4 moons later…
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"Is everything ready, Willowpaw?" Sunpaw crouched behind a bush, whispering to the she-cat next to him.
"Yes."
"Good." Sunpaw shifted, his amber eyes sharp and fiery. Beside him, Cobaltfang was tensed and stiff, prepare to spring from the bush and sink his claws into Ripstar's throat at any moment.
"Um, Sunpaw?" murmured Willowpaw.
"Hm?" Sunpaw mewed, leaning towards his friend. He kept his eyes on the TigerClan entrance.
"Well, I just want to say, if either one of us dies during one of these little excursions, I just want you to know that you're a very good cat."
"Okay," whispered Sunpaw. He was hardly listening.
"And you're the best friend I've ever had."
"Okay."
"And I like you very much."
"Okay."
Cobaltfang interrupted. "Lad, ye'd best be listenin' to the lass."
Sunpaw shook his head and turned to Willowpaw. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
Willowpaw glared at him. "I said I like you very much." Sunpaw nodded, and turned away. A second later he whirled back around to face her, his nose growing bright pink.
"Oh. Oh. Okay, well…um…thank you." Sunpaw choked. His whiskers curled. Willowpaw glared.
"Quiet!" hissed Cobaltfang. The apprentices snapped their mouths shut. Sunpaw's heart began to beat.
"He's comin'"
The three cats peered out from behind the bush, their eyes piercing through the dark curtain of the night. A rustle, and then a shadowy shape emerged from the TigerClan entrance. Willowpaw breathed in sharply. It was Ripstar. The black tom padded away from the entrance, past their bush. Sunpaw didn't dare to breath. He felt like closing his eyes, like sprinting away, but he stayed where he was, eyes wide open. Ripstar paused, scenting the air and looking around, and Sunpaw froze, convinced that Ripstar was staring right at him. He remembered Cobaltfang's words: This fox dung will mask your scent like nothing else, lad. Sunpaw prayed that the old tom was right.
"Now!" howled Cobaltfang, erupting from the bush in a shower of leaves. Sunpaw could've lived off the look on Ripstar's face. A mixture of surprise, arrogance, horror and kit-like fear. Cobaltfang slammed into the leader with the force of a ten-pound boulder, driving Ripstar into the muddy ground. The black tom yelped in shock, flailing his paws wildly and trying to get a grip on his brother's shoulder.
"You!" Ripstar spat, baring his teeth in Cobaltfang's face. "I threw you into the river! You're supposed to be dead!"
"What a stupid thing to say," muttered Cobaltfang through a mouthful of fur, and Sunpaw stifled a satisfied laugh.
Willowpaw came up beside him, her eyes glittering. The apprentices watched as Cobaltfang tussled with Ripstar in the dirt, each of them grappling for a hold. Ripstar had longer, sharper claws and more experience fighting, but Cobaltfang was bigger and accompanied by the element of surprise. It was almost evenly matched. Until, of course, it wasn't.
Crowclaw flew from the trees, spitting and hissing wildly. He pulled Cobaltfang away from Ripstar, and dragged the tom across he ground, waiting patiently for Ripstar to pick himself up and shake his fur. Sunpaw growled sharply, infuriated. It was like Cobaltfang had said: powerful cats never played fair.
"You're a coward!" Sunpaw spat, his amber eyes dancing with hatred. Ripstar turned to him, a mocking smile on his face.
"If it isn't my very own son. I knew I should've snapped your spine when I had the chance, those many moons ago. And now look at you. Your even more softhearted than I expected. You disgust me." Ripstar jeered at Sunpaw from a safe distance away; he wasn't taking chances, even with two young apprentices. Sunpaw's hackles rose, and his fur bristled.
"You are a cold-hearted monster, Ripclaw. You don't even have to courage to hunt alone. What are you afraid of, rogue kits?" Sunpaw bantered back, his insides beginning to clench. Willowpaw let out a low hiss behind him. For a moment, Sunpaw thought he saw Ripstar falter, a flicker of dismay or uncertainty in his eyes, but it passed quickly.
"Don't listen to 'im, lad," coughed Cobaltfang, struggling against Crowclaw's weight. "He's just toying with ye'. Kill 'im while ye've still got the chance."
"Yes, go on, Sunpaw, kill me! What are you waiting for? Not afraid, are you?" Ripstar danced back and forth, smiling innocently. Sunpaw hissed.
"If you really want to kill him, Sunpaw, now is your only chance. I'll help you, but I'm no great hand at fighting," Willowpaw whispered. Sunpaw nodded, but he glanced uneasily at Crowclaw, who had a paw on Cobaltfang's neck.
"Don't worry 'bout me, lad. I'm old. Go for it!" rasped the tom, forcing an encouraging smile. Sunpaw grinned weakly back.
"Come now, sonny, I'm getting rather bored with all of this!" Ripstar whined, spinning in place.
"You don't deserve life, Ripstar!" Sunpaw growled, and then he flung himself bodily at Ripstar's throat.
Sunpaw hadn't had any apprentice training. He'd hardly been apprenticed for an hour before Crowclaw attempted his murder. Cobaltfang had taught him quite a lot over the past four moons, and if he were still in TigerClan he would have received his warrior name by now, according to Ripstar's training strategies. Nevertheless, nothing prepared him for the short fight against Ripstar. It was the exact opposite of fighting Cobaltfang. It was easier.
"I expected more from you!" Sunpaw hissed, flinging Ripstar onto his back. The leader was panting heavily. "You've never actually fought anybody, have you? Always had one of your pals to back you up. Well now you don't, father. Now you don't." Sunpaw raised his paw, his claws glittering in the moonlight. Ripstar gulped. Crowclaw hissed. Willowpaw whimpered. Cobaltfang laughed.
"The tables have turned brother!" Cobaltfang growled, wheezing. "You are not so powerful now are you?"
"Crowclaw!" Ripstar spluttered.
"One move, apprentice, and the old traitor gets it!" hissed Crowclaw, making a slicing motion across his throat. Cobaltfang snapped his mouth shut. Sunpaw looked into the former deputy's eyes, searching for something there, a hint, a nudge in either direction. He flexed his claws, blinked, shaking his head. He could feel Ripstar writhing beneath him.
Cobaltfang looked across at Sunpaw. His eyes were unreadable, until the last second.
"No, Cobaltfang, you can't!" cried Sunpaw, but it was too late. Cobaltfang swept his own claw across his throat, and with a gurgling breath, he collapsed beneath Crowclaw, dead. Willowpaw shrieked, cowering next to the bush. Crowclaw looked confused, and he hurriedly leapt away from the dead tom, trembling. Sunpaw grimaced, then turned back to Ripstar. The leader froze, as if the fire in Sunpaw's eyes had scorched his fur.
"You! This is your fault. This is all your fault!" With a howl of fury, Sunpaw sent Ripstar flying, and the black tom crashed with a dull thud into a stone, then crumpled to the ground in a heap of wet fur. Crowclaw yowled in surprise.
The two apprentices were silent and still, waiting. Sunpaw's breathing was heavy, and his eyes were glazed. Nothing moved. The darkness pressed in on the group. Suddenly, Willowpaw's tiny squeak penetrated the fragile air.
"Is he dead?"
Sunpaw steeled himself, rising to his paws and tentatively padding over to the fallen leader. He bent down over Ripstar, listening for a single breath.
"Gaahhh!" Ripstar erupted from the ground, wrapping his arms around Sunpaw's neck and thrusting the apprentice to the ground. Willowpaw shrieked again. "You…will never…beat me!" Ripstar wailed, and Sunpaw scrambled away, quivering violently. Ripstar dragged himself forward on two legs, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He gave one last attempt at a lunge towards Sunpaw's legs, and then with a hollow, rattling breath, the TigerClan leader joined Cobaltfang in the sky.
"It's over then," meowed Sunpaw, a moment later, his voice trembling. "He's dead."
"Not over. No, I think not over. But we have made a start," Willowpaw choked out, hardly able to stay standing. Both of them were in a state of shock. Crowclaw didn't say a word. Sunpaw turned to him, his eyes cloudy.
"I suppose your leader then?" he rasped, a flickering smile playing on his face. Crowclaw let out a wheezing whimper, and then dashed away, disappearing into the shadows of the forest. Sunpaw watched him go, swaying back and forth.
"You know, we should go before someone finds us," said Willowpaw. Sunpaw nodded, and allowed the she-cat to lead him away, past the TigerClan camp and towards the river. As they're shapes faded away, molding with the darkness of the night, another voice wound from the bush, and a small, ginger she-cat rose from her hiding place among the ferns. Her eyes were wide, and she too trembled slightly.
"I've go to tell mother," the she-cat whispered to herself, making her way shakily back to the camp. "Sunpaw is alive, and he is the rightful leader of TigerClan. I've got to tell mother."