A few feathery clouds were flowing in the sky, not hindering the brightness given by the moon and stars. Sweettooth and the rest of the patrol were sitting on the border when suddenly, yowling broke out from the direction of the WindClan camp.
"We don't need a messenger," Icewing decided. "Frostfur, tell Reedstar the fight has begun. Let's go."
Frostfur ran back towards camp, and Icewing led the charge into WindClan territory. The patrol was running over the moor and saw another cat running towards them. The cat was lithe, and Sweettooth managed to identify it as a brown she-cat.
"Thank StarClan you're here." The brown she-cat meowed loudly. "Come quickly." The brown she-cat turned around and began running back towards the WindClan camp, Sweettooth and the patrol following closely.
"How bad is it Woodcrow?" Icewing questioned the WindClan cat.
"Lionstar brought almost his entire clan," Woodcrow answered, full of worry. "Even with you we're still outnumbered."
"Don't worry," Icewing reassured the brown she-cat. "Reedstar is sending more warriors, we'll just have to hold ThunderClan off for a while."
The yowls of battle became stronger as the patrol was nearing the WindClan camp.
"Follow me!" Woodcrow suggested and led the patrol to an easy pathway into the hill-covered camp.
Upon coming in sight of the camp, Sweettooth saw many fights taking place, all revolving around a golden-and-white tom who was staring wide-eyed at the chaos around him.
The fighting cats were split into groups, each group from WindClan fighting another from ThunderClan. A ThunderClan patrol led by a silver-and-white tabby she-cat was avoiding the fights, trying to reach the tom in the middle. In the patrol were a gray she-cat, a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, and a tortoiseshell she-cat.
"Sweettooth," Icewing ordered as Woodcrow ran to join the smallest WindClan group. "Go help Heathertail's group! Nightsky and Brackenpelt, we're holding off Ivypool's." Icewing pelted towards the middle of the fighting to intercept the sneaky patrol.
Wait, which one is Heathertail?
"Brown tabby," Brackenpelt answered hurriedly as if she read Sweettooth's mind. "Eyes like Shelldawn."
Sweettooth ran towards a brown tabby she-cat with eyes the color of a twilight sky. The group consisted of another brown-tabby she-cat, a gray tabby she-cat, and Woodcrow who just joined. Without Sweettooth, the WindClan cats were outnumbered by the ThunderClan group.
Immediately as Sweettooth arrived to help, the gray-and-white leader of the ThunderClan group landed a powerful blow on the pale-brown WindClan cat. The WindClan cat fell to the ground, concussed.
"Dewnose!" The gray-and-white attacker commanded. "Pin her down!"
"Aye aye Captain!" Another gray-and-white tom meowed, and leaped onto the smaller, lying cat.
Heathertail, who was fighting Dewnose, began chasing after him with Sweettooth right at her tail. Heathertail was intercepted by Captain's skilled fore-paws, setting her entire body's direction aside.
Captain was about to strike when Sweettooth jumped above Heathertail. Sweettooth landed heavily on Captain mid-strike and heard a loud oomph, signaling the warrior's loss of breath.
Sweettooth began clawing Captain's back but was quickly pushed away by the combined efforts of a brown-and-cream tom, a pale tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, and Captain himself.
Sweettooth saw the brown-and-cream tom bolt towards him, the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat close behind him. Sweettooth got low and made a quick feint towards the she-cat. The tom reacted with a slight change of direction which allowed Sweettooth to barrel into his out-facing flank. Sweettooth's sudden ram pushed the tom into the she-cat.
Heathertail took the opportunity and began clawing the she-cat, while Sweettooth scratched and bit the tom. As Sweettooth's jaws locked, the brown-and cream tom let out a loud yowl of pain.
Sweettooth suddenly felt a strong stomp on his spine, and released his hold, allowing the tom to escape. During his escape, the brown-and-cream tom, together with Captain who showed up from above Sweettooth's head, slammed into Heathertail, freeing the pale tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat.
"Dewnose! Bristlefrost!" The captain yowled towards Dewnose and the pale gray she-cat who was handling Woodcrow and another gray tabby. "Regroup!"
The ThunderClan patrol regrouped and ran away from the main fight. Sweettooth was about to give chase but was halted when Heathertail raised her tail high.
"Larkwing, Woodcrow," Heathertail ordered her warriors. "Go to Kestrelflight. Featherpelt, take a few breaths and we'll go help Leaftail. Thank you Sweettooth, will you come with us?"
Sweettooth turned his head to see four ThunderClan warriors closing in on a ginger tom and a dark tabby tom. "I'll go right now." Sweettooth answered heroically, and pelted towards the ThunderClan cats.
Sweettooth leaped and managed to catch a dark gray she-cat by the neck with his teeth, toppling her over as he landed. The she-cat writhed in pain and Sweettooth let go, preparing to fight a golden tom heading towards him, with another black one at his tail.
A muscled golden tom kept his gaze on the two WindClan cats and leaped on them. At the same moment, the golden warrior heading towards Sweettooth tightened his haunches in preparation for a leap.
Sweettooth reared up and extended his long fore-legs, claws unsheathed, to grab his attackers shoulders. Using his bigger form, Sweettooth slammed the cat in his paws sideways into the ground, brushing the black tom's muzzle on the way down.
The black tom quickly recovered and got his fore-paws on top of Sweettooth, beginning to batter Sweettooth's spine.
Sweettooth's fore-paws were still on the concussed golden tom and were difficult to move. Instead, Sweettooth heaved hard with his haunches and stretched his neck just enough to bite the black tom's hind-leg.
The black tom let go backwards with a screech. Sweettooth seized the opportunity and pushed forward, stomping and scratching the golden tom's belly with his hind-legs on the way, and raised his fore-paws in upwards, raking the black tom's belly.
Sweettooth stepped aside and the hurt warriors scrambled away. Glancing back to where the rest of the WindClan group was, Sweettooth only saw the large golden warrior, his muscles ripping through his pelt. Sweettooth remembered the warrior was very skilled and reckless, which was only proved by the results of his latest fight. I won't be escaping scratchless.
The golden tom glared at Sweettooth with the anger of a protective father in his eyes. Sweettooth was bigger than his opponent, but not by much. Sweettooth returned a glare and the golden warrior began charging forward, leading Sweettooth to do the same.
The two warriors clashed, grabbing each other by the shoulders. Sweettooth leaned in for a bite on the shoulder but the golden tom managed a dodge. Even though Sweettooth was bigger, he still felt the strength of his opponent pushing him down sideways. Sweettooth decided not to resist the push, and pulled down harder in the same direction.
Sweettooth fell on his flank while his adversary fell head first. Sweettooth bit a golden flank but at the same time felt claws raking his belly.
Sweettooth bit harder and added clawing into his attack while writhing to avoid the attempts at his belly. The golden warrior was writhing too and the two cats began rolling around, locked in a fight of tooth and claw.
Sweettooth's pelt was burning with scratches but he knew that so was his opponent's. The powerful warriors whirled around until Sweettooth suddenly felt the weight of his adversary lighten.
Sweettooth scrambled to his paws and saw Heathertail and Featherpelt pushing the golden warrior away.
"ThunderClan!" The scratched and bitten tom yowled after taking a few steps of his own. "Regroup!"
Around the camp, battles stopped and two lines were formed. There were as many WindClan cats ready to fight as there were RiverClan cats, While the ThunderClan cats seemed to be missing not many more cats than the ones Sweettooth fought. The golden-and-white ThunderClan captive was still frozen in shock behind the shared line of WindClan and RiverClan.
"Why are your warriors here Icewing?" The ruffled golden leader of ThunderClan asked menacingly.
"ThunderClan's attack is unjust, Lionstar." Icewing answered solemnly and briefly.
"If it was, the nursery over there wouldn't have been as peaceful as it is now." Lionstar retorted, pointing his tail at a gorse bush not far from the fighting. "Give us Bayblade and the battle would be over."
"Bayblade would atone for his crimes!" A commanding black she-cat covered in scratches objected.
At the black she-cats words the ThunderClan cats began their charge. At the same time, loud yowling came from behind. Sweettooth glanced backwards to see Reedstar leading more cats into battle. The fresh RiverClan warriors merged with the defending line and together they clashed with the ThunderClan attack.
Sweettooth was met with a flame-colored she-cat, swiftly swiping her fore-paw at his neck. Sweettooth sidestepped and landed a strong blow on the side of her head.
The fiery she-cat raised her fore-legs and grabbed Sweettooth's head, wildly clawing at the back his neck. Sweettooth raised his fore-paws as well and got a good grip on the she-cat's flank. Arching his back, pulling with his shoulders and heaving with his haunches, Sweettooth managed to lift and slam the she-cat into the hard ground. Sweettooth pinned down the she-cat by all four legs and gave her a quick bite on the shoulder.
The screeches of battle were beginning to fade, but Sweettooth saw Reedstar locked in a battle with Lionstar. Though badly wounded, the golden tabby fought skillfully and pinned Reedstar down. Reedstar lay unmoving and Sweettooth noticed that the RiverClan leader is dead. Sweettooth barreled into the golden tabby, taking him off the still leader, and snarled at him.
"Stop!" A loud cry rang through the WindClan camp. The cry came from the prisoner, Bayblade. "Stop the fighting. It is not my wish to have blood on my paws. Lionstar, I can stay here until Whistleclaw returns with proof of my innocence."
"Don't say that!" Lionstar growled, still in the rage of battle. "We can still take you back!"
"Look at you," Bayblade objected. "You have more scratches on you than you have descendents. And look at Sorrelstripe, She needs to be treated, but she won't back down from a fight for her kit. I don't want my clanmates getting hurt any more for me."
Reedstar stood up, now on his last life and faced his killer. "Listen to your warrior, Lionstar." Reedstar meowed with an advising tone. "This is not a battle you can win. Even if you do, you'll lose more than you'd understand."
"We're going." Lionstar ordered his clan after a short pause, while glaring at Reedstar. Lionstar began retreating but turned around for a final statement. "StarClan will know if Bayblade isn't treated well, Nightstar."
The ThunderClan cats all disappeared from sight as they left the moor towards the forest.
"TreAt HiM WEll." Nightstar mocked Lionstar's words. "I'm going to treat my prisoner however I want. If I wish to starve him for his crimes then so I will."
"You certainly would not." Reedstar ordered with a calm flare. "Remember that some of the warriors who saved your clan just now were prisoners themselves. I know firstpaw what it's like, no cat would be held prisoner under such terms. Icewing, how do check-ups every quarter moon sound?"
"They're definitely plausible." Icewing answered, clearly amused.
"And what makes you think I'll allow it?" Nightstar objected.
"You've heard my reasoning." Reedstar retorted. "Would you like me to tell Lionstar he can come pick up his warrior?"
Nightstar did not answer.
"Sweettooth!" Sweettooth heard the high-pitched shrilling of kits as he saw four of them rushing towards him. "Did you get the heather I sent you?" A brown-and-white kit asked.
"Are you a medicine cat?" A white-and-yellow tabby kit questioned
"Why is your tooth so big?" A brown tabby she-kit asked.
"Are you a medicine cat?" A brown-and-white she-kit repeated a previous question.
"Yes, no, I don't know, and no." Sweettooth answered and turned towards the first kit, the one he remembered saving from the mud almost a moon ago. "Do you still have mud in your fur?"
"Applebreeze cleaned me well." The kit answered proudly. "Wait, you don't remember names do you? I'm Rainkit, and these are Wheatkit, Flightkit, and Eaglekit. Shelldawn was supposed to have kits as well right? Are they born yet?"
"Yes," Sweettooth forgot all about his injuries, thinking of his mate and kits. "There's Maplekit, Silverkit, and Torrentkit."
"Rainkit, Wheatkit, Flightkit, Eaglekit," A tired yellow queen came out of the nursery, spotting her kits. "Stop pestering this warrior, you need to sleep."
"Bye Sweettooth." The kits meowed in unison, some stifling a yawn.
"Sweet dreams kits." Sweettooth wished the kits, and turned towards where his clan was preparing to leave.