Chapter 18

The battle was a yowling and hissing fray of cats against cats, one pinning the other down. Snowpaw and Firepaw stalked through the fighting and clawing cats, knowing their fight was with Perish. But, after three trips around the cat surrounded camp, Firepaw was jumped by a warrior twice his size. The black tom bowled over Firepaw easy, pinning the dark ginger tom under him. Snowpaw saw Seapaw's death flash before her eyes, and without realizing what she was doing, hissed violently, and claws the tom until he turned and faced her.

"Now, Firepaw!" Snowpaw shouted, and Firepaw launched himself at the toms neck. The tom screeched violently as Firepaw slashed down the tom's throat. After shaking the two apprentice's off, the tom ran into the bushes. Snowpaw turned her gaze to Firepaw, who did the same and the two shared a moment in victory.

That was until Snowpaw was nearly knocked over by a tom her size. She snarled, regaining her balance, and leapt at the tom, nipping and biting at his neck. The light gray fur of the tom was torn easily, but that didn't make him give up. The two cats wrestled, until Snowpaw got a mouthful of his front paw. There was a loud snap, and the tom was sent running into the bushes, his front paw bleeding profoundly.

"Snowpaw!" Firepaw suddenly cried, and Snowpaw whipped around. Firepaw's eyes were trained on something above the leaders den on the High Rock. Snowpaw's mouth dropped open and her anger flared. Icestar and Perish were fighting utop the High Rock, and Perish was ready to knock the unexpecting leader off. Snowpaw let out a yowl of alarm, and Icestar saw the blow. Quickly, she whipped around and struck Perish, who nearly fell off.

This was when Snowpaw knew it was time to fullfill her destiny.

"Follow me!" she shouted to Firepaw, and she leaped toward the High Rock, Firepaw hot on her paws. Snowpaw leaped on part of the boulder, climbing up until she was face to face with the fighting Perish and Icestar.

The two she-cats were locked in a wrestle, withering and spitting on the ground. Blood and fur spewed everywhere, until finally Perish had the upper hand. She kicked Icestar in the ribs, sending the she-cat to the edge of the High Rock, her claws grasping frantically for something to grab. She managed to catch herself before falling. Snowpaw growled, and launched herself and Perish.

Perish wasn't caught off guard. Instead, to Snowpaw horrific terror, she whipped around and claws Snowpaw across the face. Snowpaw grunted, sprawling to the ground. She found herself lucky to not be sprawling off the edge of the rock. She tried to pick herself up quickly, but Perish pinned her, unsheating her claws to unleash her final blow. She leaned close to Snowpaw's ear.

"This is for all the trouble you caused me." She slashed her claws across Snowpaw's chest, and Snowpaw cried out. She saw Firepaw over Perish's shoulder, held down by two large warriors of FangClan, desperatly trying to get away. "You're going to pay for all the things you did." Snowpaw stared Perish right back in the eyes. Perish only smirked. "And after I kill you, I'm killing everyone else here." Her laugh was evil, sending chills down Snowpaw's spine, and the glinting claws were worse. She lifted her paw, her eyes twinkling. She was finally getting what she wanted.

"No!"

Next thing Snowpaw knew, Perish was gone. Blue-gray swept by her vision and she watched as Icestar crashed into Perish, sending them both sprawling to the edge of the rock. But this time, there was no battle.

There was a horrorfying moment with both Icestar and Perish hanging over the ledge both slipping over the edge of the boulder. They seemed to hang in midair for a moment, before they both fell. Snowpaw gasped, jumping to her paws despite the pain in her chest.

"No!"

There was a sickening crunch of bone, before the entire clearing was quiet.

Snowpaw didn't want to look over the edge. She didn't want to see which cat survived, which one didn't. Or if neither didn't survive at all. All eyes were on the body on the ground at the foot of the High Rock, and slowly, Snowpaw approached the edge herself. The edge got closer and closer before she was finally able to look down at the body below.

The form was limp, unmoving. Blood poured from her wound in her neck, her eyes unseeing, dim and cloudy, still in the same horrorific position they had been in when the two were falling through the air. And in the moonlight her blue-gray form was silver.

Icestar was dead.

Several cheers went up, mixed with the disbeliefing and horrorific wails with them. Cinderfang raced up to the limp body of Icestar, his body bleeding as well. No hope remained in Snowpaw's body.

For she knew that was Icestar's last life.

A chilling and cruel laugh followed the silence that hung in the air. It continued for at least a minute, and Snowpaw felt her blood boiling with each millasecond. Perish stood above Icestar's body, her own face bleeding, her own chest bleeding. Her laugh echoed, and Snowpaw growled loudly, stifling the sob that threatened to rise in her throat.

"Icestar, the leader of ThunderClan, is dead!" she meowed loudly, laughing and cackling madly. "FangClan has won!" The cheers went up again, and this time, were followed by two angry snarls.

Firepaw and Snowpaw jumped down from the High Rock and raced at Perish, their blood pumping, their hearts hammering, and their spirits shattered. Icestar was dead. But she hadn't died in vain.

The laugh continued until Perish was bowled over by both Firepaw and Snowpaw. It was cut off abrutly, and in that instant, the uproar of battle commenced again. Snarls were heard, but none louder than Snowpaw's. Hisses were heard, but none louder than Firepaws. Yowls of pain were heard, but none no louder than Perishs.

But, it wasn't an easy battle to win, a fight with Perish.

After her few moments of stun, she pushed the apprentices off, but had no time to get up before they bowled her over again. Snarling, hissing, clawing, biting, yowling. Perish fought wildly, and threw Firepaw into the High Rock, head first.

"Firepaw!" Snowpaw cried out as his body smacked the ground. She leaped off Icestar, and hovered over Firepaw's body. No...Nonononono...Not again... "Firepaw? Speak to me, Firepaw?" After a moment, his eyes slid open slowly, and he gasped, looking at Snowpaw.

"Snowpaw..." A small smile lit up his face and his eyes. "Beat her. You can...do it...I..." His eyes slid shut.

Perish. Perish killed everyone she loved. Snowpaw whipped around, facing Perish, her green eyes blazing viciously. Perish looked pleased, killing someone else.

"You killed him..." she hissed, stalking closer. "I swear by StarClan you'll pay." And she leaped.

The battle continued for awhile. Snowpaw clawed Perish, Perish bit Snowpaw. Then, Perish leaped to the top of the High Rock once she was free. Snowpaw, wanting revenge, followed.

White-hot anger blinded Snowpaw, and she let her body fight for itself, only putting her strenght into it. Perish ran for the edge, and Snowpaw leaped. Perish moved, but Snowpaw was faster. She clawed back to the top and the two cats circled each other, before they were again locked in a battle of power.

It ended the same way the last had. Snowpaw felt the ground leave her back, and felt herself falling. But she knew Perish's plan. She was trying to kill Snowpaw by making her head crack against the ground. No. It wasn't working that way.

Snowpaw slashed her across the face and twisted around, violently jerking both of them around, and the next thing she knew there was a loud crack of bone, and Perish lie still.

The battle halted. All cats stopped attacking each other and the FangClan cats looked at their dead leader with horror. The death of Perish filled the ThunderClan cats with fiery hope, and the rest of FangClan were chased away. Snowpaw simply stared into the cold, lifeless eyes of her mother, who layed dead beneath her paws.

Perish was dead. The threat of FangClan was over.

But with a price.

Snowpaw turned her head and looked at the two bodies lying near the same place. Firepaw layed on his side, Icestar on her back. Sadness creeped through Snowpaw, and she screamed, screamed to StarClan. Icestar was dead. Firepaw...was dead.

It was too much to bear.

"Spiceleaf," she heard Cinderfang meow. "Check for any life in...Firepaw." Snowpaw saw Spiceleaf from the corner of her eye rush to Firepaw's side, checking him over briefly. Snowpaw already knew Firepaw was dead, so there was no need to see Spiceleaf's answer. With a heartwrenching sob, she raced into the woods, the moonlight lighting her path.

It was over. Perish was dead. But Firepaw and Icestar were too. Firepaw...Snowpaw always denied the feelings she had for him, but know she knew she loved him, and would tell him now. But she knew it was too late.

After running, Snowpaw found herself at the river. She padded to the shore and looked into the water, seeing her own reflection before seeing Perish's. She snarled. No. She was far from Perish. Then, there was a flicker of water and Icestar's reflection stared back at her.

Snowpaw jumped, whipping around. Icestar stood before her, her blue-gray fur shining with stars. Snowpaw smiled sadly. Icestar sat down, her eyes trained on Snowpaw. Nothing was said.

Then, "Snowpaw. You did great. Perish is dead, and FangClan is gone." Snowpaw shook her head.

"But I lost you...and Firepaw." Icestar frowned.

"Snowpaw, you never lost me. I'm always with you, just like Seapaw and Gingersky." She flicked Snowpaw's chest with her tail, and Snowpaw noticed the blood still there. She sighed. It really didn't matter anymore.

"And what about Firepaw?" Icestar simply grinned. Snowpaw growled. Firepaw's death was nothing to smile about. "Firepaw?" she repeated, angerly.

"Snowpaw, how do you really feel about Firepaw?" Icestar meowed, her meow cunning. Snowpaw narrowed her eyes, her heart cracking with every heart beat. Tears blurred her vision and she looked away.

"I...I love him..." she meowed shakily. "Loved him..." She looked back at Icestar, and Icestar nodded toward the bushes. There was a sudden rustling, and Icestar disappeared.

Snowpaw pricked her ears and sniffed the air. ThunderClan. Someone to retreve her, probably. She got ready to run..until she realized who it was. She whipped back around to see the dark ginger fur of Firepaw before her.

"F-Firepaw?" she meowed gently, her eyes unblinking. Was she dreaming, or was Firepaw standing in front of her. "Firepaw? Is...is that you?"

He stepped forward, his eyes shimmering. "Snowpaw, I heard what you said," he meowed, before he raced to meet her.

The two cats pressed against each other, purring loudly. Snowpaw felt her heart leap into her throat as Firepaw entertwined his tail with hers.

He was alive. And she was with him.

---End of Chapter---