chapter 10
"I can't believe I had to watch that death again," I mewed as I stretched out next to Graystripe in the warrior's den. He nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe Scourge just sliced him open like that." Scourge has given us three days to consider his "proposal" – either run away from the forest, or fight him. I wanted to fight, but every cat knows that Scourge wins every battle. Then I had an idea – maybe he would listen to me. After all, he had tried to call me back. He would take every chance to bring me back into BloodClan.
"Maybe I could convince him that the Twolegplace is big enough for BloodClan," I mewed out loud.
"What?" Graystripe shot me a look.
"Sorry. I was just thinking that maybe Scourge would listen to me."
"And let yourself get ripped apart by that piece of foxdung? I won't let you go, Raincloud." Graystripe growled. I laid my tail of his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Okay, I won't go, but no cat ever wins in a battle against BloodClan."
"We've got to try. We have two Clans joint together." Graystripe protested. An idea popped into my mind, as though a breeze blew away the leaf that covered my idea. "What about TigerClan? They've got no reason to support Scourge. After all, they have to move away from the forest too."
"You're a genius," Graystripe purred, his eyes lit up with hope that we still have a chance of beating Scourge. "Come on," he mewed, standing up. "Let's go tell Firestar.
"You're right, Raincloud, it is a good idea," Firestar mewed thoughtfully as Graystripe and me told him our idea. "I'll go over to their territory to find out. Sandstorm," he flicked his tail towards the pale ginger she-cat, who was listening curiously beside her mate. "Tell Cloudtail and Bramblepaw. Graystripe and Raincloud, come with us."
***
"Leopardstar, we'll wait for your decision now." Firestar meowed, stepping back. After many long moments, the RiverClan leader meowed: "Very well, TigerClan will join with ThunderClan and WindClan, and meet in battle with BloodClan."
***
"Okay, Raincloud, I would like you to train with Cloudtail and Brightheart," Graystripe mewed. Firestar has put him in charge of the training schedules.
"When you're finished with that," Whitestorm put in, over hearing. "The two of you go hunting together."
I met with Brightheart and Cloudtail in the training hollow. "Okay, Raincloud, I'm going to attack you now," Brightheart mewed, crouching down. I nodded, and the young she-cat flew at me. I tried to get out of her view, but she made sure her good eye was facing me at all times. With some difficulty, I pushed Brightheart off me. She rolled in the dust. I bounded over to her, trying to get at her underbelly, but before I got to her, she was already up on her paws, and weaving back and forth, keeping me in her view. Then, she slipped beneath my paws, and tripped me up.
"How did you do that?" I asked breathlessly, scrambling to my paws.
"I just did this," Brightheart unbalanced me once again, using the same trick. The two of us wrestled together some more, and I managed to pin her down once. Afterwards, I left her to practice with Cloudtail, and went to find Graystripe.
During the next two days, I hunted, and trained myself for the battle with BloodClan. And finally, the day of the battle came. Firestar stood at the gorse tunnel, calling all the warriors and apprentices over. Graystripe stood at my side, his pelt brushing mine, and our tails twining together. We trekked through the forest. As we neared Fourtrees, I realized with alarm that we were upwind; our scent would be carried to BloodClan, while we won't have any idea of where they were. I licked Graystripe affectionately. "Be careful," I mewed. "I don't want to loose you." He looked into my eyes, and I saw fear in them. "That goes for you too." He meowed firmly.
As the four united Clans stepped into Fourtrees, BloodClan warriors stepped forwards, with Scourge at the head of them. "We know that you're there," he snarled. "Be wise and run, or are you so foolish that you think you can fight against BloodClan?" Firestar stepped forwards. "We will not run, Scourge. We will stand and fight."
"Very well," Scourge's lip curled in a mixture of disgust and satisfaction for killing. "You do understand that you are fighting to your deaths, don't you? BloodClan attack!"