Warrior Cats: The Four Clans

Prologue

You know the feeling, where its just like, hey! I dont belong here. So, you move to something or somewhere else. And realize, wow, I dont belong here either. And you keep repeating the same thing over and over again until you finally get it through your thick cranium that maybe hey, you dont belong anywhere. That maybe, you were just born the misfit. Or the black sheep of the family. Theres one out of all of them. You dont know what your purpose is, where youre supposed to go, what youre supposed to do, who youre supposed to believe. And your family, theyre all youve got to back you up right? Yea, theyre the ones who are with you through it all. The ones you can always turn to no matter what life throws at you. And then tragedy hits. And when families are supposed to pull together they fall apart. And the one thing you all believed in most is the only thing that keeps you together. But even that turns on you. The government has been completely overturned. And families who have tried to stand together and be strong have fallen. Mothers and Fathers brutally murdered right before their childrens eyes. Everyone who stands against them, without homes. Without a place to stay. Without anything. Its fight, or die. Its a kill or be killed world. No ifs ands or buts about it. You have to fight to stay alive. And you have to stay alive to fight. Its up to you what you want.

One

Ryder sat up out of his bed. His medium length brown hair falling into his eyes, he made his way to the bathroom on the side of the torn up apartment. He turned the faucet to wash his face, nothing. Another day in paradise. He mumbled and walked back to his bed. More of a mattress really, there was no bed to it. He pulled out a pair of jeans and put them on over his boxers. Then took out a black button up T-Shirt and put it on over his white tee. He then looked around. For three years hed been here. For five hed been running. Ever since a man by the name, Charles OBrian took over the government, everything has been in utter chaos. If you werent with him, you were against him, and if you were against him, you were already dead. Ryder had gotten used to this lifestyle. When he was eleven, his parents were murdered. Right in his very home, with him watching from under the kitchen table. He had sat with them for days, when the men who killed them came back for them, and Ryder had to run. He lived alone then. Moving from place to place, having a new home every night. After five years, he found out there were others, just like him. Whose families were killed, and they wanted revenge. So they formed an alliance, and for three years, they have hid themselves away in this abandoned torn up apartment. With zero plumbing and the only food they had was what they stole. There were five of them. Three girls and two guys. There was himself, who was the oldest, and the others looked up to him as a leader. Then there was Kaley, I guess you could say his second in command. She was the first hed found.

He found her when he was thirteen, and she was eleven. He heard her crying in her home, he walked in and she was lying in her mother and fathers blood, with a bullet wound of her own in her arm. He had started to treat her there, when he heard the beeping, and quickly picked her up and ran her into the forest just outside her house, right before the bomb went off. Guess you could say theyve been friends ever since. Then there was Ed, or Edward. He was the same age as Kaley, seventeen. They really didnt find him, more like he found them. He needed a place to stay, and they gave it to him. And he never really left. Then there was Anya, who was sixteen. She had a mind of her own. Like Kaley, she was extremely optimistic. Not to mention, very eco friendly. Edward found her by saving her from men who were taking her away, probably to do some kind of testing on her. She had needless needles stuck in her veins and she was hooked up to some sort of machine. They had found several more like this, but they werent as lucky as Anya. Whatever theyre doing to these girls, it hasnt worked out so far. Then there is Linda. The youngest. Shes ten years old, and she really doesnt know what is going on. She has been with the group for two years, and she is always trying to help. But she still doesnt understand why her mother and father wont come and see her. She still has hope that theyll come back one of these days.

She was found by the river, left for dead. Ryder had found her, and had to reset her arm and leg. They all guessed she had fallen out of a cargo truck, and no one had stopped to help her.

These men with guns come once a week, and take girls of all ages out of town in these huge trucks. They shove them all in the back of a cargo truck, and take them to a testing lab. They all had guessed thats what they were trying to do with Anya, and then Linda. At least they could save them in time.

So, ever since then, theyve all been living together. Getting through day after day. It gets harder and harder though, to find food, and to escape from the men with the guns. But the fact is they do, and they look out for each other every step of the way. Ryder knew they would have to move eventually, this town was becoming harder and harder to steal from. Security has been upped, especially at the sporting goods store. Thats where Ryder and Ed got the guns they needed to fight off their attackers. And there was no way they could survive without ammunition for long. And the supercenter, food was already running low there because this town was losing its population fast. So food didnt get shipped in as much as it did before. The government had about squeezed this town dry. And no matter how many the team killed, more always came back, and in larger numbers.

Killing had gotten easier for Ryder. At first it was hard, and then he began imagining, that each person he killed, were the same people who took his parents lives all those years ago. Oh, and the ones who stole his baby sister. Yeah, he had a kid sister. She was three years old. And they took her. Sick bastards, he cursed under his breath. She was just an innocent little girl, and they had to go and use their machines on her. He guessed thats why he was so close to Linda. Because, his sister, Samantha, would have to be around eleven now, and every time he looks at Linda, he wonders to himself if thats what Sam would say, or if thats how she would talk, or how she would brush her hair, or dance to music. He shook his head as his eyes began to tear up. He looked out the window, and could barely make out the sun rising in the east. The others would be stirring soon. He looked around the apartment. They had no walls, the only walled in area was the bathroom, for obvious reasons. And Anya and Linda shared a sheeted room, while he, Edward, and Kaley slept in what they called was the living room. Edward slept on a torn up couch, and Kaley, on a mattress like himself on the opposite side of the room. He watched her for a moment while she slept. The sun hit her face just right in the morning, her pale complexion almost glowing, and her full lips pursed just right, and her long dark brown hair, perfectly sweeping over her shoulders. He smiled to himself. Shed been with him for six years now. And he knew shed be with him till the end. She was his best friend. The only person who understood his strange personality.He looked over at Ed, slumped carelessly over the couch and he couldnt help but suppress a smile. The young boys lanky pale arms and legs stuck out every which way and his jet black hair covered his eyes. He had a style all his own that was for sure. He got up and poked his head in the makeshift room that belonged to Anya and Linda. Anya insisted that she have a private room and Linda insisted on sleeping with her. Anyas bold red hair lay perfect on the white pillow, and her pale freckled skin was flawless. His eyes rested on Linda, her dark skin and blonde hair, she was complete opposite of his little sister, who had light brown hair and pale skin, but he still saw her when he looked at Linda. He saw Lindas eyes opening and she smiled up at him. He put a finger over his lips and picked her up and carried her over to his make shift bed and sat down with her. "And how did you sleep?" He asked her.

"Fine," she answered with a smile that soon faded, "I had that dream again though."

Ryders heart fell. Linda had been haunted by the same dream ever since her parents died. She dreamed of giants, coming and taking her parents away. And every time Linda would reach for them, her parents would disappear into thin air.

"I'm sorry kiddo, I'm sure it'll let up soon."

Linda nodded. "I know it'll let up as soon as my parents come back. They've been gone for an awfully long time."

"I know." Ryder whispered. "But-"

"I'm sure they'll be back soon dear," Ryder looked up to see Kaley walking over to them. He hadn't even noticed her get up. Kaley picked Linda up and spun in a circle with her. Linda giggled uncontrollably.

"Hey! I'm trying to sleep here!" Edward called as he took his blanket over his face. Ryder stood and yanked it away from him. As if he was trying to defy Ryder, Ed turned over and buried his face into his pillow. Ryder walked over, and grabbed the pillow out from under him and Edwards head hit the arm rest of the couch. Ow! He shot up and put Ryder in a headlock.

"Guys!" Anya had made her way into the noisy room and she pushed herself between the two guys as if trying to stop and epic battle, when they all knew they were only fooling. "Peace and love!" She exclaimed as they all laughed.

"Come on Ed, lets go get breakfast." Ryder said as he grabbed his jacket off the floor.

"Uh uh uh." Kaley exclaimed as she shook her finger at them. "You know very well that Tuesday is girls day for breakfast."

Ryder shook his head, "Yes, but you guys went yesterday."

"That's because you two had to go off and get yourselves hurt. You couldnt go in, so we had to take your place."

Ryder rolled his shoulders. His left one was still extremely tense. He and Edward had it out with a few men who tried to stop them from taking blankets out of the super market. It was getting colder, and the girls needed thicker blankets, so when the men tried to stop them, Ryder and Edward had to take action.

"That was for your own good! Besides, you asked us to get the blankets for you." Edward replied.

"Still," Kaley smiled a wicked smile, "Tuesday, is our day. Tootle Loo." She wagged her fingers at them as her, Linda and Anya made their way out the front door.

"Wait! Kaley!" Ryder reached under his pillow and pulled out a handgun. "Take this," He muttered. "Just in case, you know how its getting out there."

Kaley took it out of his hands and put it in the back of her jeans.

"You should know that I can look after myself by now Ryder." She smiled at him, and without waiting for a reply, she walked out. Ryder smiled to himself and turned to Edward. "Just you and me bro." Ryder said.

"Yea, lucky me." Edward mumbled with a hidden smile. Ryder threw his own pillow at him and the boys went at it, playfully, again.

.*.

Kaley, Anya, and Linda made their way to the supermarket. "Do you guys realize how many toxins were breathing in?" Anya said with disgust, "I mean seriously, look at these streets! You can hardly tell there used to be grass her. Everything is brown. You can even see the air its so polluted." She shivered. "I vote, we should start wearing masks out here. This isnt sanitary."

The whole time, Kaley was mimicking Anya to Linda and laughing while she did so. "You guys! Im serious! This is horrible."

"Okay whatever you say Anya." Kaley laughed again.

"No one ever takes me seriously, I could say anything and sti-" Kaley put a hand over Anyas mouth and jerked her to the ground and behind a car that was abandoned in the road. She motioned to them to keep quiet, and she peered up and through the car window. There were four men standing outside the supermarket, and they were boarding it up.

"Oh no..." Anya whispered. The three girls watched in horror as their only food source was boarded up. All windows and doorways were inaccessible.

"We have to tell the guys." Kaley muttered, and they sneaked back to the apartment.