Hey! I'm just gonna get started anyways…

CHAPTER 13

Lionpaw felt a jolt of terror ripple through his golden pelt as the yowling of many cats broke outside the apprentices' den. The sun was setting, casting blood-red rays of light into the cave entrance. He dashed out, followed by Poppypaw, Cinderpaw, and Honeypaw. Where was Jaypaw? He's probably with Leafpool, Lionpaw reassured himself.

Before he even took a pawstep out of the cave, a tabby she-cat hurled into him in a fury of claws and teeth. Lionpaw slashed at the tabby's nose, and she yowled in agony. She swiped at his ears and tried to get hold of his tail. Instead, Lionpaw leapt onto the she-cat's shoulders, dug his front claws in, and battered at her back with his hind legs. The tabby dashed out of the camp, tail between her legs. Lionpaw sighed with satisfaction and glanced around.

He spotted a clump of cats, about 5 or 6 of them, racing towards a bramble thicket, their bellies low to the ground. They were heading for the nursery! Lionpaw let out a hiss of rage. His sister Hollypaw was inside, kitting! He darted over to a black and white tom, jumped, and attached his teeth to his ear. The tom hissed and swung his head around in the air, trying to detach the golden apprentice. Finally Lionpaw let go and watched the tabby tom race away.

The other 4 cats had dashed into the nursery and kits were squealing inside. Lionpaw hissed and darted inside. He stared in horror as he saw his sister Hollypaw growl and swipe a paw at a tortoiseshell she-cat that was trying to grab one of her four kits. Ferncloud raced out of the nursery with Foxkit in her jaws; Daisy later came out with Icekit.

Hollypaw stood up from her kits and attacked the tortoiseshell. The two she-cats tussled and rolled over across the bramble thicket. Lionpaw darted forward, grabbed the first kit he saw, which was a black she-cat, and pelted outside. The sky was dark except for the thin sheet of light shafting over the horizon. He glanced around quickly, the tiny black kit squealing and mewling for her mother. He saw Daisy and Ferncloud stepping onto the Highledge and bounding up the pile of rocks. Jaypaw and Leafpool escorted them, while Mousefur guided Longtail up the rocks.

He turned back to see Whitewing racing out of the nursery, blood trickling from a wound in her flank. She had red and black tufts of fur between her claws. She darted over to Lionpaw and grabbed the black kit. She nodded her head to the battle and began to bound up the rocks after the queens and elders.

Lionpaw flung himself into the midst of the battle. He saw Cinderpaw struggling with a huge ginger tom. The ginger tom had Cinderpaw pinned down and was bearing his teeth toward Cinderpaw's throat. Lionpaw raced over to the two cats and he heaved himself onto the ginger tom, who reared up on his hind legs and let go of Cinderpaw. The gray tabby gasped for breath and stumbled backwards a bit.

Lionpaw felt the ginger tom shake his back underneath him, so the golden tabby bit the rouge's ear. The ginger tom flung Lionpaw off his back, shoved his paw onto Lionpaw's neck, and leaned over for the killing bite. Lionpaw squeezed his amber eyes shut and waited to feel the rouge's fang sink into his throat.

A yowl split through the blood-spattered clearing. Lionpaw opened his eyes and peered around the ginger tom to see a flash of tortoiseshell fur race by. Sorreltail? Lionpaw wondered. Shouldn't she be on the Highledge with the elders and Daisy? But Lionpaw knew it couldn't be Sorreltail.

He felt the air escape from his lungs as a great weight flattened the ginger tom onto Lionpaw. Finally the rouge was heaved back and Lionpaw scrambled to his paws, trembling. A tortoiseshell she-cat was piled on top of the ginger rogue. Poppypaw! The ginger tom was covered in blood by the time Poppypaw leaped off him. The rouge spat something at Poppypaw ruefully, and then raced out of the camp.

Lionpaw saw a flash of black fur out of the corner of his eyes. He turned to see Hollypaw darting across the clearing with another black kit, but a tom this time. Brackenfur and Birchfall followed with two golden brown tabby she-cats. A blue-gray she-cat raced after them, and behind her was a tabby tom, a white and gray tom, and a silver tabby she-cat.

Lionpaw heaved himself at the silver tabby, who shrieked and rolled over, squishing Lionpaw underneath her. Lionpaw hissed, squirmed out, and gasped for air. He clawed at the silver tabby's nose, and she raced away, squealing. Lionpaw glanced over at the Highledge. Birchfall stood in front of Hollypaw, swiping an unsheathed paw at the rouges beneath the tall rock pile. Brackenfur had leaped onto the white and gray tom and now the two toms were rolling on the ground.

Lionpaw leaped onto the tabby tom's shoulders and let Birchfall take care of the blue-gray she-cat. "Get off, you lazy piece of crowfood!" the she-cat hissed. Lionpaw growled and yowled, "Why don't you just go back to the Carrionplace where you came from?" The blue-gray she-cat screeched and flung herself at Lionpaw, raking her claws down his flanks and legs. Lionpaw nipped at her tail and swiped blindly out at her. She dodged every blow.

I'm going to lose!

Yay! I mean, oh no! What will happen to poor Lionpaw? Poor cats! MEANIE EVIL ROUGES!!!!! –Comes out at them with a pitchfork- DIE!!!!!! Anyways, uhm, yeah. Please review! Pretty please with mice and voles and birds and rabbits and catmint and honeycomb on top!

Peaceoutyall,

Amberstar