Disclaimer: Not owning or pwning Warriors. Only Erin Hunter can do both at once.
Claimer: I did create Thunderpaw, Moonfire, and all the other wolves.
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Chapter Ten: The Pack and the Clans
Firestar jumped down from Highrock and stepped up to meet the wolf's mismatched eyes with his green ones. "I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan." His voice rang throughout the clearing. "And you are on our territory."
A black wolf growled and took a step forward, but Moonfire silenced him with a look. She returned her gaze to Firestar. He could feel her sizing him up, deciding what the best course of action was. Firestar worried that she could see right into him, and that all is weaknesses were as plain as day right before her.
Again she opened her giant maw to speak. "You have been housing a cat that we are after." She growled. Her words sounded like growls and barks formed roughly into words. Obviously she didn't speak with cats often. "Give me the cat I want and we will leave your forest unharmed."
Firestar glanced over to where Cinderpelt had dragged Thunderpaw behind the wolves. "I don't know what cat you are talking about." He lied.
But Moonfire followed his gaze to the two cats. "Your lies do not impress me." She hissed. "Nor does your 'Clan'. Surrender that rouge or we will kill and eat every cat in this forest."
Firestar looked over to where Thunderpaw was now awake. She had that pleading look in her eyes again. Cinderpelt slowly shook her head. Firestar looked to his Clan. They looked frightened, but determined.
"Thunderpaw is a cat of ThunderClan." Firestar spat. "And ThunderClan never betrays another warrior."
"Then you will die with your Clan!" Moonfire screamed. "Kill them!"
The wolves sprang upon the cats, but ThunderClan was ready. They scattered as the huge black wolf leapt towards them, and reformed protectively around Thunderpaw. They fended off the wolves as Cinderpelt helped Thunderpaw into her den.
"Forget the rouge!" Moonfire called. "We will get her once we kill the rest!" With that last command, Moonfire attacked Firestar. Firestar quickly rolled out of the way, and she skidded to a halt behind him. Before she could turn around, Firestar dragged his claws across her side. But her fur was thicker and coarser than any cat, and Firestar's claws didn't even draw blood. With a snarl, Moonfire swung her head around and slammed her huge muzzle into Firestar's chest, knocking the wind out of him.
Firestar staggered and fell back behind Brambleclaw and Brackenfur, who were darting about trying to bring down the black wolf. Moonfire lost sight of him, and Cloudtail jumped in to take his place against the huge silver beast.
Still gasping for breath, the ThunderClan leader staggered into Cinderpelt's clearing. The gray cat whipped around when he enter, and yowled, "Thunderpaw dissepeared!"
"What?!" Firestar screeched. "Where did she go?"
"How would I know?" Cinderpelt looked strained almost to the snapping point. "I took my eyes off her for one second, and she was gone!"
Suddenly, a huge gray and white wolf burst into the clearing. The body of a limp apprentice was clenched in his jaws. With a growl, it spat Sootpaw onto the ground beside it. Sootpaw groaned and then fell very still.
Firestar prepared to defend himself and Cinderpelt, but before he could do anything, a gray blur launched itself at the wolf with a screech of fury. Graystripe clawed his way through the wolf's fur and buried his teeth in the back of its neck.
The wolf let out a deafening howl and tried to shake off the gray warrior. But Graystipe dug his claws into its shoulders and hung on tight. Desperate to help his friend, Firestar ran his claws around the wolf's front leg where the fur was thinner. His claw caught on a vein, and with one tug it broke. The wolf went down.
Graystripe leapt off as the gray wolf fell onto its side and began to writhe as blood splurted from its wounded paw. Cinderpelt acted quickly; she aimed one last bite to the wolf's neck. It made an odd gurgling noise and then went still, its eyes dim and staring at nothing.
"A weakness." Firestar gasped. "If we claw at their legs first, they won't be able to stand." He and Graystripe bolted out of the medicen den and flung themselves back into the fight, shouting instructions to their warriors.
Firestar looked around. The cats stood no chance against these behemoths. The only advantage they had was speed. It was all they could do to keep weaving and dodging away from the wolves' deadly teeth. As he watched, Thornclaw was thrown into the bracken and did not reemerge, and a huge blueish wolf closed his jaws around Cloudtail's front leg.
Just as Firestar was deciding all was lost, an unexpected yowl sounded from the top of the ravine. Looking up, Firestar saw, to his utmost surprise, none other than Thunderpaw, standing before all of RiverClan and WindClan. She let out a roar like one of the lions of old, and launched herself into the battle. The two other Clans poured down into the camp behind her.
Firestar stood and stared, dumbstruck as the new cats flashed past him and joined the fight. As Thunderpaw darted past him, he heard her mutter, "You didn't think I abandoned you, did you? ThunderClan never betrays another warrior."
A new strength seemed to flood into Firestar, as if Thunderpaw had brought not only WindClan and RiverClan, but StarClan as well. He turned and sunk his fangs into the leg of the closest wolf he could find. The wolf toppled over and Firestar left it for someone else to finish.
Looking around again, Firestar saw the wolves being pushed back into a corner. He watched Mistyfoot and Graystripe run beneath the huge black wolf, slashing at each of his legs, while nearby Mudclaw barreled into a mottled brown one, knocking it off of Sorrelpaw.
Firestar joined Thunderpaw, who was fighting Moonclaw alone off to one side. She would dart away quickly as the fae snapped at where she had been, then aim a blow at her eyes as she tried to strike again. Firestar joined her, and together they ran circles around her, attacking at random times to confuse her.
But Moonfire was a fast learner. She never let them close to her legs, and she kept moving to keep them in her line of vision. They could never creep up on her blind side, and soon they couldn't even land a blow at all.
Fortunately for the cats, Moonfire's pack wasn't doing as well as she was. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the cats they were fighting, and weakened by injuries and deaths, the wolves were being driven out of the camp. Finally, when there were only a pawful left, the black wolf wailed, "Alpha, we cannot win! There are too many!"
"No!" Moonfire cried. "You are a fool, Blackwish! We cannot be beaten by these cats!"
But even as she said it, she knew she was wrong. She could fend off just Thunderpaw and Firestar herself, but once the other cats turned on her too, she didn't stand a chance. Not long after, she was forced to call her pack into a retreat. The remaining wolves gladly turned tail and fled, howling. Moonfire looked back just before leaving. "Firestar!" She screamed. "You and your Clan have not seen the last of me! Blood Moon Pack will not rest until that rogue is dead!" Then she too was gone, leaving a ringing silence behind.
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Gaahh! That was intense! Quite a battle there. The last time the Clans had to band together like that was against BloodClan. Good thing Thunderpaw went for help.
Anyway, read and review, no flames, all that jazz. The next chapter will be up when it's up. So be patient.
peofun1
