Ugly
What more was there for me to say? It was all bad, all treacherous, all ugly.
Night hovered like a ominous void over BoulderClan. The sky lay stark, completely barren of color and light, where the only source of illumination came from the glow of their eyes in the dark. Not even the watchful gaze of StarClan could be discerned. The absence of stars set a eerie tone to the air that Hollypaw found she could not shake.
They were amassed in the center of camp near the leader's boulder. Each of them lay in silence, their stares purposeful and watchful before the BoulderClan deputy's command. Brackentail stood boldly while returning their attention. Power could be seen rippling across his wide shoulders as he rolled them back, loosening himself up.
"There'll be two waves," he stated at once. "One lead by myself and the other lead by Swiftstep." He nodded briefly towards the slender tom. "My group will be the one that initiates the battle. We'll be in the heart of CloudClan when it happens. Our goal will be to draw them outside their camp where Swiftstep's group will lay in wait for attack, supplying us with the advantage of surprise."
She honestly wanted no part in the battle. The longer she stood there among the group, the tighter her apprehension became. When her name had come up as a participant in the raid on CloudClan, her initial response had been to vehemently protest. Inflicting harm on another cat was not something she felt she could do anymore. The moons spent talking with Falconpaw had convinced her nothing good could from this sort of thing.
There are others who think the same. I've talked to them.
Her thoughts drifted to some of the CloudClan apprentices she'd briefly spoken to. They'd be there when Brackentail led the charge into their home, completely unawares and defenseless. For the short time that they'd talk, what Hollypaw had to say had interested them. It didn't feel right invading cats that shared some of her disdain for Clan on Clan violence.
Say we go out and completely batter CloudClan into submission, what then? Hollypaw wondered to herself, standing near the back of the group. No one here can really expect it to just end there? While everyone's so desperate to pay CloudClan back, have any of them even considered once that they can easily just do the exact same thing to us? You hurt them, they hurt us. It just repeats over and over from there.
That wasn't even the worst of her thoughts. What happens if we lose? It was something that even she didn't want to consider.
So saying all that, why was she here? Truthfully, ulterior motives were the driving force behind her decision to remain apart of Brackentail's charge. A idealistic voice located in the back of her head half hoped that she may be able to help reduce some of the damage. It was wishful thinking for a reason. The other reason for joining came in a physical form.
"Oakclaw, Ashfur, Duskpelt, Redpaw, and Sagepaw are with me," Brackentail called out, making Hollypaw's body tense. "Roseblossom, Bluefoot, Lilypaw, and Hollypaw, you'll be joining Swiftstep."
Her eyes immediately shot to the back of Redpaw. He was standing next to Oakclaw, completely absorbed in Brackentail's instructions while oblivious to her worry. Was he prepared for something like this? She wondered.
Discovering that he'd been chosen as part of the attack might've been even more shocking than being picked herself. There'd been a significant lapse in their communication lately, what with them both becoming so involved in their own separate ventures, but she still considered the ginger tom a very close friend that she'd be devastated to see any harm come to. Part of the reason she'd become so enraptured by Falconpaw's ideas for the future were because of him. Leaving him alone to such danger was not something that she could abide by.
Brackentail was wrapping up his final instructions just as Hollypaw refocused to catch the parting words."Say your goodbyes and prepare yourselves, everyone. We leave momentarily."
The group began to lightly disperse apart into pairs. Roseblossom and Bluefoot padded over to engage Swiftstep in conversation about details involving the terrain of CloudClan's territory while Brackentail, Ashfur, and Duskpelt were huddled together discussing possible entry points into the camp. A bit further off to themselves lay Crowstar and Oakclaw, who appeared almost idle, in low tones that Hollypaw was unable to decipher.
That just left the four apprentices.
"I can't believe we were the ones chosen for this," Lilypaw said in awe. She was a pure white cat apprenticed around the same time as the rest of them that usually hung with a different batch of apprentices that Hollypaw wasn't particularly close with.
"That's because my father knows who the best of the best are out of the apprentices," Sagepaw replied proudly, raising his chin in the air.
"Then why are you here?" Hollypaw snipped, causing Sagepaw to growl in response.
"The better question is why are you here, Hollypaw? You didn't even want this battle to happen."
"I still don't. Since its unavoidable though, I might as well make sure that you don't blunder about doing something mousebrained that will get you hurt."
Sagepaw's fur ruffled in agitation as Hollypaw knew it would. The russet tom's mouth fixed in a scowl. On the verge of snapping, he opened his mouth to speak before suddenly getting cut off.
"Hey, don't worry," Redpaw spoke up, drawing the attention of the other three apprentices. "We'll be fine. We've all trained for this."
Had they? Hollypaw wondered. Mock battles were one thing. In it there were restrictions - claws sheathed at all times while closely oversaw by a warrior. This battle would involve none of that. Cats would be out there aiming to deliberately hurt the other, using any means they saw fit in order to come out victorious.
The ginger tom radiated confidence as he spoke though, Hollypaw noticed. His demeanor was calm, making him appear the part of a tom sure of his ability. This wasn't the Redpaw she was used to. Something had clearly changed about him in the moons they'd been apart. Was she the only one that had not noticed?
"He's right. This is a important moment for all of you. Now go out there and play your respective roles."
Not a single one of them ever detected his arrival. It was as though he'd materialized from thin air with how immediate his presence was. Behind Redpaw towered Oakclaw, his mentor. The brown tabby gazed down at them with a look of mild amusement. His voice had carried out like birdsung, circling around their heads in a manner that caused their ears to ring.
Oakclaw's emergence had caught the rest of them off guard, all except Redpaw. Hollypaw watched in stunned silence while the ginger tom merely turned towards his burly mentor and gave a single obedient nod as his reply. This definitely wasn't the cat that she had seen meekly tail after the massive warrior at the end of their apprentice ceremony.
She felt her insides squirm as Oakclaw's eyes passed over her. Even now, she still wasn't entirely comfortable around him. Maybe that was what surprised her so much about Redpaw's behavior. He looked so secure and right at home in front of the large tabby. As she sat back examining the two toms body language, she couldn't help but ponder if it was Oakclaw's doing in the ginger apprentice appearing so different?
"We're moving out!" Brackentail's voice washed over them.
They ushered about to the gorse tunnel where Brackentail and Swiftstep lay in wait for them. Padding up behind the group as they geared depart, Crowstar paused to survey the lot of them.
"I wish you luck," he spoke. "May StarClan guide your path and keep you all safe in this dire time."
Brackentail dipped his head. "Don't worry, Crowstar. I'll ensure that we return victorious. I swear it on BoulderClan's name."
Crowstar's face held an unreadable expression as Brackentail gave the signal for them to exit. Hollypaw couldn't help looking back in concern at the lone solitary figure of her leader in the night. Would they really be all right?
The scent of pine filtered through Hollypaw's nose as they skirted across CloudClan. Woodland was surprisingly sparse here. The underbrush itself was quite scarce with several wide foxlength gaps between trees being the only thing to actually populate the area.
Hollypaw wasn't used to such a bare absence of grass beneath her paws. The ground lacked the familiarity she got when romping through their own territory. It felt much too smooth and open. She found that she missed the curl and tickle that she would get with each step she'd take back in BoulderClan.
With Brackentail at the lead, they continued their pursuit through CloudClan. Momentarily bringing the group to a half, Brackentail sent Swiftstep up ahead to scour for any CloudClan night patrols prowling about. It wouldn't do them any good to get caught so close now, though silently Hollypaw hoped for this. The Swiftstep returned not long after, relaying to the deputy that there was no visible sign of any opposition.
"Good," he nodded, turning to view the rest of them, "the CloudClan camp isn't too faraway from this position. We'll be splitting up now into our assigned groups now. Remember, while my group is the one that will invade the camp and rouse the Cloud cats into a frenzy, Swiftstep's group will be lingering on the outside in wait for ambush as we lure them out into the open. The confusion will work to our benefit, but it'll be pretty hectic from then on, so watch out for your Clanmates." There was a pause as Brackentail's eyes individually passed over each of them. "Remember, we're here to uphold BoulderClan's name. Defeat is not something we will accept tonight. Now let's go."
The group divided into two halves. On one side stood Brackentail, Oakclaw, Duskpelt, Ashfur, Sagepaw, and finally Redpaw. On the other lay Swiftstep, Roseblossom, Bluefoot, Lilypaw, and Hollypaw herself. Brackentail gave a final nod to their group and then departed off in a romp with the collection of his cats tailing closely behind.
Hollypaw felt her chest restrict at the quickly dissipating forms of her Clanmates. Would they really be all right? As long as she was stuck there with Swiftstep and the others there was absolutely nothing that she could do for them.
Just stay safe, she pleaded inside her head. Redpaw stay safe, please. And you too, Sagepaw. Put those big badger paws of yours to use for once and protect yourself. You and Redpaw.
"Come on," Swiftstep called to them, beginning to pad away. "We'll be heading the opposite direction towards their camp."
The rest followed in tandem with Hollypaw bringing up the rear.
"What's CloudClan camp like? How will we know it when we see it?" asked Lilypaw.
"It's not much different from ours actually," Swiftstep answered back. "It's completely surrounded by a perimeter of brambles that makes it so there's only one entrance in and out of it. Thankfully for us, we don't intend to fight them in such a confined space."
A morbid thought occurred to Hollypaw. "What about the possibility that they're not able to get out?"
"Hollypaw!" Roseblossom snapped angrily.
"What?" she shot back. "It's a honest question!"
Before a full blown argument could escalate between the two she-cats, Swiftstep expertly slipped in to diffuse the situation. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Now focus you two. We need to hurry into position and be on the ready for when Brackentail's group brings the fight our way."
That was enough to deflate Hollypaw and Roseblossom's anger. There were no further questions asked as everyone now locked onto the task ahead of them. They traveled quickly without pause or hindrance, slipping fluidly through the trees like a stream of fish.
Slowly, the group began to lull in its acceleration, creeping now into a crawl. Swiftstep threw up his tail as a warning to them and then shifted in a low crouch. They mimicked the motion, prowling along beside the silver grey tom.
"Look," Swiftstep whispered, "we're within range. There's the CloudClan camp there."
He'd brought them under the trunk of a large, towering pine. A little off stood a winding circular wall of intertwined bramble that loomed threateningly like a predator. They'd arrived.
Hollypaw felt her breath catch, knowing somewhere inside this ominous structure her Clanmates would be in the thick of CloudClan cats any moment now. It was a new level of frustration for her with the knowledge that she was forced from intervening. She wasn't one for being told what to do, especially when it was something that she vehemently disagreed with.
Time ticked by as they waited with abated breath for a signal, a yowl of outrage or shock to split the air that would notify them that the attack had commenced. Hollypaw was already growing restless with the wait. The longer they remained in silence the antsier she became. Battle or no battle, she just wanted this ordeal over with!
A startled yowl rang out into the night, jolting the group into action. Its started, Hollypaw thought gravely.
It was all ugly. The idea, the plan, us even being there in the first place.
"Get ready!" Swiftstep growled, locking his sights on the entrance to the camp. "They'll be spilling out any moment now. Stick close and be prepared to back the other up if you see them in trouble. There won't be much time for talking after we're in the thick of it."
A choked noise sounded from Hollypaw's side. Turning, she saw Lilypaw's eyes stretched wide and frantic as more angry yowls and snarls could be heard increasing in volume. She looked terrified out of her mind. Hollypaw pressed closed to her side in an effort to calm to the white apprentice.
"It'll be okay, I promise," she whispered low enough so that only Lilypaw could hear her. "Just stay right by me the entire time, okay? You look out for me and I'll look out for you."
Lilypaw took a shaky breath and then nodded, sending Hollypaw a grateful stare that still didn't quite hide the fear in her eyes. She returned it with a quick smile, ruminating to herself how it didn't reflect how she personally felt inside. Hollypaw couldn't allow it to unsettle her from the main objective, though. This night would end on a somewhat 'okay' tone if everyone made it out decently.
"Look!" Bluefoot's voice cut her back into the present. "They're coming out!"
A stream of cats could be seen spilling from out for a small tunnel and out into the open field. With a caterwaul, Swiftstep led the charge out into the fray. Hollypaw braced herself, bounding her legs beneath her before springing out after him and the others as they charged onward.
"Remember!" she shouted towards Lilypaw over the tumult of noise. "Stick by-!"
It was like a wave had hit her. Lilypaw, Roseblossom, Bluefoot, and Swiftstep suddenly vanished from around her to replaced with scores of CloudClan cats. Their lanky forms towered over her, making her feel as though it was like a acorn trying to face off against a squirrel.
She maneuvered her way through the mass of snarling cats, sidestepping out of the way of those that took swipes at her. Fighting was the last thing she intended to do. Hollypaw had just caught sight of Lilypaw's familiar white coat a heartbeat ago, and now she couldn't locate the she-cat.
"Lilypaw!" she called over the throng of tussling cats. "Lilypaw, where are you?" Hollypaw whipped her head back and forth while searching in vain. She couldn't find her. There were just too many cats around to make her out. "Lilypaw!" she called out again, desperation now clear in her voice. "Wh-."
A flare of pain suddenly erupted at her side as a the dark shape of a CloudClan cat materialized. Its claws were dipped red in her blood as it stalked forward, bristling with fangs bared.
Not good! She thought, immediately backpedaling away. Don't make me fight you, mousebrain. I just want to find my Clanmate!
The cat pounced and Hollypaw darted to the left, barely just missing the tips of its claws nicking her ears. She ducked her down down and rammed her shoulder into the cat's side, hoping to dislodge it off its paws. The Cloud cat stumbled slightly back, but managed to retain its balance. Snarling furiously at her, it shot forward in an attempt to bite Hollypaw's side. For the second time in a row, the tortoiseshell she-cat was able to avoid the cat's attack, listening as its jaws snapped shut on thin air.
This act of nonaggression wasn't working in her effort, Hollypaw was realizing more and more as the Cloud cat continued its attack. It would only pressure her more until either she was forced to fight back or get hurt in the process.
Hollypaw warily eyed the cat as it slowly stalked around her. Its base was low and measured, readying for the moment when it finally decided to pounce. She saw its muscles bunched and immediately braced herself for impact when out of nowhere another cat came careening into the side of it, completely flooring it in the process.
Hollypaw's mouth hung open in shock, watching Roseblossom bat the Cloud cat away.
"What in the name of StarClan are you doing, Hollypaw!" she growled, turning to her apprentice. "This is no time for you to be messing around. Fight or get out of the way! You're just making yourself a target otherwise."
Before Hollypaw could even offer up some type of explanation, Roseblossom had already turned and disappeared back into the sea of cats. She lay there in silence, Roseblossom's words playing back in her mind, before snapping back into focus, remembering that she had previously been searching for Lilypaw.
She could worry about getting herself out of harms way after she tracked her down.
"Father!"
A panicked yowl grabbed her by the ears. Whipping around, Hollypaw saw Sagepaw being overwhelmed by two apprentices at once. The russet tom was completely defenseless as the two cats battered him relentlessly.
Hollypaw moved without a second thought. "Hold on, Sagepaw!" she shouted.
She was moments from one of the cats on him when something bright and red flashed across her vision. Redpaw materialized out of thin besides Sagepaw and sent a vicious swipe near the lower half of the face of one of the cats, sending it wincing back, before angrily sinking his fangs into the foreleg of the other and wringing it.
There was a sharp intake of breath and then agony, as the cat fitfully shook him off. Redpaw stepped in front of Sagepaw and hissed, causing Hollypaw to reel back instinctively, momentarily blinded by fear. That wasn't the kind, slightly reserved cat that she knew. The searing fury nearly pouring from his eyes made the two apprentices cast uneasy glances in the others direction.
A short grunt sounded and suddenly Sagepaw was right there beside him. Hollypaw strolled over and joined them, glaring now at the two apprentices as the reality of the situation began to sink in for them.
"You could try fighting us," she said with a shrug, "but it probably wouldn't go in your favor. If you want to run, now's your chance."
The two cats stared back indecisive. Inside, Hollypaw was a brew with apprehension, wondering if her remark would be enough to persuade them. Eyeing them closely, one of the cats took a small step back, and then another. The other turned to watch it before slowly mimicking its movements.
Hollypaw released a sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Are you okay?" she asked, turning to inspect Sagepaw.
"I'm not the one you should be worried about it," he replied grimly, wincing slightly. "We're getting overrun. There are too many CloudClan cats to deal with. Where's my father? He needs to give the order to retreat now."
It was as though she'd gone deaf. Had Sagepaw actually just said that? Eyeing him closer, Hollypaw saw just how incredibly exhausted he seemed. She'd never seen him looking so defeated before. What could have he gone through to no longer want to fight anymore? Well she wasn't going to argue. He wanted to leave, so did s-.
"Lilypaw!" she abruptly called out, having saw something familiar out the corner of her eye.
The white cat turned around. "Hollypaw!" she yowled, running towards them. Relief flooded her veins finding Lilypaw alive and well. "You guys we have to go," she said the moment she made it over to them. "There are too many CloudClan cats out here for us to handle."
"We know," Hollypaw responded. "Sagepaw was just saying that we needed to find Brackentail and get him to issue a retreat. Lilypaw have you seen him?"
"I think so." The white cat glanced off in a direction near the center of where all the fighting took place. "I saw him back around there while I was trying to find you."
"Could you show us?" Sagepaw asked.
She responded with a simple nod.
"Let's go then," Hollypaw urged, ushering them all on. "There's no time to waste."
The four BoulderClan apprentices ran into the midst of the fighting. They took care not to skirt too close to any cats and draw their attention. A yowl from Lilypaw caused them to stop as she directed their attention to the charging form of the BoulderClan deputy swiping at a cat and sending them scurrying away.
"Father!"
The deputy whipped around. "Sagepaw?" he said, surprise flickering in his tone. "What are you doing over here? You should be fighting!"
Sagepaw quickly stepped forward to stand in front of him. "Father, you have to listen. There are too many cats here for us to handle. We have to go."
"Go?" Brackentail repeated, sounding livid. "What sort of nonsense of you speaking, Sagepaw? We go when BoulderClan is victorious."
"But-."
"I don't want to hear it!" he snapped, causing Sagepaw to flinch back. His eyes were wide and stunned as he stared up into his father's face. "You'll do as you're told and fight!" Brackentail glanced up at the three apprentices lingering behind Sagepaw. "That goes for you three, as well," he growled. "Defeat is not an option. We will not runaway like cowards."
He barged past the four apprentices without a further word, leaving them all standing in utter disbelief. Hollypaw couldn't believe it. Had Brackentail just gone completely mad?
"He can't be serious!" she fumed. "For every one of us there's at least two CloudClan cats. That mousebrain is gonna get us all killed!"
She had never experienced such blatant ignorance on another cat's behalf. The sheer anger that she was feeling in that moment was enough for her to march after Brackentail now and forcibly drag him back to BoulderClan herself.
"Maybe if we just try talking to him again," Lilypaw began.
"Again!" Hollypaw growled at her. "I'd rather rip his ears to shreds instead since he clearly isn't using them to listen to reason! We gotta get to one of the other warriors and get them to force him to leave. Make it so he has no choice, but to listen to us. Maybe, Swiftstep?" She turned to face the others. "Are you guys with me?"
Lilypaw and Redpaw remained silent instead casting worried glances at Sagepaw, who hadn't moved since Brackentail had departed. Oh. It sunk in for her.
Hollypaw took a cautious step towards him. "Sagepaw?"
The russet tom heaved heavily and then turned to face her. "Don't worry about it," he said in a low voice. "Let's just go find Swiftstep."
Hollypaw attempted to study his expression, but Sagepaw had already turned away. She looked back at Redpaw and Lilypaw who seemed to reflect her concern for the usually confident apprentice.
They quickly tailed after him, sticking tightly together as a method of warding off another stray cats that may get an itch to go after them. Hollypaw couldn't spot a single one of the warriors among the towering forms of the Cloud cats. The overbearing scent of pine was also throwing off any attempts she made at being able to sniff one of them out.
"Trouble," Redpaw suddenly growled from their left side.
Three CloudClan cats had caught sight of them and were now running their way. Not again, Hollypaw thought exasperatedly as the cats were closing in. The four apprentices readied themselves by unsheathing their claws. Just as their two sides were about to collide a loud crunch echoed through the air that immediately slapped their attention away from the other.
A sharp hush over them, as though the sound had just somehow been sucked out of the area. No one was moving. All of the cats present attention seemed to be focused that the four apprentices could not see.
They ran past the frozen field of cats in an effort to see what had caused the cessation of the battle. The way Lilypaw abruptly flinched back and Redpaw froze should have been her first warning. But it was the sound of near heartbreak in Sagepaw's voice that got her.
"Father!"
Hollypaw felt her stomach turn in on itself at the sight before her. Brackentail lay on his side struggling to stand with his left hind leg heavily mangled. It was twisted to an odd angle while bleeding. No matter how hard the deputy tried to stand he was unable to place any weight on the back leg without immediately collapsing back down.
Sagepaw was instantly at his father's side, attempting to help and push the warrior back to his paws, much to no avail.
"Don't worry about me!" Brackentail growled at him, nudging Sagepaw away. "This is nothing. Keep going! I didn't say that you could stop fighting."
Sagepaw looked at Brackentail as though he'd just slashed him across the face. "Father, you can't even stand! We have to get you back to Fernleaf to look at your leg now. Please, Brackentail!" he pleaded, staring into his father's eyes desperately.
"Do as I say!" Brackentail snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. "All of you!" he commanded, looking around fiercely.
"Brackentail, listen to Sagepaw," Swiftstep said, having just shoved his way into sight. "This battle is a lost cause and you can't even defend yourself. We gave it our best try. Let's retrea-."
"You're not the one giving orders here, Swiftstep, I am!" Brackentail spat. "Crowstar put me in charge. I will not run away with our tails tucked between our legs and allow BoulderClan's name to be tarnished even more. I-."
"I think that's quite enough," a serene voice cut through Brackentail's rant. The stout frame of Oakclaw calmly stepped into view, drawing the attention of every cats eyes onto him. There wasn't a single scratch on the brown tabby's pristine body as he lightly strode across the field.
Was he even apart of the fighting? Hollypaw wondered, watching mesmerized as Oakclaw came to a stop beside Brackentail.
"We're finished here," he stated simply. "Swiftstep, you and Sagepaw help carry Brackentail out here."
"Running away now that your deputy can't fight anymore, coward?" a random CloudClan warrior sneered from the crowd.
Oakclaw chuckled in their direction. "Only a mousebrain fights when he knows he can't win. Bravery has nothing to do with it."
"Are you insane, Oakclaw?" Brackentail snarled, fighting vigorously to get to his paws as he did. "We retreat when I say so!"
The large tom cast a single look down at the fuming warrior before turning his attention up to the starless sky with a small sigh, as though annoyed. "There's a difference between defending your Clan's pride and throwing your life away for nothing, Brackentail. As deputy it's something you should probably make an effort to remember."
That shut Brackentail down entirely. The warrior fell back to the group as though deflated by Oakclaw's words. This allowed Swiftstep and Sagepaw to approach him. Slowly, the two of them were able to situate the warrior between them and then shift around so that they were now able to hold him.
Oakclaw surveyed their progress silently before giving the nod for them to depart. "Come along you three," he called out to Hollypaw, Redpaw, and Lilypaw. "We're heading home."
They obeyed without question, falling in line behind Oakclaw, as Sagepaw and Swiftstep helped carry Brackentail. As they were leaving, more of the warriors would materialize and fall in line behind them as they quietly departed the CloudClan territory.
A significantly sized CloudClan patrol saw them on their way out. It wasn't necessary though, the way Hollypaw saw it. They had been quite handily trumped in this botched attempt at retribution. Them tailing after them was the same as someone expecting a dead fish to start swimming again. Absolutely ridiculous.
BoulderClan had been humiliated.
It was a ugly moment in the history of our Clan, something we wouldn't be able to live down any time soon. Who knew such a blight would be what eventually brought ruin upon us all.