Chapter 10

"What…what could this mean?"

Mothbright trembled in her sleep.

"This is an unexpected turn of events. The moth in the meadow…is not in a meadow."

"Life is a meadow," another voice commented mildly.

"I know that!" the first one snapped. "She wasn't supposed to be named this! She was fated to be named Mothflower."

"Maybe you were wrong, Wolfstar," the second pointed out tentatively.

The first one heaved a sigh. "I don't want to admit it, Mosspaw."

Mothbright started. Mosspaw? !

"Mothbright! Wake up!"

Mothbright jolted awake, banging her head on the bed above her. She groaned, holding her head.

"Mothbright! Up, now! There are invaders!"

That was Emberblaze! What in StarClan's name is he doing in the women's warrior hut?

"I'm coming, Emberblaze!" she yelled. He shut the door, and she dressed with unbelievable speed.

She raced out of the hut, not stopping to grab a piece of deer meat off of the drying rack. Her belly growled in complaint, but she ignored it.

She almost crashed into the cluster of nekos near the camp entrance. "Good, you're up," Emberblaze said curtly. "A StreamClan warrior and two rogues are wandering our territory. I think there are more than what we see. Lionstar wanted you on the patrol."

As she looked around at the others on the patrol, she saw the Clan's best fighters and tactical thinkers. She blushed. I find it hard to believe Lionstar thinks so highly of me!

"Where's Lionstar?" she asked.

"Over here," Lionstar called. He was conversing with Falconpelt at the camp entrance. "Emberblaze has already briefed you. Let's go."

The patrol headed out. Mothbright scented the air and smelled StreamClan and the scent of rotting No-tail food. Rogues, all right, from No-tail place.

Blizzardwing, an excellent tracker due to her fair skin and snow-white hair and fur, was in the lead, swerving to follow the scent trail. Suddenly she turned back, green eyes wide. "They're coming!" she whispered.

As if planned, most of the patrol plunged into the bushes to hide. Blizzardwing pulled Mothbright into the bushes. Together they crouched, watching the greatly diminished battle patrol.

There were three nekos crashing through the undergrowth. Mothbright did not recognize the huge black-and-white-haired man in the lead or the large brown-haired man behind him, but she did remember the black-and-dark-brown haired man walking with the brown-haired one. Frogclaw, she thought bitterly.

"Sirs," the man in front called. "I smell LightningClan nearby."

"Thank you for your time, sir," Frogclaw said to the brown-haired man. "It would not be a good idea to remain nearby."

"We're prepared," the man commented, hardy concerned.

"Yes," Frogclaw admitted, "but I'd like to save our—your resources."

"Very well," the man replied. "Come on, everyone."

"You're not going anywhere," Lionstar challenged.

The black-and-white haired man locked gazes with LightningClan's leader and did not look back to call to the others. "Sirs, we've got a problem."

Frogclaw and the other man came forward and stood beside him.

"What are you doing in our territory with two rogues?"

"I don't need to explain myself," Frogclaw spat, looking nervous.

"Actions speak louder than words," the other man noted smugly. "Attack!"

The black-and-white-haired man pulled a thick sword made from bone out of a sheath on his back. Mothbright shivered at the dried blood on it.

"Only Badger will attack unless you put your warriors into the fight," the man continued. "And Badger can take you out single-handedly."

Suddenly Waterclaw rolled out of the bush, scuffling with Smokepelt. The two had their knives unsheathed and looked perfectly vicious.

"Warriors!" Falconpelt yelled, stepping in to separate the brothers. "Is this what LightningClan has become?"

"He started it," Waterclaw muttered mutinously.

"We're about to be attacked by a bloodthirsty warrior bigger than any I've ever seen," Falconpelt scolded scathingly.

"Thank you," Badger rumbled, straightening with a pleased look on his face.

"Waterclaw, Smokepelt, break it up," Falconpelt ordered. "And see me after the battle."

"A battle?" Waterclaw leapt to his feet. He looked at Badger, sheathed his knife, and pulled a thick sword out of a sheath strapped to his waist. He met Badger's gaze, glaring.

Smokepelt put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Back off," he murmured. "Someone's going to get hurt."

"No duh!" Blizzardwing whispered in a voice only Mothbright could hear.

"Any other warriors?" Badger growled.

"Warriors, attack!" Lionstar yelled. It was overlapped by the brown-haired man's call to combat.

Mothbright's leap out of the bush ended in a stagger of surprise. The warriors summoned by the rogue were huge, battle-scarred, and muscular.

The forest exploded into battle. Mothbright unsheathed her sword and parried a blow from a thicker blade. That could break a bone! Mothbright thought in alarm as she dodged.

"Falconpelt!" Lionstar hollered. "Watch out behind you!"

Mothbright started to turn from fending off blows to find the deputy, but a narrow miss forced her to focus on the fight.

"Falconpelt!" Frogclaw wailed mockingly. "Oh, Falconpelt! LightningClan's noble deputy has fallen!"

Mothbright gave her opponent a hard jab in the arm with her sword. He staggered off. Mothbright turned and saw her father crouching over a still, bloodied form. As she watched, Falconpelt leaned up and whispered to Lionstar, blood bubbling at his lips. Lionstar recoiled at his words. Mothbright got closer and caught Falconpelt's last sentence.

"Goodbye, Lionstar," he rasped. "Tell Firelight I love her."

And he died.

Mothbright stared stunned at the deputy's body. His fiery amber eyes were now clouded and blind forevermore. Lionstar blinked away tears and gently closed Falconpelt's eyes with two fingers.

Lionstar rose to his feet. "LightningClan!" he yelled. "Falconpelt gave up his life defending us! Let us fight all the fiercer to avenge his death!" He raised his sword above his head. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!"

Mothbright hefted her sword above her head. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!" she hollered.

She heard Emberblaze behind her. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!" he roared. She heard the sound of metal on bone; her brother was clearly getting motivated. Enraged at the death of its deputy, LightningClan was burning brightly to teach the rogues a lesson.

Mothbright spun on a foot and knocked a rogue cleanly across the head. The clearing rang with the sound of metal colliding with bone, and the astonished yells of the rogues. Mothbright surprised herself with the power flowing through her veins. The rogue she had smacked now lay twitching on the ground. She left him alone and moved to help Flameflower. The red-haired woman was having difficulty fending off two rogues armed with bone clubs. Mothbright dispatched one of them with a swift slice to the collarbone area. The rogue winced visibly at the screeching noise and ran off. Flameflower was able to jab the other in the upper thigh.

"Thanks, Mothbright," Flameflower panted as the rogue hurried off.

"No problem," Mothbright replied, swiping randomly at a passing man. Her sword delivered a clean slice to the seat of his pants, and Mothbright yelled an apology after him. "Sorry about that!"

"It'll only hurt for the next five moons!" the man snapped over his shoulder.

Mothbright flushed as she noticed that it was not a rogue, but Frogclaw himself. "You deserve it, then, for invading our territory," she retorted.

Frogclaw halted and whirled around, narrowing his eyes. "You," he scowled.

"Me," she growled. "You got a problem with that? Or do you want another slice, so that both sides are the same?"

Frogclaw tried to look menacing, but he was grimacing at the same time. "I won't forget this," he shot. "When the forest is mine, you'll be one of the first to go."

"Who, me?" she bluffed, wishing desperately for a powerful Clanmate.

"Yes, y—" Frogclaw's retort was interrupted by a convulsion traveling his whole body. There was a whoosh of breath as the air was knocked out of him. Frogclaw began to say something but was cut off by a hand over his mouth.

"There are young ears here," a voice growled. "Including mine."

That's Waterclaw!

"Don't stab me in the rear," Frogclaw muttered around the hand. "Let me go."

Waterclaw widened his eyes in mock surprise. "You want me to let you go? Well, let me see. You invaded LightningClan territory with rogues, mocked a dying noble deputy, and almost swore in the presence of an attractive young woman. Hmm. I'd let you go, but the last one tipped the scale. Nope. You're staying here until you see Lionstar."

Frogclaw growled and kicked savagely, clawing at Waterclaw's arms. The younger man kicked back at Frogclaw's unmentionable injury. The StreamClan warrior howled.

"Don't…do that…again."

"Don't fight, and I won't do that again," Waterclaw pointed out.

"What's going on over here?"

At the sound of Lionstar's voice, Frogclaw renewed his struggles. Waterclaw raised a foot warningly, and Frogclaw quieted.

"I've captured a StreamClan warrior, Lionstar," Waterclaw explained calmly.

Lionstar leaned in toward Frogclaw, gently removing Waterclaw's hand. "Why are you here?"

"It's my business and no one else's," Frogclaw countered.

"It's my business if you're in my territory." Lionstar's patience was running out fast.

The two men stared each other in the eye, simmering. Finally Frogclaw scoffed.

"I won't need to answer to incompetent leaders when I'm one," he sniffed.

"When you're an incompetent leader?" Lionstar asked.

Frogclaw's eyes blazed. "No, you fool, when I'm a perfectly capable leader."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

Frogclaw tilted his head. "Actually, yes." He looked down at Lionstar and unexpectedly spat in his face. Lionstar recoiled, glaring at Frogclaw, but the warrior simply removed himself from Waterclaw and headed off.

"And stay away!" Waterclaw yowled.

Mothbright directed her attention to her father. "Are you all right, Lionstar?"

Lionstar was wiping the saliva from his face with his shirt. "The only thing that's been harmed by that is my dignity," he muttered. "Frogclaw will be back, I'm sure of it. LightningClan has not ridded itself of the pollution that is Frogclaw."

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