Title: Squirrelclaw's Regret
Challenge Name: All My Fault
Word Count: 670
Squirrelclaw stretched and stalked out of his den, brushing his tail over his mate, Winterfur's, back. She smiled, and he gave her a goofy grin. "Time for patrols, Squirrelclaw," she reminded him. He nodded and sat down.
"Should I lead a hunting patrol?" Squirrelclaw asked. Winterfur shook her head.
"I'm worried about DawnClan. They could invade at any time."
Redleaf, the DuskClan medicine cat, padded back into the clearing with herbs in his jaws. His fluffy russet tail twitched. "Squirrelclaw, are you going on patrol? Could you pick up some herbs?"
Squirrelclaw yawned. "What kind of herb?"
Beepaw, Redleaf's apprentice, ran out with a leaf in his jaws. "This one." Squirrelclaw smelled the leaf. It was a sweet scent.
"Catmint? Where do I find that?" the tom asked. "Doesn't it grow in the two leg place?"
Redleaf nodded, and Squirrelclaw waved for Daisyfern, Tigerleap, and Shadeheart to follow him. They ran quickly along the DawnClan border towards the edge of the forest. Soon they had reached a brick two leg wall. Squirrelclaw motioned for the rest of his patrol to halt, and then leaped up and scrabbled to the top. "Shadeheart," he said. The black warrior jumped up, and Daisyfern and Tigerleap after. "Get all the catmint you can carry." The four cats crept along the hard surface until they reached a square of grass. On the other side, Squirrelclaw could see the catmint.
As he locked his eyes on the precious leaves, a dog burst out of the two leg den. With flurried barking, it leaped at them. Startled, Shadeheart tilted, and then fell over the side. Hissing in terror, the warrior attempted to climb back up the wall. Tigerleap leaped onto the dog's back. "Run, Shadeheart!"
Squirrelclaw ran along the wall and began uprooting clumps of catmint. Daisyfern helped, and soon there was a heap of it on the red stone. Shadeheart was on the other side of the wall, and Tigerleap was still fighting the dog. As Squirrelclaw watched, the tabby warrior clawed its eyes and propelled himself up to the rest of the patrol. He didn't have any injuries. Daisyfern shook her head admiringly. "Nice job," she mewed. The other two cats voiced their agreement and Squirrelclaw led the patrol out of two leg pace and back to their territory.
The sun warmed the four cats' pelts as they jogged back to camp. Squirrelclaw's mouth watered but he forced himself not to eat the tantalizing leaves. Eventually they reached the barrier, and one by one they slipped inside. Redleaf greeted them, directing them to the herb storage.
Squirrelclaw stretched out in the afternoon sun, enjoying a mouse. His Clanmates were lounging around him. Shadeheart and the recently named Leopardheart were sharing tongues. There'll be kits soon, he thought drowsily. Foxstar leaped up to the rock circle, and the Clan turned towards him. "We will attack DawnClan! Our nursery is overflowing and we need more territory!"
"When?" Blackflower questioned. Foxstar nodded at her approvingly.
"Right now!"
Winterfur sat up from next to him, her ears pricked in interest. "Who's going?"
"You, Squirrelclaw, Tigerleap, Swiftheart, Screechfang, Shadeheart, Leopardheart, Snowcloud, Cloudstorm, Blackflower, Sweetfur, Spottedwing, Darkpelt," Foxstar listed. The Clan chattered, excited for the battle to come.
Squirrelclaw lunged ahead of his Clan, and by himself attacked, aiming straight at Emberstar, DawnClan's leader. Emberstar met him midair, and the two toms wrestled until Squirrelclaw was pinned on the ground. "You shouldn't attack alone, kittypet," Emberstar taunted. Squirrelclaw spat, but couldn't shake himself free.
Suddenly Winterfur was there, ramming into the DawnClan leader. Emberstar writhed beneath Squirrelclaw's mate. Squirrelclaw lay panting, unable to help, watching. The cream and brown tom swiped Winterfur off of his leader, and the gray she-cat was slammed to the ground. Her neck gave a terrible crack, and she lay still.
"Winterfur!" Squirrelclaw wailed, throwing himself at her still form. "Winterfur! Come back! Oh, no! Oh, Winterfur, I never should have attacked alone!"