Special thanks to SacredRoses-Art for taking my commission to do the cover for this story. You should totally check out her cool stuff on deviantart and instagram.

I love Bone and wish he had more spotlight in Erin Hunter's cannon books. Alas, even if you go to the official Warrior Cats website and type "Bone" into the search, literally nothing comes up. Everybody has forgotten about the coolest cat to never get a real story.

So I'm taking it upon myself (again) to give the big brutal cat some attention. You may have noticed I've taken down my older story called Bone Survived, but I can send you the whole thing if you PM me your email. This new story will be very loosely based around the plot of that one, but much much darker and bloodier, and with much more developed characters. Enjoy!

Prologue

BloodClan attack!

At Scourge's command, the long line of BloodClan cats surged forward towards the much smaller enemy line of forest savages. Bone waited and watched as his cats stormed past him, crashing into the enemy lines. It was a glorious force Scourge had mustered, surly no other groups of cats could possibly stand a chance.

Shrieks and yowls swirled through the sky and Bone decided to join the fray. He searched for a nearby enemy to kill, but to his surprised annoyance, he realized the forest cats were creating tight circles with their backs to each other instead of spreading out and letting BloodClan's overwhelming numbers get the advantage. The seemingly unstoppable BloodClan wave couldn't gain a claw-length of ground. With a hiss of fury, he lunged towards the nearest bundle of forest cats with his head lowered and a dark brown tabby tom in his way yelped in surprise when he spotted him.

But instead of letting Bone hit him, the tom sidestepped and landed a blow against Bone's shoulder with sharp claws. The move was so fast that Bone hadn't registered what happened until after hot fire rippled across his pelt where his fur was torn. The forest cat's technique was executed with an aptitude that could have challenged Scourge's skill, and he stopped for a moment and stared at his smug opponent. The tom glared back with determination twinkling in his amber eyes before returning to the defensive line with his companions. How could such a young cat possess such speed and skill?

Another wave of toothed collars slammed into the forest cat formation and Bone watched in fascination as the BloodClan cats struggled to cause any meaningful harm at all while taking heavy damage in return. The wave was repelled with ease but a fresh wave of BloodClan cats hit as soon as the first one stepped back. Yet again, the forest cats' line held.

Bone clenched his dog-tooth claws into the grassy soil. This was supposed to be an easy victory. In fact, Scourge had been convinced that the sheer size of his army would be enough to scare away the forest cats without a fight at all. Plenty of the cats he had brought with him were untrained housecats picked off the streets at random and forced into the battle. But as he watched more and more BloodClan cats throw themselves against the enemy lines, the forest cats slowly began to fall back and crumble, especially when the more veteran BloodClan guards began to attack.

I need to find Scourge and make sure he is safe. Blood and fur spilled onto the ground around him but he resisted the temptation to fight as held his head high in search of his leader. As Scourge's second-in-command, it was Bone's duty to make sure nothing bad happened to him. Normally, he wouldn't be worried for Scourge's life, but the forest cats were nothing like the street-cats they were used to bullying. One wrong step and they would take full advantage.

He heard Scourge's battle-shriek and turned towards the sound. He still couldn't see the tiny black cat among the fighting, but he did see another forest-cat formation that was holding up against the attackers. BloodClan cats jostled past him in their eagerness to taste forest-cat blood and Bone let the tide of furious spitting cats carry him with them.

Most BloodClan cats were held at bay by the formation, but Bone didn't have time to wait for an opening. Instead, he ducked his head, and charged in, an idea forming in his mind. Instantly, he felt his pelt rip and tear as enemy claws slashed at his flesh, but the pain only fed strength into his powerful limbs. He grabbed one of the forest cats in his jaws and dragged her away from the others. Once he was sure her friends were too busy dealing with the swarm of BloodClan cats to help, he grasped the dark ginger tabby she-cat between his dog-tooth claws and lunged forward with his jaws agape. He tried to bite down into his victim's flesh, but the warrior wiggled out of his grasp at the last moment and his jaws snapped shut on empty air. Growling with frustration, he twisted around as the smaller cat tried to dart around him and attack him from the side.

"You aren't going to win today, Bone," the she-cat hissed, ducking beneath his paw as he swiped at her head. "The Clans are stronger than you know."

He bared his teeth, suddenly recognizing her voice. "You're name is Red. You used to be a feral roaming the streets. Why are you throwing yourself in with this lot of savages?"

"My name isn't Red anymore," she snarled, showing him her sharp teeth. "And we aren't the savages, you are. The Clans are wise and just and they taught me to put the well-being of my Clan before myself. My name is Russetfur and I'm the deputy of ShadowClan now."

"You are going to die remembered by nobody," Bone hissed, dropping into his favored battle stance. "Once Scourge is finished here, all that will be left of your precious Clans is pools of blood and piles of fur." With a shriek, he charged at her, keeping low to the ground since he expected her to slip to the side. He would change directions as soon as she tried to dodge.

To his surprise, she jumped straight upwards just before he was within reach, and landed on his back as he thundered past. His claws sank deeper into the grass with the extra weight, but he didn't slow down. Instead, he tucked his head instinctively and rolled forwards with her still clinging to his shoulders, slamming her into the ground beneath him.

She had the air knocked out of her and he stepped back to admire his handiwork. It doesn't matter how clever you think your fancy moves are, you will still die like any other cat that stands in the way of BloodClan. Before she could recover, he lunged forward with his jaws wide open, ready to finish her off with a single bite.

Something slammed into him from the side with so much force, that all four of his paws left the ground and he tumbled through the grass. He gasped in shock and scrambled to his feet. He wasn't used to taking such strong hits like that. He was eager to see who exactly could have possibly challenged his might.

His attention focused on a large battlescarred black and white tom with golden eyes standing protectively over the fallen she-cat. The large cat stared furiously at the the BloodClan deputy, his growl deep and threatening. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size."

Although the new cat was big, Bone was still bigger and he had seen much scarier cats in the houseplace before. "Let me guess, you two are lovers," he jeered, stalking closer. "Oh wait, aren't you the leader of one of these filthy tribes?"

The leader quickly turned to his fallen companion. "Return to the formation and stay safe. I'll take care of this kittypet and join you soon."

"Be safe, Blackstar."

Bone's smirk quickly changed to a scowl as the she-cat fled. These savages were treating him like he was just some fat housecat that shouldn't be taken seriously. Did they not understand they were on the brink of annihilation?

Blackstar returned his attention to the BloodClan deputy. Even as they sized each other up, more BloodClan cats surrounded them. Bone raised his tail for his snarling allies to stand their ground, he wanted to fight this pompous forest cat one on one. If I start to lose, I can order them all to attack.

But Bone was hesitant to make the first move. Every forest cat seemed to have more battle-training than the the average cat from the houseplace, he had figured that much out. He had also learned to not expect whatever technique they came up with to counterattack. Surely one of the forest leaders would be far more experienced than the typical grunt.

"Just kill him already, Bone!" a nearby BloodClan cat cheered, having absolute confidence in their deputy's ability to win.

Bone narrowed his eyes with frustration. He couldn't appear weak in front of his subordinates. With a loud caterwaul, he leapt forward, his dog-teeth claws tearing up the grass in his wake. That cat is way too large to dodge a head-on attack.

He was correct. Instead of trying to dodge, Blackstar met Bone's power with his own. The two large cats slammed into each other and Bone aimed to sink his teeth into his enemy's throat. Blackstar countered him by slashing at his exposed muzzle with a perfectly timed and aimed paw swipe. Pain sprang across Bone's face, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he grabbed a hold of Blackstar's outstretched paw in his jaws and bit down with all his might.

Blackstar screeched with pain and swung his other paw at Bone's head, trying to force him to release his grip.

Realizing that his eyes were in danger, Bone let go and took a step back just as Blackstar's attack swished past his whiskers. He quickly ducked low and leapt forward, crashing into Blackstar's torso and carrying him off his paws.

The ShadowClan leader yelped, clearly surprised by Bone's speed, but he still had plenty of tricks to spare. Even as Bone slammed his opponent down into the grass, Blackstar rolled onto his back. He used their momentum to kick Bone hard in the chest, sending him somersaulting through the air behind him.

Bone crashed into the ground onto his stomach and for a moment had the breath knocked out of him. Blackstar quickly took advantage of Bone's vulnerability and pounced, sinking his teeth deep into his shoulder.

Bone yowled in pain, but he also noticed that Blackstar could have easily killed him right then but chose to make a non-lethal attack. He's still not taking me seriously, he thought in anger. He thinks if he just hurts me bad enough, I'll just run away. His icy fury bubbled up in his chest and his rage gave him strength.

He ripped himself out of Blackstar's grasp and spun on him as quickly as a snake. With all of his might, he swung a paw at Blackstar's head. The other cat ducked and Bone's dog-tooth claw ripped the tip of his ear off. But Bone had expected the evasive maneuver and his other paw swung in with equal strength, digging deep into the side of Blackstar's head. Blackstar was sent tumbling across the ground from the impact and the BloodClan cats behind Bone cheered.

Bone savored the sweet taste of triumph, but his shoulder was damaged badly and he could barely move it at all. I need to find Scourge. His safety needs to be my top priority and I can't protect him if I'm fighting forest leaders. As Blackstar stood up, blood dripping from the side of his head, Bone took a step back and raised his tail to get the attention of the BloodClan cats surrounding them. "Kill him."

At his command, a swarm of his cats rushed forward and Blackstar was forced to run away and return to his safe line of forest cats.

"Coward," Bone hissed under his breath, and he limped back through the mass of BloodClan cats that were still surging forward.

The tide was definitely turning in BloodClan's favor. The forest cats were being pushed back towards the four giant oak trees that marked the meeting place where Scourge had killed the forest scum Tigerstar just three days ago. The defensive lines the forest cats were relying so heavily upon were breaking as more and more BloodClan cats attacked.

Bone looked around for his leader's signature bloodstained-black fur. Even if BloodClan was winning, everything could be lost if Scourge fell. BloodClan's unity relied entirely on their leader's dark intentions. Without him, they were all just a bunch of ferals and housecats with grisly trophies wrapped around their throats.

To his relief, Bone suddenly caught a glimpse of his leader's black fur and his huge dog-tooth claws flashing through the air. Scourge was near the front lines, fighting mostly separated from the rest of BloodClan. Without a second thought, Bone limped across the crimson grass towards where the fighting was thickest. He pushed his way through the crowd, never losing sight of Scourge.

Something hit him from the side, slamming into his wounded shoulder and sending another spasm of pain rippling down his spine. Two cats were locked in a frenzied tussle; a stout BloodClan guard, and an older white-furred forest savage.

With a couple of well-aimed claw strikes, the forest cat sent the guard running with blood dripping from his ears and neck. Then he turned his attention on Bone and his eyes widened in shock when he recognized him.

Bone really didn't want to fight, he was almost by Scourge's side, but the white warrior bared his teeth and dropped into a battle-stance. Killing him quickly would take less time than trying to get around him and letting him attack while I'm exposed.

Bone didn't have a lot of time to contemplate what to do because the forest tom was already attacking. White fur flashed past Bone's muzzle as he stepped back and let the paw-swipe fly by. He could tell the senior forest cat was tired and injured from his own battles and his attack was sloppy.

Bone didn't waste any time and lunged forward with his jaws agape. He wanted the fight to end quickly so he could get to Scourge's side, and for that, this forest rat needed to die. Hie enemy was too slow to avoid the attack, probably because he was already so weak, and Bone's teeth met flesh. He bit down hard into his victim's throat, feeling the sweet warm liquid flow into his mouth. In just a few moments, the forest cat would be dead.

But then the warrior dug his claws deep into Bone's eye in retaliation, sinking so deep into his flesh that he was forced to let go and stumble backwards. Bone cried in agony, feeling blood drip down his face from his ruined eye. He couldn't see out of one side and the pain made his head spin. I'll rip that rat's legs off when I catch him again! Bone vowed, still reeling in misery.

He regained his composure and let his furious gaze dart back to his opponent who was sprawled on the ground, bleeding from the neck. Fighting through the pain, Bone stepped forward and raked his dog-tooth claws across the injured warrior's pelt, his revenge tasting almost as sweet as his enemy's blood. Flesh tore beneath Bone's wrath and the savage screamed in agony. Bone didn't care that the other cat was already going to die on his own, he wanted the cat's last few moments alive to be hell. He kept tearing and slashing until every single white hair was soaked red. He only stopped once the white warrior's eyes had rolled back into his skull and he stopped breathing.

Gasping for breath, Bone took a shaky step backwards, his shoulder and eye now tormenting him with equal amounts of pain. His own blood was oozing from his wounds but he straightened up and raised his head proudly. He couldn't see Scourge anymore, the tiny cat must have gone somewhere else to fight. Bone cursed under his breath that the dead cat before him had delayed him so much.

"Whitestorm!"

He turned around to see a small pack of forest cats charging towards him. They all seemed young but their bodies were unfairly uninjured compared to his. They slammed into Bone all at once, knocking him backwards. He roared with fury and slashed his claws through the air, but they were swarming over him like fleas, digging their claws into his pelt, and tearing his already existing wounds open even more. He was already exhausted but they attacked him with vengeful vigor.

Where are my allies? I need help! He spotted a group of housecats watching him struggle from a few pawsteps away, but their eyes were filled with disgust. Many cats in BloodClan had no loyalty to Scourge and only supported him out of fear. They wanted the him to die, and the thought of their betrayal gave Bone the smallest spark of strength. Treacherous cowards!

But he was getting dizzy from so much blood-loss and his vision blurred. His attacks became more and more feeble until he fell to the ground beneath the onslaught. The last thing he remembered was the cheers of his assailants as they danced on his body, celebrating the defeat of the BloodClan deputy.

Bone closed his eyes and let the pain gently carry him into unconsciousness.

Forgive me, Scourge, I have failed.

x.x

Allegiances (I am accepting OC's so put some names and descriptions in your reviews!)

The Blood Rout (prominent remnant of Scourge's BloodClan- loosely organized)

Bone- massive scarred black and white tom with one green eye and a toothed collar

Brick- large ginger she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Frost- scarred gray she-cat with white patches and pale amber-blue eyes

Snake- black and white tom with green eyes and an underbite

Ice- black and white tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Ghost- young white she-cat with red eyes and unusually long claws

Reaper- black flat-faced she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Jaggedtooth- huge ginger tabby tom with amber eyes (formerly of ShadowClan)

Sabotage- massive brown tabby tom with a toothed collar and harness

Steel- silver-gray she-cat with dark amber eyes and a toothed collar

Pavement- gray tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Blizzard- large white tom with blue eyes and a toothed collar

Blackout- large black tom with amber eyes and a toothed collar

Mantis- scarred long-legged white she-cat with green eyes

Hazard- large black and gray tom with green eyes and a toothed collar

Vulture- long legged black she-cat with brown markings, amber eyes, and a toothed collar.

Shadow- huge black she-cat with blue eyes and a toothed collar

Owl- black and white she-cat with green eyes and a toothed collar

Sunny- ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Cringe- black and white she-cat with light green eyes and a toothed collar

Housecats, Strays, and Ferals Outside of BloodClan

Tatters- scarred tortoiseshell she cat with a bent tail. Blind and deaf on one side. One bright amber eye. (stray, formerly of BloodClan)

Alice- large gray and white she-cat with green eyes (stray)

Ruby- light gray she-cat with amber eyes (stray)

Cloud- fat fluffy gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (housecat)

Smudge- fat black and white tom with amber eyes (housecat)

Princess- light brown and white tabby she-cat with green eyes (housecat)

Ravenpaw- black tom with a white spot on his chest and amber eyes (feral)

Barley- black and white tom with blue eyes (stray)

Jake- ginger tabby tom with green eyes (housecat)

Demon- red tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Storm- dark blue-gray tabby tom with amber eyes (feral)

Axe- sandy and brown she-cat with blue eyes (feral)

Slate- skinny gray tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Blitz- small black she-cat with a white spot on her face and blue eyes (housecat)

Shriek- small black she-cat with a white face and amber eyes (housecat)

Willie- brown tabby tom with green eyes (feral)

Snapper- large scarred black, gray and white tom with yellow eyes (feral)

Tess- cream furred she-cat with a white mark on her forehead and blue eyes (stray)

Pounce- light brown tabby tom with amber eyes that go in different directions (stray)

Minty- dark gray she-cat with blue eyes (housecat)

Known Forest Savages

Firestar- ginger tabby tom with green eyes (leader of ThunderClan)

Blackstar- huge white tom with black paws and yellow eyes (leader of ShadowClan)

Leopardstar- dappled golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes (leader of RiverClan)

Tallstar- black and white tom with amber eyes (leader of WindClan)

Boulder- thin gray tom with amber eyes (member of ShadowClan, formerly of BloodClan)

Russetfur- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes (deputy of ShadowClan, formerly a feral)

Please leave a friendly review if you like what you see. It helps me out more than you can know.