I Will Not Die

Ravenpaw stood defiantly to face his foe. His former mentor, Tigerstar, returned his fierce stare. At one time Ravenpaw would of been afraid of the dark tabby warrior. Now all that was there was the angry fire of battle. "What do you think you're going to do?" sneered Tigerstar, "Run away?"

"I'm done running," growled Ravenpaw

"You always were worthless. Just like your mate over there!"

Tigerstar flicked his tail towards the motionless blue-gray she cat, lying in a pool of blood. Pure rage flashed in Ravenpaw's eyes. He sprang.

The sudden attack caught Tigerstar off guard. He fell to the ground as Ravenpaw's front paws connected with his ribs. Ravenpaw quickly pinned him to the ground, but the larger cat easily threw him off. He struggled to keep his balance as he landed and narrowly dodged Tigerstar's outstretched claws. Both cats paused to breathe. This time it was Tigerstar who attacked first. He bowled the sleek black cat over and sank his teeth into Ravenpaw's shoulder. The smaller tom yowled in pain, but managed to catch the tabby with a blow to the head. Tigerstar was momentarily dazed, so Ravenpaw took the chance to wriggle free. "Not bad," snarled Tigerstar, "But you're still no warrior!"

"I'm twice the warrior you'll ever be!" yowled Ravenpaw, lunging for Tigerstar. "A kit's move!" scoffed Tigerstar, bringing the black tom down with one paw. He pushed all his weight down on the smaller cat, making any struggling in vain. "Well?" smirked Tigerstar, "Ready to die?"

For a moment, Ravenpaw was ready to give up. Then he was flooded with memories of being bullied, of Tigerstar killing Redtail, living in fear, being driven out of his birth clan and, most recently, of his mate, Gladeshadow, being torn apart by the murderous cat. "I will not die!" he cried fiercely and, filled with burning vengeance, raked his hind claws across the dark warrior's belly. Tigerstar jumped back in shock, but Ravenpaw continued his attack, oblivious to any blows his enemy landed. Eventually, he backed Tigerstar into a corner. Against his better nature, Tigerstar began to panic. Ravenpaw grinned - this was his chance. He launched himself at his foe and sank his teeth deep into the tabby's neck. Tigerstar fell to the floor. Ravenpaw stood back, almost feeling a pang of sadness to see such a great warrior so weak, but fury blinded him to any emotion. He gasped in surprise as he saw Tigerstar grin. What in StarClan was he smiling about? "Haven't you forgotten?" he rasped, "I shared dreams with StarClan. You'll have to kill me nine times before you're rid of me!"

Ravenpaw let out a yowl of frustration. He was right! "I'm sorry, Gladeshadow," he whispered, "I failed you".

Tigerstar's mad cackling filled the air, but soon turned to gargling as blood welled in his throat. His limbs flailed wildly before coming deathly still. Tigerstar soon found himself at Fourtrees. A shimmering, nearly transparent cat approached him in his dream; it's eyes showing no emotion. It touched noses with him, but instead of filling him with new life, the cat drained all life from him. He gasped in shock. "You do not deserve the blessing of StarClan," The cat's words were icy cold and sharp as thorns. The cat turned and left, leaving Tigerstar to the mercy of the Dark Forest.