Crowpaw stirred at the sound of his name and stood. Leafpaw bounded to him.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I'll take Smokepaw from here."
"But you can't fight," he murmured.
"I can, if the occasion calls for it," she replied. "And guess what. It calls for it." Crowpaw grinned and they turned to face Smokepaw, side by side. "Ready?" Crowpaw nodded. "Go!" They leapt at Smokepaw. Taken aback, his ears flattened against his head and his tail slid imbetween his legs. The coward ran off before the two could get to him.
"He only attacks from behind," Crowpaw spat. Leafpaw nodded in agreement. She ran to Cinderpelt, Crowpaw following.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Squirrelpaw swatted her unsheathed paw at a gray ShadowClan warrior. He hissed and pounced on her. Squirrelpaw collapsed under the sudden weight.
"Oh yes, I have captured a very stupid apprentice. In fact, aren't you Squirrelpaw?" he hissed. Brambleclaw noticed that the cat had a smell that wasn't ShadowClan at all. Brambleclaw barreled into the tomcat and pinned him down. The cat struggled underneath Brambleclaw's strong paws. "Mercy!" Squirrelpaw stood up and padded over to the two.
"Where are you from?" Brambleclaw demanded.
"He's from ShadowClan of course," Squirrelpaw hissed, annoyed. Then his smell entered her nostrils. "Or not…"
"I'm from Carrion Place!" he whimpered. Brambleclaw's eyes widened.
"Where?" he whispered.
"Carrion Place!" wailed the cat. Brambleclaw looked over his shoulder to Squirrelpaw.
"We should finish you off now," Squirrelpaw hissed.
"Please!" the tom cried. "It's a lonely life. I wanted more! I wanted a Clan!" Squirrelpaw saw Brambleclaw slacken his hold on the cat in sympathy. Squirrelpaw knew what was about to happen a second before it did.
"Brambleclaw!" she yowled, as the tom raked his claws on Brambelcaw's belly. Brambleclaw yowled as he reared onto his hind paws. The tom took advantage of this and leaped to his paws and pushed Brambleclaw over. The cat pinned him down. Squirrelpaw threw herself at the cat. He ducked easily and Squirrelpaw was sent flying into the Medicine Cat's den. She slumped in a heap, unconscious. The cat let out a croaky laugh. Brambleclaw opened his eyes barely and raked his claws over the tom's underbelly. The tom yowled and Brambleclaw used his hind legs to kick him off.
"Squirrelpaw!" he started to run towards the apprentice when he yowled with pain. Teeth were sinking deeper and deeper into his hind leg. He turned around and saw a smile creeping onto the tom's face as the tom regained power. Brambleclaw threw himself onto his back.
He felt his leg twist painfully, as he fell onto his attacker. The tom shrieked with pain and fright as Brambleclaw's large body fell on his. Brambleclaw got back on his paws, though he had to go easy on his left hind paw. The tom stood again and hissed.
"Do you ever stop?" Brambleclaw hissed. The tom launched himself at Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw yowled, as the tom latched himself onto Brambleclaw's back. Brambleclaw threw himself on his back again and the tabby tom yowled but held on. Gritting his teeth, Brambleclaw stood up and ran onto High Rock. Once on a ledge not too far from the ground, he jumped. Brambleclaw twisted in the air and landed on his back, the tom underneath him. Panting, Brambleclaw climbed off. He didn't even have the energy to look at the tom and see if he was breathing. Brambleclaw fell in the cloud of dust and fell into a deep sleep.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And don't come back!" Cinderpelt yowled, raking her claws over a she-cat's flank. As the she-cat passed Leafpaw in a hurry, Leafpaw smelled an unfamiliar stench.
"Where are they from," she asked Cinderpelt.
"Carrion Place," Cinderpelt replied. "I recognized the stench. Once, I helped Littlecloud get over his sickness from Carrion Place."
"Oh," Leafpaw responded. The ShadowClan cats began to flee. Once they were gone, Leafpaw looked around. Squirrelpaw lay in a heap by the Medicine Cat's Den!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crowpaw padded towards WindClan, limping slightly. His Clan had helped a lot. They had also learned something to their advantage. Shadowclan was getting help from Rogues!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Squirrelpaw!" Leafpaw yowled. Squirrelpaw stirred.
"Where's Brambleclaw?" she asked.
"I…" Leafpaw hesitated. "Don't know." Squirrelpaw spotted a large brown tabby in a dust cloud a little bit away. She ran to him and stared, open-mouthed. Squirrelpaw coughed because of the dust and closed her mouth.
"Brambleclaw?" She noticed his flank moving up and down.
"Hey, Squirrelpaw," he murmured. Squirrelpaw sighed with relief. She noticed a gray scrap of fur lying in a heap beside Brambleclaw.
"Did he get you?" she asked.
"I got him," Brambleclaw replied, grimly. "Is he dead?"
"Yes," Squirrelpaw replied. Brambleclaw groaned.
"Great, I killed a cat," he muttered sarcastically. He struggled to his paws.
"Did he break the skin?" Squirrelpaw asked.
"Yes," Brambleclaw replied.
"Oh no," Squirrelpaw groaned. "He's from Carrion Place, Brambleclaw! And he reeks of sickness!"
"The day keeps getting better and better," Brambleclaw growled. He winced as he tried to put pressure on his bleeding paw.
"He did that?" Squirrelpaw asked.
"Yep," Brambleclaw growled.
"Oh no," Squirrelpaw muttered. "Come on. I'll take you to Cinderpelt." Brambleclaw felt dazed as he padded to the Medicine Cat. When he reached Cinderpelt, Brambleclaw fell onto his side and his world went black, unable to hear Squirrelpaw's yowls for him to wake up.
Tell me what you thought please!