Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors
Cinnamonpool: AHH!! Not the TORCH! Mwaha. Yes. That chapter revealed a lot. Thanks for reviewing!
some crazy girl who likes pie: Roaringbreeze (won't be calling him that for much longer) IS Redstar's father! YES! (Hahaha) Thanks for reviewing!
Solarstar: Yeah, I was almost certain that most people knew that Blazingstar and Redstar were two of the three red sons, but I'm glad that not many found Scarletleaf's relation to them obvious. Roaringbreeze is such a bad kitty! We'll have to take away his Meow Mix! (Roaringbreeze: …What's Meow Mix?) Anyways, thanks for reviewing!
Tanglepelt of ShadowClan: Yay! You've caught up :) I love Blindnose and Goosefang too. It's kind of weird for me to write Blindnose, since his personality as an elder clashes hugely with his personality as a Warrior. Blindnose was a really serious Warrior, no jokes, no nothing, but then as an elder he's all senile and funny… I love that cat (hugs Blindnose) Yeah… I'm not too happy with the time that it took for Rainpaw to figure everything out… it makes her looks stupid, and that's not my intention. And mwahaha… you're detecting the shall-I-remind-everyone forbidden AcidxRain and MangledxMisty?! Eheheh… Thanks for the review!
Violets in Shadow: C-captivated…? -big huge happy tears- Really? Thanks! That's got to be one of the nicest comments I've ever had. Well, one of the many nice ones. But I don't think I've ever heard anyone say 'captivated' in their review (unless I have memory loss, which is highly likely). Thanks for reviewing!
Moonstar of FireClan: Mwaha. I just adore confusing readers. :3 And the Three Red Sons are Roaringbreeze's kits. You know, Mangledpaw has got to be one of the most fun characters to write. His thoughts are just completely unrelated to what he's saying… hmm… maybe he has a short attention span. For some reason, as the story goes on, Acidpaw seems to be getting cooler and cooler. (Acidpaw: Damn right.) So thanks again for the super huge review!
A/N: This is a bit random but does anyone play Persona 3 or SubaSeka/The World Ends With You? I love those games, they're awesome.
Anyways, getting back on track, sorry for the late update and stuff.
Chapter Nine
Determination that Burns Like Acid
Redstar growled. "I hope your new kits don't have to suffer like me, Blazingstar, and Scarletleaf."
Rainpaw felt her heart stop beating for a second.
Roaringbreeze smirked. "I'm sure they won't."
Redstar nodded at him and turned around, making his way through the crowd of cats. Lionclaw and Shadelion followed him.
Icegaze seemed to smile. "Well then… Now we grant you your new name, Roaringstar of CanyonClan!"
"Roaringstar! Roaringstar! Roaringstar!"
The StarClan cats cheered for the ginger tom.
"Rainpaw!"
The Medicine Cat Apprentice jumped. A black she-cat with green eyes was next to her.
"Oakstump told me about your situation. Come, follow me!"
Rainpaw didn't budge. She was gazing at the black she-cat's familiar acid green eyes.
"Come, Rainpaw! We must leave immediately! If Roaringstar wakes up before you do, he will kill you!" she whispered urgently.
"Who… I recognize you… from my dream…" muttered Rainpaw, "You told me that I alone could heal a heart… but who are you?"
"There isn't time!" hissed the black she-cat. She grabbed Rainpaw by the scruff and dragged her out of the shrub she was hiding in.
The black she-cat ran through a wide clearing towards a pond.
"Jump in there, Rainpaw," she meowed, "Jump in and you'll wake up. And as soon as you do, run. Run for your life. Go! We'll meet again!"
Rainpaw nodded. "Please at least tell me your name."
"There's another cat in your Clan who can answer that," replied the black she-cat, "Now go!"
Rainpaw shut her eyes and held her breath. She leaped forward and felt the cold water all around her…
Rainpaw's eyes snapped open. She held back a gasp. Roaringstar was not even two mouselengths away from her.
She scrambled to her paws and clambered down the tree. A black-furred form burst out of an evergreen bush and grabbed her scruff.
"Rainpaw!" came Mangledpaw's voice, "You're okay!"
Acidpaw let go of her. "What in StarClan's name were you doing? What took you so long? We thought you were going to die up there!"
Rainpaw, still shaking in fear, lifted her head to face them.
"I've solved it."
"Huh?" asked Mangledpaw.
"The Prophecy of the Three Red Sons… I know who they are."
"Well spit it out, then!" hissed Acidpaw, "Who are they?"
"They… they're Redstar's brothers…" started Rainpaw, "Blazingstar and—"
Rainpaw stopped. The other one was Scarletleaf, who was Mangledpaw's older brother. If Scarletleaf was the son of Silverdiamond and Roaringstar, that meant…
"Who's the third one?" asked Mangledpaw.
"Mangledpaw…" whispered Rainpaw, "There's… there's something that you need to know."
"What is it?"
The ForestClan Medicine Cat apprentice took a deep breath. "Scarletleaf is not your brother."
ForestClan nursery…
Lionkit woke up screeching in fight. His trembling wouldn't stop, and tears streamed down his cheeks. His dream had been horrible this time. He was being controlled again. The one who had taken over his mind had been laughing, running through ForestClan territory and slaughtering every cat he came across. Indigokit, Feathersoul, Redkit, Acidpaw, Rainpaw, Silverdiamond… he had watched himself kill them all.
Lionkit had seen his paws at one point—they were soaked in blood that was not his.
Now Lionkit looked at his trembling paws and started licking them fiercely, as if washing off blood.
His eyes were wide in fear. Feathersoul was licking his head soothingly.
"Shh… Lionkit, it was just a dream… shh…" she whispered.
Lionkit buried his nose in Feathersoul's fur, his tiny paws twitching. Redkit looked on in concern. Lionkit was known to be the most peaceful sleeper… it just wasn't right.
Lightningkit blinked his eyes open. "What's going on?" he asked groggily.
"Lionkit's had a nightmare," replied Soulkit, also awake.
Hollythorn stepped into the nook where Feathersoul was staying.
"Great StarClan!" she meowed, "That scream was loud enough to wake the dead! Stormkit's scared out of her wits. Really now, what happened?"
"Lionkit's had a nightmare," repeated Soulkit.
Lionkit's head was bowed. "I'm real sorry, Hollythorn," he mumbled.
Hollythorn came forward and licked Lionkit on the ear. "It's alright. I remember that horrible dream that Indigokit once had. Don't worry, it'll be okay now."
The other queen returned to her nest.
Feathersoul licked Lionkit's head again. "You just curl up and get some rest. You don't have to sleep if you don't want to, but just try to relax."
Lionkit nodded, sniffling, and did as he was told. Feathersoul curled up next to him and lay her head on her paws. Lightningkit and Soulkit were already sleeping again.
Redkit sat next to Lionkit.
"What happened this time?" she asked him.
Lionkit shook his head. "It's nothing, Redkit. You sh-should get some sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."
Redkit rolled her eyes. "I don't need to rest. I can do that during the day. I have punishment for leaving camp and speaking against Pantherstar, remember? I can't leave the nursery for another two moons. Let's sneak out."
"I'm not up to it," muttered Lionkit, his nose resting on his front paws.
Redkit growled to herself.
"I know! Let's go bite Indigokit's tail!"
"You do that," replied her brother, "I'll just stay here."
"You're no fun at all!" whined Redkit.
Lionkit didn't answer. He was thinking about his nightmare.
What if it's an omen from StarClan? he wondered, No, that's impossible… Why would they give an omen to a kit?
Lionkit lifted his head to ask for Redkit's opinion on it, but he noticed that she was gone.
"Redkit?" he called tentatively.
He looked around Feathersoul's nest, but Redkit was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, Redkit came back in, an extremely downcast look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Lionkit asked nervously.
"Something awful is going to happen tomorrow…" meowed Redkit. She looked up at her brother, "Indigokit and Stormkit are going to have their apprentice ceremonies at dawn."
Lionkit let out a sigh of relief. "That's all?"
Redkit's eyes widened and she gaped at her brother. "That's all? Is that all you have to say?"
The cream-colored kit shrugged. "It could've been worse."
"What could be worse than Indigokit becoming an apprentice?!" she meowed in exasperation, "He's going to boss us around more than he already does!"
Lionkit let his sister continue ranting. He couldn't help but wonder if Indigokit's apprentice ceremony was the only bad thing that was going to happen in the near future.
Near the Medicine Cat Oak…
Mangledpaw blinked at what Rainpaw just said. "Excuse me?"
"He… Scarletleaf isn't your brother!" she repeated, "He's one of the Three Red Sons!"
"What?!" Mangledpaw screeched.
"He's the brother of Blazingstar and Redstar! They're the sons of Roaringstar and Silverdiamond!" Rainpaw blurted out, "That's why Silverdiamond always gets so uptight whenever Roaringstar is around!"
"Wait, wait a second!" interrupted Acidpaw, "Roaringstar?! Rainpaw, come here. Are you sick, or are you just completely insane?"
"I'm not crazy!" hissed Rainpaw, "I saw Roaringstar's leader ceremony with my own eyes! Redstar came up and gave him one of his nine lives! Then he said himself that Roaringstar was his father, as well as Blazingstar's and Scarletleaf's!"
Mangledpaw sat down hard. "But… Scarletleaf… He never told me…"
"I don't think he knows," meowed Rainpaw, "You can't tell him. It might put him in danger."
Mangledpaw nodded numbly.
Rainpaw glanced at Acidpaw. "You can't breathe a word about this to anyone."
"Why would I?" he replied.
Rainpaw took a deep breath. "It's late. I'm tired. Let's just call it a day."
Just as Rainpaw was about to step out of the cover of the evergreen bushes, Acidpaw grabbed her scruff and pulled her back.
"Roaringbre—Roaringstar hasn't come back yet. Let's wait until he's gone, then we'll go back to camp," he meowed.
Rainpaw nodded. After many moments of silence, Roaringstar appeared at the mouth of the hollow. He climbed down the tree and landed nimbly on his paws.
He paused, sniffing the air.
The three hiding apprentices froze. Would he notice them?
Eventually, Roaringstar snarled.
"I'll get her another time," he muttered to himself before continuing to walk back to the desert.
Mangledpaw and Acidpaw looked to Rainpaw.
"He was… he was talking about you, wasn't he?" asked Acidpaw.
Rainpaw nodded. "I think so."
"Rainpaw… you can't go anywhere near him."
"I know, Acidpaw."
Acidpaw dug his claws into the ground.
Mangledpaw rose to his feet. "I'd better go."
"Alright," replied Rainpaw, "I'll see you at the Gathering."
The MountainClan apprentice left.
Rainpaw turned to Acidpaw. "We'd better go back to camp. It'll be dawn soon."
By the time the two ForestClan apprentices returned to camp, it was only a few hours before dawn. Acidpaw and Rainpaw entered the apprentice den.
"It's really getting crowded," observed Rainpaw.
She looked over the occupants of the apprentice den. Spotpaw and Stripepaw were curled up back to back, Lynxpaw and Breezepaw were sleeping side by side, Oceanpaw was curled up in the corner, and Wolfpaw asleep in her nest near the entrance. Dogpaw was snoring loudly in his nest on the far wall. Rainpaw padded over to her nest and lay down. She spotted Acidpaw sitting right in the mouth of the entrance, gazing up at the sky.
"Aren't you going back to your nest?" she asked him quietly.
"No. It's too stuffy in the apprentice den."
Rainpaw frowned. "But it's mid leaf-bare!"
Acidpaw shrugged. "I don't mind the cold."
Their conversation ended there. Acidpaw had fallen asleep and the rhythm of his evened-out breathing eventually lulled Rainpaw to sleep as well.
MountainClan camp…
Mangledpaw entered the Medicine Cat den. He saw Scarletleaf sleeping peacefully.
The apprentice's eyes narrowed. Did Scarletleaf know the truth?
He thought about the punishment he had received from Hawkheart. Now he couldn't leave camp, starting at sunhigh. He didn't have much free time left.
He turned to leave the Medicine Cat Den, looking at Scarletleaf over his shoulder.
Now that Mangledpaw thought about it, the two of them were nothing alike. Scarletleaf had bright ginger fur, while he had pure white. Mangledpaw's eyes were a deep emerald green and the Medicine Cat's were an icy blue. They didn't even look like distant cousins.
He sighed quietly and left the den.
ForestClan camp…
Rainpaw was awakened by Pantherstar calling a meeting.
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey assemble at the Treestump for an important Clan meeting!"
Rainpaw yawned and rose to her paws, stretching. She padded to the center of camp and sat down. Indigokit and Stormkit were sitting in front of the Treestump. Acidpaw was at the back of the crowd.
"The time has come for these two kits to be apprenticed," started Pantherstar, flicking her tail at the two kits, "From this moment on, until they have earned their Warrior names, these cats will be known as Indigopaw and Stormpaw."
The two new apprentices squirmed in excitement.
Pantherstar turned to Foxclaw, "I know it will be difficult, but I have faith that you will be able to mentor both Indigopaw and Stormpaw. Please pass down your knowledge and strength to these young apprentices."
"I won't fail you, Pantherstar," meowed Foxclaw.
The ginger she cat stepped towards them, touching noses with Indigopaw first, then Stormpaw.
"Indigopaw! Stormpaw! Indigopaw! Stormpaw!" chanted the Clan.
The two new apprentices went to sit next to their mentor.
"Before this meeting ends, I have one more announcement to make," continued Pantherstar, "We all know that Quietpaw of MountainClan has been in our camp for the past sunrises. She was driven out of her Clan and falsely accused of being a curse. She will remain an apprentice in ForestClan unless she is accepted back by MountainClan. Quietpaw, if you'll come forward, please."
Quietpaw made her way through the crowd of cats and sat in front of the Treestump.
"Hollythorn will mentor Quietpaw," meowed Pantherstar, "I expect you to teach Quietpaw all that you know."
"I'll do my best," replied Hollythorn. She came towards her new apprentice and touched noses with her.
"This meeting is over," finished Pantherstar, "Please resume your duties."
The crowd of cats dispersed and only Acidpaw and Indigopaw remained. The little tabby tom brushed past Acidpaw, a disappointed look on his face.
"I wish you were my mentor, Acidpaw…" he muttered before running to catch up to Foxclaw.
Just as Acidpaw was about to enter the elders' den, Pantherstar came up behind him.
"Acidpaw, I need to speak to you," she told him.
The black-furred tom turned around. "Yes, Pantherstar?"
"Since almost every cat is busy training an apprentice, and there aren't many available cats for hunting and patrols, I'm lifting your punishment early," she replied, "You will resume your training at dawn tomorrow."
Without saying another word, Pantherstar returned to her den.
Acidpaw smirked. Finally, he had some freedom.
Later that day, as Acidpaw passed the apprentice den, he caught sight of Indigopaw. He padded up to him.
"Where's Foxclaw?" he asked the tabby.
"She's sharing tongues with Tigerpelt," answered Indigopaw, "She's dismissed us for today."
"Where's Stormpaw?"
"Oceanpaw's helping her build her nest."
"I see."
There was a moment of silence.
Acidpaw suddenly pulled Indigopaw behind the apprentice den.
"I'll train you, if you want," whispered the black-furred tom, "I'll teach you in secret. At moonrise. Is that okay?"
Indigopaw's eyes lit up. "Are you serious? Do you really mean it?"
Acidpaw nodded.
The new apprentice grinned. "Thanks Acidpaw! I think I'm going to go bother Redkit now, so I'll see you later!"
"It's nothing," replied Acidpaw, "And don't get Redkit too riled up. She might bite your head off!"
Indigopaw laughed and continued towards the nursery.
Nursery…
Redkit was in a very bad mood. She wasn't allowed out of the nursery. Saying that she was bored was an understatement.
She groaned as she saw a familiar tabby pelt sauntering towards her. Indigopaw's deep blue eyes were glinting with mischief.
"What do you want, Indigopaw?" she sneered.
"I just wanted to make sure that the little kit isn't on the loose again," he replied, "Wouldn't want an entire patrol after her!"
"Why don't you stuff a mouse in it?!" she snapped.
"Hmm… No."
Redkit growled in frustration. "Just go away, then! Don't you have grumpy elders to attend to?!"
"No. But I have some training to do. I can't wait to learn how to hunt and fight!"
The ginger she-cat hissed and turned to go deeper into the nursery. She curled up near the corner and buried her nose in her bushy tail.
I can't believe he's an apprentice! I still have to wait another three moons! Redkit thought angrily, And I bet Pantherstar's so afraid that we're going to get ourselves killed that she's going to make Lionkit and I wait longer until we're apprenticed!
Redkit noticed that her brother was staring at her.
"What?" she growled.
Lionkit shook his head slowly before laying his head down on his paws. He didn't want to trigger her explosive anger. "Nothing, Redkit. Nothing."
The little ginger she-cat rose to her paws and lay in the entrance of the nursery. She watched Lightningkit and Soulkit outside, play-fighting in the snow. She dug her claws into the ground, furious that she wasn't allowed outside.
Indigopaw was outside the apprentice den, sharing tongues with Stormpaw. Redkit noticed that the tabby she-cat looked kind of nervous. She kept on blinking rapidly and shaking her head.
Acidpaw walked by them, paused, and bent down to whisper something in Indigopaw's ear. Indigopaw seemed to snarl, but he nodded after.
"Redkit!" called Feathersoul's voice, "Come inside, you'll catch a chill!"
I'd be more than happy to catch a chill if it would allow me to get out of the nursery, Redkit grumbled inwardly.
Feathersoul seemed to sense her frustration. "I know that you don't like being cooped up like this, but it's your own fault. Sometimes you—"
"Sometimes you have to just flatten your ears and give in," Redkit interrupted, "I know."
Feathersoul blinked in surprise. "Who taught you that?"
"Acidpaw did," she replied.
"Really? I would've thought that he'd agree with your outburst."
"He did," mewed Redkit, "He just told me that I shouldn't have said it out loud."
Feathersoul laughed. "He's a mysterious one, that Acidpaw."
Apprentice Den…
Acidpaw was dreaming again. The black she-cat appeared before him.
"Greetings, Acidpaw," she meowed, "Congratulations on solving the prophecy."
"I didn't really do anything," he replied, "Also, it's not really a prophecy, because nothing earth shattering has happened to the Clan yet that has anything to do with the Three Red Sons."
"Are you positive it's only about ForestClan?"
The black she-cat's statement caught him off guard.
"Concentrate, Acidpaw. The prophecy affects more than just your Clan."
"Redstar is from ForestClan," started Acidpaw slowly, "Scarletleaf is in MountainClan… Blazingstar is from PrairieClan. So there's a link between ForestClan, PrairieClan, and MountainClan?"
"You're missing one," meowed the black she-cat, "There are others mentioned in the prophecy."
"Silverdiamond… and Roaringstar."
"Yes."
"Which means all four Clans are connected. Well that's pretty much stating the obvious."
"What will happen soon will shatter the relations between the Clans, rather than connect them."
Acidpaw's eyes widened. "What?!"
The black she-cat was fading. "Your time of honor is coming. There will be a life you need to save. Good luck."
Acidpaw opened his eyes. "A life… that I need to save."
He looked around at his fellow apprentices. His gaze rested on Rainpaw.
That's right, he thought, Roaringstar is after her life.
Acidpaw suddenly realized something. If Redstar's father was Roaringstar, that meant…
"Great StarClan," he whispered to himself, "The leader of CanyonClan is my grandfather."
He thought about the black she-cat. She had told him that she shared a part of his name with him. It couldn't be 'paw' because she was way older than any apprentice he knew.
So her name starts with 'Acid'? he thought, I was positive that I was the only cat with 'Acid' in their name. I'll ask around at the next Gathering. Maybe there was a cat whose name started with 'Acid' in another Clan.
Acidpaw rose to his feet and padded over to Indigopaw. It was still pitch-black outside.
"Indigopaw," he hissed quietly.
The small tabby tom yawned. "… just a little longer…"
"Indigopaw!" Acidpaw prodded the younger apprentice with his paw.
The tabby tom woke up. "Yeah?"
"Let's go."
Indigopaw nodded and followed Acidpaw out of the apprentice den. They stopped in front of the nursery.
"Go," meowed Acidpaw.
Indigopaw nodded reluctantly and entered the nursery. He stepped around Lightningkit, Soulkit, Feathersoul, and Lionkit, careful not to wake them.
"Redkit," he whispered, "Redkit, wake up."
The ginger she-cat opened her icy blue eyes. "What do you want, Indigopaw?"
"Acidpaw told me to come and get you. He's going to train me at night starting now, and he told me that you must be bored out of your mind in the nursery all day, so he's going to train you too."
Redkit sprang to her paws. "Really?!" she mewed in excitement.
"Shh!" hissed the tabby, "You're going to wake them up, you mousebrain!"
"Sorry."
Indigopaw didn't reply. He padded out of the nursery with Redkit at his heels.
As soon as they got outside, Redkit flung herself at Acidpaw.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she purred.
Acidpaw nodded. He led the two younger cats out of camp all the way to the drinking stream. He turned to face them. "Alright. We're going to start with battle stances. Seeing as it's leaf-bare, teaching you how to hunt is useless."
They nodded. Acidpaw crouched lower to the ground, his fur sticking up, making him appear twice his normal size.
"Attack me, both of you," he told them.
Indigopaw and Redkit exchanged glances.
"Don't hesitate," Acidpaw's eyes glinted, "I'm more than capable of fighting both of you."
Indigopaw charged at Acidpaw, who ducked lower and also went forward, headbutting Indigopaw on the chest. The tabby tom flipped backwards, landing on his back. Acidpaw quickly put his paw on his neck.
"Charging straight forward is an obvious move."
Redkit ran towards Acidpaw this time. She started to attack straight on, but focused on Acidpaw's right shoulder, intending to throw him off-balance. She darted to the right and leaped.
Acidpaw foresaw her move and quickly sidestepped out of the way. Redkit fell flat on her face.
"Your eyes betray where you're going to attack."
Redkit and Indigopaw rose to their paws. They were on either side of Acidpaw. The black-furred tom glanced at them quickly.
The two younger cats dashed at him. Acidpaw leaped straight up in the air. Redkit and Indigopaw slammed into each other, their heads banging together.
Acidpaw landed behind Indigopaw and shoved him to the ground, his paws against the tabby's throat. Redkit came up behind him and tried to attack, but Acidpaw kicked Redkit away.
The black-furred tom turned around to face Redkit, who struggled to her paws. His glittering acid green eyes softened.
"Redkit, don't hesitate to tell me if I'm being too hard on you," he meowed.
"I'm okay, Acidpaw," she replied, "I've already learned a lot. I think I'll be able to beat Lightningkit in playfights soon."
Acidpaw smirked. "Yeah."
They continued training for a while longer. Indigopaw and Redkit were exhausted. They were no match for Acidpaw, who was sitting in front of them calmly, completely unscathed.
"That's enough for tonight," he told them, "Let's go back to camp. It'll be dawn in a few hours."
Indigopaw nodded. "I… I'm exhausted!" he panted.
Redkit rolled her eyes. "You're just an overgrown kit."
Acidpaw walked alongside them, watching them argue over who was stronger. When they arrived at camp, they all went silent.
Redkit whispered a quick thanks to Acidpaw before she scampered into the nursery.
Indigopaw and Acidpaw entered the apprentice den. Everyone was asleep. Acidpaw curled up in his nest and fell asleep immediately.
A few hours later, the black-furred tom was prodded awake.
He opened his eyes. Hawktalon was standing over him. Acidpaw remembered with a smirk that he was no longer under punishment.
"Come on, Acidpaw," meowed his mentor, "We're going on a dawn patrol."
Acidpaw stood up and padded out of the apprentice den. Dogpaw joined up with them there.
The three cats headed towards the exit of camp. They were going to patrol the Twolegplace border.
Waiting for them was Foxclaw, Indigopaw, Stormpaw, Pantherstar, and Stipepaw.
Pantherstar led the patrol through the woods. It was peaceful, not too cold. The snow crunched softly underneath the cats' paws.
Acidpaw frowned at Stormpaw. She was following Indigopaw very closely. He seemed to be whispering to her. The black-furred tom hoped that Indigopaw wasn't telling his sister about the night training.
The patrol arrived at the border. Pantherstar looked up sharply.
"Do you scent anything strange?" she asked Stripepaw.
The orange-eyed tabby tom lifted his head higher up and sniffed the air. He gasped.
"I could be wrong, but I think I smell dog! And it's coming straight for us!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, an enormous white-furred beast sprang out from the shadows. Its blue eyes gleamed and its pointed teeth were bared.
From behind Acidpaw, Dogpaw tensed. One name escaped his bared teeth.
"Rebekka."
The dog turned her piercing blue eyes on the orange-and-white tom. She snarled and leaped at him.
"Dogpaw, get out of there!" yowled Hawktalon.
Dogpaw leaped backwards, just avoiding the dog's deadly jaws.
Rebekka growled and charged at Pantherstar instead, who nimbly jumped out of the way.
"Surround it!" commanded the leader, "At my signal, attack from all sides!"
The patrol formed a ring around the dog. Stormpaw was looking around wildly, a panicked expression on her face. She was standing right in front of Rebekka, as if she didn't know the dog was there.
"Stormpaw!" howled Indigopaw, "Come this way!"
Stormpaw started towards her brother, but Rebekka caught her by the tail and threw her into the air, then slammed her back down into the snow.
"Stormpaw!" wailed her brother, his indigo eyes wide with horror.
"Indigopaw!" she screeched, "Help me!"
Rebekka picked the small she-cat up in her teeth and started biting down. Blood dripped down from Stormpaw's fur. Indigopaw started to run to help her, but Pantherstar held him back.
"Let go of me!" he yowled, "I have to help her! Stormpaw, hang on!"
"You're going to get yourself killed!" Pantherstar hissed.
"I don't care! She needs me!"
Pantherstar glanced at her apprentice. "Stripepaw, go get help!"
Stripepaw nodded and raced towards camp.
Indigopaw continued squirming under Pantherstar's paws. He finally managed to get free.
The indigo-eyed tom flung himself at Rebekka, who swatted him away effortlessly with one gigantic paw.
Indigopaw stood up immediately and stood in front of Rebekka.
"No! Please spare her!" he yowled, "You don't understand! She's blind!"
A/N: I think a lot of people saw that coming. The next chapter shouldn't take too long.