Summary: There are times in which we remember those who no longer walk with us. Walk in the pawsteps of those who have passed on, no matter how dark their twisting paths take you.
Redtail
Springing upwards, the red-tailed deputy streaked swiftly across the sunny rocks. It was as if his paws had wings attached, his small yet nimble paws barely touched the heated ground as he ran to meet the enemy ranks. Tigerclaw, the aggressive and sharp-clawed warrior, pounded behind him. The huge tabby's unusually keen claws tore up the dirt and grass as he raced along to leap into the oncoming battle. Ravenpaw scurried behind, the meek apprentice would most likely have to resist cowering before the might and strength of his foes.
The Riverclan warriors slithered from the river like snakes, they did not pause to shake the water off of their sleek pelts. Redtail observed that they were large and slightly plump, as they were all-year-round due to their food supply just about never running out, with the exception of when the river flooded. Redtail hurtled himself at one of Oakheart's kits, Stonefur. The bluish-gray tom let out a fearsome battle-cry and barreled into the Thunderclan deputy. Redtail was slightly winded by the force of his collision with the larger tom, but quickly managed to recover.
The two enemies rolled in a ball of spitting, clawing tortoiseshell and blue-gray fur. Redtail spat sourly and clawed at Stonefur's ears, ripping and tearing mercilessly. Stonefur let out a pained shriek, and quickly jabbed Redtail in one of his eyes. The two rolled apart. A couple of beads and small trails of blood rolled down Stonefur's flat face, Redtail hoped that they would obscure his vision and make this fight a little easier. Redtail heard Tigerclaw spitting and snarling a little bit behind him, but the deputy didn't dare take his eyes off of his Riverclan foe.
Redtail could smell Ravenpaw's fear scent and almost sighed. Bluestar had hoped that Tigerclaw would bring out the true warrior in Ravenpaw, if there even was one within the scrawny black tom. But Redtail didn't really have the time to be worried about his two clanmates as Stonefur charged forward, letting out a fierce yowl as he charged. Redtail nimbly whipped to the side, dodging the blow. He flickered out one, swift paw to rake along Stonefur's side. Redtail's short claws easily passed through Stonefur's thick pelt, and thin gashed were made. Stonefur hissed quietly, but audible enough that Redtail could hear him.
Redtail chose to seize the moment, and he hurled himself onto Stonefur, digging his claws into Stonefur's back. Said bluish-gray tom shrieked and thrashed violently, the possibility of rolling over to dislodge him had not yet come to mind yet. Stonefur's slippery and wet fur made it difficult to cling on. Redtail could practically taste the victory on his tongue, before Redtail felt sharp teeth buried in his scruff.
"No Thunderclan cat will harm this warrior!" Oakheart declared, throwing Redtail a couple of fox-lengths away before pouncing powerfully. Redtail was momentarily stunned, but managed to roll out of the way as Oakheart pounced. Redtail popped back onto his agile feet. As far as Redtail had seen and heard, Oakheart never went out of his way to protect his kits!
Redtail leaped and let out an onslaught of quick scratching. Oakheart blustered momentarily before whacking Redtail with one, mighty paw. Redtail was bowled over by merely that blow and gasped. The two had somehow managed to arrive underneath several rocks. The rocky overhang was cracked in several places and it looked rather dangerous.
Redtail was ready to breathe a quick warning to the rowan-colored tom, but Oakheart leaped before he had the chance. The air left Redtail's lungs as he was slammed against the rocks. He caught a glimpse over Oakheart's muscular shoulder of Tigerclaw watching with his amber eyes narrowed.
"Help me!" Redtail mentally pleaded, attempting to catch his breath. Redtail used his back legs to claw at Oakheart's stomach, feeling blood well up over the newly-created wounds. As Oakheart reeled backwards, Redtail caught an ominous cracking noise from behind him. "Oh no..." Redtail leaped away, out from under the large overhang. "Oakheart!" The Riverclan deputy was still recovering from the previous blow. Redtail could only watch in absolute horror as the overhang crashed down onto the Riverclan deputy.
"Oakheart is dead!" One, frantic and terrified Riverclan cat called, before fleeing back towards the river. Their deputy was gone, Redtail watched the remaining Riverclan warriors scramble back towards the way they came. Redtail exhaled, feeling a brief sense of mourning for the Riverclan deputy, even though he hadn't really ever known him.
Redtail gave a soft sigh, at least this horrible battle was done and over with. The casualties would probably prove not to be worth the fighting, but at least they had the rocks, for now. Lost in his thoughts, he remained unaware of the monsterous tabby-tom creeping up on him, long claws flashing like silver fish in the moonlight, his muscles bunching and moving and shifting without a sound.
There was no sound as the mighty Tigerclaw leaped to claim one of the first of many victims that would fall to his powerful paws. Redtail shrieked and whipped around. What on the earth could this be! All of the Riverclan warriors had retreated, all of his enemies were gone for the day! However, as Redtail stared up into those fiery, amber orbs, he could tell that enemy and threat number one had been behind the border all of this time, he had been right under his nose and waiting to strike.
Redtail choked and flailed uselessly, one of Tigerclaw's huge front paws had a firm grip on his throat and it was tightening ever-so-slowly. Redtail's life flashed before his very eyes, his mother Swiftbreeze, his sisters, Spottedleaf and Willowpelt, his daughter-his daughter Sandpaw and Brindleface! What would they do without him? And Dustpaw, Redtail could never forget about him, he had an apprentice to mentor!
There! Over Tigerclaw's shoulder! Ravenpaw stood, hidden in the ferns and obviously shaking! Ravenpaw, help me! The grip around Redtail'as throat was far too suffocating for him to manage to speak, even a few words. Instead, he shot Ravenpaw a pleading glance. Help me... There came a chilling realization that Ravenpaw was not going to help him. Redtail stopped struggling, he couldn't breathe, was Tigerclaw really going to suffocate him to death? Ravenpaw turned tail and slowly moved away before stepping on a twig, then the scrawny black tom bolted off into the forest.
For a relieving moment, Tigerclaw lifted his paw, only to crash it down and slash deep across Redtail's throat. Redtail let out a small scream, not loud enough to be heard in camp, before his life flashed before his eyes. He choked as his eyes glazed over, sight becoming blurry.
This was the end, he realized.
In another minute, he was gone, his spirit faded from his body.