Ok, here's the next chapter! YAY! Wait...no yay...this chappie is really sad. J-just read on...
Skycloud?" Asked Runningshadow. "Why are you here?"
Skycloud was frozen to the spot.
"How does this cat know your name?" Growled one of the ShadowClan cats.
Skycloud shook his head and said nothing.
"Skycloud, you're not going to steal our kits, are you?" Asked Runningshadow. "Please don't let your Clanmates do this. Your mate is in there, ready to have her kits. Your mentor's kits are in there. Skycloud, you don't know what you're doing."
"Summerheart…" Muttered Skycloud.
"What did you just say?" Spat another ShadowClan warrior. "You have a mate in ThunderClan? Who?"
"Summerheart…" Skycloud whispered again.
A third ShadowClan warrior stiffened. "That she-cat? Sure, she's pretty, but she's got a head full of dust! I even got close to her once at a Gathering and heard it swirling around in there."
"Geese, Skycloud, if you're going to snag a she-cat, get one that isn't so stupid. But I gotta admit, she's pretty attractive," Another ShadowClan cat snorted.
Skycloud trembled with anger. "Summerheart's head is not full of dust! I'm sure that you wish you had a mate as beautiful as her!"
"But she's in another Clan," Whispered one of Skycloud's Clanmates. "Hurricanestar won't be happy when he hears this…"
"You wouldn't really tell, would you?" Asked Skycloud.
"Yeah, we have to," The cat that had remarked about Summerheart's dusty mind.
Chasewind curled his lip. "No you don't!" He hissed. "You just want to get on your leader's good side so that he can treat you better or employ you as the new deputy or something!"
Runningshadow was impressed. Chasewind was getting to be a pretty good warrior these days.
Skycloud looked disgusted. "Maybe I don't want to be in your Clan anymore!" He hissed. "All it is is a flat, dusty clearing filled with filthy, rat-ridden cats like you!"
The other four cats looked insulted. Finally, after what seemed like moons, one of them said, "You just made a huge mistake. Attack!" He yowled. The four cats circled around the ThunderClan ones, and Runningshadow found that his party of four was now five.
Runningshadow unsheathed his claws slowly and kept his eye on the four ShadowClan cats. Suddenly, one of them lashed out with a paw at Runningshadow and clawed him full in the face.
The light brown tom felt warm blood dripping down his face. He hastily shook it away and took a swipe at one of the ShadowClan cats. Hopefully it was the one that had slapped him.
Suddenly, Runningshadow realized that the clearing was now very loud with fighting.
Claws flashed through the air. Blood spattered onto the frosty ground. Runningshadow felt pain as a pair of claws scored down his flank.
Suddenly, one of the huge ShadowClan warriors snarled and pinned Runningshadow to the ground. He had trouble breathing, and therefore couldn't get himself up from the cat's iron grasp.
Runningshadow's lip curled as he scented ThunderClan.
For the third time in his life, Runningshadow knew he was going to die. But this wasn't like getting drowned in the river or torn open by your father. This was a warrior, of your own Clan, trying to kill you.
Runningshadow still tried to struggle under Mudpelt's huge paws, but every harder struggle just made the young warrior even more tired. This was it- it was all over for him.
The light brown tom lay his head on the ground, showing his throat for Mudpelt to tear. The brown warrior was about to strike when all of a sudden there was a loud shriek.
"Runningshadow!" Squealed a voice.
Runningshadow looked up to see that, to his surprise, Cloverpaw was there. "Get off of him, you big piece of fox-dung!" Hissed the young tabby as she bowled Runningshadow's attacker over.
She clawed wildly at Mudpelt's face. "Help me!" Wailed Mudpelt.
"You deserve it, you great big lump! What a horrible excuse for a warrior!" Hissed Cloverpaw as she scored her claws across Mudpelt's eyes.
"I'm blinded! I can't see! Help!" Screeched Mudpelt. Although he said he was blind, he wasn't really. He could easily see Cloverpaw, and thought that he was ever so clever as to pretend. Runningshadow could see that Mudpelt was peeping out through his eyelids.
"Cloverpaw, no!" Runningshadow cried. "Remember what he did to you last time!" Come to think of it, Cloverpaw was being very brave.
Suddenly, Mudpelt sunk to the ground. He closed his eyes and didn't move.
Cloverpaw's green eyes were as wide as full moons. "I…killed him…" She murmured. But little did she know that Mudpelt was only pretending, and was aiming his claws right at Cloverpaw's throat.
Suddenly, Mudpelt sprang back up from where he lay and leaped for Cloverpaw.
"No, Cloverpaw!" Howled a voice. A dark gray shape came into the view and pushed Cloverpaw out of the way, just to save the apprentice and be held down in Mudpelt's hard grasp herself.
"Ashstar, no!" Yowled Runningshadow.
Mudpelt dug his claws into Ashstar, scoring them down her throat and sending drops of blood flying into his face.
Ashstar was motionless.
"ASHSTAR!!" Screamed Runningshadow. He hurried up to his leader and nuzzled her. No worries, she had just lost a life…right? That was all, now she had two lives left…
But what if Mudpelt's clawing was so powerful that it took more than one life from Ashstar? But surely it couldn't have taken three lives from her?
Runningshadow stopped dead. She was cold and stiff. Leaders were still half-living when they lost a life.
Many other warriors were clumping around Ashstar's body. Mudpelt was nowhere to be seen. "Is she dead?" Mumbled most of the cats. "I hope not."
Hurricanestar knew what was going on and rounded up his ShadowClan warriors. "Come," He told them. "If ThunderClan want a fight, we'll give it to them. Just not now. Remember what we went through, ShadowClan."
Runningshadow sobbed and laid down next to Ashstar, licking her pelt rapidly as if to bring life back into it. He sighed. It was no use- Ashstar was dead.
"Ashstar's dead…" Whispered Spiritwing, the leader's mate. Silent tears welled in his eyes, and he silently slunk back to the hollow log that was the elders den.
Many cats were crying as they settled down near their dead leader. "Who did this?" Asked a miserable Peachrain. "Who would do such a crime?"
Runningshadow just shook his head for a few moments, then muttered, "Mudpelt."
A gasp came up through all the crowd. "What a traitor!" Some spat "That pile of fox-dung!" Hissed others.
Runningshadow craned his neck to find Deerstripe. She was laying her head on her paws, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was sad about both things: her leader dead and her mate betraying the Clan.
"Well, we all know what this means," Murmured Catkinpaw. "Runningshadow is leader now."
Runningshadow felt stunned. Him? Leader of ThunderClan? Was this even possible? Why was this happening so quickly?
But all Runningshadow felt like doing now was resting. He soon fell asleep beside his departed leader. Are you up there yet, Ashstar? Asked Runningshadow. Please, send me guidance. Send me your guidance to lead this troubled Clan.
I bet u weren't expecting this, huh? So do u think the story is over yet? Oh no, Runningshadow still has a long way to go before he's made leader. Keep reviewing! Pleez! It would warm me heart! And you'd recieve a Deerwhisker plushie, in honor of her! poor deerie...