Chapter 13

Blood. Pain. Fear.

"You pathetic worm," the voice hissed. "You are an outsider, and you don't deserve to be here."

Torment. Agony. Terror.

"You want the life of a warrior, huh? Well here it is. Rough, ain't it?"

Battle. Screams. Horror.

"I'm gonna kill you right now. It'll be a favor to every cat here… yourself included. Don't be afraid. Or do. Your choice."

The giant white fangs sliding closer to the throat with every passing instant. Wild passion radiating from the eyes of a vicious brown tomcat. Certain death.

Swiftclaw awoke with a start, a low, blood-curdling moan escaping from his throat. He looked around the quiet den. He had managed not to wake the other warriors from their slumber. Hopefully they were having more pleasant dreams than he.

He slowly stretched, and then emerged from the bramble screen sheltering the warriors' den. The first grey light of dawn was barely visible through the treetops, and the camp was totally silent. He breathed in deeply, noting the scent of Raincloud who was sitting vigil in a treetop.

Hm. I think I'd better take a walk… clear my mind. The worst part about the hideous nightmare was that it was all true. Seasons ago during a hard leaf-bare, when he was still an apprentice, a WoodClan raiding party that he had attended had fought RustClan warriors. A fearsome warrior named Thornfang had pinned him to the ground and nearly killed him. He never forgot the wild look in his eyes, or the sheer terror he experienced. Had his mentor, Woodpelt, not noticed in the nick of time, he would be dead right now!

Swiftclaw shuddered. But I survived. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Calm yourself, Swiftclaw.

His ears pricked. A small rustling could be heard among the fallen leaves. He quickly pinpointed the sound, and drew the scent of blackbird over the roof of his mouth.

The early bird gets the worm. The early cat catches the bird. He grinned to himself slightly as he put one paw before another, stealthily padding towards the source of the noise. A dark, feathery pelt entered his vision, a bird pecking at the ground. His victim never knew what hit it. Thank you, StarClan, for the life of this bird. May its honorable death prolong our lives.

Swiftclaw picked up the blackbird, a worm dropping from its beak and wriggling away, and padded back towards camp as golden sunlight penetrated the leafy canopy.

"Welcome, Swiftclaw. I see the prey was running well!" called Rainfall joyfully. "Hey, I hear Stonestar wants to see you."

Swiftclaw nodded his head to him and padded through the camp tunnel. After depositing his blackbird among the fresh-kill pile, and murmuring another prayer for it, he scanned the clearing for his Clan's leader. He padded to a pair of boulders near Stonestar's den, where the leader was sharing tongues with Mousepelt, the medicine cat.

"Good morning, Stonestar. I understand that you wished to speak with me?" he meowed with a respectful nod of his head.

"Ah, yes. Please, make yourself comfortable." He nodded to a place on the sun-warmed stones, and tossed a mouse to Swiftclaw. He tried to seem cheerful, but Swiftclaw could tell right away that something was bothering his leader.

"Listen, Swiftclaw, something needs to be done about RustClan. Recall the border skirmish a few days ago—Runningpaw won't be fit for duty for another two sunrises at least! You agree that this is getting out of hand, yes?"

So that's what was under Stonestar's pelt! "Of course! RustClan is far outside of the warrior code. It would be in everyone's best interests if something were done to stop them."

"Okay, then, I have a mission for you. I plan on launching an attack. Scaring RustClan by defeating their warriors on their own territory might be the only way to stop their aggression—and I'm not taking any chances."

"So, what should I do? Would you like me to lead a combat patrol?"

"Yes; but more than that, we need a spy. Like I said, I'm not taking any chances. If you could infiltrate their junkyard and find the camp, we would have the advantage. You are the most stealthy warrior in the Clan; I believe only you could do it." Stonestar leaned forward before Swiftclaw could answer. "Before you decide to accept this mission, you should know the danger. You are going to be by yourself, and there is no telling what would happen to you if you were caught! I am not going to force one of my best warriors into this."

But Swiftclaw had already made up his mind. The Clan came first no matter what. "I accept this mission."