Chapter 11

Nightcloud leaped to her paws, causing her kits to awaken, sleepily unaware that their home was under attack.

"What's going on?" Swallowkit mewed, rubbing her greens eyes with her paws. "What's all that noise?"

"Hush, little one," the black queen soothed, trying not to let her worry show.

Poppyfrost shouldered her way to the front of the nursery. "Kits, none of you must leave the nursery. Stay here until we come back." The tortoiseshell queen then left the nursery, leaving Cherryfall and Nightcloud to follow her.

The black she-cat froze as she saw Onestar and his warriors streaming into the camp. The ThunderClan cats rushed out from their dens to meet their attackers, and the camp erupted into a chaotic chorus of yowls as the battle started. Poppyfrost and Cherryfall ran into the thick of the battle, ready to help their Clanmates fight the invaders. Nightcloud positioned herself outside the nursery, knowing somebody had to protect the kits inside.

A ginger tom with white paws charged at the queen, leaping at her with an angry yowl. Nightcloud ducked, sending her attacker crashing to the grassy ground. She whipped around to lash out at his side, spraying little drops of red blood into the air.

"You think you can win this fight?" the tom snarled, arching his back. "Did you think you could steal our leader's kits and get away with it?"

"Weaselfur!" Nightcloud hissed, glaring at the ginger cat furiously. "Did you think you could attack a Clan in the safety of their camp and get away with it?"

The tom lashed his tail, raising his paw to rake the queen's muzzle. Nightcloud dodged Weaselfur's unsheathed claws, throwing herself beneath his belly and tearing at his thick fur. The tom spun around and lunged at her side, sinking his teeth into a bit of soft flesh. With a cry of pain, Nightcloud writhed out of his grasp and whirled back to slash his ears.

Weaselfur narrowed his eyes, realizing that the she-cat was not going to give up easily. He thrust his burly, larger body into her side and made the queen lose her footing. She fell to the ground, twisting under the tom's firm grasp as he pinned her down. Nightcloud allowed her body to go limp, trying to make the WindClan tom think she had given up. Before he had time to think, a blur of golden tabby fur crashed into him, sending the tom stumbling.

"Sorrelpaw!" Nightcloud gasped, pulling herself to her paws. "You saved me!"

"It was nothing," the apprentice meowed modestly. "I was defending a Clanmate."

The queen nodded, giving the smaller she-cat an approving look before the golden tabby ran off to fight a small back tom with a white chest. "Slightpaw!" Sorrelpaw yowled as she tore into him. "I'll show you who the tougher apprentice is!"

Nightcloud stood guard outside the nursery, painfully aware of how frightened the kits must be in there. She wondered briefly if Squirrelflight had ordered her own kits to stay inside the apprentices' den since they hadn't had any training yet.

A gray tom with two dark paws appeared out of the middle of the fight. Spying Nightcloud, the tom charged at her with wild force, springing into the air and landing squarely on her back. With a fierce yowl, the queen twisted and shook, throwing Emberfoot off. The tom landed on his side, but was back on his paws in a flash. Nightcloud took the chance do dive around him, lashing out at his side and ripping at his pelt with sharp claws. Emberfoot whirled around to face the queen, but she was too fast and raked her claws down his face. The tom yowled in pain as blood welled in his eyes. Shaking his head furiously, he leaped at Nightcloud and bowled her over, battering her stomach with strong hind paws. The queen shoved him off of her, biting one of his front paws in the process.

Seeing that Emberfoot was having a hard time battling the fierce queen, a brown and white tom raced to his aide. Harespring lunged at Nightcloud, scraping his claws down her ears while Emberfoot bit her tail. Fighting the two toms was too much for the queen, and she realized she wouldn't win this battle. Nightcloud was just about ready to admit defeat before the toms had a chance to kill her when a third WindClan cat appeared between the two others, shoving them away from the queen.

"Get away from her!" the black tom screeched, planting himself firmly in front of Nightcloud.

Emberfoot and Harespring gaped at the cat in shock, their sides heaving as they caught their breath. The WindClan deputy was the first to regain his composure. "Breezepelt," he hissed, "get out of the way!"

"Never!" Breezepelt spat, lashing his tail. "This is my mother you're trying to kill!"

Nightcloud made no effort to get around her son and continue the fight. Instead, she blocked the entrance of the nursery so the kits could not see what was happening. Watching the toms glare at each other, the queen felt a wave of confusion hit her. Why did Breezepelt stop them? He'd been trying so hard to make Harespring and Onestar believe he was actually loyal. If he didn't fight with them, they'd surely still think he was a traitor.

Emberfoot stalked up to the younger tom. "Why am I not surprised you're not fighting with us? A traitor is defending a traitor!"

"Get out of our way," Harespring added, digging his claws into the ground. "Or help us fight her. Nightcloud's a traitor. She deserves to die."

"I will not raise a claw against the only cat who's ever loved me!" Breezepelt snarled. "When all the rest of WindClan hated me, even as an apprentice, it was only my mother who stood up for me. I would never hurt her."

The WindClan deputy's eyes widened with rage. "Then we will fight you as well!" He crouched down, ready to spring at the black tom. Emberfoot did the same, prepared to help his deputy defeat the two traitors.

Before either tom could leap, Onestar's voice rang through the camp "WindClan, retreat!"

The four cats turned to look at where the leader was standing. Nightcloud realized that almost all of Onestar's patrol had already left. It was only him, Harespring, Emberfoot, and Breezepelt left.

"What do you mean, retreat?" Harespring spat to the tabby tom. "I nearly had her!"

"There's been enough bloodshed for one night," Onestar hissed, sending a furious glare at Lionblaze with cruel amber eyes. At the golden tom's paws lay a heap of brown tabby fur.

Nightcloud followed her former leader's gaze to the limp body. Heathertail! she thought. Lionblaze killed Onestar's daughter!

The tabby leader turned to face Bramblestar, his body shaking with rage. "You have won this battle," he spat, "but you will not win forever. Now you've taken all of my children. I will get you for this. WindClan will make you pay for stealing my kits!"

He spun around and raced out of the camp. Harespring and Emberfoot exchanged a worried glance, and then took off after their leader. Only Breezepelt remained behind.

Nightcloud heaved a sigh of relief, knowing the battle was over. She dipped her head to her son. "Thank you," she mewed, almost inaudibly.

The black tom shook his head. "Don't thank me, Mother. You are the only one who's ever loved me. I could never hurt you."

The she-cat pressed her face into his soft fur, wishing her son was still a tiny kit. "I will always love you, Breezepelt."

"Yes, well," he meowed, slowly backing away, "I'd better go. Onestar's angry enough already."

Nightcloud stood frozen to the ground as she watched her eldest son walk away, not wanting him to leave. Harespring knew he had betrayed his Clan. Again. What would happen to Breezepelt now?

"Cats of ThunderClan," Bramblestar yowled, calling for his Clanmates' attention, "we have won this battle. We are lucky not to lose any warriors this time."

The black she-cat was glad to hear that. No ThunderClan cat had died because of her. That was a huge relief.

The ThunderClan leader continued. "Now not only does Onestar believe that we are keeping his youngest kits from him, but he lost his daughter in this fight. This will make him even more reckless and bloodthirsty. He will want to avenge her death, and we must be prepared. This was only a small victory. We can be certain there are more dark times ahead, and more lives will be lost. Stay strong, my Clanmates, for we don't know what dangers await in the days ahead."