The dawn light crept under the tightly woven gorse, seeping through the camp like wind. The cats of WindClan were stirring, emerging from their dens with the light.
They were hurriedly grooming themselves, sending out quick patrols to gather more fresh-kill. A few cats took up positions in the camp, balanced on the gorse and Tallrock, waiting. The mood drifting through the dens was tense, expectant, and wary.
Every cat, although their pelts were groomed to sleek perfection and stayed very still, switched their eyes from one place to another, waiting. Yellow, green, blue, brown, and amber eyes flashed, taking in the silent camp and their still Clanmates.
Snowfall sat on the Tallboulder, waiting for the other Clans. Suddenly, her alert, watchful, sky-blue eyes caught a flicker of dark fur against the moor.
A large patrol of cats was marching through the grasses toward them. As she sniffed the air, Snowfall detected the unmistakable stench of fish on the air. RiverClan had sent their reinforcements.
Yowling a warning to the Clan, she turned and leaped down the side of the boulder. Diamondstar was at her side at once, his amber eyes full of worry and trepidation.
"What is it?" he asked warily.
"RiverClan is here," Snowfall meowed, glancing toward the entrance, barely visible in the wall of impenetrable gorse.
Diamondstar nodded, his whole body visibly relaxing. "I thought... well, it doesn't matter now. You and Bluewing can take three warriors and an apprentice to meet them."
Snowfall nodded, and then beckoned to Bluewing, Emberclaw, Windwhisker, Rainstripe, and Freepaw, who were lying next to the warriors den. The six cats slipped out the entrance and raced towards the battle patrol.
Snowfall skidded to a stop in front of Silentstar, dipping her head. "We have come to lead you to the camp," she meowed respectfully. Silentstar nodded and followed the WindClan cats as they led the way back up the slope.
The foxes were nowhere in sight, which was a good sign. RiverClan cats were strong and muscular, and had a hard time fitting their broad shoulders through the camp entrance. Snowfall glanced around the camp border before she entered the camp, seeing no sign of ShadowClan.
In her absence, Diamondstar had organized the warriors and apprentices into a welcoming assembly.
"Hello, Silentstar. I am pleased to see that you came," he meowed formally.
Silentstar dipped his head graciously to Diamondstar and replied, "It is an honor to fight beside you in this momentous battle."
Snowfall looked around as a warning yowl, coming from Skyflash, sounded around the camp. "ShadowClan is approaching!" she called to Diamondstar.
"Very well, Snowfall, Bluewing, Nightwhisper, Leaftail, Heatherwing, and Flarepaw can go welcome ShadowClan."
Snowfall nodded and followed her deputy out and into the winds of the moor again. ShadowClan was moving swiftly towards them from the direction of Fourtrees. A black tom with brown eyes glanced straight at Snowfall, and then padded up the slope to the entrance.
Bluewing and Nightwhisper raced forward to greet him, but something told Snowfall that danger was near. The wind ruffled her fur, cold and unwelcome. The sun slipped behind a cloud, plunging WindClan territory into semi-darkness.
Snowfall began racing forward as if in slow motion. The grasses tugged and pulled at her paws, slowing her down. As she cannoned into Nightwhisper, she felt something brush her back fur as it soared over her. She didn't see it, but had no trouble telling what it was. The foxes were closing in.
"Run!" she yowled to the ShadowClan cats, then turned and raced up the slope to the entrance. It was free of foxes for the moment, and she paused, gasping for breath, as Bluewing and Leaftail led the way through the hole and into the camp. The ShadowClan patrol flashed past her, followed by Heatherwing and Nightwhisper. Snowfall glanced back down the hill and froze. Flarepaw was struggling up the slope, a fox bearing down on her from behind.
Unfreezing her limbs, Snowfall shrieked a battle cry and leaped down the hill. The fox bared its teeth at her, but she paid no heed. Slashing her claws across the fox's eyes, she grabbed Flarepaw's scruff and helped her up the hill. Growling, the fox shook the blood out of its eyes and lunged at Snowfall.
Pushing Flarepaw through the gap in the gorse wall, Snowfall dodged away from the camp, missing the fox by inches. It growled, long and low, showing long, sharp teeth. As it stepped between her and the camp, Snowfall knew there was only one way she would get inside the WindClan camp. She backed away, hissing at the fox.
Behind her, she heard the soft sounds of grass rustling, and her heart sank. She was trapped, and if her plan didn't work, she would be ripped to shreds.
Taking one more step backwards, she tensed her muscles and gazed straight into the fox's fierce, orange eyes. Then, she began to run. She didn't run away from the fox, but towards it, the ground a blur beneath her paws. Closer and closer she came, until the fox was looming threateningly over her. Steeling herself, she crouched low, and jumped.
Hot breath touched her hind paws as she leaped, and sharp teeth grazed her long, fluffy tail. The fox stared at her in amazement as she flew over its back, landing behind it. Without a pause in her step, she propelled herself toward the entrance and pushed through the gorse.
As she collapsed on the grassy ground, a red muzzle poked through the entrance and attempted to snap at her tail. Suddenly, Stragger was there, rearing over her, his teeth bared and his claws flashing. He swiped at the muzzle with his sharp claws. A spurt of crimson blood and a yelp told Snowfall his claws had found their mark. Stragger leaned over her as she regained enough of her breath to sit up.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm fine," she gasped, looking around the camp. "Where's Flarepaw?" she asked.
"She's safe," Stragger meowed comfortingly.
Snowfall breathed a sigh of relief and dragged herself over to the side of camp. Stragger brought her a rabbit, and they shared it, eating as much as they needed. When they had both sat up, licking the last traces of meat from their lips, there was still plenty of rabbit left. A pair of ShadowClan apprentices padded shyly over to them, eying the rabbit.
"Can we finish that?" one asked, his black and brown pelt groomed to perfection. His companion nodded eagerly, her green eyes shining out from underneath her fluffy, light brown pelt.
"Sure," Snowfall meowed, pushing the rabbit towards them. The tom dug in instantly, but the she-cat looked up at Snowfall interestedly before eating.
"I'm Sandpaw," she meowed happily, "This is my brother, Swamppaw. We're from ShadowClan, and we think this is going to be the best battle ever!"
Snowfall purred with amusement. "Well, it looks like Swamppaw is going to eat all of the rabbit if you don't hurry," she meowed. Sandpaw nodded and bent her head to tear off the rabbit's front leg. Stragger looked up at Snowfall, and then glanced skyward.
"It's almost sunhigh," he meowed, "The battle will start soon."
Snowfall looked up as well. The sky was light blue, with fluffy, white clouds drifting lazily across it. The sun, shining brightly from behind a cloud, was almost directly overhead, as Stragger had pointed out.
Snowfall looked around as Diamondstar leaped onto the Tallboulder, Bluewing and Nightwhisper a pace behind him. "It is time," he meowed, gazing out at the cats crowding the clearing. At once, all the murmuring quieted. Every eye, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan alike, was fixed straight on Diamondstar.
"Silentstar and Darkstar, come forward," he meowed. The two leaders, one RiverClan and one ShadowClan, padded up to the Tallboulder. Nightwhisper and Bluewing leaped lightly down, giving Silentstar and Darkstar room to stand beside Diamondstar, who began speaking again.
"Silentstar will lead the RiverClan cats to the river first, and try to make sure that no stray fox spots you. Darkstar will command the ShadowClan cats as they distract the foxes by the dirtplace. I will lead the WindClan patrol around the side once the RiverClan patrol has had a good head start. We will lead the foxes to the river, where the RiverClan patrol will ambush them. ShadowClan will follow and join the fight once they arrive. One or two warriors from every Clan will protect the camp."
Snowfall nodded, and then turned to Stragger. "Will you be coming with the WindClan patrol?"
Stragger shook his head. "I'll have to go with ShadowClan. You know I can't run as fast as WindClan cats."
Snowfall nodded, and then pressed her nose against his muzzle. "Be careful," she whispered.
"Only if you're careful, as well," Stragger purred. Snowfall nodded, then pulled away and joined the WindClan cats, who were gathering in the center of the clearing. Stragger padded across the clearing towards the ShadowClan cats by the dirtplace.
Diamondstar nodded to Silentstar, who began creeping out the entrance. Seeing that the plan was being put into action, Darkstar leaped onto a large rock at the edge of camp and hissed. The other cats leaped up beside him, jumped on the reinforced gorse bushes, and growled through small holes in the barrier.
All the foxes began growling and barking at ShadowClan and Snowfall's heart soared. It was working!
The RiverClan cats disappeared around the hill across the valley from the camp, and Snowfall gazed intently at Diamondstar, waiting for his signal. After a while, her father lifted his tail, and then kinked it over his back. Silently, the cats crept out the entrance, and then began the descent into the valley.
When they were about halfway down, Diamondstar raised his head and yowled. His call bounced off the hills, ringing in the air, and the foxes heard it. Slowly, the lead fox turned, his orange eyes bulged, and he barked an order to his pack. At once, the WindClan cats raced down the hill, their tails streaming behind them and their fur flattened by the wind.
Snowfall turned, her eyes sparkling with laughter, as one fox lost her footing and crashed into another fox. They both rolled down the hill, unbalancing more foxes, until only a small group remained on their feet. Snowfall turned, saw the rest of the patrol ahead, and sped up.
Her paw fell on a small gorse seedling, and its small branches suddenly tightened, ensnaring her foot. She fell hard on her shoulder, her leg wrenched out of its socket. She squealed in agony and fought to free herself as the foxes got closer.
As the gorse finally loosened enough to pull herself free, the lead fox caught up with her. He planted a paw on her chest, pinning her in place. Flecks of drool sprayed over Snowfall's fur as she lay there, terrified. She knew it was all over. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Suddenly, the weight disappeared. A streak of black fur flew over her, and she gasped. A tom was slashing the fox's muzzle and ears, blood spurting into the air. Snowfall stretched her neck up and saw a black tom with a white forehead standing over her, his paws stained with blood. The fox lay, twitching, huddled in a bloody heap on the ground.
Stragger had come to her rescue again, just like he had at the river during her first swimming lesson. He sat down beside her on the grass, and watched as the other foxes followed the WindClan cats. As they began to get their breath back, Stragger turned to Snowfall's dislocated leg.
"I could fix that for you if you want," he meowed, his breath still coming in large gulps. Snowfall nodded, panting slightly, and shifted her weight so that Stragger could have a clear aim at her injured leg.
Placing his paws on her shoulder, Stragger pushed and her leg clicked back into place. Snowfall yowled in agony at the sudden surge of pain, but after a few heartbeats, it died down. Snowfall tried to move it, and it worked with only a small problem - it needed to stiffen a little before she could fight. Stragger glanced down at her leg, and then looked at her straight in the eye.
"I think it's time to tell you my past," he meowed solemnly.