Chapter 8:

Previously on The Setting Sun:

"I will NEVER bow down to an ungrateful, selfish tyrant! NOW!"

Tiger is so baffled by Fire's outburst, he nearly registers when the entire clearing is suddenly filled with the entirety of Thunder Clan. Around them, both warriors and their apprentices, is spreading out in the surrounding fields, forming a circle around Tiger's group and Fire.

Each cat has a different expression on their faces ranging from a smug smirk to an angry scowl, all ready to attack at a moments notice. Fire is standing in front of Tiger, gesturing to all of the cats around him.

"Do you understand now Tiger," questions Fire. "This is what is means to earn the trust and loyalty of a Guild."

Tiger looks all around himself, standing tall and around, while his followers shrivel in fear, intimidated by the aura surrounding the Thunder Clan cats. He looks back to Fire, getting angrier and angrier the longer he looks at him.

"It over now Tiger. You are under arrest for a past attempt of murder and for the kidnapping of a Guild member. Surrender peacefully or face our fury."

"You think you can contain me? The great Tiger Claw. I will show all of you that you are no match for me!"

"No you won't! You are out matched and out numbered. This is you last warning Tiger, surrender yourself now."

At this point, Tiger is become increasingly twitchy, but the Guild cats confidently stands side by side, holding their weapons close in case Tiger or any of the members of his group thinks of making a break for it.

"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" Grey yells out from the mass, earning an earful of agreements from all around the make shift circle.

Under all of the hate and shock, Tiger still doesn't understands how things lead to his downfall. He doesn't realize that Fire's plan has been set in motion since his arrival to the Western Plains. As a part of the plan Fire came up with at the Guild, all of the willing member the Guild (which was all of them) where to spread out around the meeting place with Tiger.

Since Tiger took some precautions, he ordered some of his cats to spread out and deal with any intruders. However he's followers were no match for fully trained warriors and apprentices to ambush each of the look outs. Then they were to wait until Fire's signal to make their presence known and surround Tiger, finally apprehending him for his crimes.

Tiger's blood is boiling with all of the hatred of the world. He will not loose to a non-Guild born member like Fire Heart. The world suddenly falls into slow-motion.

While Fire is looking around at the circle of cats, Tiger pulls out his blade and lunges at Fire. With his quick reflexes and fast thinking Fire pullout his own blade and blocks the incoming attack. After these sudden movements, the world tumbles back to reality.

"Fight you lowly cowards!" hisses Tiger. "I will not lose today!"

Seeming to break from their trace, the group of thugs attack the nearest Guild cats causing a battle to break out everywhere in the clearing dotting the Western Plains. In the middle of this battle, Tiger and Fire face off for the second time in their life time.

Battles rage everywhere. In the middle of it, Tiger engages Fire in a one on one fight. The battle between them is fierce and swift. Tiger didn't let up from his first unsuccessful lung. Instead, he charges at Fire with a constant barrage of slashes and stabs, giving the orange tom no choice but to stay on the defensive.

However, Fire is not lacking of natural skills, pivoting and evading each of Tiger's blows with graceful and practiced steps. After a few moments of fruitless advances, Tiger steps forward and thrust his blade to Fire's chest, however, Fire quickly pulls out his blade effectively blocking the strike.

The two cats hold their ground until Fire neatly side steps while maneuvering his and Tiger's sword to the right, which causes his opponent to fall forward a before regaining his balance.

Tiger is heavily breathing through his mouth, angry at the thought that Fire is his equal in a fight. In front of Tiger, Fire takes up a neutral stance holding up his blade and bringing his arm in front of himself in a threatening position, challenging Tiger to continue the fight.

At the clear challenge, Tiger loses the little restraint he holds on his emotions, pulls out a second blade from his undercoat, and blindly charges at Fire with a loud war cry. Fire responds to Tiger by giving his own war cry and meeting his half way, sword in the air. Their blades clash in a loud thunderous boom, causing sparks fly everywhere.

Tiger and Fire continue to parry each others attacks, while the rest of the fields surrounding them is full of different battles. Not too far from where Fire is fighting, Gray and Sand are working together to take down a large dark furred tom with many scars of his body.

Currently, Gray is fist-fighting with the other man, throw jabs and uppercuts any time he sees an opening on his opponent. Though, Gray gets distracted momentarily when he hears Fire's war cry, and the large tom punches his in the guts and knocks the air out of him. Gray falls forward pathetically wheezing on the ground and holding his bruising stomach.

In Gray's most vulnerable moments, the large cat towers over him ready to kick him in the ribs, when suddenly Sand jumps in the air and successfully delivered a solid roundhouse kick to his head. The tom is dazed by the attack and lumbers backwards when Sand kicks his feet from underneath him.

With the large tom finally down, Sand kneels down to Gray and steadily helps him to his feet. Both he and Sand move to stand over the tom, who scrunches his face into a vicious snarl. However, his snarl is quickly erased when both Gray and Sand clock the tom in the face, leaving him unconscious on the ground. Similarly, further on the fields, all six of the Guild's apprentices are collaborating together to to fight against a pair of stronger cats.

The fields are so full of movements that from far it looks like an agitated sea of fur and bodies clashing into each other. The warriors are fighting the enemy with all of their strengths either in groups or by themselves. The young apprentices are protecting each others backs and standing their ground against older and more experienced fighters. Little by little, fight after fight, the enemy numbers are dwindling until all the cats are exhausted and out of breath, thinking that the battle is finally won.

Suddenly, a loud yowl is heard echoing through the fields causing all the cats in the clearing to look in that direction. Even if most of the battles are over, there is one fight that is prolonged. Tiger and Fire are still at each others necks, fighting to win and fighting to survive.