thought abut making it longer, but I decided to cut it off lest it become dull. Tell me what you think.