Chapter 6

Battle of the Clearing

Ever since the gathering and Flametail telling me about the prophecy, I've done my best to do everything to avoid him. I found a thorn stuck in between my toes just the previous day, and despite Russetfur telling me to get it treated, I decided to tear it out with my own teeth. Any scratch of bramble or pinprick of claws that injured me, I refused to see that prophecy-spewing medicine cat.

Something about him concerned him, especially with how much he tried to pry into my affairs. I didn't want to have to think about when I was human, I'd rather embrace as I was now. There is nothing for me in the realm of the living. My mother worked, and my father would hit me for something as minor as dropping a dish onto the floor. The teachers weren't much better, and I never got along with the students.

I built a wall around myself like a hardened shell, and I wasn't going to let anyone in, no matter the cost.

My paws were aching from the distance when Russetfur, Redwillow, and I had returned to camp. A slack squirrel hung from my jaws, fur getting caught in between my teeth and in my throat. I was quick to drop the prize onto the fresh-kill pile and sit down to wipe my whiskers clean of blood.

"You did fine, but remember to keep your tail low." Russetfur sternly reminded me. "We may have caught that robin otherwise." I decided against sassing the older cat, and simply nodded. Russetfur was a good mentor, if a bit harsh at times. She nudged her forehead against my shoulder and sat down. "Redwillow is taking prey to Kinkfur. We can rest and eat for now."

I couldn't help but grin at the offer. I crouched down and took a mouse from the pile and began to share it with my mentor. I appreciate the offer and this moment of bonding I got to have with my mentor. I got used to the taste of blood about a moon ago, but it was always the fur that would get to me.

I flicked my ear when I heard the sound of an erupting yowl coming from the entrance of the camp. I lifted up my head to see a black and white tom with bits of brambles caught to his pelt, which I quickly recognized as Crowfrost. He was panting heavily, and I couldn't help but feel a spike of fear when Russetfur stood up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Flametail dashing past the pair of us to meet Crowfrost. "What happened? Are you injured?"

"No, I'm fine," Crowfrost insisted as he shrugged off Flametail's invasion of space. "But ThunderClan is at the clearing between our borders and demanding we fight for it."

Russetfur tilted her head in confusion. "Why would they even want it? There's nothing there. Firestar even gave it to us when we arrived at the lake."

"We need more warriors, Blackstar's already there." Crowfrost insisted as he continued to struggle for breath. His blue eyes lifted to Russetfur, desperately asking for guidance.

I turned to my mentor, terror flooding my bones. I felt my eyes widen in desperation. "Don't go, it's just a clearing that's not worth fighting over." I tried to insist to her, but my words fell on deaf ears.

"Once Blackstar is set on something, there is little one can do to change his mind." Russetfur replied softly. She barely glanced at me with those stormy gray eyes flickering with an emotion I didn't recognize. She moved past me and turned to face the rest of the Clan, her voice commanding and powerful. "I'm going to take warriors with me to fight. But I am going to need Dawnpelt, Fallenpaw, Ferretpaw, Olivenose, and Crowfrost to stay here. I need every other able bodied warrior and apprentice to come join me in the fight."

"But I want to fight," I hissed in a cold breath, folding back my ears. There wasn't a chance I was going to let my Clanmates run off to fight on their own, especially if this was for a battle as stupid as this was. They were bringing so many cats with them, why couldn't I join so I could fight and prove my loyalty?

Russetfur's eyes turned to me. "No, you're going to stay here. You are a talented fighter, you've proved that to me in our training sessions. I need you to stay behind with the elders and queens and protect them."

"Then have someone else stay back like Pinepaw!" I insisted hotly. I became hyper-aware of my Clanmates watching me, but I found myself not caring. My fur was ruffled out, and a hot desire to fight burned in my blood.

I flinched back when Russetfur padded closer and towered over me, her eyes sharpening into chips of ice. "I am the deputy and you are my apprentice. You will listen to me and stay behind."

I opened my mouth to object, but I felt a cold nose nudge my shoulder. I glanced to see Pinepaw looking at me with a sympathetic dash over her eyes. I locked eyes with her before sighing and sitting down wordlessly.

Russetfur nodded and looked over the remaining warriors. "Let's move out before conflict sparks."

I watched dejectedly as the warriors dashed past me to follow after their deputy into the thickened pine forest. I was not happy with the arrangement to say the least. I lowered my gaze and swallowed back a hiss. Soon I stood back up and began to pace anxiously around the camp. I was itching for a fight, and it didn't help that the rest of the Clan had already left me.

"I'm sorry."

I jumped at the voice, but as I twisted my head around I saw it was only Flametail.

Oh StarClan, why him?

"Have you come to pity me?" I hissed.

He shook his head. "I'm here to be by your side. I'm sure you're rather distressed about Russetfur."

"I'm distressed that everyone's fighting over a stupid clearing of all things. Not once do I ever remember hunting there. It's flattened down and useless for both hunting and herbs." I vented out my frustrations to the medicine cat as I began to pace between him and the entrance. "I just wish Russetfur would trust me to let me fight by her side, it's not fair."

I hated the look of pity in his eyes. "Again, I'm sorry."

"I think I'm just going to go anyway." I turned my head in the direction of the camp entrance.

"Please don't," Flametail begged worriedly. "It's not worth it, you said so yourself."

As I turned to him, I gave a devilish grin and a snort. "Makes me want to go help all the more."

He looked me over, realizing that his attempt to stop me was rather futile. The medicine cat sighed and brushed his pelt up against mine. "I'll go with you, and only to watch. You have to promise only to jump in if things start to look dire."

The thought of making a promise to this religious crackhead was as pleasing to me as sticking my hand in a blender. I crinkled my nose and made a point to lash my tail. "Fine." I relented and walked past him. "Let's go."

I nodded quickly at him before glancing briefly at the other cats left behind in the camp, pacing back and forth in apprehension and worry. They seemed unconcerned about me or Flametail in the slightest. This was a perfect opportunity. I was quick to follow the scent trail that Russetfur and the others had left behind when they left the camp. Flametail's acrid scent of herbs and flowers trailed not far from behind me. Their tracks and smell was still fresh, it wasn't difficult to follow through the winding trees and thick underbrush to find them.

I remembered the promise that I had made to Flametail not even moments prior: I wasn't to step in unless the situation looked dire. I hadn't even engaged in proper combat yet, I wasn't even sure what to expect. As the two of us pushed on, my ears picked up the distant sounds of yowling and scuffling. Looking over my shoulder to Flametail, I watched the medicine cat nod softly.

We crept slowly through the forest toward the sounds of battle until we were both settled on the crest of a small incline overlooking the clearing if we peeked in between the tangled branches of brambles and ferns. When I peered through, I reeled back in surprise when I saw splatters of blood and cats fallen limp in the clearing grass. Something dropped in my stomach, and I knew it was despair.

The scent of apprehension and fear came off of Flametail in waves. He was crouched next to me, shaking like a leaf trembling in the autumn breeze. I saw him swallow hard and a pit settled in my stomach. Slowly, I turned to the battlefield below the two of us and I scanned for a mass of darkened red fur. I found what I was looking for, as Russetfur was clinging to a large, ginger tabby tom with bright green eyes. Her jaws were fixed on his throat, refusing to break free. The scent of blood was almost overpowering and it took every ounce of willpower to prevent myself from rushing back to camp.

"What is she doing? She's going to kill Firestar!" Flametail wheezed out barely audible.

I wanted to jump in and help, but my paws were glued to the ground. I was unable to move, frozen with decision paralysis. Even if she was my mentor, the thought of her taking someone else's life didn't settle in my belly correctly. I slowly stood up from my position, trying to figure out what to do. "I need to stop her," I gasped.

Flametail opened his mouth to speak but he and I both flipped our eyes to see a massive golden tom barrelling toward Firestar and Russetfur. He lunged directly at her, swiping a claw across her flank in an attempt to free her grip on the ThunderClan leader. I felt my mouth open in a wordless wail when the ginger tom sank to his stomach and Lionblaze hitched his claws into the she-cat's throat, yanking her backwards to scramble in the blood and dirt.

I couldn't stand by any longer. As though something possessed me, I slid down the slope of brambles and stones, uncaring that blood was now weeping from multiple cuts on my pawpads. I dashed over to the golden tom and headbutted his shoulder with all of my strength to push him off of my mentor. He was caught off guard, as he stumbled backwards and off from Russetfur.

I was panting desperately, trying to catch my breath. "Russetfur, wake up!" I pleaded with her. I didn't want my last conversation with her to be of anger, she needed to wake up. I pressed my paws over her shoulders, digging my pinpricks of claws into her fur to try and get some sort of reaction out of her. I didn't feel any breath from her, her eyes were wide open and clouded with the look of death. A sob welled up in my throat as I released a wail of despair.

"You killed Russetfur!" I could barely hear Owlclaw from nearby. I tightly shut my eyes as I draped myself over her.

"I-I didn't do anything!" The golden tabby defended vehemently as he scrambled to his paws.

I pressed my muzzle into her neck fur, attempting to sense a pulse but I found nothing, only a deafening silence. "Russetfur, please…" I begged quietly. She couldn't be dead, the tom only lurched her away from his leader, this seemed barely plausible. How could this have even happened? Still, a smouldering rage began to burn in my stomach. I felt my blood turn to ice as I snapped my gaze up to glare at him instinctively. "Why?" I asked him quietly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Blackstar barged past the tom and loomed over Russetfur's limp form. He pressed his nose to her cheek, and I could see that my leader was trembling. "Russetfur! Get up!" He shook her with his large, coal black paws but she didn't stir.

I couldn't control myself, I whipped back to the tom and lunged at him, claws outstretched. He gasped in surprise as the two of us barrelled into the dirt. I felt tears prick in my throat as only hisses and animalistic cries emerged. I swiped at him, but he ducked his head away and kicked his powerful hind legs into my stomach to push me away. With a cry, I scrambled over the clearing and shuffled my paws to get up. "You murdered her!" I accused hotly as I felt a well of blood growing on my stomach.

"Enough!" A voice from the other end of the clearing rang out. A bracken colored tom shoved away Ratscar and lowered his head in a hiss. "The battle is won, the clearing is ours. Do you concede or shall we fight for it again?"

Blackstar flashed a look of burning hatred over his shoulder to the gathered cats of ThunderClan. "Take it, it was never worth the blood that has been spilled here today."

More of the ShadowClan warriors gathered around Russetfur's body and released anguished wails from their throats. I could hear over my shoulder as there was a commotion over Firestar apparently losing a life. I blinked in surprise and turned around to glance. Sure enough, Firestar was dead. A hollow pit formed in my lungs as I sucked in cold air. "H-He's de-"

"Firestar is a leader, he has multiple lives." Tigerheart explained to me from nearby as he stood up from where was crouched next to Russetfur. "He is going to be fine."

I found it difficult to believe, but I decided to believe my Clanmate. I looked back to the limp form of Russetfur, holding my breath and praying against all odds that she would wake up. Yet in front of me, there was no response. I rested my muzzle in her fur and began to silently weep.

This is what it means to be a warrior.