Alrighty, let's get this show on the road!
Butterfly that flies at dawn: Nah, I don't think I'm making one. Partly because I suck at sequels, and the other part is because the idea I have would make much more sense on its own. Sorry ):
Mistyflower68: :D I hope I wrote the battle okay…
Silent Steps in Silver Snow: Lol what a coincidence! ^0^ Thank you so much for the idea but I don't think I'm gonna use it…but wouldn't that be a twist, eh? Lol
Spottedfire7: I know, they're the best.
Guest: D'aww, thanks! I hope you can check out my next story I'm gonna write…don't have a name yet but oh well!
Iceflower of ThunderClan: Actually…it wasn't. :D You'll find out soon enough though!
Graymist: She's about the same size, maybe a tiny bit bigger, than Scourge. Yeah…she's one small little kitty. And sorry that chapter bored you… :\ I hope this one's better.
Rainy1212: Oh, sorry. :\ didn't mean to lol
Quadethepeanutbutter:Ummm…never heard of it. There's a state called Clorado but there's no city that I know of that is name Coloradoe Lol….sorry :\
Okay, no more stalling. Here's the 'big chapter' or whatever. I hope I wrote it good….
Along with the waning moon and dozens of stars, the soft darkness of night brought anxiety and excitement to every cat in ThunderClan. Many were trying to sleep so that they would be fresh and alert when dawn came, but Echowing eventually gave up and softly padded out of the den.
The snow under her paws was soft and for once she relished the piercing cold, hoping it would chase away the many doubts she had. She headed to the bramble entrance where Windfur was sitting still as a stone and guarding the camp. When she slipped up beside the silvery she-cat the older warrior meowed, "Can't sleep?"
Echowing nodded. "It's like I'm a ball of nerves tonight."
Windfur flicked an ear but didn't take her focused eyes off of the forest. "We'll be fine," she murmured reassuringly.
How can you be so sure? Echowing thought but didn't ask. Instead, she just nodded once more and went into the quiet forest. Her breath rose in plumes of air as she sighed heavily and started making her way to the lake.
And owl hooted from a nearby tree and Echowing glanced up nervously. For the first time ever the forest didn't appear beautiful or magical to her; it felt dark and foreboding with still trees and the eerie moonlight shinning down. Telling herself that she was imagining things, she picked her way through the forest and arrived at the glittering lake.
Echowing wandered down to the shore and sat down just a little bit away from the edge of the frozen water. A thin layer of ice coated the surface and she figured it wouldn't be long before the whole thing froze over until new-leaf. She settled down with her white paws tucked underneath her and watched the lake but didn't really see it. Her thoughts were occupied by something far more pressing.
The conversation that Hawkstar had with Shadestar earlier in the day came back to her. She recalled the way the ShadowClan leader had almost been…craving a battle and had been daring Hawkstar to start it. And then there was the mouse situation: Why would hungry warriors (of ShadowClan no less!) just leave a perfectly good piece of prey after they had taken the time to sneak over and kill it? She knew she was missing something really important but she couldn't figure out what it could be.
Frustrated, she sank her head down to the ground and glanced up at the stars that held no answers to her many questions. She stared across the lake over to RiverClan territory until her vision blurred and her eyelids fluttered closed as the day's events caught up to her.
Even though she had for sure thought she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, Echowing was out in a heartbeat.
0-0-0
Echowing's eyes snapped open as the sounds of the forest waking up reached her ears. She lifted her head, not caring that the fur on the left side of her face was completely flattened, and she blinked blearily as she tried to figure out where she was. Why in the name of StarClan was she by the lake…?
Suddenly she remembered about the upcoming battle and she leapt to her paws. Se spared a little glance at the sky and saw how it was milky and lightening quickly. Dawn.
She whipped around and raced through the awakening forest, low branches snagging at her fur and she stumbled as she tripped over a root. Cursing, she put some weight on her front paw and was relieved when it didn't ache. She continued forward and she burst into the camp just moments later. She scrabbled to a halt, claws scraping against the snow, but ended up losing her footing and she fell forward. She got a face full of snow and she spat it out of her mouth.
Looking up, Echowing saw that almost all the ThunderClan warriors were staring at her and she struggled to get to her paws. She shook her head to get rid of the rest of the snow as humiliation heated her pelt. "Um…sorry," she mumbled.
Hawkstar rolled his eyes in faint amusement but then grew serious as he faced his cats. "Okay, I will lead on patrol and Petalstream you lead the other. The cats in mine will be Whitepelt, Echowing, Rowanstrike, Sunwhisper, and Jaypath. The cats in Petalstream's group will be Tanglewhisper, Windfur, Hollyfrost, Dustclaw, and Forestfur." He took a long look at all the warriors who were in the patrols.
Finally, he stated, "Remember, this is just a warning attack. We are not to seriously injure any of the cats and do not go after kits, queens, or Elders. We just want to scare them enough so that they know who they're messing with. Does everyone understand me?"
Every cat nodded.
"Good, then let's go."
Echowing hastily scanned the clearing n search of Tinyfeather. She spotted the silver she-cat a little ways away by the warriors' den and she saw that her friend's blue eyes were filled with relief at not having to go and fight. No other cat knew about the kits so Tinyfeather had still been eligible to be picked for the attack. It was either sheer luck or the help of StarClan that the warrior didn't have to fight her mate.
Echowing turned around and began to follow her Clanmates out of the entrance and into the forest. She was one of the last cats to leave and was only a little surprised when she saw Rowanstrike waiting for her. She hurried to catch up with him and soon they fell into step with each other.
The whole group of cats made very little noise as they trekked through the lightening forest. Excitement pricked Echowing's paws but there was something else that she was feeling: Apprehensive. It wasn't just the normal jitters she felt before a fight; no, this was something dark, a foreshadowed sense that something just didn't feel right about the whole situation. She suppressed a shiver when a cold feeling crawled down her spine and pressed closer against Rowanstrike.
"Are you okay?" he murmured quietly, glancing at her.
Echowing swallowed hard. "I'm fine," she whispered, wishing it was true. "Just…"
"Just what?"
Why she suddenly needed to tell him this, she had no idea. All she knew was that she couldn't just let it go unsaid before they attacked ShadowClan, though she couldn't say why. "I just want you to know that…I…well, I…"
Rowanstrike's blue gaze softened towards her. "You don't have to say it, Echowing. I already know."
She shook her head. That was just the thing though; she felt a sudden need that she had to tell him. "I love you," she whispered, looking up at him.
The ginger tom closed his eyes for a heartbeat and when he opened them again, happiness blazed in the depths. He tenderly touched his nose to her ear and breathed, "I love you too, Echowing. Always have and always will."
Purring, she flicked him with her tail. "Come on then, or else we'll get left behind."
By the time they had caught up to their Clanmates, Hawkstar was standing just a little ways away from the border. "Okay, the cats who are in my patrol follow me and Petalstream will direct the rest of you where to hide until you hear my yowl." He looked around proudly at all his warriors. "Good luck."
Slinking across the border, the brown tabby led the way through the ShadowClan territory. For once, Echowing was glad for the mud under their paws because it helped muffle the sounds of their approach. Keeping to the shadows, the ThunderClan cats cautiously made their way to the thorny entrance that marked the beginning of the camp. With only the smallest flick of his tail, Hawkstar leaped through the entrance and into the clearing, letting out a fierce caterwaul.
Suddenly, multiple cats rushed from every den and threw themselves at the ThunderClan cats. Surprise mingled with shock as countless warriors rained down on the small patrol. Echowing yowled as she was thrown off her feet by a large white tomcat. She rose unsteadily to her paws and tried to clear her head right before the tom rushed her again. She dodged his attack and lashed out with both paws at her side as he passed her. She lunged at him and clawed her way onto his back, pummeling him with her thorn sharp claws.
The tom screeched and shook her off before fleeing with blood dripping down his back. Echowing leapt to her paws and gasped as she took in what was happening. The ShadowClan cats had not been at all surprised when Hawkstar had yowled out. Instead, it seemed as if they had known all along that the ThunderClan cats were coming right then…
However, her train of thought was cut off when she saw a flash of golden fur in her side vision. Just in time, she whirled around and they collided. They rolled around on the ground, Echowing lashing out whenever she could and trying desperately to get out of this cat's firm grip. Finally, they halted with the small creamy warrior underneath her attacker. Echowing struggled but a voice stopped her.
"You will die."
Echowing froze. She knew that voice…but what was it doing in ShadowClan? She slowly raised her eyes and gaped when she saw who was holding her down.
"Sunleaf?" she asked, stupefied. "What in StarClan are you doing here?"
Sunleaf purred and her amber eyes were hard and victorious. "Did you honestly think you could stage a surprise attack on ShadowClan when along we knew what you were doing?"
Echowing's mind was reeling and terror coursed through her. "What do you mean?" she breathed.
"Shadestar knew you would attack today because that had been the plan," Sunleaf hissed, tightening her claws around Echowing's fur. The smaller warrior ground her teeth and forced herself not to flinch. She had to keep Sunleaf distracted just a little bit longer because she also had to figure out what in StarClan was going on.
"W-what plan?"
Sunleaf blinked. "You really are daft aren't you?" she growled. "Crowstar and Shadestar have been planning this for moons, you foolish cat. My leader showed far more patience then Shadestar but together they prevailed. Together they will take over the forest and you and your Clan will be long dead!" Sunleaf raised a paw for a killing blow and Echoing saw her chance.
As hard as she could, she kicked Sunleaf's stomach with her hind legs and the she-cat tumbled off of her and onto the ground. Echowing didn't hesitate; in a moment she was on the RiverClan cat with her teeth clamped tightly around the golden warrior's neck. Sunleaf flailed and struggled but she didn't let go, even when she tasted the harsh tang of blood.
After several long moments, Sunleaf's kicks grew weaker and finally she stopped struggling altogether. Echowing unclamped her jaws and could only stare at the cat she had just killed. What had she just done?
She looked up and scanned the writhing masses of cats. Petalstream's patrol had arrived and, now that she looked closely, she could make out the distinct features of the RiverClan cats. It looked as if it was half RiverClan and half ShadowClan that made up the cats that ThunderClan was fighting. Her head whipped around, desperately searching for Crowstar or even Shadestar but she didn't see either of them.
Echowing then spotted Forestfur cornered by two ShadowClan and RiverClan cats. The black she-cat looked confused as to why RiverClan was there and she kept trying to lash out at both of them but they kept advancing. With a shriek, Echowing propelled herself across the clearing and slid between her former mentor and one of the cats that had ShadowClan scent.
She hissed and lashed out repeatedly at the she-cat's muzzle who yowled in surprise. Forestfur immediately took on the distracted RiverClan tom and together they swiped mercilessly at their attackers. As the she-cat was backing away, Echowing dived between her legs, tripping the ShadowClan cat and then continuing her onslaught of claws.
She saw Forestfur bite down hard on the tom's tail and son the she-cats had the two warriors fleeing with fresh wounds. Panting heavily, Echowing turned to her former mentor who was looking around the clearing with wide eyes.
"What's going on?" she rasped.
"RiverClan is here with ShadowClan because Crowstar and Shadestar planned this whole thing moons ago. You know the prey ShadowClan had killed? I knew something was off about it but I couldn't figure out what. But now I know that Shadestar had had this whole thing planned out with Crowstar because they want to take over the lake!" she explained as fast as she could.
Forestfur closed her eyes, not even questioning Echowing about how she knew all this. When her amber eyes opened again, she observed the clearing grimly. "They outnumber us too much. It looks like half of RiverClan and almost all of ShadowClan is here. But where are Crowstar and Shadestar?"
Echowing shook her head grimly. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about it."
They were huddled near the entrance and so she saw the white she-cat who was breathing heavily as soon as she slipped into the battle filled clearing. Echowing didn't know this unfamiliar cat, but the scent surrounding the warrior told her that it was a RiverClan enemy. With a harsh shout, Echowing launched herself at the white cat that let out a surprised yowl when they crashed together.
Having the advantage of surprise, Echowing quickly found herself on top of the RiverClan cat and she put a paw to her throat with claws unsheathed. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And where is Crowstar?"
The white she-cat didn't even struggle, just panted and gazed up at her with scared green eyes. "My name…is Hail…Hailsplash," she took a hard gulp. "Crowstar is at…attacking your camp. I came to…warn…warn you."
Ice filled terror froze her heart and for a moment she stopped breathing. She stumbled off of the white cat-Hailsplash-and could only stare. "Crowstar is attacking ThunderClan camp?"
Hailsplash nodded, breathing a little bit easier, and rose to her paws. "I do not agree with what he is doing. I heard him planning with Graystorm but I got caught and he threatened to kill me and my brother if I told anyone." Her eyes were filled with anguish. "I'm so sorry! Iceheart sent me to run here as fast as I could to tell you and she sent Raindusk to ask Swallowstar for help."
Suddenly, it all made sense. That was why Crowstar had been silent all along, why neither he nor Shadestar could be found right then. And that strange sense of warning she had felt earlier…Echowing wanted to smack herself for being so blind.
"Please, you must hurry!" Hailsplash pleaded. "There is no time to waste!"
With a nod, she raced into the very center of the clearing and yowled as loud as she could. "HAWKSTAR!"
The brown tabby threw off a RiverClan tom and rushed over to her. She could see that blood was swelling from a deep claw mark on his side. "What is it?"
Quickly, she told him about how Crowstar was attacking the ThunderClan camp right then and that they had to go now.
"Oh StarClan…" he croaked. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he started racing towards the entrance. "THUNDERCLAN! RETREAT BACK TO THE CAMP! NOW!"
Her confused Clanmates looked surprised but didn't hesitate to follow their leader. Echowing sprinted as fast as she could out of the entrance and through the ShadowClan territory. She kept tripping over tree roots and once her paw twisted but she kept on going, fear taking hold of her every movement. We're too late, we're too late!
She pushed herself to her limit, trees whipping by as dark blurs, and hardly took note when she entered ThunderClan territory. She crashed through the bushes and deep foliage, prayers to StarClan on continuous cycle in her mind. The harsh scent of RiverClan and ShadowClan were everywhere and she smelled no WindClan. Swallowstar hadn't arrived yet which meant that the few warriors Hawkstar had left were on their own against the other two Clans.
As she neared the brambles, sounds of battle reached her ears and with one last huge burst of energy, she flew through the entrance and skidded to an ungraceful halt.
Her breathing ragged, she stood in frozen horror as she stared at her broken Clan. She saw Adderflight in furious combat with two humongous RiverClan tomcats while Ivypetal, huge belly heavy with kits, was positioned outside the Elder's den with Mouseclaw as they tried to keep back an advance ShadowClan she-cat. Littlewhisker and Iceheart were rushing from their many patients to try and keep them alive and Echowing's heart fell when she saw that Jaypath and Sunwhisper were among them. Tinyfeather and Shineheart were taking on two skinny cats that had neither RiverClan nor ShadowClan scent.
She then forced her legs to move and she threw herself into the battle just as the rest of the ThunderClan patrol burst through the brambles.
StarClan help us! she screamed silently, right before she was swallowed up in the dark mass of bloodthirsty cats.
Dun. Dun. DUUUUUN! The next chapter will be up very, very soon…like tonight or tomorrow. Tell me what you think!