Chapter Five
Shard shrieked as his opponent's claws impaled his side, tearing mercilessly at his flesh, leaving strips of fur and chunks of flesh hanging unevenly. Shard summoned his strength and jerked suddenly to the side, catching his blond, Windclan foe off guard and knocking him off of his paws with a swift blow. The blond tom spat furiously as he struggled beneath Shard's weight. This Windclan cat had the upper paw, and was much stronger than Shard, but Shard had had a lucky blow, and managed to hold him. Shard raised his paw with one quick motion and-
THUD!
Shard's body was knocked painfully to the ground by a strong paw. The air was knocked from him and his breaths were ragged and painful. He struggled to his feet, trying to maintain consciousness, as he staggered across the clearing.
As he limped towards the bushes he glanced warily behind him, a decision he would regret forever.
There, struggling desperately beneath the paws of a large brownish red tom, was a bloodstained she-cat. The look of utter terror in her blue eyes took hold of Shard. Something deep inside him screamed at him not to let her die. Something he decided to listen to.
He stopped running and turned. He sprang towards the tom who held her with a ferocious yowl, claws unsheathed and arms outstretched, ready to shred his target.
He caught his victim by surprise, and some fury unknown to him rose inside of Shard as he brought down deadly blows upon the tom. Anger surged through his veins and he ripped viciously at the cat, sending him running towards the edge of the clearing.
"Quick!" Shard mewed to the she-cat, gesturing with a nod towards the distant trees. She got up, adrenalin rushing through her and enabling her to run across the clearing faster than one would have thought. Shard followed her closely behind, his ragged gasps stinging his raw throat. They didn't stop running until they were safely within the entangled branches of the forest.
The she-cat sat down, it was obvious she was in a great amount of pain, despite the fact she tried to hide it. She began licking herself awkwardly. Shard meowed,
"Are you alright?" The she-cat replied,
"Better this than dead." She paused, glancing up from her grooming,
"And thank you. I suppose I would be dead without you." Shard looked into her blue eyes. Shard thought that they looked just like mountain bluebirds, radiant in color, and yet, with their own mysterious song to sing.
"It was nothing." He meowed modestly, licking his chest fur, embarrassed. He winced as he began to lick his wounds, it was painful.
"My name's Snowwhisker." She meowed plainly. Shard stared at her ragged pelt, although it was still somewhat bloody, he could see that she was a pearly white. He felt somewhat calmed by the color.
He noticed that she was looking at him expectantly and asked,
"What?" She chuckled slightly,
"Are you going to tell me your name, or am I going to have to call you 'The mysterious cat who happened to save my life'?" Her laugh turned into a cough that racked her fragile being. Shard winced as her body shook in the spasms,
"I'm Shard." He meowed. She nodded,
"Shard…it fits you." She smiled, and continued,
"Well, I suppose after saving me like that you don't plan to kill me. At least, not yet. So I'm going to catch up on some sleep." She curled up under a nearby shrub, her tail brushing her nose and her white fur glowing slightly in the evening light.
Shard suddenly felt content, although he was amidst the place of death itself. He felt, some sort of change was coming. He smiled over at Snowwhisker as she slept, then curled up under a fallen tree branch and drifted into the calming abyss of dreams.