This Chapter was good. I hope you enjoy it as well!

If you scatter thorns, don't go barefoot Italian proverb

Chapter 5

Gingersky and Crescentfeather led Cinderfang and the others to where the ambush happened. As they raced toward the scent of the rouges, Crescentfeather told them what had happened to her.

"I was coming to the river to get a drink of water," she meowed, her voice raspy from lack of use. "But, they cornered me and pushed me around a little. They knew I was from ThunderClan, and they wanted Snowpaw." Anger shot through Cinderfang. "They pushed me into the bushes, and I fell near the river. I didn't know Gingersky was there. If they hadn't been..." She trailed off and continued racing.

The scent was growing stronger. They were catching up.

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Snowpaw's mind was hazy, and even in her sleep, her head was pounding. She was standing in totally, misty darkness. It swirled around her, making her dizzy. Just as it was about to engulf her in it's grasp, Snowpaw saw a light. As she raced toward it, the blackness of night difted away, and instead was the forest trees whizzing by her as she ran. Laughter echoed in her head, and she kept seeing images of the white she-cat that had kidnapped her. Then, as she raced faster and faster toward the light, the forest disappeared, and darkness consumed her once again.

Snowpaw felt herself coming out of unconsciousness and she pried her eyes opened. Her head was splitting, and she felt like she wanted to scream. The forest floor was racing beneath her, and she could hear the unsteady beats of paws as they beat against the ground. She didn't move, only remained limp as she felt the cat holding her slow down, breath coming in short gasps. Where were they taking her?

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Gingersky was the first to catch sight of them.

"There they are!" she yowled, nodding toward the 4 cats with her head. "It's Perishsong, Panthershadow, Amberfur, and Lionpelt!" Crescentfeather was the first to act. She snarled fiercely and leaped at Amberfur, claws unsheated.

Gingersky took a running leap at Panthershadow, hissing and snarling. Wolfwind launched herself, with Pantherblaze, at Lionpelt. That left Cinderfang and Shadownight to Perish.

Shadownight raced to the side of Perish, while Cinderfang leaped on her back. Perish yowled loudly, almost dropping the apprentice in her mouth.

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Snowpaw felt the presence of her clan and rejoiced silently. She almost held her ears as Perish yowled. That gave her the moment to act. Snowpaw tensed and twisted, clawing down the side of Perish's muzzle. Perish snarled and Snowpaw dropped, only to be caught by Shadownight, who dropped her to her paws. Snowpaw ran with the warriors, her head still throbbing, and leaped on Perish's back. She bit down into the FangClan leaders neck, feeling her blood drip down Snowpaw's muzzle.

Then, something unexpected happened. Perish yowled loudly and an army of cats appeared, 5 of them. What seemed like a victory soon turned into a horrorific movie. Snowpaw didn't loosen her grip on Perish, only bit harder. The she-cat flipped on her back, squasing Snowpaw, who grunted and lost hold. She quickly scrambled to her paws, only to be bowled over by an apprentice-aged cat. The apprentice's fur was soot gray. His eyes were hazel. Snowpaw bit the apprentice on the forepaw, and scrambled to her paws.

The tom leapt again, and Snowpaw side-stepped. Deciding now would be a good time to try the move Gingersky taught her, Snowpaw started circling her enemy, jerking to the opposite side every now and again. When the apprentice blinked did Snowpaw attack. She launched herself at the tom and buried her teeth into his scruff, and he buried his own teeth into her back leg. They wrestled, rolling back and forth along the ground.

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Cinderfang leapt on his sister, biting down into the scruff of her neck. Shadownight growled and bowled into the she-cat, sending all three cats rolling to the ground. Perish spat and clawed at Cinderfang, placing scratches down his side. He leaped off of the rouge and Shadownight did the same. The two ThunderClan warriors circled the FangClan leader, growling, bristling.

"Well, well, well," Perish growled, eyes flashing. "If it isn't my dear brother." Her voice was mocking, a purr of amusement in it. Her gaze flickered to Shadownight. "And Shadowpaw as well?"

"That's Shadownight to you!" he rasped, arching his back. Perish only chuckled. Shadownight hissed and suddenly lundged, but Perish was much faster. She sidestepped, and as Shadownight passed her, she leaped, landing on his back and bit into his neck. Not a sound. Only a thud as Shadownight's body collasped to the ground. Perish climbed off the tom and looked at his body, tail twitching as if she had just killed a mouse.

Cinderfang felt hollow suddenly. Shadownight. Gone. In a matter of seconds before he could stop anything. His eyes flashed suddenly, his shock disolving in anger. "How...could you?" he spat, whipping around to face her. What had ever happened to Perishsong, his gently, snappy sister? Sorrow shot through him a split second, before something inside him snapped and he lundged at her.

Perish was too slow this time. Cinderfang bowled into her, and the two siblings wrestled, yowling and spitting, a writhing ball of fur, teeth, and claws. Blood sprayed onto the ground, from both cats as they bit, clawed, and hissed. Finally, after a few minutes of fighting, both jumped back to their own paws. Blood dripped from Cinderfang's mouth, and from a deep gash in his shoulder. Blood dripped from Perish's back leg and ear, the left one ripped entirely off. They stared at each other, glaring daggers, before Perish stopped.

A blood curdling howl escaped her maw, and after a minute a line of cats appeared behind her, mattered, dirty furred and crowfood smelling cats. Some had collars of dogs teeth around their necks. Others had extended dog claws reinforced on their own claws. Some...had both.

Cinderfang froze, fear gripping him. He could hear Snowpaw, Gingersky, Wolfwind, and Pantherblaze fighting with the enemy, but suddenly all was quiet. Gingersky, Snowpaw, Wolfwind, and Pantherblaze were suddenly beside of him. Oh StarClan.

They were crowfood.

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Snowpaw and the apprentice continued to fight, hissing, spitting, biting and clawing each other forcefully. Finally, they broke apart, bleeding almost everywhere. They circled each other, before they finally attacked again, this time with the FangClan apprentice attacking.

Snowpaw tried a trick Gingersky had taught her. When the apprentice jumped, she crouched, letting the other cat land forcefully on her back. The apprentice growled in satisfaction and bit into her neck, ready to deliever the death blow.

Suddenly, Snowpaw roared and sprang, the apprentice falling with a thud to the ground. Snowpaw leaped on the apprentice, biting down into his paw.

But suddenly, she looked up. Oh StarClan. Another army. This gave the apprentice the chance to turn the tables. He pushed Snowpaw off, and bit into the scruff of her neck, dragging the struggling IceClan apprentice next to Cinderfang. Gingersky, Wolfwind, and Pantherblaze joined her, all bleeding and looking in horror at Shadownight's body. Snowpaw couldn't move. She only watched the obvious leader prowl in front of them. Her gaze was frightening. It was almost as if her eyes were changing to red in front of them. The glare of her eyes sent shivers up Snowpaw's spine.

"Well, well," purred the she-cat happily, evilly. "Seems as if the tables have turned. This is only part of FangClan. We are the strongest cats in the forest! With not only one leader, but two." She looked behind her, and dark red eyes peered from the bushes. A black cat emerged from the bushes, massive, with reinforced dog claws. He stepped next to Perish, and pressed his pelt against hers.

"Meet Dagger, the new ruler of BloodClan!" Perish roared, blinking slowly. Snowpaw couldn't gasp. BloodClan had returned? But...Firestar...and Scrouge...

"FangClan will rule the forest!" he rasped, his voice low, evil, intimidating. His eyes flashed definatly, and he glared right at Snowpaw. "And you are FangClan's first prisoners."

The voice filled Snowpaw with dread, almost as much as the toms gaze when he looked at her. She shuddered, just before being scratched across the face by the apprentice she fought with earlier. She growled, and stood up, but stopped her attack when the warrior Pantherclaw lundged at her. Looking at the cats beside her, she realized they were moving. Slowly, she followed, her spirits sinking. They were crowfood.

And she could only imagine what would happen to her.

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The four IceClan cats were pushed roughly into an abandoned badger set, each stumbling as they were forced in. Snowpaw sat down, or rather crouched down, and felt immediatly like crying. Her eyes narrowed, trying to find Gingersky among the cats, but only saw the terrified eyes of her fellow clan mates, one of them being her deputy, and one of them being her mentor.

The darkness was impossible to see through, so Snowpaw could only rely on her instincts to know that Gingersky was pressing her body into hers comfortingly.

"We'll get out of this, Snowpaw," she meowed, though her voice was full of fear. "I promise." Snowpaw felt the promise was an empty one, but buried her face into her mentor's pelt.

Silence suddenly washed over the group, only the deep breathing signaling anyone was still there. It seemed like moons until the badger set finally saw light as a cat stepped into the badger set, hidden in the shadows. He eyed the three she-cats and flicked each one on the shoulder with his tail. Snowpaw didn't move, neither did the other two, but they were soon forced as the obvious tom growled and dragged them out.

Snowpaw blinked. FangClan camp was only a field full of badger sets and hollowed trees. The sunlight was welcoming to her cold fur, and judging by the angle of the sun, it was almost sun-down.

"Follow me," rasped the tom, his eyes flashing anxiously. For a minute, Snowpaw didn't move, but was frightened when a tom got to his paws and started toward her. She followed the tom, swishing her tail in fear, her eyes large. Even though she was close to being a warrior, this frightened her, but Gingersky and Wolfwind looked the same.

They followed the tom into the forest, pricking there ears at every sound. They finally stopped in a clearing, and the tom looked at them, the tip of his tail twitching. As if it were a signal, 2 other toms appeared, eyes glinting. Gingersky and Wolfwind bristled, and Snowpaw stood up. The two warriors stood in front of the apprentice, and the three toms approached, greed and hunger in their eyes. It was quiet for only a moment before the two warriors attacked the toms.

Snowpaw hissed as an apprentice aged tom stood in front of her, eyes narrowing with anger. He leaped on her, landing on her back. Snowpaw, realizing what was going on, rolled, crushing the tom on the ground. The tabby tom grunted, and Snowpaw scrambled to her paws.

"Snowpaw! Run! Get out of here!" came the yowl of Gingersky.

"You know the way! Run for it!" Wolfwind spat, just as the two she-cats were overpowered. Snowpaw was suddenly on autopilot, and sped out of the clearing, the apprentice getting to his paws. The wind whoosing in Snowpaw's ears was the only thing she heard. She realized where she was; just outside SkyClan moor. She picked up speed, rushing into StreamClan's territory, across the river, and into IceClan territory. She couldn't slow down just yet.

She only hoped she wasn't too late.

---End of Chapter---

Last update tonight. I'm sleepy. I loved this chapter. I hope you love the cliffie i used again! -smiles- Anyway, review please!

SoL