Mosstail was beginning to forget what it was like to have good night's sleep. It had been four sunrises now, that she had been having the horrifying dream. Night after night she had tossed and turned, being haunted by Troutstar telling her the same message each time, 'You better be careful, Mosstail, for I am always watching you and your clan. You will be defeated. The clans will be no more.'
Mosstail stretched and shook the scraps of moss from her fur. She ducked out of the den still shook up from the dreams he had been having. She decided it was time to tell someone. She headed for the medicine den hoping to find their medicine cat, Dapplemoon. She was about to the entrance of the den when she heard a screech come from the entrance to the camp. Mosstail turned to find Shadowclan warriors streaming through the entrance of the camp, teeth bared and tails raised high. They were prepared for a fight.
The warriors streamed in fast. Mosstail hardly had time to think of a plan as the stench of a Shadowclan warrior overtook her and she was bowled over. She felt the hot breath of the warrior on her neck as he raked his claws across her back. Yowling with rage and pain she let her body go limp, crushing the warrior.
Mosstail recognized the big brown tabby as Brackenfoot. She had seen him at gatherings and knew he was well known among the clans. He had powerful, broad shoulders with muscle that rippled as he walked. The warrior always seemed friendly enough at gatherings, but now he was an enemy that wasn't afraid to hurt her.
Brackenfoot struggled out from beneath her and turned to face her again. Mosstail waited for him to lunge and she sidestepped him, leaping on his back as he stumbled to the ground. She churned her claws against his shoulders and listened to his howl of pain. He may have the strength, but Mosstail had the brains. With it she could easily outsmart some of the strongest warriors.
Brackenfoot ducked under her, slashing at her belly as he slid past. She leapt into the air missing most of the blow. Mosstail then knocked his paws out from under him and he went sprawling. She leapt on him and shredded one of his ears. He sprang to his paws, and fled.
Mosstail tried to get to the medicine den. This battle shouldn't be happening! It was Troutstar trespassing the entire time! She was almost there but another Shadowclan cat leapt on her back and clawed her. She tried to wretch free from the she cats hold but she wouldn't give. Mosstail clenched her jaws around whatever she could reach, this happening to be her tail, and crunched harder and harder until the she cat let go and ran away with a screech.
Mosstail turned and saw Minnowpaw trying to fight off two Shadowclan warriors. She dove in and started to fight one of them off, matching Minnowtails blows perfectly. They slowly started to drive off the warriors and sent them fleeing into the gorse bushes. "Great work!" She nodded to the apprentice, and headed off into the battle once more.
Mosstail fought and clawed her way through warrior after warrior, until slowly they started to thin. Soon only a few straglers remained. "Shadowclan retreat!" She heard Blizzardstar yowl, and the Shadowclan warriors stopped what they were doing, and fled.
Yowls of triumph rang through the clearing from all of the buffeted Riverclan warriors. Mosstail assessed her damage and found she had a shredded ear, a few scratches, and one deep cut that ran from her left shoulder to the underside of her chest. She then looked t see how everybody else was doing.
Reedstar had a few scratches but didn't seem to hurt. Minnowpaw had a deep cut on his flank, and Willowbreeze had part of her ear missing. Mosstail looked for Blaze storm and found him licking his wounds on the edge of the clearing.
She padded up to him and saw that he had a very deep wound. It was raw and bleeding. It ran the length of his back in a diagonal direction. Mosstail gasped at the sight and mewed worriedly, "Go see Dapplemoon right away! That cut is deep and will get infected if not treated." Blazestorm opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and followed her. They reached the medicine den and Dappllemoon put a poultice on his wound, cobwebs overtop of it.
Mosstail felt extremely guilty that she hadn't told about her dreams yet, and decided to tell Dapplemoon tomorrow, so she would be able to treat all of the wounded warriors.