CLANLIFE
This is an account of all the stories (in correct order) that have happened to the cats of ThunderClan. These tales will begin just after a great flood that has destroyed most of ThunderClan and RiverClan. In these times the Clan leader Greystar was sick with greencough and sent his deputy, Lionheart, to the gathering instead. That day the Clan was struck with a massive flood and the cats could not return from the Gathering. When they finally were able to get back they found everyone who was left in the camp to be dead.
LOVE YOU FOREVER - BoneClan Territory - Moonrise
Lionstar didn't bother to reply, but leaped at Metalstar, catching her off guard. He yowled out to the other cats who joined him in the attack, leaping into battle against the opposing cats.
The battle moved quickly into BoneClan territory, as Lionstar continued his fight near the edge of the Thunderpath, dodging Metalstar's massive claws while making sure to get some of his own blows in. He found himself tiring quickly, however, but refused to give up.
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Meanwhile, Greyclaw found himself locked in battle against Redclaw. The tom was indeed capable to killing Tallstar; he was much bigger and stronger then Greyclaw, though the grey tom found that he was faster.
He darted around, dodging many blows and having many of his own blows dodged as well. Blood splattered the ground as the fight wore on. Sometimes Greyclaw found that Redclaw was on top of him, bearing down on him with teeth flashing in the dim light that seemed to arise from the earth itself. Other times the ThunderClan deputy found himself atop the black tom who would knock him off easily as if he weighed nothing. All the while the forest in the sky stretched across the limits of their vision, touching the ground at the horizon.
A yowl split the air and Greyclaw wriggled underneath the heavy form of Redclaw, trying desperately to free himself. Finally he managed to knock the tom off balance and quickly rolled away before getting clumsily to his paws.
-----
The two black cats were hardly visible in the darkness as they wrestled, clawing at biting each other, staining the ground with blood. Claws flashed in the earth-light as they fought, and the blows came harder and harder on the smaller cat.
Crowpaw.
Shadowpaw had recognized her the second he caught sight of her small form cowering behind her mentor. She looking far from as brave as she had when he'd first fought her, of course then it was WindClan with the advantage. Now she was at his mercy with no one to protect her from being torn to ribbons.
A glance up from the battle told the ThunderClan apprentice that they were approaching Carrionplace, and the scent of the gentile nighttime wind told him that they were far from the heart of the battle now. All he needed to do was glance up for Crowpaw to take advantage. She leaped upwards, landing on top of him and crushing Shadowpaw to the ground. Hissing, he attempted to roll over but failed and found himself trapped uncomfortably under the WindClan she-cat. He tried again, shaking and twitching, anything to get out from under Crowpaw. Finally he gave in and lay still, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Concentrate...
"What's going on at Carrionplace?" Demanded Shadowpaw finally. "That place killed Mistyfur, I deserve an explanation."
Crowpaw's weight shifted and Shadowpaw managed to shake her off. He spun around towards her, claws unsheathed, but stopped in his tracks when he saw her. The small black she-cat was curled up in a ball whimpering. "I don't know. Redclaw won't tell anyone. Everyone knew he was up to something. He was using Tallstar and he killed him because no it's too late. Give up!" She looked up at Shadowpaw, her pupils almost invisible in her big yellow eyes, both brimming with despair. "There's no going back now."
Shadowpaw shook his head as the yellow of Crowpaw's eyes consumed her pupils compleatly. "No, Crowpaw, what-"
By now the twitching had started, exactly as it had happened to Mistyfur. "Oh! The blood! Spilling! Draining! Ah- Alchemical! Dominant! Alchemical dominant!" Hollared the apprentice.
"No!" Gasped Shadowpaw panicking. "No, Lionstar will win..."
"Alchemical!"
"TunderClan..."
"Dominant!"
"RiverClan..."
"Alchemical!"
"StarClan..."
This time there was a pause before Crowpaw bellowed the next word, "Dominant!"
"No! StarClan! StarClan dominant! We will win!"
"Al...chemic...al..." The uncertainty in her voice was clear and Shadowpaw was sure he could make out thin slashes of black through those deep pools of yellow.
"StarClan!"
"StarClan..." She whispered.
"Dominant!"
"Dominant..." Echoed Crowpaw, nodding slightly.
"StarClan Dominant!"
Her next reaction was the last thing Shadowpaw expected; the small WindClan apprentice burst out sobbing, her anguished cries echoing through the night. Feeling sorry for her, Shadowpaw moved over to comfort her. As he did so, Crowpaw looked up again and let out a horrified yowl. "No! It's her!"
Shadowpaw turned slowly to see Metalstar looming over him. A few tail-lengths back stood a breathless Lionstar, mouthing words he had not the breath to voice.
"Alchemical..." Whispered Shadowpaw, staring defiantly up at the BoneClan leader.
"Metalstar to you, kitty-pet." She said coldly, shoving him aside so that she was standing over Crowpaw, who cowered at her feet, whimpering miserably. With her big metal claws, Metalstar removed the apprentices head.
Shadowpaw turned away from the gruesome sight, just as Lionstar regained his breath and charged at the black she-cat.
"Run!" He commanded as he ran, pushing off the ground and ramming himself into his enemy.
Shadowpaw didn't need telling twice. He turned and ran, and only when he stopped to catch his breath and looked up did he realize that he was standing before the metal wire walls of Carrionplace.
-----
Take deep breaths. Greyclaw staggered, his body felt numb and beaten. He waved his paw blindly in front of him, too dizzy to make sense of the swirling images of Redclaw before him. Hot pain burned through his left side, though died away to a dull pain like the rest of his body had before it. Again he swiped for the black warrior and again he missed. The strength going nowhere put him off balance and he stumbled forwards, collapsing to the ground, dazed and uncoordinated.
Looming above him was Redclaw, his face set in a victorious grin. He won; in a few more moments Greyclaw would be dead.
-----
Jumppaw felt numb. She wasn't sure how she'd managed to survive this long, but apparently she had. As far as she could tell, being apprenticed early had no advantages as she'd expected it to have. Simply having a name ending in 'paw' did not give her strength, it was training that did that; she was still a kit, no matter what her name was. No matter how wise she was. Jumppaw was a still a kit, a kit who would die to save her Clan, but a kit nonetheless.
All thoughts of being a kit along with her numbness vanished as she caught sight of two cats fighting near ShadowClan camp. She stood, frozen to the spot as two cats, an orange tabby and a blind black and white tom, tore across the clearing towards them. Towards Redclaw and Greyclaw.
The black and white tom threw himself at Redclaw, bowling him over. Greyclaw did not get up, but lay where he was, looking utterly confused while the orange tom looked over him.
It took a few minutes before it finally registered in Jumppaw's brain that the black and white one was Tallstar.
-----
Grayclaw could only stare in awe as the mutilated form of Tallstar flew over him, knocking Redclaw away.
"I thought you were dead!" He heard Redclaw yowl. With an immense effort, Greyclaw rolled over to see the two toms. They were standing eye-to-eye socket, seizing each other up.
"StarClan has granted me another life in the name of revenge!" Roared Tallstar, charging blindly forwards. Redclaw sidestepped and raised a claw, splitting opened his former leader's side. A tortured cry arose from the old warrior. He'd lived a long life, Greyclaw knew. Tallstar had been respected by all cats, even Firestar who had fought along side him at the battle against BloodClan so many moons ago. And now Tallstar was dead.
-----
The young tortishell she-cat watched in horror as Tallstar's body fell for the last time. It took much effort to keep herself from crying out at the loss of such a fine warrior, and possibly WindClan's last hope.
The spellbound apprentice watched as Redclaw moved back over Greyclaw and the orange tom backed away, ears flattened against his skull. A smile spread across the murderous WindClan leader's face and he raised his gaze to the forest above them to watch as a howl of pain errupted from Tallstar's spirit as a red flash of light erupted above the sky-forest. Redclaw laughed.
Suddenly Jumppaw dashed forwards, leaping at Redclaw and catching his throat in her claws. She moved them away and bit down hard until all she could taste, smell and see was blood. Redclaw shook her off and opened his mouth to cry out. Only a dull gurgling sound was emitted along with a stream of blood that matted the fur on his black muzzle.
Outraged, Redclaw leaped at Jumppaw, slashing her chest with the last of his strength. And the last words Redclaw ever heard were said with so much anguish that the WindClan leader almost felt sorry for these cats, but not quite.
-----
"Jumppaw!" Cried Greyclaw and tried to say something more, but his voice caught in his throat so that all he could do was sob.
Jumppaw smiled sadly up at him where she lay in the grass, bubbles of dark blood blossoming from her chest where Redclaw's claws had torn through her flesh. "I love you." She whispered, her eyes falling closer.
"Jumppaw..." Greyclaw found he was smiling too. Getting painfully to his paws, he leaned over Jumppaw, flattening down the fur on her forehead with his tongue. "...Whitestorm would be proud."
Jumppaw bobbed her head slightly and purred. "Died like a warrior..."
"And lived like one too."
Her body fell limp and Greyclaw watched as he spirit rose towards the forest in the sky. An anguished cry split the air as it reached the tree tops, and in an explosion of red light it disappeared. Jumppaw was gone. His Jumppaw. Something was wrong.
Greyclaw turned franticly, searching the battlegrounds for Metalstar. She would know what was going on. He felt his nose collide with something hard and smelling of smoke. He looked up into the face of a dusty grey tom who leaned down, taking him by the scruff of the neck and lifting him into the air. A rumbling laugh echoed around him before everything went black.
A/N: A tribute to Greyclaw: like most of the ThunderClan cats, Greyclaw is based off a real cat known as Grey. He dissapeared a while ago after his owners recieved a threatening note to keep him inside. During his time here he was the nicest cat ever. May he live happily up in StarClan.