Chapter 1

Tensions Rising

Wildclaw stood at the edge of the Shadowclan border, looking across. The muscular tom curled his lip in disgust as the smell of Shadowclan cats seeped up his nostrils. Besides him stood his best friend, Thornpelt, and the young warrior Sunheart. Sunheart's paws shuffled nervously as she peered over the border line and into the hostile territory.

"I wonder what they're waiting for." Thornpelt growled, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Wildclaw shook his head, not sure. It would be rare if Shadowclan didn't try to hunt on their territory like they had been for the past moon. New-leaf was almost here, but it would be almost a whole more moon. There was a sudden screech that split through the silence. Wildclaw whipped around and scented the air.

"Shadowclan!" He snarled, jumping forward into a run. His thoughts drifted as he wondered how they might have gotten past unnoticed when it hit him. They had followed a fox trail that went through the center of their territory that led to its empty den. The patrol wouldn't have been able to scent the Shadowclan cat's scents. It was so hard to determine which scents were stale, and which were new. They crossed the border so frequently now.

Wildclaw noted to himself that he could scent at least four Shadowclan cats, possibly more and besides those scents he could smell Stormpelt and his apprentice, Whitepaw. Sure enough as Wildclaw, Thornpelt, and Sunheart reached a small clearing, the Shadowclan cats were plainly visible. The bones stuck out of their sides and their pelts were a dull color. Wildclaw recognized Toadfoot, who was hovering over Whitepaw, Owlclaw, Crowfrost, Tawnypelt, and a fifth cat, Tigerheart.

With a yowl he launched himself at the closest cat, which happened to be Tigerheart. The dark brown tabby tom snarled at him and raked his claws down his shoulder, leaving streaking red welts. Wildclaw was surprised he suddenly found himself hitting the ground without knowing what happened. He tried to get up, but his hind legs felt like rock. He hissed in confusion. No Shadowclan move was like that.

Tigerheart curled his lip in victory just as Whitepaw came from behind him. The fit white tom twisted to the side as Tigerheart lashed at him. Gradually Wildclaw regained felling in his leg and he stood up, launching himself once again at Tigerheart. He raked his claws viciously down the tom's muzzle, making the tabby tm duck down in pain. At that moment, he rammed into Tigerheart's side, pushing him over, and he snapped at his paw, catching it and tearing the skin. Tigerheart grunted as he lay there with the air knocked out of him.

"Wildclaw, look out!" Sunheart's yowl split through the sounds of the battle.

He whirled around just as Tawnypelt crashed into.

"Leave my son alone!" She snarled.

Wildclaw felt a pang as he remembered once journeying with this she-cat. He was one of the members who went to the Sun-Drown place in search of Midnight. They had all always known that when they got back their loyalties would be too their clans. Does she feel anything? He wondered for a brief second before her claws lashed at his face. He jumped back to re-position and crouched down, ready to spring when Thornpelt rushed over to him.

"Wildclaw!" He gasped. "We need to retreat. Stormpelt and Whitepaw can't take much more."

Wildclaw looked over at the mentor and apprentice and saw that Thornpelt was right. The Shadowclan cats had caught them off guard and they were severely outnumbered. They were already warn out by the time to aiding patrol got there.

Wildclaw nodded. "Earthclan, fall back to camp!" He yowled and ran over to help Stormpelt. The mottled tom looked exhausted and ready to fall on his paws. A deep gash went from his shoulder up to his back and a nick of his ear with gone. Stormpelt nodded thanks to him as he cleared him a path by batting Toadfoot away and into a thicket bush.

The two toms were the last Earthclan cat's to leave and Wildclaw stopped and looked back at the five Shadowclan cat's who stood triumphantly.

"Fight us one-on-one next time, not some fox-hearted ambush on one warrior and his apprentice." He growled, his tail lashing.

Toadfoot, who had obviously led the patrol, growled and flattened his ears. "Come over here and we'll fight one-on-one and then we'll see who's stronger!" He challenged and Wildclaw hissed back.

"I don't trust the word of crow-food eaters." He shot back and trotted in the direction of his clanmates.