Chapter 8

They walked stealthily towards the camp until they heard cats' battle cries, they stopped and talked for a moment, "Let's just run in and the first cat you see that is having trouble, help them and give them a paw."

All of the cats ran in and immediately started to help some cats. The first needy cat Applepaw saw was Shimmertail. She ran over to help her fight off two toms, a cream one and a dark grey one that she was having trouble with. Applepaw tickled the two NightClan cats and began batting them with her tail to distract them while Shimmertail knocked them off their feet and unbalanced them. Applepaw took the dark grey one while Shimmertail took the cream furred one and they fought them until they ran away from the camp into the forest towards NightClan territory. Applepaw and Shimmertail batted paws, and then they looked over to see Goldenpaw helping a WaterClan tom named Frostwing. Together they were taking on 3 NightClan cats two dark brown ones and a white one. Shimmertail and Applepaw raced over and while Applepaw helped Frostwing with the white tom, Shimmertail took a brown one and Goldenpaw took the other.

"We thought you guys needed help," Applepaw mewed to Goldenpaw while she was locking arms with the white tom.

"Thank you," he wiped his forehead with his tail as the brown tom ran away, "We did need it."

Applepaw and Frostwing finished the white tom while Shimmertail and Goldenpaw finished the other brown. They looked around and it seemed that the whole battle was breaking up. The NightClan cats had come in numerous numbers and had gone in numerous numbers.

"Not something that happens often," Shimmertail commented.

"You're right," Applepaw agreed, and then noticed that Shimmertail was limping, "Is your leg okay?"

"Oh, it's fine," Shimmertail looked at her grey leg that's white shimmers glowed in the sunset, "I'll stop by the Medicine cat den afterwards."

Then Pumpkinpaw walked over, "I just had a great idea, we should tell Wovenstar how great Goldenpaw was and see if he can become a warrior!"

"I think we should leave that choice to Grassblade," Applepaw answered as a cat from WaterClan named Puddlepelt came over, "What happened?" Applepaw asked looking at the cat's cuts and bruises.

"I was helping Hawkwing battle, and, I am afraid to say that he was killed in battle," Puddlepelt explained with sorrow, "I was looking for your deputy or leader to tell him."

"I bet our leader's in his den," Shimmertail suggested, "Let's go tell him now."

Frostwing walked over to the Medicine cat den after saying that he would be back. Puddlepelt, Applepaw, Goldenpaw and Shimmertail padded over to the den and poked their head inside.

"Wovenstar?" Shimmertail asked, looking around.

"I'm right here," his voice showed no energy now like it usually did, "Blacknight and his warriors were chased out by our warriors, but not in time," and his head fell on the ground, dead.

"What do we do?" Applepaw asked, horrified, "Just stand here? Our leader just died, for StarClan's sake! Right here, in front of our eyes!"

"Applepaw, all we can do is wait," Shimmertail's eyes looked as though they had all of StarClan's knowledge in them, "Leaders' have nine lives, I know he hasn't lost all of them, so he'll be back in a few minutes."