Slash

Slash is a mangy, broad-shouldered, brown tabby with torn ears that are nicked at the top, one of which is still intact, front legs marked with a slash of white fur, fur crisscrossed with scars, half of his whiskers missing, long claws, and a scarred muzzle.

A Forest Divided

 * Scenting strangers, Gray Wing decides to follow the scent despite deducing that the strangers were leaving. As Gray Wing closes in, he hears Slash snarl to Fern about his limited time. Fern responds, complaining that she does not want to go alone followed with a shriek of pain and Slash's retort that she is no longer a kit. As Gray Wing creeps closer to the two cats, Fern picks up on the disturbance, but Slash passes it off as prey snapping at Fern about the need to follow two unknown cats and learn all about their lifestyle from their way of hunting to their weaknesses. When Fern inquires about the importance of this information, Slash lashes out with his paw catching her ear. He instructs her to simply obey him in watching and reporting back. Fern asks once more why he cannot join her to which he replies in a menacing tone that he has other business to take care of reminding Fern of Star Flower and how she is lucky to be alive after betraying him. Slash continues to direct Fern in that she must not be seen threatening consequences otherwise then stalking off. Having eavesdropped on the conversation, Gray Wing wonders how long Slash had been roaming the territory drawing parallels of Slash's characteristics to One Eye.


 * When Gray Wing meets up with his group, he remembers Slash's orders to Fern about spying on them. He decides that it will be better to warn his group of Slash when the time is right thinking that he might be able to talk to Fern believing that she was just scared of Slash.


 * As Pebble Heart takes care of Gray Wing's breathing trouble, Gray Wing contemplates telling Pebble Heart of Slash and Fern, yet with no sign of them, Gray Wing hopes that Fern escaped from Slash's control. Nonetheless, Gray Wing worries about their whereabouts. Knowing of the danger Slash and Fern pose to his group, Gray Wing turns down a trip with Slate to the moor for a visit and having kept a look out for the two rogues on a daily basis.


 * When Gray Wing picks up Fern's scent, he wonders if she's going to meet Slash. With no scent of Slash though, Gray Wing decides to find out why Slash might have sent Fern. Once convincing Fern that he poses no threat, Gray Wing asks if Slash usually hunted for her seeing fear flash in her eyes when Slash's name was spoken. She responds that he helped, yet Gray Wing points out that Slash left her alone. Gray Wing offers to hunt for her in Slash's place explaining that Slash is a bully and no better than One Eye. Fern wonders how Gray Wing knows Slash to which Gray Wing reveals that he watched him talking to her on the moor. Gray Wing suggests that she should not allow Slash to push her around, yet Fern explains that Slash would kill her otherwise. Nonetheless, Gray Wing contends that Slash has left her to starve failing to look out for her. With the realization that Gray Wing has discovered her spying, she asks if Gray Wing would tell Slash about catching her. However, Gray Wing points out the conflict of interest of him talking to Slash.


 * After finding a mouse for Fern, Gray Wing asks her to persuade Slash not to bother with campmates by telling him that he would not be able to defeat them in a fight. Fern explains that Slash would never be convinced that there are cats he could not beat but that she might be able to distract him by lying about a new source of prey that he'll want to take a look at acting on his greed. Fern further reveals that Slash is preparing to attack and not alone too. Although Gray Wing wonders if Fern can lie to Slash, he decides to trust her word.


 * Stumbling upon Milkweed and her kits, Thistle and Clover, Gray Wing notes the shortage of prey due in part to rogues like Slash and One Eye derive pleasure from the suffering of others. Gray Wing also wonders if Milkweed and her kits would be safe from Slash.


 * When Tall Shadow sends Thunder, Gray Wing worries that Slash had attack the camp. On the way back to the forest to meet his mother, Quiet Rain, Gray Wing runs into Fern who reveals that she had lied to Slash. Gray Wing eagerly inquires further about her talk with Slash in which Fern divulges that she had distracted him with his greed of prey. New to the situation, Thunder asks who Slash is and Gray Wing replies relating Slash's cruelty to that of One Eye's. Gray Wing then offers for Fern to stay with them worrying about Slash's retaliation against Fern for lying to him.


 * Thunder questions why Slash wanted Fern to spy on Gray Wing's camp to which Fern answers that Slash does not like sharing land with other cats. Fern further explains that she and Slash formerly lead lives as strays in the Twolegplace, but Slash grew tired of eating Twoleg waste deciding that there would be better food outside the Twolegplace. Fern further describes Slash as stubborn, not willing to admit when he is wrong despite prey also being scarce outside of the Twolegplace.


 * Once Thunder, Fern, and Gray Wing arrive at the camp, Thunder wonders if he should tell the others about Slash, yet decides that it is Fern and Gray Wing's business. Gray Wing is also reminded of the threat Slash poses to his campmates as he assures Quiet Rain of the safety of the forest. Then, in Tall Shadow's camp, he once again wonders whether to warn them about Slash as he leaves Fern in their protection believing that she would be safer in their camp than with Slash.


 * At night, Slash, with two other rogues, surround Star Flower. Clear Sky comes to the rescue demanding that the rogues let her go, yet Slash replies that she could leave if she wants. Slash introduces himself with his name and as an old friend of One Eye's. As Clear Sky rears, Slash leaps back and grabs Star Flower hooking his claw into her shoulder, hauling her to the ground, and pinning her to the ground. Seeing Clear Sky freeze, Slash snarls sarcastically how it would be a shame to hurt Star Flower, particularly with kits in her belly and how it would break his heart to to think about harming them. Meeting Slash's gaze, Clear Sky asks what he wants. Slash hisses back that he and Star Flower have spent quite a bit of time together in the past revealing that he was One Eye's closest companions. Star Flower struggles to throw off Slash as he pushes her further into the ground as she hisses that he is not fit to say One Eye's name. In response, Slash flattens his ears and flicks his claw across Star Flower's cheek slicing it asking why she had promised to be his mate. Clear Sky regains Slash's attention asking what he wants once again. Slash slowly turns his head stalking forward and curling his lip. With a menacing gaze, Slash replies that the mountain cats' actions in recruiting strays has not gone unnoticed rhetorically asking why they're building such large groups with their presence now everywhere in scent markers and hunting territory. Slash continues, snarling that the territory use to belong to them with the strays having shared prey with them, yet, with the formation of group by the mountain cats, the strays believe themselves to be safe with no need to share with them any longer. Glancing back at the two other rogues, Slash remarks that they're getting hungry.


 * Clear Sky tells them that they are free to take prey, yet Slash retorts that they are not just three extra mouths to feed. Narrowing his eyes, Slash informs Clear Sky that there are many rogues from all over, many more than what Clear Sky could ever imagine. Clear Sky asks why they have never seen rogues like Slash before in which Slash snarls back that it was not necessary for the mountain cats to see them and that strays hunting on the edges of the territory had sufficed for Slash and his companions. Slash then poses the question of why the mountain cats had to come and spoil their lifestyle as the strays now hunt for mountain cats leaving the rogues hungry. Clear Sky explains that the mountains yielded no prey, yet Slash deems this excuse not good enough and expressing the need for things to be go back to how they previously were as he paces around Star Flower. Clear Sky retorts that they are not going to leave. Slash replies that he is not asking them to leave but rather that he wants to meet with the leaders of their group to discuss how they might share prey with them similar to how the strays had once done. Pausing by Star Flower, he laps the blood from her cheek, lingering. Glancing up at the moon, Slash declares that he wants to meet all the leaders at the same time the next night at sunningrocks. As a consequence for this ultimatum, Slash threatens that he will kill Star Flower. Flicking his tail, Slash leaves with his two companions following with a struggling Star Flower.


 * After Slash leaves, Quick Water slinks out of the bracken having observed the entire exchange. When Clear Sky argues about the number of cats against one another, Quick Water points out that she and Slash sounded like they were pretty close to one another in the past.

Trivia

 * In A Forest Divided, he was called gray.
 * Slash is not listed in the allegiances of A Forest Divided, despite appearing in the book.