Chapter 14, saving Moonhowl

Demonshadow thrashed against the waves. She yowled, choking on a mouthful of salty water.

She grabbed onto the entrance to the cave that Ravenshadow had pointed out. She dragged herself inside, with Ravenshadow behind.

"Well," said a high, cruel voice. "You have come to save the fragile little she-cat! I can tell you one thing, you're too late."

Demonshadow bounded into the cave. The cat who was speaking was Thornclaw, but that wasn't what caught her eye. It was a motionless black shape, lying in the shadows.

"Moonhowl!"

Ravenshadow and Demonshadow yowled the name at the same time. They bounded over.

Moonhowl had a gash on her shoulder and claw marks on her flank.

She looked up, and licked Ravenshadow on the cheek. "I love you," she whispered. Her eyes closed and she was still.

Ravenshadow became very still beside Demonshadow.

"No…" he rasped. "It can't be true! Moonhowl!"

Moonhowl…Moonhowl…Moonhowl…

Ravenshadow sat up, his eyes clouded. "No…" he collapsed onto his side.

"Why did you kill her?" Demonshadow demanded, rounding on Thornclaw. Behind him was a bunch of RiverClan warriors.

"I killed her so you and Ravenshadow would come, and now…" Thornclaw paused dramatically, "Ravenshadow will die, and Moonhowl will be mine!"

"How can she be yours?" Demonshadow asked, "When she's dead?"

Thornclaw's eyes flared with anger. "Stonestream did that! He got tired of her, and wrecked my plans!"

Stonestream, a small grey tom, crouched down low, his foreleg bleeding.

Ravenshadow just looked at him. "You…How could you?"

"This doesn't stop anything," Thornclaw meowed. "No matter what, I want that ball of black fur dead! Then I can think that Moonhowl was mine, and not Ravenshadow's!"

Ravenshadow puffed out his fur, and unsheathed his claws. "I will avenge her death!" he snarled, "I will die if I have to!"

Demonshadow stood up. "I will also fight," she meowed. She looked once at Ravenshadow and then jumped at Thornclaw. Ravenshadow pounded foreword, and scored his claws down Stonestream's flank.

Suddenly a cat leaped at Demonshadow, and it was unmistakably…

"Stone!"

OoOoO

Spiderleg looked around. "Where is Thornclaw?" he yowled, "That stupid furball hasn't been here forever!"

"I saw him leaving camp!" a cat yowled, "Maybe we should follow his trail!"

Spiderleg considered this. "I guess so, come on!"

OoOoO

Demonshadow stared, and lost her grip on Thornclaw, "But…But…"

"Rippleclaw, get back!' Thornclaw yowled.

Rippleclaw.

"You… can't!" Demonshadow yowled. Stone was Rippleclaw, the cat who she had met that one time with Hawkfrost.

Rippleclaw looked at her, and didn't say anything.

"I trusted you!" she yowled, suddenly angry, "I trusted you and you were plotting against me all along! You…You…fox!"

He stared at her, and Demonshadow got this funny feeling when his ice blue gaze dug onto her eyes.

Suddenly another cat leapt forward, and it clawed at Demonshadow, but she still stared at Rippleclaw, incredibly angry at him.

Without warning, Rippleclaw put out a paw and whacked the cat. He leapt at it and bit its throat.

"I am on your side," he growled.

Demonshadow leapt foreword, and onto Thornclaw. He twisted around, trying to dislodge her, and she raked her claws down his pelt. He bit her shoulder and flipped over onto his back, battering her underbelly with his hindpaws.

Demonshadow flew off, and collapsed onto a pile of reeds, blood pouring out of her wounds, exhausted, one paw broken.

Not far away, Ravenshadow fought with Stonestream. His actions were furious, and Demonshadow had never seen a cat fight so roughly. Ravenshadow was bleeding from many wounds, and there was a small gash on the back of his neck. His fur flew all over the cave, but he didn't seem to notice his injuries.

Spottedleaf appeared beside Demonshadow.

"We're too late!" Demonshadow spat, "And this is all your fault!"

Ooooo! How do you like that for action?