Chapter 6, the fight

Rainpaw and Blackpaw soon became friends. Good friends.

Anytime it looked like Rainpaw was in danger, Blackpaw would dash in and save her. Anytime it looked like Blackpaw was in danger, Rainpaw would dash in and save her. They would risk their lives for each other.

It was one moon since Rainpaw had fallen off the cliff. Chaffinchfur was teaching Rainpaw how to fight.

Chaffinchfur strode over to her. "Training! We'll do fighting today. Your little flipping over trick won't win over me today."

Rainpaw growled very faintly in her throat. She knew that Chaffinchfur thought she thought that he had saved her on the cliff. He was trying to make Rainpaw adore him.

Rainpaw gave Blackpaw's ear a quick lick. For a WindClan cat, Blackpaw had unusually short legs. Rainpaw's legs were even longer then they were before, and most cats were shorter then her.

Rainpaw raced to catch up with Chaffinchfur, who was already climbing down the rise. She was with him in the little clearing in a heartbeat.

He faced her, crouching down in the sand. Rainpaw copied his position, drawing her ears back and hissing at him.

She leaped across the ground and onto his back. Her claws scratched his flank, but he rolled over. Slowly. Chaffinchfur was not a good fighter.

Rainpaw was crushed underneath him. She slipped her legs under his back and kicked him halfway across the clearing. She sprang to her paws and in a flash had him flipped over and trapped beneath her paws.

"Good," Chaffinchfur coughed on a mouthful of sand. "You will be a warrior soon. That will be enough for today, I think." He was clearly disappointed that he had lost the tussle so easily.

Rainpaw raced ahead of him back to camp. The sun was setting, and most cats were sliding off to bed. Rainpaw walked over to the fresh-kill pile. There was nothing left.

Deciding she wasn't hungry, Rainpaw walked over to the apprentices den and fell asleep.

OoOoO

Rainpaw awoke with a start. She rushed into the camp. What was that? A shadow. A slinking shadow. A snap, a whisper, a mew. The whole of ThunderClan poured into the camp.

"ThunderClan warriors!" Rainpaw yowled.

The WindClan cats pulled themselves out of the dens. In a screeching fury Onestar and Ashfoot raced at Rainwhisker and Spiderleg. Flowermask and Woodheart, to young warriors, leapt onto Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather and Brambleclaw were a tight knot of black and brown fur.

Rainpaw caught sight of Firestar sitting with Sorreltail at the edge of the camp. She could see where they were going to attack-an elderly queen with a swollen stomach.

With a screech of fury Rainpaw leaped over the heads of many fighting cats. The jump was a long one, but Rainpaw landed right on Firestar's flank.

Firestar's eyes flashed with anger. He gave a yowl-a calling yowl, and RiverClan cats rushed into the already crowded clearing.

Giving Firestar a scratch to the neck, Rainpaw sprang off him and onto a RiverClan tom. His claws raked her flank and she twisted quickly to avoid a bite to the shoulder.

She bit his ear, wishing she hadn't leapt on such a hard cat to battle. She felt his teeth sink into her hind leg, and she yelped in pain. In a heartbeat she scratched his shoulder and scrambled away, vanishing into the battle.

A scrawny calico raced up to her. Rainpaw reared up on her hind legs, her claws slashing the calico's face. She seemed not to notice, scratching Rainpaw's shoulder and then biting it. Blood trickled down her foreleg.

They both leapt at each other. Rainpaw's claws slashed her chest, but the calico's teeth chinked right behind her left eye.

The pain was torturous. Blood trickled down Rainpaw's cheek. With a furious screech Rainpaw bit the calico's throat, but it did not kill the cat. The calico stood up and raced out of the camp screeching "Bloody murder!"

Rainpaw stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She hurriedly liked her wounds then stood up to watch the battle and attack another cat.

Crowfeather and Brambleclaw were engaged in the fight of there lives. Owlfur and Cloudtail were wrestling equally.

Then it caught her eye. Chaffinchfur was struggling under two huge RiverClan toms.

Rainpaw leaped at one tom. She scratched it, and it scratched her belly and chest, and then sunk its teeth into her foreleg. Rainpaw flipped it over with speed, and drove her teeth into its throat, and it died.

Blackpaw dashed up to her and together they bit and scratched the other one, until it screeched and dashed into the night.

Rainpaw saw a dark shape emerge behind Blackpaw. There was a flash of scarlet blood and a shrill squeal, but Rainpaw saw no more as a tabby cat leapt on her and pinned her down. They wrestled for a moment until the tabby had enough and left. Rainpaw looked around. There was no sign of Blackpaw.

RiverClan had had enough. They fled, tails tucked beneath them.

That made ThunderClan angry. They plunged after the RiverClan warriors and were gone.

WindClan was a battered mess. Several cats gathered around Onestar. Owlfur lay panting on the ground. Crowfeather lay down on his side and closed his eyes. Woodheart and Flowermask were licking each other's wounds. Weaselfur and Ashfoot sat side by side, there eyes closed. Puddlepaw was dead. Frecklepaw was whimpering next to her body. Chaffinchfur and Tortoisepelt were talking quietly about the battle.

Rainpaw lay down on the blood stained ground. Her eyes traveled over the wounded cats and landed on Blackpaw.

Rainpaw stood up and walked over to her.Blackpaw lay on the ground, sides heaving as she fought for breath.

"Blackpaw?" Rainpaw whispered.

Blackpaw's eyes flew open. Her eyes stared right at Rainpaw.

Her voice was a ragged whisper. "I…thank you…for being…my…friend."

Rainpaw just listened in silence. She crouched by the black cat, her amber eyes staring at her face.

"I will remember you, when I am in StarClan. Good…bye."

Her head fell back and her eyes closed. The air left her lungs and she was still.

Blackpaw was dead.

Dead.

Oh.

I killed off Blackpaw! Sorry for the bore of her dying words.