Squirrelflight's POV now, people. I might go back to Leafpool next chappie (probably the one after, you'll see why after you read this one). Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and I hope you like the update!
She avoided him. That was it. She just didn't speak to Brambleclaw, didn't go near him, didn't even look at him. Firestar knew what she was doing, and she knew that he thought it was his fault, because of what he'd said. But the thing was that it wasn't. It went much deeper than that. It was because, deep down, Squirrelflight didn't trust him anymore, and she couldn't lie to herself any longer and say that she did.
The warriors were gathered around Firestar a few mornings later, waiting for orders for hunting and patrols. Squirrelflight bounded over in time for him to tell them all about the rouges that Leafpool and Sorreltail had scented on hunting patrol.
Rouges! thought Squirrelflight, alarmed. But why didn't Leafpool tell me?
Her sister had been so distracted lately. Squirrelflight couldn't tell if there was something really wrong, or if it was perhaps the foreboding message she'd recieved from StarClan, the night she'd recieved her full name. Or maybe she'd gotten another message, since then?
"Dustpelt," meowed Firestar, "I want you to patrol that whole area, up the WindClan border and over. Take Rainwhisker and Thornclaw with you."
The senior warrior nodded and gathered the two younger cats. Then they set off for the camp entrance. Squirrelflight watching until her father called her name. "Squirrelflight," he told her, "I want you to head up the ShadowClan border. Take Whitepaw, Spiderleg, and...Brambleclaw with you."
Squirrelflight stared at him, knowing that he had called Brambleclaw on purpose. She felt a prickle of anger at him for getting involved, but knew that she couldn't argue. Instead she headed for the exit after Dustpelt with her head held high, the other three cats behind her.
As they trooped up the ShadowClan border, Squirrelflight kept her nose to the air, still ignoring Brambleclaw as best as she could when he was right behind her.
"I smell ShadowClan," Spiderleg mewed, lashing his tail.
"We're right by their border," Brambleclaw pointed out. "What else would you smell?"
"But it's strong," Squirrelflight realized. "And fresh. Too fresh. They hunted here, on our side of the border!"
"And sprayed their scent," added Spiderleg, sniffing at a tree and recoiling. "As if this is their side of the border."
"Wait!" meowed Whitepaw suddenly, her green eyes flaring a warning. "ShadowClan warriors! They're coming!"
The ThunderClan cats had just enough time to prepare themselves before some ShadowClan cats appeared out of the undergrowth. Rowanclaw was at their head, and hostility was cold in all their eyes.
"What are you doing here?" hissed the ginger tom, padding up to them. The two ShadowClan cats behind him glared, their fur bristling, and another one, younger -probably an apprentice- sprang to their side. Squirrelflight noted that they would be evenly matched, should it come to a fight.
"We aren't in your territory," Brambleclaw meowed, flattening his ears. Squirrelflight glanced at him. Was it just her, or was he too quick to grow hostile? Spiderleg, however, didn't seem to have any objection. The young black warrior snarled, a low growl in his throat. Whitepaw's fluffy pelt that she had inherited from Cloudtail was bristling.
"You passed our scent marking," Rowanclaw informed them, narrowing his eyes.
Squirrelflight remembered the ShadowClan scent marker that had been too close, inside ThunderClan land. But we haven't passed the border! she thought. Why are they acting like this is their territory? "We're still a couple of tail-lengths away," she meowed, feeling herself getting angry. Maybe Brambleclaw was right.
"It's not surprising," meowed one of the warriors behind Rowanclaw. "ThunderClan doesn't mentor their apprentices well enough to tell when they pass borders!"
Fury flared in Squirrelflight's mind, and she threw herself forward upon the tom, noting that it was she and not Brambleclaw that had started the fight. Screeching, they tumbled over in the undergrowth. Squirrelflight faintly heard the others join the battle, but she was soon completely focused on her own struggle.
She sank her teeth deep in the shoulder of the gray-and-white tom while her claws shredded his sides, but he wriggled free like a fish and dove forward, pinning her to the ground. She writhed as his hind claws dug at her soft belly, and, as she felt her fur being ripped free of her, she felt her claws dig into him. Seizing her chance she kicked viciously out, flinging him into a tree where he slumped to the ground, stunned.
Squirrelflight looked around and saw Spiderleg swiping at the other ShadowClan warrior while Whitepaw and the other apprentice danced back and forth, claws extended, teeth glaring in the sunlight. Rowanclaw and Brambleclaw spat and snarled, striking at one another. The dark tabby didn't look like he needed any help, and neither did Brackenfur's apprentice, so she instead headed for Spiderleg, leaping onto the back of his opponent, grasping a firm hold on him. He screeched, flipping over to dislodge her, but Spiderleg leaped when he did, and delivered a bite to his ear.
Sudden cries reached Squirrelflight's ears, and she turned in horror to see two more ShadowClan cats heading their way, one of them Cedarheart, one of the cats that had attacked the WindClan camp. She threw herself upon the gray tom, rage lending her all the strength she needed. But she had underestimated Cedarheart's power, and he met her readily, unbalancing her while the other ShadowClan cat charged from the side. Squirrelflight was pinned to the turf, both cats looming over her, long claws extended, teeth bared. "Brambleclaw!" she cried out instinctively.
A dark shadow leaped out of nowhere, large paws knocking aside one of the warriors while Cedarheart turned in shock. Squirrelflight heaved herself to her paws, her eyes registering that it wasn't Brambleclaw that had saved her- he was still locked in battle with Rowanclaw. It was a gray cat that had saved her, moving so fast as he tussled with Cedarheart that she couldn't make out any more than that. Ashfur? she wondered, and then had no more time to wonder as the cat that Ashfur had knocked aside sprang at her. She dropped into a crouch and let him sail over her, spinning around once he was over. She snagged his fur in her claws and threw him into the dust. He fell on his side but got up swiftly, fleeing with a startled howl.
The cat that Spiderleg fought was quick to follow, as well as the one that Squirrelflight had knocked against the tree. Brambleclaw lifted a paw and scored his claws across Rowanclaw's face, and the ShadowClan cat spat in pain and anger, his eyes searing into them all before he followed his companions. The apprentice that Whitepaw was battling went scrambling after, a warning bite from the young she-cat increasing his speed.
Now only Ashfur and Cedarheart were left. As the others watched, Ashfur bit deep into Cedarheart's hind leg. The gray cat ripped his limb free, letting out a hiss before he too left. Ashfur let out a growl of satisfaction before he turned to face the others.
And that was when Squirrelflight realized that it wasn't Ashfur at all.
Who is it? Read the next chappie to find out! Reviews are appriciated, thanx!