Hello. I, Foxtail of StormClan, am completing yet another challenge for Silver that Gleams's wonder forum, ShineClan!
A cool, misty breeze snaked through the barren, rocky land of the mountain. Cloud-covered skies floated above the exausted, hopeless group of cats. The cry of an eagle sounded overhead, but not one of the cats seemed to care.
Talonpaw briefly glanced upward, then turned his gaze back to the earth. Why can't StarClan protect us? Why did they force us to leave? Talonpaw wondered wearily. What if we don't make it?
Talonpaw looked up as he felt the comforting tail of his mentor, Rowanclaw, fall gently over his shoulders. Rowanclaw blinked sympathetically at the young tom, then leans in closer to support his apprentice.
"I know this seems hopeless," The dark ginger tom whispered, locking his gaze with Talonpaw's. "But this is the right thing to do. The Clans will live on."
"I know, Rowanclaw. It's just...I don't know how much farther we can go." Talonpaw glanced back at the other journeying cats. Two ThunderClan apprentices were leaning heavily against one another, and a WindClan warrior was hobbling slowly forward.
"Look!" Rowanclaw gestured with his tail. "I think we're stopping."
Talonpaw looked ahead to see Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, padding towards them. The big white tom glanced at his ShadowClan cats, then glanced up at the sky.
"Rowanclaw, could you take a patrol of cats to go hunting?" Blackstar asked. "Take at least six or seven who aren't too tired."
Rowanclaw dipped his head. "Yes, Blackstar."
"I guess I'll come." Talonpaw offered unenthusiasticly.
"Okay. I'll go see who else is strong enough to go." The dark ginger tom flicked his tail and padded away into a throng of cats.
"How about we split up?" Rowanclaw suggested once he had gathered a patrol consisting of Talonpaw, Tawnypelt, Spiderpaw and Rainwhisker of ThunderClan, Heavystep and Blackclaw of RiverClan, and Robinwing of WindClan.
Heavystep nodded. "I can take Tawnypelt, Rainwhisker, and Talonpaw on a seperate patrol."
Rowanclaw nodded. "Good idea." Flicking his tail to his patrol, the ginger tom disappeared into the bushes.
"Let's hunt in pairs. I'll go with Tawnypelt, and Rainwhisker and Talonpaw can go together." Heavystep meowed.
"Okay." Rainwhisker mewed. "We'll head toward that big rock over there and see if we can find anything."
"Watch out for eagles!" Tawnypelt called as the two toms slipped away.
"Look at this place! I've never been so far from ThunderClan territory." Rainwhisker gasped, looking around with wonder sparkling in his eyes. "Squirrelpaw says that there are cat's that live here. Can you imagine? I would never want to live here."
Talonpaw nodded in agreement. I'd miss ShadowClan's springy, pine-needle carpet. I'd miss the sweet smell of pinesap. I'd miss...well, I'd miss everything that makes me ShadowClan.
"Shouldn't we hunt?" Talonpaw suggested, pulling Rainwhisker out of his endless amazement.
"Oh! Right. Hunt." The dark grey tom looked embarrassed.
"Let's look over there." Talonpaw flicked his tail, and the two toms began padding surely and silently over the rocky mountain.
"Uh, Talonpaw..." Rainwhisker meowed, setting down his prey; a skinny mouse.
"Yeah?" Talonpaw turned around and dropped his rabbit. "What is it?"
"Um...I think we're lost." Rainwhisker glanced around, raking his gaze over every rock and leaf. "We said we'd meet where the Clans are waiting, but I can't hear or smell them."
Talonpaw opened his mouth and scented the air. The only scents were that of Rainwhisker, their prey, and cool, wet stones. He's right. Talonpaw thought, despair swelling in his belly. We're lost, and we'll die alone among these rocks. I knew this journey was pointless.
"StarClan help us all." He muttered, grabbing the rabbit in his jaws once more. Without warning, a screech split the air and a flurry of copper-brown feathers descended upon them.
"Eagle!" Rainwhisker screeched, dropping his prey and hurling himself at the bronze-feathered bird. Ruthless talons sunk into Talonpaw's shoulders, and flaming pain jolted through his veins. He felt hot, sticky liquid poor over his neck and back, and a sickening scent wafted into the air.
The eagle batted Rainwhisker away, and the dark grey tom fell to the dirt, his fur coated in Talonpaw's blood. Talonpaw thrashed and writhed in the eagle's grip, then he felt blackness blur his vision.
Just before he faded from consciousness, he felt the eagle be pulled to the earth, sceaming as it fell. The young tom was slammed to the stone, jolting him back to consciousness. When he finally managed to scramble to his paws, he spotted two cats hanging off the wings of the copper bird.
Rainwhisker had his claws sunken deeply into the bird's back, while the other cat; a starry-furred silver she-cat, had her teeth deep in the bird's neck. The bird staggered, for a moment, then collapsed onto the earth, it's blood pouring out onto the earth.
"It's dead." Rainwhisker choaked, turning to rasp his tongue over a wound in his flank.
The silver she-cat padded forward and stood about a mouse-length in front of Talonpaw. Her sleek pelt was hardly ruffled after the fight with the eagle, and she bore not a single scratch. Talonpaw stepped back.
"You have RiverClan scent." Talonpaw meowed.
"Yeah, and I reek of ThunderClan. What of it?" Rainwhisker spat out copper feathers and stretched out on the stony earth.
"Then...why did you help me. You're not my Clanmates. What do you care I'd I live or die?"
The silver she-cat stepped closer. "A couple moons ago, I went on a long, dangerous journey with cats from other Clans. We didn't know each other, but we were forced to trust one another with our lives. In the end, I died for them. Even though we were from different Clans, we became friends. Some of us became even more than that." The silver she-cat's blue eyes clouded. "But that is all past. Come, I will lead you back to the Clans."
The she-cat flicked her feathery tail, and strode down, over the rocky slope that she had died to save.