This is my third story, a one shot for BlazeClan's challenge, Love over Clan, or Clan over Love? Leave a review and tell me what you think!
"Hey Fallowstem, look at meee!" Applekit paddled through the little pool of water by the reeds. Fallowstem and Pineclaw looked on fondly at their one and only kit.
"That's wonderful, Applekit," called back Fallowstem. "Make sure you don't go too deep!" After a little while paddling around in the shadows, Applekit scrambled back out of the water and shook out her fluffy cream fur, sprinkling Fallowstem and Pineclaw in the process.
"I'm cold," she announced as she trotted up to her parents. Fallowstem looked at her fondly.
"Of course you're cold, darling. You've been in the water for ages! Come here and let me give you a wash." Drawing her kit closer to her, Fallowstem began to give Applekit a thorough grooming with her tongue, ignoring Applekit's squeaks of annoyance. Meanwhile, Ashstar had called a clan meeting and the rest of RiverClan were gathering in the clearing. Sitting back with a sigh, Fallowstem turned to Applekit.
"Are you going to be quiet whilst the meeting is on?" She asked sternly. Applekit looked up at her mother with innocent eyes.
"I'll be quieter than a fish in the water," she said seriously. Pineclaw purred with amusement.
"That's what you said last time, and you ended up disturbing the whole meeting!" Nevertheless, Pineclaw and Fallowstem let Applekit sit between them whilst the meeting went on.
"It has been too long since a certain piece of territory has belonged to RiverClan," Ashstar began. "It's about time we showed those ThunderClan cats who rules the forest!" She swept her gaze across the gathered cats. "Today, we take back Sunningrocks!" Her words were met by yowls of approval from the warriors.
"Yellowclaw and I," she said, dipping her head to the deputy, "have been devising a battle plan for some time. There will be three patrols, led by me, Yellowclaw and Frogwhisker." The senior warrior's eyes sparkled.
"My patrol will go to Sunningrocks to reset the border marks. Yellowclaw's patrol will be waiting at the base of the rocks, and Frogwhisker, your patrol will be waiting by the stepping stones." Frogwhisker stepped forward.
"Would it be better to wait a little further downstream, where the reeds will hide us more?" Ashstar nodded.
"Good point. Okay Frogwhisker, your patrol will wait in the reeds." She turned her gaze back to the assembled warriors.
"Pikespots, Nettletail, Splashtooth, Fallenbriar, Redbelly and Fallowstem, you will be in my patrol. Yellowclaw's patrol will have Hollowspring, Paledrop, Thornbelly, Oaksong and Duskpaw. Frogwhisker, you take Dovestrike, Pineclaw, Wolfpad and Ripplefoot." Fallowstem got to her paws quickly.
"Wait! Who will look after Applekit whilst we're gone?" she asked anxiously. Littlesplash padded to her, belly swinging with her unborn kits.
"I'll look after Applekit. Don't worry, she'll be safe with me." Fallowstem threw the queen a glance of relief and thanks, before hurrying after Ashstar's patrol.
When the three patrols got to the river, they stopped just before the stepping stones. Ashstar silently signalled for Frogwhisker's patrol to take their places further downstream. Just before they swam off, Fallowstem stopped Pineclaw.
"Good luck, and be careful," she whispered to her mate. Her love for Pineclaw shone in her eyes. Pineclaw gently touched her with his tail tip, before following his patrol into the river. Fallowstem followed the rest of the warriors across the river, where on the far shore, Yellowclaw's patrol hid at the base of Sunningrocks. Ashstar turned to her patrol.
"Fight well, warriors of RiverClan. Today, we reclaim Sunningrocks!" With a yowl, she leapt up onto the lowest rock, followed by the rest of her patrol. When Fallowstem finally clambered up onto the rock, she saw the battle had already started. Quickly, she leapt onto the closest cat she could see, a pale brown tom. Digging her claws hard into the ThunderClan tom's back, she gripped her claws even tighter into his shoulders as they rippled and heaved, trying desperately to throw her off. Fallowstem could see that it wouldn't be much longer until he did just that, so she jumped down off his back and jumped back into the fray. From the corner of her eye, she saw a ThunderClan apprentice scrambling off the rocks, presumably to bring reinforcements. In a heartbeat she had fastened her teeth in the apprentice's tail and tugged him back as far as she could. When his shoulders were in reach, she quickly let go of his tail and dug her claws into his scruff, and shook him until he begged to be let free. Letting go of him, he stumbled away back to the rocks. Fallowstem yowled in satisfaction and leapt back up onto Sunningrocks to continue fighting. But as she looked around for an enemy to fight, she saw Ashstar was trapped under Wolfstorm, the massive ThunderClan deputy. Just as she started towards her, Fallowstem saw Pineclaw almost unmoving on the rocks, with a big brown tom nearby, preparing to strike. Fallowstem froze where she was. She didn't know what to do. Was Ashstar on her last life? She had been RiverClan's leader since before she was born. But she might have more than one life left, whereas Pineclaw definitely only had one life. For a moment longer she hesitated, then yowled to the closest RiverClan warrior.
"Ashstar needs help!"
Just before she turned away, she saw with a flash of relief that Hollowspring was racing towards Ashstar, claws outstretched at Wolfstorm. Then she sprang into action, and jumped straight in front of the ThunderClan tom, between him and Pineclaw. Yowling furiously, she swiped her claws over the tom's nose, and blow by blow, she scratched his face and drove him back and back until the tom tripped over his tail and fell down the rocks in a flurry of fur. Satisfied that he wouldn't be back for a while, she turned back to Pineclaw.
…
Fallowstem paced outside the medicine den. Every now and again she could hear the pained groans of Pineclaw drifting from inside. When she could stand it no longer, she poked her head into the den. She saw Rowangorse crouched over her mate, rubbing a poultice of herbs into his long, deep belly wound. Fallowstem poked Rowangorse with her tail.
"Is he going to be okay?" With a sigh, Rowangorse stood up and stretched her legs.
"The worst part is over for now," he said comfortingly. "The only real problem would be if the wound gets infected, but hopefully that shouldn't happen now." With a sigh of relief, she gave her thanks to the medicine cat and retreated from the den. Pineclaw was safe, and so was Ashstar. Fallowstem knew now that there was more than one way to save a warrior. You could take the glory yourself, and fight off a cat twice your size, or you could ask for help, like the best warriors do. She had done both. Now everything would be okay.