Wassup peeps? Just so you know, this is going to go back and forth from focusing on Shimmerpaw, to focusing on Bravepaw.
DISCLAIMER: Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me!
Chapter 13:
Shimmerpaw sprinted alongside Bravepaw, occasionally bumping into him and making them both stumble.
"Great Starclan, Shimmerpaw!" the black tom exclaimed, "I've met badgers that are less clumsy!" He bolted ahead before the silver apprentice could catch him.
"Come back here!" the silver tabby yowled as she struggled to catch up with him. Picking up the speed, she hurtled forwards, unable to stop herself from colliding with an annoyed Leafpool.
"Get off!" the brown she-cat growled as she shoved Shimmerpaw off.
"Sorry Leafpool!" the apprentice mewed sheepishly.
Her only response was another snarl. With a huff, she stood up, shaking the dirt from her pelt.
As Shimmerpaw trotted away, Leafpool laid a tail upon her shoulder, making the blue-eyed tabby snap back around.
"If I were you, I would be careful of who I left my love to." With those words, she shot away, leaving a very confused Shimmerpaw behind.
She thinks I love Bravepaw! The tabby thought with disdain. Is she right? Do I love Bravepaw? She squeezed her eyes shut as she pictured the handsome black tom, with his stub of a tail and his multi-colored eyes. Finally, she made up her mind: yes, I do love him. But I suppose the real question is, does he love me?
She shook her head, and then began to make her way towards the rest of the patrol.
She could only barely see the back of the patrol, as she had fallen so far behind. The last of the cats disappeared behind some bushes that marked the beginning of Windclan territory.
An ear-splitting screech rose through the still morning air, making Shimmerpaw wince. More yowls of pain similar to the first one followed.
With a cry of alarm, the silver apprentice raced forwards, barreling through the bushes she had seen the patrol pass through.
What she saw as her head poked through the dense undergrowth made Shimmerpaw's fur stand high on end: blood covered a flat clearing, pooling together into small puddles.
Warriors of both Thunderclan and Riverclan were falling wounded by the heartbeat. Windclan warriors swarmed around everywhere, triumphantly yowling as they sliced their claws through cat after cat.
Immediately, she found her eyes wandering around, searching for a certain black Riverclan apprentice.
Finally, her gaze came to rest on his familiar stubby tail. His one green eye and one blue eye glinted in the dappled sunlight.
With a battle cry, Shimmerpaw shot down into the clearing coming to a halt beside her friend.
The giant black apprentice had reared up on his back paws and was using his forepaws to bat at a ginger tom with blazing amber eyes.
While Bravepaw distracted him from above, Shimmerpaw darted in and landed a quick belly strike, making him tumble to the ground.
Snarling with rage, the amber-eyed Windclan warrior rounded on her, slicing an unsheathed paw over her ear. The silver she-cat cried out with pain as she felt his thorn-sharp claws rip through the soft and fragile skin on her ear.
Bravepaw roared, kicking out with his back legs and sending the warrior flying through the air.
Shimmerpaw gritted her teeth, trying not to show the pain that had erupted in her head. She quietly mewed a weak thanks to the black apprentice and stood up again.
In unison, both apprentices rushed forwards again, this time slamming into a tortoiseshell she-cat who had been clawing Spiderleg. Screaming in terror, the splotchy she-cat scrambled away and disappeared into the fray of the battle.
The two young cats yowled in triumph, heads and tails raised high.
"Bravepaw that-" Shimmerpaw was cut off as a searing pain spread from her right shoulder, to the top of her right back leg.
"Shimmerpaw!" Bravepaw's distraught cry split the air as the silver tabby fell with a dull thud to the ground.
He rushed over to her, eyes wide and full of horror. That was the last thing Shimmerpaw saw before she let complete darkness envelope her.
"No!" the black tom screeched. He rounded, fangs bared at the brown she-cat that had done this to her.
"Heathertail." He spat the word out like it was foxdung.
The blue-eyed warrior grinned, an evil glint sparkling in her eyes.
The black tom took a threatening step forwards and growled, "why? What in the name of Starclan could she possibly have done to you to deserve this?!"
"Hmm…" the she-cat began mockingly, "no reason really. Just the fact that she is the daughter of the tom that smashed my heart to pieces!"
He crouched down low, still bristling. "Here," he snarled, "let me put you out of your misery!" he launched forwards, careening into her and making them both crash to the ground.
She shoved his head into the dirt with a single paw, laughing as she did so.
Suddenly the weight on his neck disappeared, making him gasp and struggle for air.
He shot up, eyes stretching wide at what he saw: a black tom with blue eyes was pinning Heathertail to the ground, whispering menacingly into her ear.
Bravepaw could only just hear what he had hissed: "I thought I trained you better than that! But you're no better than Breezepelt!"
She muttered something unintelligible in return, making the tom's ears flatten back to the side of his head.
"You will not seek any revenge on him!" he yowled, "you will not harm my son!"
His claws flashed out, digging into her creamy brown fur.
"Crowfeather!" the voice rose from behind, making him freeze.
A large brown tabby tom threw him off Heathertail with an angry snarl.
"O-Onestar!" he stammered, eyes wide with surprise and terror.
The Windclan leader glared hatred at him. "You would attack a member of your own Clan? You traitor! I banish you from Windclan! As of now, I no longer recognize you as a Clanmate!"
The black tom shrunk with fear. "But-"
"No Crowfeather!"
The former Windclan warrior shook with horror and darted away.
Onestar grabbed Heathertail by the scruff, dragging her off to the side of the battlefield.
Bravepaw lay beside Shimmerpaw, the blood that pulsed from her wound mixed with the blood from his own.
Something from behind lightly skimmed his shoulder. He whipped around, expecting another vicious Windclan warrior to be waiting for him. Instead, he saw the warrior Onestar had called Crowfeather.
Bravepaw hissed unsurely, not knowing whether or whether not he was an enemy or a friend.
"Don't worry," he mewed in a soft voice, "I can help you."
The stub-tailed tom nodded and pulled Shimmerpaw's limp body over by the scruff.
With a huff, the former Windclan warrior grabbed her by the scruff and began to pull her away from the clearing.
Finally, when both toms were well out of Clan territory, they came to rest by a sheltered spot next to the river.
Bravepaw came to face him. "Why did you save me?"
Crowfeather sighed. "Because, you tried to save her." He mewed, pointing to Shimmerpaw's limp body.
"So?"
"She's the daughter of my son."