CHAPTER 33

Under the cover of darkness, the war party waited at the edge of the Flaxclan border. Cats milled around impatiently. Mottledtail yawned; bored, her white teeth flashing as they caught in the moonlight. Sedgetuft and Rimuleaf whispered to each other. Dappledshade meanwhile sat very still, watching ahead.

Icestar stood stiffly at the head of the patrol with Sorrelwind; his broad shoulders squared with an air of agitation and his tail twitching. The rogues were supposed to be here, but they hadn't arrived yet. Gorseclan had been waiting long enough that it was becoming uncertain if they would ever get here.

Even Dappledshade clicked her tongue against her teeth impatiently. She didn't care for those cats at all, nor the fact Icestar was working with them, but still, they should honour the agreement Creek made. Surely they wouldn't just not show up?

Her blue eyes narrowed as she noticed Waspsting push his way up to the front of patrol, coming up beside Icestar with a snarl. "We should just go." He growled at his brother. Waspsting was the only cat who spoke to Icestar like that; even his other kin gave him the respect his status earned him. Icestar did reprimand him from time to time, but in this case, he clearly wasn't bothered to. He had bigger concerns on his mind after all. "Forget those mangy rogues. We don't need them!"

Icestar's orange eyes, glowing like coals in the dark, turned slowly to face Waspsting as he spoke. "Perhaps you're right. We can't just sit here for long." He replied eventually. "Besides, if Creek and his cats value their deal, and their lives, they will turn up." He glanced out over the shadowy horizon, towards the swampland of Flaxclan territory. "They meet us there, or suffer the consequences. One of the apprentices can wait here in case they show up."

Icestar had already sent the apprentices ahead to scout out towards the Flaxclan camp. Dappledshade had been nervous about letting them go out of her sight, after promising her parents she would keep an eye on her younger siblings, but it was beyond her control. Icestar wouldn't let her, Shadefeather or Sedgetuft go with them for safety. Supposedly Honeypaw and Pebblepaw knew enough about scouting that they could lead the younger apprentices in the task.

Icestar flicked his tail in a particular stiff motion, the signal for the large war patrol to move out. They moved out into a fan-like formation, the strongest fighters at the front and sides of the group. The dull chatter turned to silence as they moved right into enemy territory, heads low and senses straining.

They hadn't gotten far before the apprentices turned up, reporting a large amount of Flaxclan cats on watch around their camp, with the entrance being fortified. They had expected Flaxclan to be on guard, so it would have been more of a surprise if they hadn't done anything. Dappledshade was less worried about what they reported than the fact that they had all come back in one piece. She had hoped Icestar would assign one of her younger siblings to wait back at the border to see if Creek appeared with his cats, but he sent Pebblepaw instead. Then again, she wasn't sure if she wanted one of them waiting all alone for rogues either…

With the apprentices minus Pebblepaw merged into the battle formation (safely tucked into the center where it was safest), the Gorseclan cats continued onward. The Flaxclan camp was near the middle of their territory, so it was a decent walk from the border to reach it. Even so, everyone was on guard. The apprentices hadn't reported any advance patrols from the enemy, but that didn't mean they weren't around, ready to run home at the slightest hint of danger and warn them.

The Flaxclan camp was based around a massive weeping willow that had been there as long as clan memory. It was so old it's branches not only reached the ground, but had begun to creep out along it horizontally. It made the Flaxclan camp well covered; protected from the worst of the elements, and from prying eyes. A twoleg could walk right by and never know the clan was there.

As the tree came into sight, Dappledshade could see movement in the dark. Just as the apprentices said, Flaxclan was actively at work preparing their defences. However, as the Gorseclan patrol watched from a safe distance, hidden downwind, the young warrior did notice something. They clearly weren't used to working with thorny plants. She couldn't tell what they were using to try to make a barrier around their camp, but they certainly didn't have Gorseclan's deft practice at moving it around. Gorseclan cats learned how to manoeuvre around gorse, blackberry and briar from kithood. Flaxclan did not, clearly. A few quiet yelps of pain rang out as they waited, as thorns made contact with skin.

Haphazard as their new walls were, Gorseclan still had to get through them. Icestar, daring not to speak this close to the enemy camp, began giving silent orders through a combination of ear and tail flicks, and blinks of his eyes or jerks of his head. These silent orders could spell out simple instructions such as "left group go right" or "stop"or "right group frontal attack". Icestar always made sure everyone understood their task and group before a big battle like this. Every clan had their own variations to this silent communication, so in theory they would not be able to understand an enemy clan's variation if they saw it in battle, though sometimes it was obvious for the more basic commands.

When it came time for Dappledshade's instructions, she only received a meaningful stare and a small nod of the head, as did Sorrelwind, who she would be working with directly. They had their task pre-explained to them. Find and secure the monarchs and kits. In preparation for a battle, Tinystar was likely to have already had them hidden away from their regular den.

Dappledshade had started to protest the assignment back at home as Icestar had explained, because she would much rather be in the thick of the fighting (and keeping an eye on her younger siblings) than sneaking around the edges, but Icestar quickly shut her down and questioned her continuing lack of obedience. At least Sorrelwind had been able to step in and blame Dappledshade's hot blood wanting to fight, rather than it simply being a case of insubordination. It was a nice feeling, that the deputy seemed to have her back a little when she had now found herself on the outer with Icestar.

So, she would work alongside Sorrelwind and do as she was told, for now. The fighting would likely get chaotic quickly. In this kind of all out raid on another camp, history told Dappledshade any pre-made plans would likely go out the window anyway. The raid party waited with baited breath, hidden in the tall grass over the rise. Every eye was fixed on Icestar at the head, ready for the signal to begin.

It came as the broad-shouldered tom suddenly stood up, lifting his tail straight into the air with a toss of his massive head. He did not utter even a sound. Normally, he would roar a battle-cry. Instead, the charge was silent, save the rushing of air pushing the grass aside, and the sound of paws hitting the ground as the war patrol ran full speed at the enemy camp. The quiet charge gave them the extra seconds before the Flaxclan warriors realised what was happening, turning to see the Gorseclan cats already barreling down onto them. A brown tabby and white she-cat let out a piercing shriek of alarm before she was tackled to the ground by Spiderstrike; the sound echoed with other voices from within the camp itself.

The raid was on.

Dappledshade, though, did not charge directly into battle. As her clanmates engaged in battle, trying to break through the first line of the Flaxclan defence, she and Sorrelwind used the distraction to edge around the side of the fighting. The lean deputy moved slightly ahead of her; large ears twitching with silent instruction to follow closely. They slunk in an arch, out of sight in the grass. Sorrelwind craned her neck, trying to see what was going on while also keeping out of the enemy line of sight. Dappledshade already knew what Sorrelwind was trying to do; there had to be a spot in the fortified bramble barrier where the Flaxclan warriors were coming through to bolster the vanguard. If they could get into the camp before the main Gorseclan forces broke through, they might be able to go completely undetected.

As it turned out, the wall broke faster than expected; Icestar's yowl of triumph over the din of battle signalling that his warriors had punched through the Flaxclan line. Guess that wall was pretty flimsy and the enemy clan weren't quite ready for the attack yet. Well then, time for plan B. Sorrelwind stood up and ran back into the fray, and Dappledshade followed suit. Instead of trying to hide, they would instead hope to blend into the chaos and locate the kits while avoiding being dragged into the fighting. It was hard to resist her instincts to drive into battle, especially when a large black tom from Flaxclan squared up to them, but he was quickly tackled away by Waspsting. The rest of Gorseclan knew their mission too; they would protect them. There was still no sign of the rogues among the battle. Icestar would be furious.

"Split up and sweep the camp." The deputy instructed, not looking directly at Dappledshade as she spoke. Even as her eyes looked over the Flaxclan camp, they seemed a touch unfocused. To the young warrior, it seemed like there was something on Sorrelwind's mind. She wondered if perhaps Sorrelwind had her own doubts about Icestar's actions.

Even if she was, there was no time to question what they were doing in the here and now. Dappledshade did as she was instructed and darted off to the left, while Sorrelwind went right.

She passed by the empty monarch's den, only giving a cursory glance inside. The queens and kits would have been moved from here the second the fighting started, if not moved prematurely expecting the raid. Sure enough, there was nobody inside, though the scent was fresh, the bedding recently used. They likely weren't far then…

As Dappledshade kept her head on a swivel, ready to deflect an attack, she noticed a distinct pale coat with strange spots in the fray. Ah, that had to be the kittypet Flaxclan had taken in and put to work as a real cat… No clan cat she knew looked like that, so it had to be. She had piercing blue eyes and was big for her age; muscular with a strong build. The kittypet was fighting surprisingly fiercely. Not at all what Dappledshade had expected. The apprentice smacked Blackbird hard enough she knocked the slim she-cat down.

Dappledshade took a step towards the fight, ready to help, before she stopped herself, digging her claws into the soft boggy soil instead. No, she had to stay out of it. Besides, Blackbird could hold her own, and was quick to get back on her feet and tackle into the ex-kittypet with a snarl, sending the young cat tumbling and clumsily on the defence. Dappledshafe shook her head and moved on. Flaxclan's new apprentice was strong physically, but still had a lot to learn before they would be able to hold against an experienced Gorseclan warrior.

She was less impressed with the sight of her underage siblings running through the fight nearby. What happened to them being kept out of it? Scouts only? They moved together in a small band; their expressions eager and excited. They didn't realise how dangerous this was for them.

For her younger kin, she was far more tempted to leave her post and help keep them safe, but she quickly lost sight of them when a force slammed into her side and knocked her into the dirt. "Look who it is!" A cackling voice crowed above her. Dappledshade turned her head to see that it was that rough-coated Flaxclan she-cat she had been ready to come to blows with at the Gathering. "Nose not so stuck up now, huh?"

"Your voice annoys me." Dappledshade growled, kicking the other she-cat off with a sudden blow, though as she did the other warrior lashed out with her claws, snagging into the Gorseclan cat's large ear and tearing at it, causing her to yelp. She was quick to get back onto her paws, knowing that her enemy would be coming back at her again in seconds. Her mind raced quickly, running through options of fight vs flight. Ideally, for her mission, she should find a way to evade this stubborn she-cat…

She whipped around, ready to fight once more; sending a splatter of blood from her torn ear across the ground. Instead what she saw was an elder interrupting the battle, standing in the way and leering at her. "Leopardtail, what are you doing?! You should be hiding!" The Flaxclan warrior yowled, sounding more indignant at the interruption than concerned for the bony old cat's safety.

Leopardtail was well-known, even in Gorseclan. The stories about her prowess in battle (and her half-clan relationship resulting in kits that were split between Fernclan and Flaxclan) were told everywhere. She had been a fearsome warrior in her day; one of Swallowstar's closest friends. It was common knowledge that the old leader had wanted her to be deputy, but she had constantly refused. Dappledshade had always thought her pretty cool, from those stories. For a cat from an enemy clan anyway… A powerful she-cat warrior to admire when Gorseclan had woefully few stories of such; focusing their lore instead on many famous toms tales of battle well fought.

"Shove it Sparkskip." The elder snapped back, causing the young warrior's expression to sour further as she leered over her bony back. "I'm not some frail waif that needs protecting." Leopardtail then rounded again to Dappledshade, impressing her with her grit and fiery personality. "As for you, mold-pelt, you've got about three seconds to turn your tail around and get out of my camp." Dappledshade let out a small snort of amusement despite herself. Mold-pelt was an insult largely exclusive to Flaxclan, used only for cats with mottled pelts such as tortoiseshells. She had no idea why such a specific insult had developed in Flaxclan; maybe they didn't find mottled pelts attractive? In Gorseclan, tortoiseshell coats were seen as particularly attractive, even exotic, as a few generations ago they were exceedingly uncommon in the clan. This had changed though, as seen among Dappledshade's own family.

"Are you going to make me leave, old timer?" Dappledshade questioned, getting drawn in when she really should just ignore the pair of them and keep searching.

"Such confidence. I know who you are; Icestar's former apprentice, his little trained pup." Leopardtail hissed back with a malice-filled amusement. "Are you going to kill me like a good dog, Dappledshade?"

"Icestar isn't my favourite cat these days, actually." Dappledshade grumbled before she realised what she was saying, to an enemy no less.

The elder blinked at her, taken aback for a moment, before she threw her silver muzzle back with a bark-like laugh. "Oh, is that so?" She chuckled, eyeing her enemy up with a new intrigue.

"But this is still a battle." Dappledshade growled, cursing herself for letting her growing resentment of Icestar slip. "So take the loud one and get going: it's disrespectful to strike an elder but if you keep getting in my way…"

"Oh, Gorseclan has the concept of respect?" Leopardtail hissed back, lowering her head as if to move into a battle position as the young Flaxclan warrior spluttered indignantly behind her.

"Leopardtail if you just moved-"

"Quiet, Sparkskip. I have enough of your grating tones on a good day." Oh the look on her face! Ha, looked like nobody in their own clan could tolerate that one either. Dappledshade took a certain satisfaction in that.

"Do you want my help or not, you bag of bones?" The young warrior spat.

"No. I can handle myself." Came the flat reply, causing Sparkskip to glare, waver indecisively on her feet before spitting that the elder could clearly look after herself and running off to join the battle elsewhere. Dappledshade was about to comment on the flaky attitude of Flaxclan warriors, but then Leopardtail's eyes shifted from Dappledshade's face to look over her shoulder. "Ah, looks like Tinystar has your leader on the back foot."

Dappledshade's first instinct was to turn her head to follow the elder's line of sight, but she resisted the urge. Like she was going to turn away from two enemy cats in the middle of battle? "That's the oldest trick in the book." She said, keeping her stare firmly on Leopardtail and Sparkskip.

"No trick; if you know my stories, which I'm sure even reached Gorseclan…" Arrogant old thing wasn't she? "Then you know I am not about low trickery in a fight. I do things straight up." Her head tilted to one side. "And I know as old as I am I won't beat you. I just want to watch you watch my leader kick Icestar's tail."

She was right, of course. Leopardtail was well-known for her disdain of "dirty" fighting tactics. As for Tinystar beating Icestar, well, that Dappledshade would indeed have to see to believe. "Just look." Leopardtail continued. "I think you'll be surprised."

So Dappledshade looked. With Sparkskip gone, even if Leopardtail did attack her while she was looking behind her, it wouldn't matter. She would be easy enough to throw off.

Sure enough, when her gaze turned to look. She saw Icestar battling with Tinystart at the foot of the massive weeping willow in the middle of the camp. Two white pelts in a deadly dance around each other; one massive, one small. Tinystar was using their diminutive size to their advantage. Their small size made them more vulnerable to Icestar's immense strength, it was true, but they also had speed and agility Icestar had trouble keeping pace with. Tinystar weaved between Icestar's heavy strikes. Dappledshade was sure the new Flaxclan leader would have been practising fighting larger opponents so they were ready for this moment.

Icestar's muzzle was twisted into a furious and frustrated snarl, and between his attacks he was puffing out his usual line about prophecy and that Tinystar was interfering with Starclan's will. Blah blah. Dappledshade was sick of listening to it.

"Oh he does go on doesn't he?" Leopardtail rasped behind her. It took a lot of willpower not to verbally agree with her. "Tinystar's doing quite well though, right? For a little thing."

"Don't take things very seriously, do you, old battler?" Dappledshade questioned, turning her eyes back on Leopardtail, who true to her word had not moved at all.

"No, because that's what I'm sure you want." The elder's ringed tail flicked, a hint in her lackadaisical armour that told Dappledshade that in truth Leopardtail was furious; that she would love nothing more to sink her claws into her. "And I'm not going to give it to you."

"Fair enough." Dappledshade shrugged, making a turn to leave. "Well, I have a job to do. Nice chat." She had been sidelined by this cat long enough, she needed to find the monarchs and the kits.

"Not going to keep me hostage?" Leopardtail called after her. Of course. She had been distracting her to buy time.

"You aren't really worth the effort." Even over the yowls and snarls of battle, Dappledshade heard the elder's quiet chuckle as she moved back into the throng, dodging cats locked in combat of tooth and claw. Waspsting roaring as two Flaxclan warriors leapt on his back together to try to take him down; Mottledtail laughing as she pinned a cat down, and Falconpaw running through the crowd, eyes wide and fur fluffed up in terror.

Dappledshade turned to follow her younger sibling, worried about their safety, but then she noticed something else in the corner of her vision. Back towards the great willow tree, on the other side to where the two leaders were still fighting, Sorrelwind's distinct pale pelt flashed as she darted up the side of the tree. She was chasing the new Flaxclan deputy Heronlegs up, which confused Dappledshade at first until she saw what was in a hollow near the top.

A monarch's concerned face was poking out, with a little kit in her mouth. So that's where they were hiding! Right above their heads the whole time! So Sorrelwind wasn't chasing Heronlegs. It was a race to the defence of the queens and their young.

And now Dappledshade could finally do something! This was her assigned task, after all. She could go assist her deputy. The young warrior stretched out her legs as she raced towards the willow, her head turned upwards so she could keep an eye on what was happening.

Heronlegs reached the large branch before the hollow first, though Sorrelwind was close behind. She bunched up her hindquarters and pushed herself up the final catlength towards the hollow, as Heronlegs turned around to face her and defend the monarchs. Dappledshade was nearly at the base of the tree, having to crane her neck now to still watch.

Heronlegs snarled, arching her back and standing to full height as Sorrelwind landed inches from the branch with her final push. The Flaxclan deputy swatted at her, trying to keep the spotted tabby at bay. The hit appeared to dislodge Sorrelwind's grip, her claws slipping and scrabbling against the bark to regain her grip.

Dappledshade watched it like it was in slow motion, as her deputy could not save herself from the fall. Heronlegs saw the fall coming, and reached out to grab at the enemy deputy, but missed. It was a long way down, Sorrelwind's body twisted in midair, trying to right itself to land on her feet. But the thick, twisted roots below… She landed heavily at an awkward angle, only a few feet from where Dappledshade was still running towards her. She was close enough to hear something snap.

She reached her deputy only seconds after her fall, and stared over her limp body draped awkwardly over the roots, completely in shock. She looked up, almost instinctively, to see Heronlegs was looking down, her expression horrified. Though it seemed she must have surely gone deaf, the way her blood was pulsing loudly in her ears, the young warrior heard the Flaxclan cats above hissing quietly for the kits to stay inside the hollow.

She didn't care about them now, though. "Sorrelwind." Dappledshade called softly, already knowing there would be no answer. She looked just like…

Icestar and Tinystar had been fighting only catlengths away. They had frozen the moment Sorrelwind's body hit the ground. Icestar slowly moved their way, Tinystar only standing there and letting him go. Each and every footstep seemed very deliberate. His orange eyes were wide and staring; wearing a strange expression Dappledshade had never seen before. The fury, that was something she knew, but it was also absolute disbelief, and a slow, creeping realisation.

Dappledshade lowered her head as he reached them, but the leader did not even seem to see she was there. He simply stood over his unmoving mate, and looked down at her. His body was so still she wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

Tinystar didn't seem to know what to do. By now, some of the other cats fighting nearby had stopped as well, realising what had happened. There were yowls of disbelief, of mourning, as Gorseclan cats saw what had befallen their deputy. Tinystar's surprisingly loud voice broke over the cries. "Enough, enough! Stop the battle!" They yowled at their cats. "Truce!"

"Truce, truce!" The echo rang through camp as more voices joined in. Soon, all the fighting had stopped, and Flaxclan and Gorseclan alike were still, just watching what had happened at the foot of the mighty willow tree.

Tinystar turned back to Icestar in the silence, keeping a respectful (and safe) distance away. Icestar still had not moved, and did not look at the other leader even as they began to speak. "You may leave with your cats without further harm, if you all go right now. Flaxclan will respect the death of your deputy; your right to take her home and mourn in peace." The little white cat's expression was troubled, still clearly angered at the raid, and yet, there was some sympathy there. "Sorrelwind was a good cat, a good warrior." They added more quietly. "She deserves that much."

Icestar did not say anything at first. There was a stretch of uncomfortable silence, nobody sure what to do. "Gorseclan will go." He finally replied, his voice stiff, cold, and filled with a malice that made Dappledshade's spine crawl. She saw Tinystar's hair along their spine stand on end.

The leader then carefully took Sorrelwind's scruff in his massive jaws, more gently than one could imagine. Dappledshade moved forward to help him with her, but one silent look made her very hastily back away. He positioned her to sling over his back, carrying her completely on his own. The crowd of cats, Flaxclan and Gorseclan alike, parted for him as he bore his deputy and mate from the camp without another word, and without looking back.

Gorseclan cats looked among themselves, and followed awkwardly along behind him. As Dappledshade too fell into line, looking around she realised that there were still none of Creek's cats among their ranks. They had really never shown up. And there would be hell for them to pay for it, that she was sure of.

Her fellow warriors all looked a bit worse for wear; mud-stained and tired if not bleeding sluggishly from new wounds. Looking at them suddenly the sting of her torn ear reminded her of its presence. She had barely felt it till now.

Her eyes sought out her mother, and her brothers and sisters. It was Sedgetuft she saw first, his dark-pointed pelt standing out in the crowd a little way ahead. He was hunched over something, speaking urgently.

Horrified, Dappledshade realised he was crouched over Cavepaw; her younger brother lay in the grass, his side heaving awkwardly with laboured breaths, his blood staining the green crimson.