"Come on, Rabbittail! For StarClan's sake, stop hibernating!" An irritated meow woke the gray tom. Yawning, he stood up and stretched. A brown she-cat slept nearby, stirring when he flicked his tail over her nose. His green eyes flashed with amusement, and he leaned down to her ear.
"Good morning," he murmured. Her eyes opened and flashed green open. She got to her paws slowly, looking around.
"The sun hasn't even risen yet!" she meowed crossly, flicking her tail. Rabbittail's whiskers twitched and he motioned toward the den's entrance with his tail. "Come on, before you wake the whole den!" he teased, though he was right; cats around them started to wake, and Rabbittail didn't want to be there when they woke.
"Some storm last night, huh?" he commented once they were out; WindClan cats usually slept outside, but there had been heavy rain, thunder, and lightning the night before. The she-cat sighed.
"You woke me up just to comment on the weather?" she asked playfully. Before he could reply, a large black tom padded toward them. "No, we are preparing for a ShadowClan attack," he said sharply, his voice deep.
"Now what?" The ShadowClan cats had been coming closer and closer to the border for hunting, and they were coming often. Usually, they really did cross the boundary, and this time, WindClan had obviously had enough.
"They want a piece of our territory, probably," Rabbittail answered for the tom. "Why, I've no idea." The tom snorted. "Come on, Swiftpath, let's go figure out our places. Worm," he added to Rabbittail, "you better figure out your tunnelling route." He said the words with a sneer. Swiftpath looked at Rabbittail regretfully and turned her white paws toward the deputy, Torntail, who was organizing patrols.
Rabbittail whipped his stubby tail as best as he could. That's where he got his name; he had a tail like a rabbit's, and he got teased often for it. "Worm," he muttered under his breath, and snorted in disgust.
"You'd better get used to the name calling," called a soft voice from across the clearing. The pale tom looked over, and noticed for the first time a slender dark brown she-cat with a black tail-tip. She motioned him over.
"Hi, Songcloud. What's the tunnelling schedule today?" he asked her. She let out a small purr of amusement.
"Moor-runners always think they're the very best, don't they? Nightclaw was probably just teasing you. Don't let it get to you." Rabbittail rolled his green eyes. "Maybe, maybe not," he replied.
"So, the schedule. We'll catch them near the old badger set, where we'll do a feigned retreat and ambush. You know where to go." Her voice was sharp now, as it was when she gave orders.
"Alright, Songcloud, I'll do what I need to do. When's the attack going to happen?" he meowed. His paws were itching to run top speed through the tunnels again.
"Just after sun-rise. Go with the others to find an entrance to the tunnels." Rabbittail dipped his head and began to pad away. A few other cats had gathered near the entrance, chattering. Once Rabbittail joined them, they left the camp at a walk. Before he left, the tom looked back and met Swiftpath's green eyes. She smiled at him, but just then Nightclaw came to her side and meowed something to her that made her laugh.
"Are you just going to stand there staring?" meowed a voice behind him, and he tore his eyes away from the two. "Sorry," he muttered and left the camp.
Rabbittail entered the tunnels through a rabbit hole that had a very faint scent, as if no rabbit had been there for a few days. He relished the brown walls surrounding him, and the darkness that seemed to swallow him whole. The others had other places to go in, and he was able to run top speed once more around the curves.
Maybe if I go a little farther, I can come up behind those crow-food eaters, he thought to himself, and started to push on slower. Soon, he heard pawsteps vibrating the ceiling and knew the attack had begun. Insults were starting to be hurled toward the ShadowClan cats. He tried to pick up individual voices, but for now the ground above him was too thick, and sounds were muffled. The pawsteps started disappearing, and then neared again. Rabbittail paused. Swiftpath! Her voice echoed freely as she yowled at the cats.
"Mangy crow-food eaters!" she spat, and then Nightclaw's voice added next to her. "Cowards!" A few snarls came from the ShadowClan cats, and Rabbittail started moving again. His Clanmates neared and left a few more times, when he heard the ShadowClan cats start to move. They were taking the bait! The tom realized, trying to retrace his steps. He started at the realization that he had never come this far before. He ran, trying to remember, but he was going in circles. The attack! He wouldn't be able to join in because he was lost in these tunnels, and he wanted to wail in panic.
Just then, he felt a soft breeze move his whiskers. He was about to droop with disappointment – it could have been anything – when he scented the tang of rabbit and heather. He started to make his way along, sniffing his way, and when the black began to fade to grey, he sped up a little. All of a sudden scrabbling and a loud yap came from behind him. Turning, he caught sight of brown and white fur, a pointed muzzle, and shining black eyes. Dog! Fear coursed through him and he gathered his haunches under him before running as fast as he could. His paws kept slipping and the dog's saliva splattered on his back. Its stinking breath was hard on his paws.
Satisfaction held him as he leaped out of the tunnel before he realized he was suspended in midair. The satisfaction turned to confusion, to fear and anger. A Twoleg appeared at his side and yowled something at him. Wincing, he shrunk, but his paws slipped through brown mesh with his grey head at an angle. Oh, StarClan, not today! Please don't let me die! With a small jolt, he realized there was a small pile of dead rabbits behind him, not looking suitable for food. The Twoleg must have killed them, he realized. Now, he wanted out more than ever. And he never gave up.
Grunting with effort, he rolled over and wrenched his darker grey paws out of the mesh. Then he sank his claws into the mesh and pulled. Pain wrenched through him as one of his claws was wrenched out, exciting the dog. Gritting his teeth, he held on as the Twoleg shook the net and yelled. He ripped through his trap until he felt it start to give way, and then pushed with his hind paws, and he was spilled onto the grass below him.
At once, the dog pounced, but Rabbittail was too quick. He was up and gone toward the camp, but the dog chased him for a few long heartbeats. He wondered vaguely if he should hide in a rabbit or fox hole, but now he knew the dog could squeeze in behind him, so he dismissed that idea. His legs were just ready to fall off when the Twoleg bellowed and the dog turned away.
Thank StarClan! he thought, but he kept running flat out until he burst through the gorse that surrounded the camp. When he was in, the first thing he saw was Swiftpath speaking urgently to Torntail and Songcloud. They both looked extremely troubled, and Nightclaw sat next to Swiftpath with his tail curled around her, sneering. Rabbittail could tell he was laughing inside at how he was gone.
Rabbittail slowed to an uneasy trot before collapsing on the spot. He was breathing heavily, and blood pooled from his paw where the claw was ripped out. A murmuring broke out around the clearing, before multiple bodies surrounded him. Pain and exhaustion were causing him to start to float into unconsciousness, but the last thing he heard was Swiftpath and Songcloud yowling his name.
"Rabbittail… Rabbittail? Please, wake up!" Swiftpath's begging voice started to rouse him, but he was still too tired to do anything.
"I'm sorry, Swiftpath. He may not make it, and you need to rest. You've been up for three sunrises now with little sleep. We can't afford for you to be sick."
"He has to make it! He can't die!" Rabbittail wanted to reassure the she-cat, but he was slipping away again. Before he could, however, a stream of water poured onto his head.
"Swiftpath! Why did you do that?" A swift licking on his fur proceeded, before a soft mutter sounded next to his head.
"I wanted to see if it would work this time! Because it didn't work the past two times, doesn't mean it won't work this time! Rabbittail?" Strength poured into his muscles as she rasped her tongue over his ear.
"Swiftpath?" he muttered, blinking open his eyes little by little. A sharp gasp came from the medicine cat, who Rabbittail had figured been speaking to Swiftpath. She was a long-haired brown tabby with clear blue eyes named Herbsong.
Slowly, he sat up and faced the she-cat who had obviously sat by him. She looked tired, and her fur appeared ungroomed. "Rabbittail," she whispered, eyes wide. Suddenly, she leaned forward and put her small head on his shoulder.
"Everyone thought you would die from exhaustion." She looked up into his eyes, hers brimming with happiness. Purring, the grey tom licked her head. All of a sudden, a large shadow filled up the den entrance. "Swiftpath, let's go hunting. Forget that flea-bitten tom. He couldn't even protect himself, and he won-" the deep voice broke up as Nightclaw saw Rabbittail up.
Swiftpath stood up and padded over to Nightclaw. "You wouldn't believe me! I told you he would live! And you haven't even heard his story yet! So shut up and leave him – and me – alone!" her voice was threatening, and the tom backed away. Rabbittail let out a purr and followed the she-cat out into the clearing, where he got congratulations and begs to hear the story.
Yes, life would be okay. He had gained a mate, gained an enemy and lost a rival, and his story would echo through nurseries for moons to come. Yes, life was good.