When Quick Water and Nettle reported that they'd found ThunderClan scent on their side of the oak stump clearing, SkyClan was a bit concerned to say the least.
"We had such a hard leaf-bare!" Alder complained.
"Even harder now ThunderClan stole half our territory," Red Claw added.
"What'll we do?" Blossom fretted.
"We'll have to mark it back," Thorn concluded.
"I'm sure they won't give it back willingly," Quick Water retorted.
Red Claw sighed and murmured, "It's rightfully our's."
"But ThunderClan won't just give it back," Birch pondered, "Not after they've stolen it."
"And it's not a few pawsteps either," Nettle added, "It's a few tail-lengths from the stump. They can't say it was a mistake."
"Figure we'd get stuck in a cycle of marking eachother's sides," Sparrow Fur guessed, "One of these days one of our sides will start a war."
Nettle shivered, his eyes going wide, "SkyClan and ThunderClan haven't fought against eachother since the Great Battle."
The cats old enough to participate in the Great Battle mumbled their agreements.
"Too pretty a day for a war," Dew Petal sighed, wistfully. She stretched out a paw to a hole of sunlight that dappled into the hunter's den. The camp and forest were so green. Bright-colored birds sang and their new litters fluttered about. It really was the thick of greenleaf. "Too warm, too."
Acorn Fur had found that Dew Petal was pregnant. She decided she was keeping it secret to everyone but Acorn Fur and Flower Foot, at least until she no longer could. Inwardly, Flower Foot wondered if she was making excuses so she wouldn't have to fight, but she also wondered why her sister would rather take a chance than admit she was pregnant.
"Seems we have to fight," Flower Foot mewed, sitting up and pulling her moss under her hind paws.
In the dirt, looser with the heat, she started drawing circles. The most experienced warriors, Quick Water and Thorn, along with the deputy, pulled in closer.
"Let's assume ThunderClan sends all their hunters in a line," she started, "ThunderClan cats are broad-shouldered and strongest as a wall, they'd be idiotic to do anything else. We have less cats. We'll do good to unsuspectingly strike from above."
"How's that?" Quick Water asked, "ThunderClan can climb trees just as well."
"Perhaps we can hop through the trees like squirrels?" Flower Foot suggested, "ThunderClan won't expect us if they never see us climb."
"Fair," Sparrow Fur said before Quick Water could say anything else, "Moves?"
Flower Foot hummed and rubbed out her drawing before restarting, "I'm thinking we can start with one big fall, like a storm. We crash down onto everyone and then spring back up. After we come back up, we can hang by our legs and start at their faces. The branches there are rather low."
"Will you show us your plan, Flower Foot?" asked Thorn, pricking their ears. The rest of the clan, watching on with pricked ears and intense eyes, whispered their pleases.
"Yes," Flower Foot answered, "Of course. Everyone?" She asked, casting a nervous glance at Sparrow Fur.
"Sure," Sparrow Fur mewed, "I'll go to ThunderClan after training. Sunhigh, tomorrow, the oak stump clearing."
Everyone gradually let out a battle cry of agreement.
Skystar was taking his daily nap, but Star Flower spotted her hunters heading out.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"We're going to practise battle moves!" Thorn cried out.
"Want to join?" asked Birch, not as loudly.
"What for?" asked the golden she-cat.
The hunters quieted to let the deputy explain, "ThunderClan took a chunk of our territory," Sparrow Fur said, "We must defend it with our claws."
Star Flower blinked and curled her tail over her paws perfectly as she always did when she sat. "I'd better not. The lot of you will have wounds. I'll help Acorn Fur stock herbs."
A few seconds later as everyone but Sparrow Fur left, the queen said one last thing.
"Don't kill anyone."
(...)
Sparrow Fur and Flower Foot led SkyClan to a stumpy elm tree with low-hanging branches, much like the ones on the oak stump clearing. It sat on a low hill, but was sunnier and it's branches were easier to see into than others. SkyClan's forest didn't have very tightly-packed branches, but Sparrow Fur would rather make sure everyone understood for real than pray they did. Flower Foot quickly hopped up the tree.
"Can I practise on you, Blossom?" the tan she-cat asked, "You look most like a ThunderClan cat."
"Dig, I'll get beaten up for the greater good," the calico responded, padding to stand under the younger cat.
Flower Foot nodded and, hooking her hind paws into the branch, she let the front of her body hang down. Honey Pelt and Nettle let out two gasps and Alder lost her footing, merely dizzy at the thought of hanging upside-down.
Kicking but not letting go, Flower Foot propelled herself forward, smacking Blossom in the face and dragging her paws over her ears. With a strain, she pulled back up. Now knowing where to land, Flower Foot gave one hop sideways and reattached. She half-hopped off the branch that time, bringing her paws down hard on the top of Blossom's head while an involuntary yowl escaped her mouth. The calico stumbled and her chin hit the ground with a thump.
Several heartbeats passed before she finally stood back up, paws shaky and dazed. "Far out…" she whispered after a heavy gulp.
"I don't know if I can do that," Alder admitted, scuffling her paws. "I get lightheaded if I stand up too fast. I don't think I could manage hanging like that."
Flower Foot nodded and shifted, hooking her front claws into the branch this time and hanging her back legs off. Blindly she flailed them, keeping her chin to the branch, though actually landed a few good hits to Blossom's face, but never accurately enough to knock her down again. Then a cracking came and Flower Foot fell a kittenstep down. Another ripping of wood came and suddenly Flower Foot was in free-fall.
She landed roughly on her back, thoroughly winded. Blossom hopped forward and rolled the tan tabby onto her side, hitting her roughly on her back while she wheezed. Flower Foot gave one dry cough and weakly sat up.
"...okay," Sparrow Fur concluded, "We aren't doing that."
Flower Foot, temporarily side-lined, leaned against her shorter sister for support.
"Some of us have stronger front legs than hind legs," Quick Water mewed, defiantly, "I'm sure some of us can stay up like that."
Sparrow Fur didn't stop the dark she-cat as she hopped up and got into position, but didn't look too certain. Sure enough, Quick Water stayed up, even daring to hold her head under the tree and watch what she was doing. She landed several blows to Blossom's face, even once managing to shove her head upward and strike her throat.
The she-cat pulled back up while Blossom stumbled back and momentarily choked. The calico then shot back and reared up onto her hind legs. Quick Water immediately came back down, kicking Blossom right in the chest and sending her stumbling her backwards over her paws. She fell over herself a fox-length down the hill. When she finally got back to her paws she padded up to a horrified-looking Sparrow Fur.
"We'll win," she concluded, voice high and airly.
Sparrow Fur gave a single, small, tight nod. "Oh… kay," she concluded, as Quick Water hopped down. "I want those who trust their front legs over here, and those who trust their hind legs-" she pointed to another low-hanging branch on the other side of the tree with her tail. It wasn't any higher or lower than the first. "-over there," she then turned to Flower Foot and Blossom, who had joined Dew Petal's other side, "You two can sit out for the moment."
"I'll be their rock," Dew Petal concluded, "Wouldn't want a bunch of dizzy cats rolling into a competent fox's claws," she said with a light laugh. Sparrow Fur happily purred back and joined the front-leg side.
On the front-leg side, Sparrow Fur, Alder, Quick Water and Nettle congregated. Nettle looked the most nervous about falling, but Quick Water pushed and his instincts kept him up rather well. Alder kept her head atop the branch, only to keep herself grounded. She could deal good blows when cats reared.
Meanwhile, Thorn, Birch, Red Claw and Honey Pelt were on the hind-leg side. Thorn, a swimmer, was the only cat of the four who didn't sway dizzily before gaining their bearings. Honey Pelt took the longest time to adjust, but his WindClan, rabbit-chasing blood mixed with his mouser paws kept him up rather steadily.
Soon enough, Blossom regained her bearings and touched her nose to Dew Petal's before joining the front-leg side.
"You're nervous," Flower Foot whispered after the calico climbed.
"...yeah," Dew Petal sighed, "I don't want anyone to know yet, still. They'll judge me for mating with a kittypet."
Flower Foot really doubted anyone would care about her choice of mate moreso than new lives breathed into the clan, but didn't say it. But the way Dew Petal whimpered and pressed tightly into her taller sibling told Flower Foot she got the message anyhow, and didn't believe her.
"You'd better start practising, then," Flower Foot concluded.
"All my legs are strong enough," Dew Petal informed, "Which side should I be on?"
Flower Foot hummed, tapping the tip of her tail to the ground as she thought. "You should protect your stomach as much as possible. I'd say back."
"What if they aren't as strong as I thought and I fall?"
"I'll catch you," Flower Foot swore, "I'll do anything to protect your kits, Dew."