Author's Note: Well, due to popular demand, surprised "Ravenpaw's Secret" will be continued! Here is the eight chapter, and it is one of my longer ones. Special thanks to Sleets and Rebellwithoutcause—I don't know what I would have done without you guys! And without further ado...
Chapter Eight: Winged Raven and Clawed Tiger
Ravenwing padded home at a brisk trot. His eyes were shining with the light of the stars, and his heart beat happily; his head was held high with pride. No longer did he have to be ashamed about being an apprentice way past his moons; he was now a warrior. And although he had received the strangest warrior ceremony ever, he was proud to bear the name Ravenwing.
'I will use your gifts well,' the black tom vowed silently, feeling as if his paws had wings and his heart was flying. Every apprentice dreamed of his warrior ceremony, and finally, Ravenwing had achieved his, against all odds. He couldn't wait to boast about it Graystripe and Fireheart—he wondered if Sandpaw and Dustpaw had been made warriors yet.
Suddenly, Ravenwing tensed. He heard the thundering of pawsteps from the distance, and he was suddenly wary—all WindClan cats knew him as Ravenpaw, the ThunderClan apprentice. Surely they would ask what he was doing on their territory? Panicking, he looked from side to side, but this was the moors—there was no place to hide here, and no bush or tree to duck behind.
Then, a cat burst into view, appearing to come out of no where from the inky black sky that enveloped Ravenwing. The tom flicked his ears with surprise and stumbled back, instantly aware. It was a Onewhisker!
"Onewhisker!" Ravenwing meowed, dipping his head respectfully and casting his gaze towards the ground, "I am sorry for trespassing. I—" but then, the black tom let out a gasp as his amber gaze settled on the WindClan tom. Because of the darkness of the night, he had not seen Onewhisker properly, but now that he had, it took his breath away.
The WindClan tom looked as if he had just come out from a battle. His dark brown fur was torn and he was heavily bleeding. He looked haggard, and his green eyes had a light of desperation in them.
"ShadowClan and RiverClan!" the tom gasped out, stumbling forward into the black tom. "Rogues are attacking our camp!" His sides heaved as he fought for breath, and he stammered: "P-please, help us! I will show you the w-way to my camp!" Obviously, Onewhisker had not recognized Ravenwing, but he had assumed that Ravenwing was a Clan cat, and Ravenwing didn't bother correcting him.
"Lead the way!" he commanded, his heart beating quicker in his chest, and his eyes gleaming with anticipation, his whiskers quivering. This was what he had missed most about being a warrior—the battles. There was nothing better than fighting valiantly beside friends to protect and defend your Clan; that was what Clan honor was all about. He may not be able to fight beside ThunderClan, but he would use his skills to help WindClan. At least Tigerclaw had taught him something.
Onewhisker began to limp rapidly away, trying to keep his weight off of his left hindleg. Ravenwing followed, more impatiently, for he knew that WindClan cats must be dying. His fur whipped through the air violently, and before long, he felt as if he would be blown off of his paws.
He heard the fighting cats before he saw them; screeches and yowls, hisses and cries of pain, and the death cry of dying cats that sent shudders down the tom's spine. He left Onewhisker and pelted towards the WindClan camp, fear and desperation and anxiety lending wings to his paws. He could still see Whitefeather's proud eyes gleaming before him, and he burst into the WindClan camp with a warrior yowl rival to Tigerclaw's.
The black tom skidded into the WindClan cat, and he gasped: every single WindClan cat was fighting; queens, apprentices, and even elders. He had no idea where the kits were, but he hoped that they were safe in the nursery. Without a second thought, he flung himself into the battle.
Ravenwing felt exhilaration racing through his veins as he caught hold of a tortoiseshell she-cat and dragged her back off a battered WindClan tom. Ravenwing unsheathed his claws and scored them across her pelt, making her scream in agony and rage. She tried to twist over to claw his muzzle, but Ravenwing drew back, quick as an adder, and tore open her shoulder. Scarlet blood spurted out of the wound, staining the ground. His eyes gleamed as the she-cat went stumbling away, but his celebration didn't last long; another cat bowled into him.
It wasn't long before Ravenwing was starting to feel the effects of the battle. Ever since he had come to help WindClan, the numbers had tipped even, but now, Ravenwing was running out of stamina. He had just sent a ShadowClan warrior crying out of camp, but just then, something massive bowled into him, squashing him against the ground and making him yowl in surprise.
He felt the enemy pin him down, so that his muzzle was pressed down into the dirt. The RiverClan cat dug his claws into Ravenwing's shoulder and pinned him down while the hindlegs tore out clumps of fur. Ravenwing yowled and twisted with agony, but he was rapidly weakening: the RiverClan cat was a good strategist. He felt the blood surge out from him as the enemy warrior drew out even more blood, and pain made his vision flash red before him.
He caught a glimpse of silver fur and he gasped. "Silverstream!" he meowed weakly, gasping for breath. He felt the weight lift off of him, and now he could feel warm trails of blood traveling down his fur to dye the ground below him the red hue of death.
"Ravenpaw!" he heard the silver she-cat gasp. He let out a groan of pure agony as he felt himself being rolled over onto his side. "Are you all right?"
"StarClan only knows," the black tom grunted, struggling to his paws." He began to see why his friend was captivated by Silverstream—she was a ferocious fighter, swift, agile, and a quick-thinker. She was a beautiful she-cat that could fend for herself. "Silverstream, what are you doing here? Why are you fighting WindClan? You know that forcing another Clan out of their territory is against the warrior code!'
Silverstream's eyes narrowed. "The warrior code," she meowed bitterly, her expression hard, "you speak of the warrior code, when you are a rogue?"
Ravenwing looked abashed at her words. "Silverstream..." he protested, his eyes wide.
"My father's Clan is dying of hunger!" Silverstream exclaimed, her voice filled with emotion and pain, "Don't you think we know we are doing wrong? Don't you think we feel guilty about doing all of this? My Clan is hungry! Our queens have no milk to feed their kits; they cry out for milk, which their mothers do not have! The elders are growing weaker and weaker, and some die from starvation!"
Ravenwing's eyes bore into Silverstream's, shocked by the passion an anger in the she-cat's tirade. "But you know that this isn't the answer," he mewed quietly, "this!" He gestured with his tail towards the fighting and dying WindClan cats, and added: "What about ThunderClan? If it comes to a fight between your birth Clan and Graystripe's Clan, which side will you fight on, Silverstream?" There was a pause, and Ravenwing looked down at his paws, his voice choked with emotion. "Silverstream, which side are you going to make Graystripe fight on?"
Silverstream's eyes filled with pain, and she whirled away from him to race out of the WindClan camp, a silver blur against the inky sky.
'Silverstream,' Ravenwing thought desperately, 'you're tearing Graystripe into two! How can he be loyal to you and his birth clan at the same time?'
He was interrupted by his thoughts when a massive she-cat bowled into him, tangling her paws with his and forcing him to the ground. Ravenwing glanced up, completely defenseless, and his eyes widened.
"You!" the she-cat snarled. She had a golden pelt, dappled with darker spots, like a leopard. Leopardfur! "I know you!" she spat, "you're a ThunderClan warrior!" her eyes grew wide with panic, and Ravenwig knew what she was thinking.
If the ThunderClan cats had come to WindClan's aid, then RiverClan cats would certainly die. Ravenwing knew that the she-cat wasn't prepared to risk her warriors' safety against two enemy Clans, even if they had ShadowClan's help.
The spotted she-cat still hesitated. She knew that ThunderClan had strong warriors...if ThunderClan cats were coming…
"RiverClan! Retreat!" leopardfur yowled, leaping off Ravenwing and tearing off into the moors. "Retreat! ThunderClan is coming!"
The RiverClan cats let out yowls of surprise and released their enemies, knocking one another over as they struggled to get off the moors. Ravenwing saw the WindClan leader, Tallstar, rear upwards and yowl his victory after he heard the ShadowClan leader also scream his retreat.
The ShadowClan cats tore after the RiverClan cats, they're former allies. WindClan let out a victorious caterwauling and dashed after their enemies, chasing them of their territory for good.
Ravenwing let out a sigh of relief and flicked his tail, ready to head on home…
…when an all-too-familiar voice interrupted him.
"Going somewhere, Ravenpaw?"
Tigerclaw.
xxx
Ravenwing let out a gasp of horror as he spun around to face the amber eyes of Tigerclaw, his old mentor, his new rival.
"Tigerclaw!" the black tom spat, his claws unsheathing, but it was too late; Tigerclaw lunged forwards, claws unsheathed, aiming for Ravenwing's throat.
In the split second Ravenwing had left to defend himself, he heard Darkheart's words echoing through his head:
"I give to you the gift of swiftness. Fly with the speed of a raven's wings. Use this gift well, my son."
With a yowl, Ravenwing dove sideways, leaving Tigerclaw to crash uselessly into the moors. The tom snarled with frustration and tried to scrabble to his claws, but Ravenwing was too quick for him. He had a strategy all planned out.
"A raven flies swift and true, following his path with intelligence and all his heart. With this gift, may you be as intelligent as a raven."
Spottedleaf!
Ravenwing reared upwards and brought his claws crashing down on Tigerclaw, his claws digging into the tom's tabby fur. He let out a ferocious cry of pain and anger, and Ravenwing felt his claws go icy cold, tinged with the scarlet blood of Tigerclaw. It was strange how even Tigerclaw's blood felt evil.
Ravenwing unsheathed all sharp claws and scraped them down the tom, from shoulders to flank, slicing through the flesh and splattering the ground with crimson liquid. He was ready to give Tigerclaw a killing blow, and a satisfied thought ran through his mind: "One less traitor in the forest...!"
"Ravenpaw, govern your life with kindness and respect; kindness for those that are lesser than you. I give you the gift of compassion."
The gift of compassion...Lionheart! But surely the tom would not want him to feel compassion for such a treacherous, evil cat as Tigerclaw?
The black-pelted warrior froze and flipped Tigerclaw onto his stomach, where the tabby lay draped on the ground, bleeding and winded, but not hurt enough to die. Yet. His amber eyes were glazed with anger, and his voice was a snarl when he rasped: "You'll never kill me, apprentice."
"I'm a warrior now," Ravenwing hissed, his amber eyes flashing with a ferocity he didn't know he had.
"Ravenwing, if you spare me now, you can give up the pitiful life that a loner gives...and I will give you power," the dark tom rasped, "you will come to my Clan, and together, we will rule the forest! I was your mentor, after all..." he trailed off.
"You have no Clan!" the black tom spat, drawing his paw back and ready to pierce Tigerclaw's traitorous heart.
"Oh, but I will," Tigerclaw laughed, "I will, Ravenpaw. And if you join me, I won't kill you. You cannot kill me, Ravenpaw—you have not the guts. Come and join me. Betray ThunderClan..." his voice took on an evil edge, "betray those cowards; they'll never know what's hit them!"
"I give you the gift of loyalty, brother; small it may be, but you never know when a little loyalty will get you out of a big mess."
"You forced me out of my home, Tigerclaw," Ravenwing snarled, his eyes burning, "you took away everything I had the right to call mine. But although you have erased me from ThunderClan's memory, I will always be a Clan cat at heart!"
Tigerclaw let out a croaking laughter. "Then kill me now, apprentice, and see what happens…I'll kill you, Ravenpaw…"
Ravenwing hesitated, his eyes boring into the ones of Tigerclaw. The eyes he saw there were tinged with madness. Tigerclaw was mad! Ravenwing didn't know how far the tabby would go to get what he wanted.
"I give you the gift of compassion…help those that cannot help themselves…the gift of compassion... hissed and loosened his claws, sheathing them. "I'd like to see you try!" he snarled, releasing the tom from his grip. Tigerclaw wasted no time in wriggling away, limping and snarling.
"One day, I'll become strong," the tabby vowed maliciously, the madness clear in his amber eyes, "one day; I'll kill Bluestar, Fireheart...especially that kittypet. I'll kill every single ThunderClan warrior, one by one--every single cat that is dear to you. I will unite the four Clans, and I will rule the forest!" The tom threw back his head and let out a screaming laugh, full of anger and frustration and fear.
Ravenwing felt himself shudder and he shook himself. "I'll be ready for you, Tigerclaw," he vowed, as the tom raced away limping, "when you come for me, I'll be ready. When you come for me...you're crowfood."
End Note: Well, there you have it! Go ahead and press that little indigo button labeled review ;D And here's a treat—I am changing the title of "Ravenpaw's Secret" (because of course, he isn't Ravenpaw anymore), and I don't wan to just change it to "Ravenwing's Secret." So I am holding a mini contest—you can submit the titles you want for "Ravenpaw's Secret", and I will use the best title submitted
More to come