The moon shined brightly upon the calm and serene river. But all was tense. An anticipational air clung like a stench.
But suddenly, It happened. It was as if the whole clearing exploded with raging cats. He plunged into the river, swimming strongly to come aid his clanmates. He reached the other side and leapt out as if he had been dry the whole time. Immedeately, a light-brown she-cat caught his eye. He jumped expertly at her. She screeched and flung him off, knocking the wind out of him. he tucked into a quick roll and when he came out of it, flinched because she found herself clawing at dirt right where he had been. She aimed again, and leapt. he quickly dodged aside and wrenched her back legs out from under her. Her scream of pain only goaded him on. His claws easily slashed at her flanks, with another wail of pain, she scrambled out of his grasp and back into the fray. At this, he went into a flurry of rage, using every bit of strength and skill he knew. But after time, he grew tired, less agile and received many wounds. Finally, with adrenalin pumping, muscles screaming with exhaustion, a last brown tom leapt at him. They wrestled weakly, landing pitiful hits. Then, the tom lunged for his neck. Warriors don't kill! he thought desperately. His anguish fueled him with a new surge of rage. He started to fight brutally. Each hit made the tom yowl with pain. Yes! you deserve it! you tried to kill me! now i'll make you pay!Without realizing it, he drove the tom into the river. The familiarity only fueled the fire. he slipped in and out of the water, splashing huge amounts of water at the tom, blinding him. He bit and scratched and sliced and finally held him underwater. When the cat was let up, it let out a desperate cry for help. But he was constantly, ever mercilessly splashed and dunked in the unforgiving river. At last, it availed him long enough to reach shore. He chased after the tom. All across the clearing were his clanmates, who he realized were being beaten. And in that one moment he saw that she-cat again, taunting his beloved mate. Even now, an anger surged within him he had never known. He slashed the she-cat's wounded side, and giving her quite the beating all the way into the river once more. The river was his weapon as well as his claws. The other cats started to push their foes into the water if they could, too. He looked around desperately, searching for a particular….
There! a flash of ginger, near the river's bend was the newly appointed leader of TreeClan, Maplestar. It had been no secret that she had a long-time grudge with ShimmerClan, and this battle was to take control of the river itself. TreeClan had no use for the landmark, but it would cripple her longtime enemies' main source of food. If TreeClan won this battle, ShimmerClan would be crippled and at the mercy of any clan. Especially TreeClan. He immediately rushed along the shallows of the river, splashing friend and foe alike. As the tom reached Maplestar, he leaped from the river with a blood-curdling yowl. The she-cat may have been caught off guard, but she wasn't a leader for just any reason.
-Maplestar's pov-
A screech from behind took me by surprise and my instincts and i quickly tucked into a crouch just as a ShimmerClan warrior grazed my back with his claws and landed in front of me. He howled again and lunged, but I am TreeClan! what good am I if I cannot do the same, only better? I leaped into the air, feeling him slide underneath. we both landed and spun in an instant to face each other. We stood on our hind legs and began to furiously strike at each other, in hopes of gaining an upper hand. His blows flew fast and furiously. It was almost easy to block them, however I needed to strike as well. I struck as neatly as possible while trying to save my own hide, as well as good looks. With great effort, I began to drive the brown tom towards a rock overlooking the river. Ha! a fitting dunk for a cat who's practically already a fish! Maplestar parried most blows this warrior could throw my way, and drew him ever nearer to the edge. I prepared leap once more and finish this farce, and as I followed through, time seemed to slow. As soon as I'd jumped, I realized that I had made a terrible mistake. The glint in his eyes is an unmistakable one. It was the look of a cat with one last trick in his arsenal.
-Normal pov-
The brown warrior made a stance, bracing himself for the impact. As Maplestar crashed into him, he grabbed onto her with his claws, dragging her over the edge with him.
Into the water they tumbled, and thankfully for the tom it was not into the shallows. He easily surfaced and used the current of the water to steady himself. The tom now searched for Maplestar, who was floundering a good seven tail lengths away from him, splashing in panic. He paddled with what strength he had left and grabbed her scruff. Then, they awkwardly made it into the shallows downstream, however, the ShimmerClan cat was not yet done with his opponent. Sodden with water and visibly exhausted, Maplestar was defenseless against the final splashes and blows dealt as she fled the river, the brown-clad warrior panting on her tail. She eventually heaved herself onto an old tree stump and yowled across the battle field;
"TreeClan, retreat! I order all warriors to retreat!"