The warm taste of blood still felt funny to Redpaw's tongue as the mouse let out a feeble squeak and lay dead.
"Woah, that's your third mouse today! Nice!" Pigeonwing said. "You'll be a better hunter than me in no time."
"Thanks." Redpaw dipped her head in embarrassment, praise wasn't something she was well accustomed to.
"Come on, we should get back to camp. I hear there's a meeting going on." Pigeonwing said, setting off at a brisk pace.
"Whatever for?" Redpaw wondered. It wasn't often Treestar called a public meeting.
"Something about a battle, I couldn't listen in well enough." Pigeonwing replied, before her ears shot up as she realized what she said. "Er, don't tell anyone about that, okay?"
"Okay." Redpaw said, her mind drifting to whatever the meeting would be.
"Clanmates! It is time!" Treestar yowled from the stump. The rest of the clan huddled near as Treestar began to speak.
"For too long ShadowClan has wronged us. Crossing our borders and stealing our prey! We shall fight to protect our borders!"
"Psst." Brackenfeather leaned over and whispered to Pigeonwing and Redpaw. "They've never done that, he's totally bluffing."
"Where's the proof?" Swiftfoot called. Most of the clan murmured in agreement. Treestar dug his claws into the tree, annoyed.
"SILENCE!" He yelled. Most of the mews went silent, though a bit of grumbling continued. "We don't need proof! The evidence is clearly how they act at gatherings! It's suspicious I tell you!"
"So you're going off a HUNCH? Are you literally insane?!" Mistyeye hissed.
"Leafheart?" Nighteyes meowed to the deputy, who was shifting uncomfortably nearby. "What's your opinion on this?"
"W-Well, I think-" She cut herself off when Treestar gave her a harsh glare. "I-I think we should go through with it."
"Lies." Nighteyes hissed. "You don't think that really, your 'mate' is manip-"
"Nighteyes, surely I don't have to make myself clear to you?" Treestar said, his mew cool and calm. Nighteyes flattened his ears and backed away. Redpaw was confused, Her father wouldn't resort to threats, surely?
"I will send out a messenger, to notify them, and hopefully they will reconsider the crossing of ours borders." Treestar declared. "Birchpaw!" The young cat stood to attention as he was called.
"Can you go to ShadowClan and inform them of our decision to fight?"
"I don't know, can I?" Birchpaw said, his wisecrack not unnoticed.
"How rude." Redpaw thought, but before she could call him out for his behavior, Birchpaw had already dashed off.
It was sunhigh by the time Birchpaw returned. Puffing, he explained what they had said.
"Cloudstar denies his clan has crossed the border, but he wishes not to fight, and will give a gift to avoid battle."
"Hmph, I suppose that's a fair- What is that?!" Treestar gasped at a slight scratch on Birchpaw's leg.
"Oh, that? A kit got out of the nursery and started to attack my leg. Nothing really." Birchpaw said, but Treestar's eyes were filled with absolute rage.
"A ShadowClan cat DARES to hurt my son?" His meow turned into a screech. "This means war!"
"You're getting too worked up over this." Lightbreeze said. Treestar rounded on him, Lightbreeze shrinking back.
"Any cat fit enough that does not come with me will be exiled immediately!" He hissed. He stormed to the entrance, cat muttering and shuffling behind him. Redpaw felt Pigeonwing's breath on her ear as she walked alongside.
"This is your first battle, I hope you're ready." Redpaw nodded. Her first battle! Truthfully she felt excited, but on the other paw, it just didn't seem right.
The SkyClan patrol stood in line, ready to fight. A ShadowClan patrol emerged from the pines, Cloudstar at the head.
"Fool, do you honestly think this is a good idea?" Cloudstar rumbled.
"You hurt my kit, this is a transgression I cannot ignore." Treestar growled. Cloudstar laughed.
"You really are foolish, but if it's a battle you want…" His cats started to fan out behind him. "It's a battle you'll get!"
His meow filled with rage, Treestar hurled himself at Cloudstar, the two locking and tussling in the grass. Redpaw scurried to find some cat to battle. Spotting a large black tom, she threw herself at his tail, biting into it fiercely. The tom screeched and turned, scratching her nose. Redpaw squealed in pain, jumping away.
"You little- huh? Why, you're just an apprentice!" The tom said in surprise.
"Yeah, I am. So what?" Redpaw growled. The tom purred in amusement.
"Take my advice, young one, don't fight something larger than y-" He was cut off as Minttail hurled herself at him. The pair began to fight, and Redpaw thought she should look for her mentor. She noticed Pigeonwing fighting with a young ginger she-cat.
"Come on, fox-breath, surely you can do better." Pigeonwing jeered.
"I can, and not use petty insults!" Hooking Pigeonwing in the cheek, she slammed her paw into her, sending Pigeonwing tumbling to the ground. Redpaw sprinted over and launched herself into the warrior's side before she could start shredding Pigeonwing.
"Good job Redpaw! Well done!" she called, Redpaw put all her moves to the test, beating the she-cat back. Finally spitting, the ginger cat spun around and ran back to camp.
"Impressive, but there's still a lot more-" An eerie scream sounded out, and all cats stopped battling to see the limp body of Lightbreeze sliding off Cloudstar's back, who slumped and fell to the ground as well. He got up a few moments later.
"Did he faint?" Redpaw asked her mentor.
"Umm…" Pigeonwing mewed awkwardly.
"If he fainted, then Lightbreeze should get back up too right?"
"Redpaw… Lightbreeze is dead." Pigeonwing mewed quietly. Redpaw looked at Lightbreeze's body in horror.
"Dead… L-Like Goldenfoot?" She'd been too young to understand what happened, but now she had put the pieces together.
"At least they'll rest together happily." Brackenfeather said, walking over to the two and began to wash blood off of her ears. The sound of a cat spitting reached their ears.
"You… You… You KILLED him!" Treestar yelled. Cloudstar staggered, shaking himself to recover.
"You realize he killed me as well?" Cloudstar said. "I simply scratched at him to get him off, but I didn't think it'd kill him." Treestar hissed and spun around.
"Clanmates, we shall retreat!" He called. His clanmates however, just sat there. "I said retreat!" He screeched.
"You aren't even going to take back Lightbreeze's body?" Icypool mewed in confusion.
"Only an idiot would've tried what he did." Treestar said coldly. He stormed off back to camp, the rest of the clan touched their noses to Lightbreeze's fur before hurrying to keep up with their leader. When it was Redpaw's turn, she dug her nose into his fur, whispering.
"May StarClan light your path." Redpaw said, repeating words she had heard before. Running, her shock at Lightbreeze's death was edged with disbelief that her clan had lost a battle.