Warriors: Blade's Choice Prologue

"He's mine now."

"Mudpaw! Don't go!"

"The only way I'll join you... is if you keep your paws off my sister and her friends."

"She's your sister? Well that seems like a deal."

"I'd rather her think down upon me than dead."

Blade curled into a ball, thinking about that night. It had already been a couple days since he had chose to be an assassin. His fur shivered in the coldness of the alleyway. The "trash cans" his master told him about was huge in these alleys, filled with old Twoleg food that most loners fed off of. The walls were hard stone that separated the inside of the dens from the outside, like the leaves on bushes. The "fences" were like walls as well, separating one alleyway from another. They were perfect spots to assault another cat's domain. Blade was hiding under one of the trash cans, another good place to ambush other cats. His knife was strapped to a make-shift collar.

His master still hasn't revealed his true name, just goes by master. He said he would tell Blade his name after they get to the hideout. Master wanted to also see what kind of strength he had to put him in the right group. Blade guess there were multiple groups of assassins, but his master wouldn't say anything about the subject. It must be really important, like the clans.

Blade caught himself. He shouldn't think about the clans anymore. Not Dawnpaw. Not Crowpaw. Not Ginger-

"Blade, come out of there. It's time to go." The familiar voice meowed.

Blade crawled out. He yawned and stretched before he approached the cat any closer. The sun had risen and revealed the shiny silver fur of his master. Blade was able to remember the day they first met. It was when Dovewing let him loose after training.




"Mudpaw! You haven't finished the frontal attack moves. These are important." Dovewing yelled. "You need to learn these or you'll never be able to face another cat in even combat."

The training grounds were always too rough on Mudpaw's paws. The rocks spread around always made him trip and stumble. It was too much for him since he had his heart ripped out with his dad crippled and his mom stolen under his own paws. He didn't feel up to training, or even talking any longer. Mudpaw began to walk away from the clearing and back into the clumble of trees.

Dovewing sighed and whispered, "What am I going to do with you?"

Mudpaw sneered at him quietly, then returned to walking away. The trees were starting to let leaves fall from their branches, and the sun was starting to set. They would soon miss him at camp if he didn't return. But what was there for him to return to? A father that can't look at his own son? A sister that doesn't feel anything about his mother's disappearance?

What if he didn't return? He should find his mother on his own. He wouldn't become someone like his father. No, Mudpaw thought, no he would become something greater. Someone who has all the power in his paws to control and defeat other fox-dung cats easily. "I need more power."

"Why power? Why not skill? Or blood-thirst?" A fading voice echoed through the trees with the whistling wind.

Mudpaw crouched and unsheathed his claws. "Come out you coward!"

"A cat who hides in shadow is not always a coward. Especially one that can kill cats in one strike." The voice got more sinister.

Mudpaw didn't show it, but felt sheer fear inside. His eyes flashed from one direction to the next. "I don't care what you can do. Come out where I can see you!"

"Well, you are just too smart to be this mouse-brained." A tom, out of nowhere, caught Mudpaw by surprise. He had a strange object to his neck, sharp enough to slice Mudpaw open. "Analyze who you're dealing with, then decide if you really want them to show themselves."

Mudpaw was without words.

The sharp object got closer against Mudpaw. "I'm not going to kill you. Maybe not yet." The tom released his grip and took away the sharp object.

Mudpaw jumped away and rubbed his neck. "What do you want?"

"It's more about what you want." Before the light from the sky dissipated, Mupaw was able to depict the tom's appearance. He was a tom with smooth, silver fur, skinny ears and legs, a long, large body, and a small muzzle with black specks. This didn't catch Mudpaw's attention the most though. The tom also had sharp items along some type of body collar strapped around his ribcage. The tom's paws had smaller sharp items above his claws. They looked like they could cut a cat open with ease. "I'm not going to steal you away like those sloppy loners did with your friend."

"How do you know about that!?" Mupaw tensed again.

"I've been watching you for awhile. Your painful cries called me from the shadows." He licked his lips. "You ever killed a cat?"

"No." Mudpaw felt like he wanted to attack, but his sense of reason was the only thing that held him over. "No, I haven't."

"Would you want to kill the cat who injured your father and distracted you from your mother?"

The question called Mudpaw's inner demon out. His paws began to shake with uncontrolled rage. "Yes!" Mudpaw couldn't understand why he was saying this. The feelings, the true feelings, he felt inside were taking over his actions. "Yes. He must die."

"I can give you that chance, and maybe even rescue your mother." The tom grabbed one of the sharp items on his large collar, tossed it on the floor, and knocked it toward Mudpaw. "All you have to do is join me, as an assassin."

Mudpaw shifted and stared at the object on the ground in front of him. It's ends had hidden stains of blood. Mudpaw knew that this object had been used to kill before.

"Sorry, I've really tried to wipe the blood off, but it really sticks if you don't clean it soon after being used." He slowly walked closer. "This choice is important to make. You cannot go back to that group of yours you call a... 'clan'." He hissed the word.

Mudpaw's heart raced. This was his chance to do what he wanted. This was his chance to gain the power to control and kill other cats easily. But this would sever his bond with his sister. They would never be able to trust him ever again. He would never be a clan cat. "I... I..."

The tom sulked closer until he was a whisker away from Mudpaw, pushing the sharp item onto Mudpaw's feet. His smile was as sharp as the item.

Mudpaw stared back at him. Dawnpaw, I'm sorry.




"Stop lollygagging, let's go." His master meowed. The gleam off his knives shone into Blade's eyes.

"Alright already. I slept like a rock last night." Blade readjusted the knife on his collar. It was piercing his neck slightly. "Where are we going today? Another stop and go again?"

"No, were close to my hideout. You're about to meet your fellow... rivals. That's what they call each other." The tom smiled.

Blade smirked as well. He has been waiting for this moment the whole journey. He will become an infamous assassin.