"Hey, Tawnypelt." Dewstripe called to the tortoiseshell warrior as he approached her. She pricked her ears in acknowledgement and looked up from her grooming. "Brokenstar wants to talk to you. He's waiting by the lakeside near the Riverclan border." Tawnypelt's fur prickled uncomfortably but she hid that well as she left to find Shadowclan's appointed supervisor. As Dewstripe had said, Brokenstar was looking out over the lake with Riverclan's scent marks apparent nearby.
"You called for me?" She asked, keeping her weight balanced in case he turned hostile.
"I wanted to invite you into my inner guard. Your father helped me once when I was weak and pathetic and your son trained with me often in the moons prior to our victory. And you, you're a strong warrior, Tawnypelt, and loyal despite your Thunderclan blood. A cat like you would be a valuable addition to my most trusted warriors. What do you say?"
"Surely every warrior should be trusted by their leader and their clanmates." She said, avoiding giving Brokenstar a direct answer. The dark brown tom licked his whiskers back before responding.
"These are dangerous times. It's hard to tell which cats still cling to the foolish hope that Starclan will save them. Will you join my guard?"
"I am loyal," Tawnypelt began slowly. "To the warrior code. The code I grew up with; where elders were treated with respect and given first choice of the fresh-kill pile, where kits had to be six moons old before they were made apprentices, where warriors did not kill the cats they promised to train." By the time she finished, Tawnypelt was spitting her words at the former Shadowclan leader. Brokenstar lifted to his paws with a sustained growl. Three other voices joined him as Dewstripe, Sparrowhawk, and Toadfoot stepped out of hiding behind him.
"You should have learned to pick your fights more carefully." Brokenstar warned ominously as he and his chosen stepped forward. At a flick of his crooked tail, the three younger warriors leapt to the attack and Tawnypelt had to turn and flee. One of them- Toadfoot, judging by the smell- landed heavily on Tawnypelt's back and bore her to the ground. Tawnypelt shrieked in pain as claws ripped across her flank and she twisted her head to snap Toadfoot's leg between her teeth. He yowled and tried to yank free but Tawnypelt maintained her hold until Sparrowhawk bit deep into her ear and pulled her head back. She felt a flash of satisfaction when Toadfoot limped away several steps but it was quickly tempered by guilt at hurting her clanmate, a young tom that she'd seen as a kit, watched as he trained into a decent warrior. Dewstripe shook her from her distractions as he bit into her shoulder. She yowled again and resumed her flight, unwilling to cause more pain to the three Shadowclan warriors. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw that they were falling behind now. Toadfoot, normally the fastest, was severely hindered by his hurting leg. She didn't see Brokenstar and didn't notice his attack until it was too late. The large, dark-furred tom rammed painfully into Tawnypelt's side and she fell, bashing her head on a stone a tail-length away. As her vision faded to dark, Tawnypelt heard Brokenstar give one last order to his pets.
"Leave her be. The foxes will get her before any of our warriors venture this far out."
"You called for me?" She asked, keeping her weight balanced in case he turned hostile.
"I wanted to invite you into my inner guard. Your father helped me once when I was weak and pathetic and your son trained with me often in the moons prior to our victory. And you, you're a strong warrior, Tawnypelt, and loyal despite your Thunderclan blood. A cat like you would be a valuable addition to my most trusted warriors. What do you say?"
"Surely every warrior should be trusted by their leader and their clanmates." She said, avoiding giving Brokenstar a direct answer. The dark brown tom licked his whiskers back before responding.
"These are dangerous times. It's hard to tell which cats still cling to the foolish hope that Starclan will save them. Will you join my guard?"
"I am loyal," Tawnypelt began slowly. "To the warrior code. The code I grew up with; where elders were treated with respect and given first choice of the fresh-kill pile, where kits had to be six moons old before they were made apprentices, where warriors did not kill the cats they promised to train." By the time she finished, Tawnypelt was spitting her words at the former Shadowclan leader. Brokenstar lifted to his paws with a sustained growl. Three other voices joined him as Dewstripe, Sparrowhawk, and Toadfoot stepped out of hiding behind him.
"You should have learned to pick your fights more carefully." Brokenstar warned ominously as he and his chosen stepped forward. At a flick of his crooked tail, the three younger warriors leapt to the attack and Tawnypelt had to turn and flee. One of them- Toadfoot, judging by the smell- landed heavily on Tawnypelt's back and bore her to the ground. Tawnypelt shrieked in pain as claws ripped across her flank and she twisted her head to snap Toadfoot's leg between her teeth. He yowled and tried to yank free but Tawnypelt maintained her hold until Sparrowhawk bit deep into her ear and pulled her head back. She felt a flash of satisfaction when Toadfoot limped away several steps but it was quickly tempered by guilt at hurting her clanmate, a young tom that she'd seen as a kit, watched as he trained into a decent warrior. Dewstripe shook her from her distractions as he bit into her shoulder. She yowled again and resumed her flight, unwilling to cause more pain to the three Shadowclan warriors. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw that they were falling behind now. Toadfoot, normally the fastest, was severely hindered by his hurting leg. She didn't see Brokenstar and didn't notice his attack until it was too late. The large, dark-furred tom rammed painfully into Tawnypelt's side and she fell, bashing her head on a stone a tail-length away. As her vision faded to dark, Tawnypelt heard Brokenstar give one last order to his pets.
"Leave her be. The foxes will get her before any of our warriors venture this far out."