Chapter 9:
After exchanging blows for quite a long time, both sides are growing slow and imprecise, but still driving strong. Tiger is swinging both of his blades at Fire's head and chest, and Fire is using all of his energy to jump out of the way or counter them with his own blade.
In this everlasting and evenly matched brawl, the only thing that will decide who is the failure and who is the victory is going to be a mistake or a misstep from either of their parts. With a loss of stamina and speed, mistakes are vital. A single misstep will rule the playing field and determine the victor.
Which is why, when sweat pours down Fire's faces, blinding momentarily and distracting him from his fight for only a few seconds, their fight is finally reaching it's end. In those split seconds of distractions Tiger gathers every once of stamina in him and surges towards Fire, his blades raised.
Too little, too late, Fire realizes that he will be unable to counter this attack, and the force of the blow will kill him if he doesn't do something soon.
Fire can do nothing but accept his fate by closing his eyes, waiting for the pain that he knows will follow. But the agonizing pain never comes. Instead, he opens his eyes and comes face to face with Blue Star.
Fire slowly blinks, up and down until his eyes land on the tips of Tiger's blades impaled through her abdomen. Fear quickly settles in the pit of Fire's stomach as he realizes the situation. He looks up to Blue Star's face with a scared and questioning expression written on his face.
"Blue…Star…" Fire gasps out between pants.
Blue Star manages to smile through the pain, but she only ends up coughing up blood. Blood trails down her mouth, tripping on the ground beneath her. All to suddenly, Tiger pulls out his blades and stands tall with a scowl on his face, and annoyance of being interrupted.
"Hmph" is all that Tiger says.
As Blue Star's limp body starts to fall, Fire's soreness is immediately forgotten as he lunges to catch her. Once in her arms, he slowly lowers her to the ground, tears already beginning to form in his eyes.
"Blue Star," Fire says, his voice cracking into a million pieces. "Blue Star! You're going to be fine. You're going to be okay. Yellow will fix you and everything will be fine."
Fire is shaking as his sobs escape his mouth. He cry loud, no caring that every eyes are on him, watching the deputy break down right in front of them. But no one is saying anything because the majority of the warriors and apprentices present are also crying, finding comfort in the people around them.
Even Tiger has enough decency left in him to give Fire time to grief, stepping away from the pair, but still wielding his bloodied dual blades.
Fire is a sobbing mess crying on Blue Star, crying that everything will be fine, but they both know that it will not be alright and the two puncture marks can not be disregarded. Laying on her back, Blue Star is slowly bleeding out, her hands growing cold, and her gaze becoming unfocused, but she still finds it in herself to measure Fire with her last words of comfort.
"My dear Fire," Blue Star starts to says in a pained voice. "Ever since you came to me all those years ago, I knew you where destined for greatness."
"Please Blue Star, don't talk. Save your strength." Fire sadly prompts to no avail.
"You are like the son I wish I had. The son I could have never have birthed," Blue Star continues to whisper. "You are so young and full of life. I chose you as my deputy because I can see no on else more capable for that position then you."
Fire helplessly looks at her, his eyes red from all the tears he is shedding.
"I believed in you then, and I will believe in you forever," Blue Star tells him. "You must live Fire. Thunder Clan needs you. Sand needs you. And all of your friends need you."
Fire cannot stop himself when a new wave of sobs strangles out of him, rocking his entire body, when Blue Star slowly reaches up to his face with her hand. Fire quickly grabs it and squeezes it lightly.
"You are a kind and gentle soul Fire. I know you will make me proud."
After uttering her final words Blue Star's hand goes limp, falling back to the ground, and the last of the light in her eyes fads away to leave glassed grey eyes in the place of the vibrant and piercing slivery-blue she once had.
Fire sobs loudly once more causing the Thunder Clan cats around them to slowly catch on on their leaders passing, and the Western Plains fill with the wails of many individuals grieving their lost leader. After running out of tears to cry, Fire slowly folds Blue Star's hands to rest them gently over her fatal injury.
He then proceeds to stand up on shaking legs. His gaze is down wards, but when he starts to move his steps are firm and confident. He is steadily walking up to Tiger, who on his part is back into a neutral stance.
"What do you think you can do now?" taunts Tiger. "I just killed Thunder Clans leader! What do you think you can accomplish here?"
Emboldened by his victory, Tiger lunges at Fire once more to deliver the finishing blow. However, before he can realize it, Fire pulled out his blade and with a single powerful blow Tiger's blade is thrown out of his hand.
Unexacting such power from his seemingly broken opponent, Tiger try to hit him again when he sees that Fire is still walking towards him. Just as his last attempt, Tiger is instantly disarmed. Finally, Fire raises his head, but his eyes are burning with such raw passion and such uncontrollable rage, that Tiger starts to feel dread rising up his throat and slowly choking him.
Fire is moving forward and half way through he throws his blade into the ground, successfully impeding it into the soil sands of the fields. Tiger is desperately trying to fight back, throwing random and weak punches, but Fire easily dodges each of them.
When he gets slow enough to Tiger, Fire brings his arm back and punches Tiger in the jaw with all of his new found strength. Tiger is momentarily dazed, but then he starts to tip backwards and plummets to the ground with a loud thud. Tiger is left unconscious, while Fire is standing on shacking legs, looking down on his life long nemesis.
"We won!" Gray exclaims from the front of the crowd and cheers erupt from the every cats.