Chapter 15
Swiftclaw bolted through the labyrinth of black, plastic pelts and twisted, dead monsters. Curse this junkyard, he thought as he tried to find the way he came. He knew he was at a severe disadvantage in this situation. He nearly panicked—he foolishly assumed he would not be discovered—but with all his self-discipline, that was impossible. He forced himself to control his breathing and remain calm as he surveyed his surroundings. He could hear Thornfang's pawsteps pounding behind him, about 20 tail-lengths away. As he came upon a divergence in the path, he slowed down for a precious second to taste the air... then he picked up on his own scent to the left. He began racing as fast as he could again.
The next few minutes were the longest of his life. The sounds of his pursuer gradually got louder, and louder, until he could hear Thornfang's raspy breath, but he didn't dare slow down by looking behind him. Finally, he could see the exit to the nightmare that RustClan cats call home, and put all the energy he had into sprinting away... but it wasn't enough. Thornfang barreled into him, knocking his face into the course grass just as he left the last mound of refuse behind him.
He struggled to throw the weight of the vicious RustClan deputy off of his back, and the two tomcats wrestled on the ground, biting and scratching, until they broke apart, flanks heaving. Thornfang had fixed Swiftclaw with a mean glare.
"You don't honestly think you can spy on RustClan and get away with it, do you?" the angry warrior demanded, his giant fangs glimmering in the moonlight. He menacingly advanced towards Swiftclaw. "Just what did you manage to find before I came across you? Spill it!"
His sly mind working fast, Swiftclaw bluffed, "I found exactly what I was looking for. Your camp! Now I will deal with you, return to the forest, and mark my words: we will return with an invasion patrol and decimate your Clan. Your breaking of the Warrior Code has come to an end!"
Swiftclaw believed this would make RustClan rather nervous, and work to WoodClan's advantage; but only if he made it back alive. But there was no more time to talk or think, and the WoodClan warrior and his nemesis sprang back into battle, rolling downhill across the barren plain. It was too late when the two cats realized they were heading right down the riverbank, and in one short second, they plunged into the icy cold water together.