Chapter Three
"ThunderClan blood will be spilled today - I'll make sure of that."
Rowanstar's words sent a chill through Spiderpaw's body. Her clanmates threw their heads back as battle cries erupted from their throats. She could sense their apprehension and determination to take back the land that ThunderClan had stolen from them.
The dark ginger tom stood with his head high as he listened to his warrior's yowls of approval. His amber eyes flashed as he spoke, "I will lead the battle patrol myself."
"Is that wise?" Dawnpelt asked, the cream she-cat stepping forward from the crowd of cats to face her father, "Clan leaders don't often get caught up in border skirmishes."
Spiderpaw immediately understood what she was implying without actually saying it. The Clan could not afford to lose their leader in a battle over territory. With a jolt, Spiderpaw wondered how many lives Rowanstar had left to give to his clan.
Rowanstar looked at his daughter, his gaze softening. "Any of my warriors are willing to risk their lives - I am no different."
Dawnpelt dipped her head in reluctant acceptance. Crowfrost stepped forward to stand beside his leader as he began to call out the names of the cats that would be joining the patrol. "Tigerheart, Tawnypelt, Sparrowpaw. Scorchfur and Aspenpaw. Oakpaw. Snowbird, Toadfoot, and Stoatfur."
Spiderpaw felt Mistpaw step to her side, their pelts brushing. She turned her head to look at the red she-cat, noticing the way her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Mistpaw lifted her chin, "What about us?"
Rowanstar looked down at the two apprentices and shook his head, "I won't bring apprentices with so little training into battle."
Spiderfall felt her tail droop. She wanted to fight for her Clan! However, she knew it wasn't sensible. She hadn't had a mouse-tail of battle training and her clanmates would have a better chance of winning the battle without having to worry about her.
"Actually, Rowanstar." Littlecloud, the Clan medicine cat, pushed his way through the crowd, looking very small compared to the warriors around him, "I think Spiderpaw and Mistpaw should go with you. No - not to fight." He said quickly when Ivytail stepped forward to object, "There will be injuries. They can help bring the wounded cats back to camp so I can treat them as soon as possible."
"They'll be killed!" Stoatfur gasped, her fur standing on end at the thought of sending the young cats into battle.
"They must promise to stay away from the fighting. There's plenty of undergrowth by the border for them to hide in." Crowfrost suggested.
Excitement coursed through her body as Rowanstar dipped his head after a moment of hesitation, acknowledging the sense in his deputy's words. He flicked his tail to gather the battle patrol together and Spiderpaw bounced across the clearing to his side with Mistpaw on her heels. Snowbird approached them, looking down at the two apprentices with a stern look, "You must promise to stay out of the fighting. Cats will be depending on you to help them when they're injured."
The two she-cats nodded, head and tails high. Spiderpaw felt her paws tingle as Rowanstar led the battle patrol through the thorn tunnel, bringing up the rear of the group with Mistpaw and Tawnypelt. Her pelt bristled as they broke into a run until they were flying through the trees, throwing up paw-fulls of snow and pine needles in their wake.
"This is so exciting!" Mistpaw panted at her side, matching Spiderpaw's pace, "Our first battle!"
"We won't be fighting." Spiderpaw reminded her, "We're supposed to help the injured cats."
"Oh, I know," Her friend assured her, throwing a glance her way, "But we still get to see it! I've been waiting for this for ages!"
Spiderpaw rivaled her excitement, her breath catching in her throat as they approached the new border. ThunderClan scent choked her as the battle patrol slowed, nearing the scent markers with hackles high and teeth bared.
Rowanstar paused with his paws on the new border, lashing his tail with indignation. "Those crowfood eaters!" He snarled, revealing a set of sharp, yellow teeth. With a scoff, he stepped over the border and paced forward, gesturing for the patrol to follow him.
"Shouldn't we wait at the border?" Spiderpaw asked, feeling her pelt prick at the thought of entering ThunderClan territory.
Tawnypelt padded up from behind her until she walked at the side of the two apprentices, "We'll wait at the old border," She explained, "We won't honor ThunderClan's new scent line."
The patrol paced forward in silence, and Spiderpaw realized that this was her first time seeing the real border. The pine trees of ShadowClan territory blended with the thick oaks of ThunderClan, and a line of faint scent markers cut straight through the trees. She suddenly understood why her clanmates were so angry that the border had been changed to follow the stream. With the new border, a huge chunk of ShadowClan territory was lost, robbing them of valuable hunting grounds.
They emerged into a large clearing of short grass, the old border dividing it straight through the middle. Rowanstar led his warriors to the scent line, flicking his tail for them to gather in battle formation. Spiderpaw took a step forward to join them, but was halted by Tawnypelt's tail barring her way.
"You won't be fighting, remember?" The pale tortoiseshell she-cat reminded her. She nosed Spiderpaw and Mistpaw towards the edge of the clearing where the undergrowth was thickest. "You two stay hidden under the brambles. Don't show yourself unless a cat is injured."
"Yes, Tawnypelt." Spiderpaw replied, Mistpaw nodding at her side.
Together, the two she-cats crawled underneath the thick bramble bush. Spiderpaw felt the sharp barbs snag at her fur, flatting herself against the ground so she could see through the low hanging branches. Mistpaw swore as a bramble scraped her nose before she crouched beside the tabby apprentice, her green eyes flashing.
Spiderpaw watched as her clanmates lined up along the border with Rowanstar in the middle. They gazed silently into the trees on the ThunderClan side, claws flexing and tearing at the grass underpaw. Spiderpaw let out a shaky breath as she heard her heart pounding in her ears, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation.
After a few moments, the bushes on the ThunderClan side rustled, and a cat stepped out. Spiderpaw recognized her as one of the cats who visited the ShadowClan camp when she was just a kit. She was a slender ginger she-cat with striking green eyes and one white forepaw. She stalked out of the undergrowth, approaching the battle patrol with bristling fur.
"Greetings, Squirrelflight." Rowanstar's words held no friendliness as he addressed her, flexing his shoulders aggressively.
Squirrelflight! Spiderpaw instantly realized the she-cat was the ThunderClan deputy. Ivytail had told them stories about her and how she helped lead the Clans to the lake after their old territories were destroyed. She had been appointed deputy by her mate, Bramblestar, when he succeeded Firestar as leader.
"Rowanstar." Squirrelflight growled with equal hostility, lashing her tail. "You're on ThunderClan territory."
"Nonsense!" Scorchfur snarled, speaking up from his place on the line of ShadowClan warriors, "This has always been ShadowClan territory."
Rowanstar hissed at Scorchfur to silence him, but Squirrelflight glared at the smoky warrior through narrowed eyes. "Not anymore. This land belongs to ThunderClan now."
"You'll have to fight us for it." The ShadowClan leader challenged, digging his claws into the grass.
"I thought you'd say that." Squirrelflight hissed before raising her tail in signal. From the undergrowth, large, battle scarred cats emerged with flashing eyes and bristling fur. Spiderpaw's breath hitched in her throat as she watched the warriors file out from the foliage. There were so many!
Rowanstar lifted his head and let out a shrieking battle cry before lunging at Squirrelflight. Spiderpaw lost him as cats raged across the clearing and met into battle. Shrieking and yowling split the air. Flattening her ears against her head, Spiderpaw watched the battle in horror.
Snowbird was locked in battle with a golden-brown tabby tom. She slashed at him with claws extended, tearing at the fur on his muzzle. He screeched and leapt at her, bowling the white she-cat over. He pinned her down, digging his claws into her fur and scratching at her belly. She yowled in pain before throwing him off, staggering to her paws with blood dripping from her fur. She shook her head to clear it before leaping back into battle.
Dragging her gaze away from her mentor, Spiderpaw saw that Oakpaw and Aspenpaw were fighting a gray tabby tom side by side, slashing at him from both sides. The tom yowled in rage and leapt for Aspenpaw. Oakpaw bunched his muscles and jumped onto the tom's back, digging in his claws so he stayed put when the tom tried to shake him off. Aspenpaw lunged for the tom's throat and he vanished beneath the two ShadowClan apprentices.
Spiderpaw gasped when a ginger she-cat threw herself into the battle, grabbing Aspenpaw by the scruff of his neck and nearly throwing him across the clearing. The dark red apprentice fell, stunned, and the she-cat leapt on top of him. Spiderpaw felt her blood run cold as the she-cat sank her teeth into the apprentice's throat, blood clotting the fur on her chest and muzzle.
She heard a gasp of horror from her side and saw that Mistpaw was trying to crawl out from under the bush to help. Spiderpaw sank her teeth into her friend's scruff, holding her back. "You can't!" She growled with a mouthful of fur, "You'll be killed!"
Mistpaw struggled against her grip, and the two she-cats watched as Aspenpaw's struggles grew weaker. Suddenly, Tigerheart erupted from the fray and leapt onto the she-cats back. She immediately released the apprentice as Tigerheart carried her off her paws and pinned her to the ground. He dug his claws into her belly fur, sending up tuffs of fur and blood into the air. Only when she squealed in agony did he let her go. Mistpaw stopped struggling, shoulders sagging with relief as the she-cat staggered to her paws and vanished into the undergrowth on the ThunderClan side.
"Spiderpaw, look!" Mistpaw gasped suddenly from beside her, flicking her ears towards the far side of the clearing.
Tawnypelt was wrestling with a golden tabby tom, blood dripping from a scratch across her muzzle. She dodged when the tom lunged at her, narrowly avoiding a heavy blow from one of his massive forepaws. He turned with her and sank his teeth into her shoulder, causing her to shriek in pain. She writhed underneath him as he pinned her down, blood pouring from the wound in her shoulder. Spiderpaw held her breath, willing Tawnypelt to get up and fight him off. There were no ShadowClan cats nearby to help her like Tigerheart had helped Aspenpaw. She watched as the tortoiseshell she-cat rolled onto her back and kicked her hind paws into the tom's belly, knocking him off of her. Knowing she was beaten, the tom snarled at her and leapt back into battle, leaving Tawnypelt sprawled in the grass.
Brambles scraped against her spine as Spiderpaw crawled out from under the brambles. She stuck to the edges of the clearing as she bounded towards Tawnypelt, her heart pounding in her chest. She skidded to a halt at the pale she-cats side, looking down at her with wide eyes.
She let out a sigh of relief as Tawnypelt opened her eyes and struggled to her paws, staggering as she slipped on the blood-stained grass. Spiderpaw hurried forward and supported Tawnypelt with her shoulder, leading the she-cat away from the clearing.
"I can still fight." Tawnypelt panted, though she leaned heavily on Spiderpaw, unable to put her weight on the leg with her injured shoulder.
"No, you can't." Spiderpaw snapped, "You're badly wounded."
She led Tawnypelt through the trees, the undergrowth closing behind her as they headed away from the clearing of fighting cats. They walked at an agonizingly slow pace, but Spiderpaw knew Tawnypelt was going as fast as she could. The tabby apprentice wrinkled her nose at the scent of blood and tried not to look at the red trail they left in the melting snow behind them.
When they reached the camp, Spiderpaw let out a yowl to alert her clanmates of their arrival. Grassheart squeezed through the thorn tunnel entrance, walking on Tawnypelt's other side as the she-cat staggered onwards. The three cats emerged into the camp and were immediately greeted by Finchpaw and Ravenpaw, who looked at Tawnypelt with wide eyes.
"Is she okay?" Ravenpaw asked warily, stepping out of the way as the she-cats led Tawnypelt towards the medicine den.
"She will be." Grassheart assured her, flicking her tail over the black apprentice's ear as they passed.
Littlecloud was waiting for them at the entrance to the medicine den, his pelt bristling when he saw the injured warrior. He led them into the den, and Spiderpaw helped lower Tawnypelt into one of the soft, mossy nests that Littlecloud left empty for his patients.
With a jolt, Spiderpaw realized she had never been into this part of the camp before. Kit were usually kept away from the medicine den because they were known for getting into the herb store and making a mess of things. The medicine den was a large den underneath the branches of a bramble bush with a sandy, hollowed out floor. At one side, she could see a dip in the ground where herbs were neatly stacked and protected by a wall of ferns. Littlecloud's nest was beside it with a pile of dried moss.
The small medicine cat reached a paw into the hollow of herbs, snagging a few dark colored leaves on one claw. He glanced up at Spiderpaw, who was standing beside Tawnypelt with wide eyes. "Fetch some cobwebs to patch her wound," He ordered.
Sliding through the den entrance, she raced across the camp and through the thorn tunnel. She remembered Aspenpaw telling his mentor about a swath of cobwebs beneath a fallen tree just outside of camp. Looking around, she saw the fallen tree beneath patches of melting snow and fallen pine needles. She approached it and saw that its trunk was hollowed out on the inside. Crouching down, she peered inside and immediately saw massive clumps of cobweb gathered inside.
Extending a paw, she wrapped the sticky web around her front leg until she couldn't see the dark brown fur underneath. With a satisfied flick of her tail, she hobbled back into the camp. Ravenpaw and Finchpaw were crouched by the fresh-kill pile, though they were too anxious about the battle to eat.
"Can we help?" Finchpaw called, her cream fur glowing in the light of the setting sun.
"Littlecloud will need more cobwebs like this." Spiderpaw told them, pausing beside the two she-cats, "There's a hollowed out tree just outside with loads!"
"We can do that!" Finchpaw leapt to her paws, flicking her tail for Ravenpaw to follow. The two apprentices bounced out of camp, excited to be able to help.
When she entered the medicine den, Spiderpaw saw that Littlecloud had chewed a concoction of herbs into a pulp and licked it into Tawnypelt's wound. She extended her cobweb-covered paw, her worried gaze falling on the pale she-cat.
"She'll be okay." Littlecloud assured her, "The wound is deep but it'll heal."
He unraveled the cobweb from her paw and placed it over Tawnypelt's wound, securing the poultice in place. Spiderpaw was relieved to see that the bleeding had stopped, and Tawnypelt lifted her head as soon as Littlecloud was done.
"What did you put on it?" Spiderpaw asked, leaning forward to sniff at Tawnypelt's shoulder. The herb poultice smelled sharp and fragrant, and she wrinkled her nose as she stifled a sneeze.
"Comfrey and goldenrod." Littlecloud explained, gesturing to the unused herbs at his paws. She could see a few green leaves mixed with a bright, yellow plant. "They'll help the wound heal and prevent any infection."
"Thank you, Spiderpaw." Tawnypelt's green eyes sparkled as she looked at the apprentice, "I thought Lionblaze had turned me into crowfood."
Shuffling her paws with embarrassment, Spiderpaw looked down at the ground. She let out a small sigh as she remembered the way the golden warrior had attacked Tawnypelt so savagely.
"What's wrong?" Tawnypelt asked her gently.
"I didn't think the battle would be like that." Spiderpaw blurted out, lashing her tail with indignation.
Tawnypelt's gaze softened, and she leaned forward to touch her nose to Spiderpaw's ear, wincing when she flexed her shoulder. "You're young, so it must seem scary. But battles are a part of clan life."
Spiderpaw was about to respond when she heard murmurs coming from the main clearing. A moment later, Mistpaw appeared guiding Toadfoot into the medicine den. The dark brown tom had one eye that was swollen shut. He sank into one of the nests beside Tawnypelt with a sigh, and Spiderpaw noticed that he left paw prints smudged with blood on the sandy floor.
"Toadfoot wrenched a claw." Mistpaw informed Littlecloud, pacing around her mentor with bristling fur. "And one of the ThunderClan cats scratched his eye. Will he be okay? Will we still be able to train?"
"Keep your fur on," Toadfoot scolded, "It's just a scratch."
"You should head back to the battle," Littlecloud turned to the two apprentices, "More cats might be wounded."
Spiderpaw dipped her head before turning away from the medicine den, only to be called back by Tawnypelt. "Wait! Is Tigerheart okay? Or Rowanstar?" She was clearly worried about her son and her mate.
Mistpaw blinked at the injured warrior. "Tigerheart was helping Oakpaw chase off some apprentices. I think Rowanstar is still fighting."
Spiderpaw followed the red she-cat out of the medicine den and across the clearing. They had almost reached the entrance when the thorn tunnel shuddered and her clanmates filed into the camp with Rowanstar at the lead. The clan leader looked ruffled but not badly injured, to Spiderpaw's relief. He held his head high with eyes sparkling.
Crowfrost and Ivytail emerged after him and Mistpaw bounded across to her mother, pressing her nose into the she-cat's fur with a purr. The rest of her clanmates followed them, and Spiderpaw saw that most of them bore scratches and their pelts were smeared with blood, but none of them looked seriously wounded. Even Aspenpaw, who had been so brutally attacked during the battle, was on his paws with his eyes shining. His throat was stained with blood, but when she looked closer she saw that the wound wasn't very deep. She let out a sigh of relief when Tigerheart and Oakpaw pushed through the entrance, unharmed.
She bounced across the clearing to the two toms, greeting them with a purr. They both looked tired from the battle but their eyes were bright as they looked at her.
"We won!" Oakpaw told her, pressing against her side, "Those ThunderClan flea-pelts retreated back into their own territory! Stoatfur and Scorchfur stayed behind the remark the border, but the land is ours!"
Rowanstar paced across the clearing and leapt onto the hazel branch that overhung the camp. He didn't need to call his usual summons as most of the clan was already in the clearing. Spiderpaw joined her clanmates as they gathered in front of him, taking her spot beside Snowbird and Oakpaw at the edge of the crowd.
When the cats had gathered, Rowanstar raised his head, "Today, ThunderClan challenged our borders, but they were unsuccessful. My brave warriors chased those mangy crowfood eaters back into their stinking forest, reclaiming our land."
Caterwauls of joy greeted his words before he even finished speaking. Spiderpaw felt her paws tingle at the thought that she helped win the battle - even if it was just helping the injured cats back to camp. She was finally becoming an important part of her clan!
As the yowling died away, saw Ratscar, a skinny brown elder take a step forward. He had a long scar across her back, and Spiderpaw knew he was no stranger to battles. However, his eyes looked troubled as he looked up at Rowanstar. "But why did they want our land in the first place?" He asked, "ThunderClan have never pressed our borders so aggressively before."
Rowanstar shook his head, "I didn't exactly have time to ask. Only StarClan knows."
Tigerheart lifted his muzzle, "They seemed thinner than usual. Perhaps something is happening to the prey in their territory?"
A few curious murmurs met his words and it was a moment before Rowanstar could make himself heard. "Whatever the reason, stealing our territory is not the answer. Today we showed them that our land will not be so easily taken."
He continued speaking, but Spiderpaw's attention was snatched away as she pondered over his words. Why did ThunderClan want their territory? She remembered the way Lionblaze had so viciously attacked Tawnypelt. She didn't need experience to know that the battle had been more savage than usual. What was happening in ThunderClan that pushed them to the point of breaking the warrior code?
Dread turned her blood cold. Her clanmates seemed to think their territory had been won back for good. However, she couldn't help but think this wasn't the last they would see of ThunderClan on their land.
Will they try to take our territory again? She wondered, And will our victory be so certain next time?
Thanks so much for reading! The next chapter is gonna be really intense so keep a lookout for that!
Don't worry, Spiderpaw and Dustpaw will be meeting very soon!
Also, thanks so much to everyone who left a review on the last chapter. It really means a lot 33