Chapter Nine: Two Sons
The small defense left in the camp was easily defeated, as it consisted only of Birdcall, Copperstar, and the apprentices. Birdcall, of course, joined the attack the minute it stared. The group of rebels quickly surrounded the small band of loyal ShadowClan cats. They pressed together, hissing at their opponents.
"You traitors!" Blazepaw, Redpaw's brother and Sunstreak's only daughter yowled. "You fox-dung! How could you attack your own Clan?!"
Swampleg broke from the encircling attackers and pinned the bright fiery young she-cat to the ground. "You'd best learn to shut your mouth around our new leader!" he snarled in her face, sinking his claws into her shoulders. Blazepaw didn't flinch though, only spat on his nose. The mottled warrior drew back with a hiss and raised his paw to strike her.
Flickertail pushed him off Blazepaw. "Don't bother, Swampleg." He rumbled. "She's as worthless as her father. We can easily deal with her and her siblings later." Swampleg reluctantly climbed off Blazepaw, who shook herself off defiantly and went to stand by Redpaw and Cracklepaw, her brothers.
Unfazed by the defeat of her warriors, Copperstar stepped forward with her head held high. "I am the leader of ShadowClan, Flickertail. Not you, and you never will be." Her mew was quiet but powerful, with all the fury of StarClan behind her. "Take your band of rouges and get out of my camp. If you are ever found on ShadowClan territory again, you will be killed."
Flickertail and his group laughed scornfully and Copperstar raised her haunches warningly. "You don't understand that you've already lost, Copperstar." Flickertail jeered. "You get off of my territory, and maybe I'll let you live."
The only reply Copperstar gave was to launch herself at the larger warrior and barrel him to the ground. Flickertail yowled in surprise and lashed his claws at her, but the leader ignored the blows and raked her own claws down his back. However, before she could do anything else Birdcall entered the fray and drove her head into the leader's stomach. Copperstar fell back, winded, and Flickertail took his chance. He dove at Copperstar and sank his fangs into her throat. Copperstar trashed wildly for a few heartbeats, then became eerily still.
Flickertail stepped back and raised his blood-soaked muzzle high. "ShadowClan has a new leader!" He yowled. His companions quickly took up the cry. Darkpaw and Flyingpaw, Flickertail's kits, joined in as well. Of course they would side with their parents, even if it went against everything they knew.
"Over my dead body!" Wildpath seemed to come out of no where. She slammed head-long into Flickertail, bowling him over and pinning him into the ground. Behind her came Lightfoot, Flashfire and Brightsong, the warriors who had gone to search for Flickertail in the forest. Though they were still grossly outnumbered, these newcomers set upon their enemies like flies to crowfood. Soon the apprentices joined in, save for Winterpaw, who stayed rooted to the spot.
"Winterpaw, move!" Flashfire grunted. She shouldered into him, pushing him out of the way of where Lightfoot grappled with Ripfang. Winterpaw stumbled back and watched the furious she-cats drive the RiverClan intruder from the camp. Then Flashfire wheeled around, fury in her eyes, and jumped at another enemy. She wouldn't stop until her beloved Sunstreak was avenged.
Meanwhile, Winterpaw noticed that the two most important cats in the battle were missing: Copperstar and Flickertail. Copperstar must have awakened from the trance of losing a life…By why wasn't she here fighting with the Clan? Had Flickertail gotten to her again? Wildpath was fighting Birdcall now, so Flickertail must have escaped her. Then Winterpaw saw a familiar tail dissepearing into the leader's den. He bounded over.
"Tell me, how many lives to you have now? Five? Four?" Flickertail was jeering. Winterpaw peeked his head in and saw Copperstar crouched in her nest with cobwebs on her neck. Dreamstep was bristling next to her, more cobwebs wrapped around his paw.
"StarClan will never except you as leader if you take it by force, Flickertail." The medicine cat snarled. "They will never welcome you to their ranks!"
Flickertail's laugh was harsh and sarcastic, with a hint of insanity hidden deep within. "You think I'm worried about StarClan? I don't need StarClan to be leader. All I need is to kill Copperstar…As many times as it takes." He launched himself at the leader, but Dreamstep jumped in his way, taking the blow instead of Copperstar. Flickertail pinned the medicine cat instead, who was writhing beneath him. "Fine! I don't need you either." He raised his paw for a killing blow.
Before Winterpaw knew what he was doing, he launched himself across the den and landed square on Flickertail's back. He dug the claws of all four paws into the warrior's back and buried his teeth in his scruff. Flickertail screeched in surprise and fury and reared back on his hind paws, allowing Dreamstep to squirm away. Winterpaw held on tight to his oppent's back, until Flickertail rolled over on the ground, knocking the wind out of the white apprentice.
"You little demon!" Flickertail spat, towering over Winterpaw. "When will you learn to give up?!" He leapt at Winterpaw, claws extended, but Winterpaw rolled out of the way and watched Flickertail crash into the sandy floor. Then he ran in and swiped at the warrior's exposed flank, just as he had once done to Copperstar in training. Flickertail got to his paws shakily and tried to retaliate, but Winterpaw jumped back before he could.
Copperstar's next creaked as she struggled to find her paws. "I have to help him!" She hissed, but Dreamstep pushed her down again.
"This is Winterpaw's battle now, Copperstar." The medicine cat meowed gently. "Besides, it'll take some time for you to recover from losing that life. You'd be no help to Winterpaw anyway." The leader snorted and sat back to watch.
Winterpaw had managed to pin Flickertail down now, and though the warrior was much bigger, Winterpaw's strength kept him down. He sliced his hind claws through Flickertail's soft belly fur, trying to ignore the blows landing on his ears and shoulders. Soon Flickertail was able to overpower him though, throwing the apprentice into the wall of the den. Winterpaw slumped to the ground, dazed.
"You are such a nuisance." Flickertail growled, advancing on the helpless apprentice. "That's all you've ever been. You have no place in the new ShadowClan." Winterpaw closed his eyes as Flickertail jumped and waited for the worst.
But the end didn't come. Instead Winterpaw heard Flickertail shriek in anger. He opened one eye nervously and to his astonishment saw none other than Barkpelt standing over Flickertail, who was unconscious.
"B-Barkpelt!" Winterpaw exclaimed in relief. "Thank StarClan…"
Barkpelt turned slowly to face his son. Cold hatred burned in his gaze, and without warning he rushed at Winterpaw, lashing out with both front paws. Winterpaw squealed and ducked out of the way, only barely avoiding the killer blow.
"Barkpelt, what are you doing?!" Dreamstep yowled. "He's your son!"
"He's no son of mine." Barkpelt spat. "He's an abomination, and I'm finally going to
destroy the demon I brought into this world." He attacked his son again, knocking Winterpaw's paws out from under him with one swipe and pinning him down. Winterpaw felt teeth meet his neck and cried out.
Stars exploded before Winterpaw's eyes, but this time they weren't in his head. Light flooded the den and Barkpelt was knocked off Winterpaw by some unseen force. A third cat was standing protectively over Winterpaw. His ginger fur glowed white-hot like a flame and anger blazed in his ice blue eyes. It was Whistlepaw!
"I'll never let any cat hurt Winterpaw." Whistlepaw's voice boomed around the hollow, echoing off the walls until it sounded as if a thousand cats said it with him. "Be that cat an enemy or a member of my own Clan."
Barkpelt shrank away from the heat of Whistlepaw's rage as if burned. "How-Why-When did you die?!" He wailed. Whistlepaw didn't respond, only advanced on his father, pushing him further back. It was then that Winterpaw saw his chance. He bundled his legs below him and leaped into the air, flying over his brother and landing knocking Barkpelt to the ground.
"I don't want to be your son anymore." Winterpaw hissed, then plunged his teeth into Barkpelt's throat. Barkpelt screamed once, then lay still as the blood poured from his neck. Winterpaw kept his teeth clamped down on his father's throat long after he was dead, afraid to let go and face what came next.
Finally Winterpaw felt a warm pelt brush his flank. He looked up and saw his brother standing beside him, love and sadness in his eyes. "Thank you so much, Whistlepaw." Winterpaw mewed, his voice shaking. "You shouldn't have died in the first place…"
Whistlepaw shook his head. "It was my own fault I died. Don't blame yourself." He soothed. He rasped his tongue over Winterpaw's ears. Winterpaw felt the sting of some of his scratches fade away. "I'll always watch over you, Winterpaw, even when you don't know it. I'll always keep my promise." The dead apprentice gave his brother one last loving look, then faded away.
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I love Whistlepaw so much. X3
Anyway, that's one enemy down, but the battle is far from over! Stay tuned for chapter ten.
