Good god, this chapter is finally done! Sorry it took a while; had homework and such. :/
Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.
Cats belongs to me.
The camp was at its busiest when Goldenstar woke the next morning. The Clan leader managed to get a decent night's rest despite his growing concerns about the battle. Perhaps it was his mate's gently breathing or his two kits softly snoring that lulled the tom to sleep.
The sun had not risen over the horizon, but one could tell that dawn was well on its way from the sky slowly brightening and the forest beginning to awaken.
Moonshadow was swiftly organizing the patrol that would be sent out for battle. Mintshard was quickly giving each cat a pile of herbs to strengthen them. Moonshadow saw that Goldenstar was sitting under Stonecleft and hurried to reach him.
"The patrol's almost ready to go, Goldenstar," Moonshadow reported.
"Excellent," Goldenstar acknowledged as Mintshard approached the two leaders. He dropped two small piles of herbs in front of them.
"Here are the last strengthening herbs," Mintshard explained.
"Thanks, Mintshard," Goldenstar thanked as he and Moonshadow quickly gulped down the herbs. Goldenstar wrinkled his whiskers at the taste of the bitter herbs, but he knew they would come helpful later. On the other paw, Moonshadow shivered and flicked his tongue out after he swallowed the last of the herbs.
"Don't fret, Goldenstar," Mintshard suddenly meowed, as if he read his leader's mind. "You have the will of StarClan."
"I hope so," Goldenstar replied. "Keep an eye on the camp for us, will you?"
"You can count on me, Goldenstar," Mintshard affirmed.
"Battle patrol!" Goldenstar meowed, his voice loud and confident. "Say your good-byes, we'll be leaving out soon."
Pineheart and Otterwhisker rubbed their muzzles against each other and their tails twinned together. Most cats assumed that the two warriors were mates, but there wasn't any news of kits. Leopardnose approached them and quickly touched noses with her brother, whispering something into his ear.
Cliffjumper and the expecting Dustberry gently touched noses before the arrogant tom padded away. Dustberry was left alone with her thoughts and then went to find her father.
Nightstrike was chatting with Privetdrop when Dustberry approached her father. Nightstrike gave his daughter a lick on her forehead before murmuring something into her ear.
The recovering Cedarstep was outside the medicine cat's den when Meltingice padded towards him. The two mates rubbed up against each other when their son, Auburnwhisker, approached them. Cedarstep gave his son a lick on the check and they shared a few words.
Mousethorn and Feathershade touched noses and Feathershade leaned into her mate's small shoulder. Reedleg limped towards them from the medicine cat's den and Mousethorn gave his son a few reassuring words.
Ryeleaf gave Leopardnose swift licks over her face as their two kits bounced around them. Ryeleaf gave Rustkit and Leafkit licks on their forehead as Leopardnose gently leaned on his shoulder.
Moonshadow and Mintshard had disappeared to their own families when Leapingriver pressed up against Goldenstar's flank. She rubbed her muzzle against his and let out a soft purr.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"I promise," Goldenstar purred back and gave his mate a reassuring lick. Springpaw and Fallspaw appeared and circled around their father.
"You'll come back to tell us about the battle, right?" Springpaw quietly asked.
"Of course I will," Goldenstar purred and rubbed his muzzle against his son's. "I will always come back." He then went to Fallspaw and preformed the same action. "I promise."
His tail kinked with his mate's once more before he moved away from his family. His mother immediately rushed towards him from Mousethorn and gave him licks on his face.
"Please be safe, Goldenstar," Leopardnose pleaded, her green eyes full of worry.
"I will," Goldenstar murmured and his mother stepped away, knowing that her son must complete his quest. Before Goldenstar ordered his cats, he stepped into the medicine cat's den and made his way towards a certain nest. His youngest kit was still frozen in the nest, her cobwebs freshly changed and her breathing slight. He gently pressed his nose in her pelt and sighed. "I promise I will return to you, Whiskerkit." Goldenstar then got to his paws and exited the den. There he caught sight of Cliffjumper pressing his nose against Springpaw's and Privetdrop giving Fallspaw a lick on the ear.
"Warriors of the Clans!" Goldenstar yowled and he gained the attention of all cats in the camp. "It is time for us to leave!" His warriors and the other Clan warriors swiftly gathered behind him. After casing one more glance at his Clanmates, Goldenstar raised his shorten tail for the warriors to follow him into the forest.
It was still dark when they entered the forest, but Goldenstar knew where he was going. He saw Moonshadow's glowing amber gaze to his right and was aware of Pineheart's steady breathing to his left.
"Keep watch, warriors," Goldenstar warned. "They might attack us on the way there."
Goldenstar heard murmurs of agreement behind him. Goldenstar also heard Nightstrike, Emberdust, Hazelnose, and Foxrun quietly conversing. He heard Dashwind and Tumbletwig keeping a steady pace with each other and Auburnwhisker and Privetdrop's gentle bouncing. Goldenstar glanced behind him; Voleear and Flashspark were staring intently forward with Meltingice and Mousethorn glancing warily around them. Fuzzyface and Shadowmask merely looked around, as if puzzled by the tall trees.
Soon, they heard the roar of the mighty waterfall which gave WaterfallClan's its name. The other Clan cats stared in awe at its majesty.
"Do you think it'll ever stop pouring water?" Voleear asked, his voice loud enough to hear over the booming waterfall.
"It'll probably not," Auburnwhisker explained. "Something large and strong will have to block this mighty beast!"
"But theoretically, what will happen if it does stop?" Fuzzyface asked.
"Then there'll be no more water for the Clans," Goldenstar explained. "This waterfall fuels the rivers that flow through our territories; if it stops, then there'll be no water for any of us."
With that, the discussion ended and Goldenstar led the cats towards the small pathway upwards. The slim path was slick with mist and was less than a fox-length wide. It perilously clung to the side of the cliffs and made its way upward to the top.
"Uhh, isn't there an easier way up?" Shadowmask gulped.
"Unless you want to take the long way up," Pineheart growled.
"It'll be fine," Moonshadow assured. "We'll go up in pairs and take it real easy."
The other Clan cats shared looks, but they slowly understood. Emberdust bravely ventured forward first with the shivering Dashwind next to him. Emberdust rested his tail on the young ThistleClan tom's shoulder in reassurance before he and Dashwind headed up the path. Hazelnose and Tumbletwig went next, along with Fuzzyface and Voleear, and Flashspark and Shadowmask. Goldenstar's own cats went up next, starting with Moonshadow to lead the other Clan cats. Only Foxrun was the only non-WaterfallClan cat down below.
"I'll be your partner, Foxrun," Goldenstar meowed to the former SavageClan tom. The small dark red tom flashed a grateful smile towards the WaterfallClan leader as he let Foxrun led the way up the cliff. Goldenstar was aware of Foxrun's shaky breath in front him as Auburnwhisker and Pineheart followed Goldenstar, along with Nightstrike and Privetdrop, Meltingice and Cliffjumper, and Mousethorn and Ryeleaf behind him.
"Try not to look down," Goldenstar gently suggested when the frightened tom glanced at the pool of water below them. The tom nodded, trying to focus with the deafening sound of the waterfall near them. Foxrun didn't look where he was going and he slipped on a damp piece of rock. Foxrun let out a yowl as he scrambled off the cliff-side. His claws dug in to the cliff-side and his hind legs dangled below.
As fast as lightning, Goldenstar reached over and grasped Foxrun by the scruff. Goldenstar felt jaws clamp on his scruff as Moonshadow and Auburnwhisker pulled their leader to safety.
"I'm so sorry!" Foxrun whimpered once he was safe on the rock. He shivered and his usually thick pelt was slick to his flank due to the mist. "I could've gotten you killed!"
"It's alright, Foxrun," Goldenstar soothed, though Moonshadow let out a grunt of disproval. "It happens sometimes. Let's just keep moving forward, alright?"
Foxrun gave a shaky nod and resumed his trek up the cliffs. This time he didn't study the landscape below him and focused instead on the plateau above. Goldenstar let his muzzle rest on Foxrun's tail, in reassurance that he was doing well.
"Hey, Cliffjumper," Meltingice joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't you follow your namesake and jump off the cliffs?"
Cliffjumper growled as a few cats laughed at Meltingice's statement. "Hah, hah," he faked laughed. "Why don't you follow your namesake and melt in the sunlight so you can leave me alone?"
More cats let out mrrows of amusement at the two littermates' bickering.
Foxrun finally clambered on top of the cliffs and sighed as he lay on the ground. "Finally!" he panted.
"We're not done yet," Moonshadow pointed out once every cat reached the plateau. "It's almost dawn."
The cats glanced towards the rising sun that shone over the territories. It made the rivers below them glisten and sparkle.
"Hey, I think I can see our home from here!" Fuzzyface pointed out and pointed towards a ditch in the fields with his fluffy tail.
"No, rabbit-brain! It's over there!" Shadowmask growled and pointed to a slightly different spot near boulders.
"At least they know that it's in the fields," Emberdust whispered to Flashspark, who sneered in return.
"Well, it is dawn now, so where are the dogs?" Nightstrike asked.
A loud bark answered the black and white tom's question and the cats turned to see eight large dogs. They dogs gave menacing growls and yips and they were prepared for a fight. A large ginger male and a ginger female both held a limp cat in their jaws.
Moonshadow and Ryeleaf let out a gasp when they recognized the limp cats.
"Moonshine!" Moonshadow howled.
"Tallstalk!" Ryeleaf gasped.
The two warriors were laced with wounds and scars that clearly showed how fiercely they fought. They barely made any motion that they heard their father's cries.
Before either Moonshadow or Ryeleaf could race forward to attack the dogs, Goldenstar beat them to the punch with his yowl. "Cats of the Clans," he barked in a loud voice. "Attack!"
The warrior cats wasted no time in surging forward after Goldenstar towards the menacing dogs. The mutts were unprepared for their sudden attack that they let out whimpers when the cats surged over them. The dogs' gullibility quickly dissipated and the dogs bore their teeth on the cats as they snapped and pranced around, trying to get a bite of cat flesh.
The large ginger mutts quickly threw their limp prey to the ground as they leapt into the skirmish, growling and snapping wildly into the mass of cats.
Goldenstar quickly dodged an oncoming snap and met muzzle-to-muzzle with black female. Goldenstar growled and quickly slashed at the canine's muzzle. The mutt reared back and was prepared to attack when Fuzzyface and Auburnwhisker appeared from behind Goldenstar and launched themselves at the dog. The dog writhed around and let out yips as Auburnwhisker and Fuzzyface dug their claws into its back.
Trusting that the two warriors could handle themselves, Goldenstar quickly scanned the plateau. Moonshadow, Emberdust, and Shadowmask helped themselves to the large silver and black mutt. Moonshadow was locked on its head while Emberdust dug his thorn-sharp claws into its back and Shadowmask ducked around under its legs, nipping as he passed a limb.
Pineheart and Voleear tagged-teamed against a large mottled male. Every time the dog would lunge after a cat, the other cat would step into and quickly swipe at the dog's flank before retreating and repeating the process. Goldenstar let out a smirk; these dogs were no match for a cat's swiftness.
Speaking of swiftness, Dashwind, Meltingice and Hazelnose were outrunning the small white terrier as they ran circles around the vicious creature. Every now and then, the three cats would strike at the mutt before running around it once more.
Tumbletwig, Privetdrop and Mousethorn were sadistically attacking the soft brown female. Privetdrop was on its back with Mousethorn and Tumbletwig attacking below. Suddenly, the dog snapped forward, grabbing Tumbletwig in its jaws. Tumbletwig let out a yowl, and Goldenstar was about to leap into action, but Privetdrop got there first as he launched himself at the mutt's head. Wrapping his paws around the female's jaws, Privetdrop sank his fangs into its snout and dug his claws into its jaw. The female yelped and tried to shake away the white tom and eventually let Tumbletwig go. Tumbletwig shook his fur and licked the blood off his back before helping Privetdrop with the female.
Nightstrike and Foxrun were using there SavageClan techniques against the gray and white male with a curly tail. Nightstrike leapt upward and raked his claws against the mutt's face. Growling, the mutt turned and attacked, but Foxrun leapt as well and bowled into the mutt's face. The dog tried to retaliate, but Nightstrike quickly jumped onto its back and sank his teeth into its hairy scruff.
A yowl was heart a fox-length away from Goldenstar and he saw Ryeleaf and Pineheart struggling with the two ginger mutts. Both toms were on the separate mutts, but they were struggling trying to deal with them. Goldenstar rushed forward and leapt on the male with Ryeleaf. The two toms dug their claws into the male and let out hisses. The male yelped and then Goldenstar felt jaws on his scruff. The female had stretched over and grasped Goldenstar in her jaws. She then proceeded to shake the living life out of him. It wasn't long until Goldenstar started to see stars in front of him and wondered if the shaking would result in him losing a life. Luckily for him, Pineheart growled and bit the female's ear and pulled. The female yelped and let go of Goldenstar. The female leapt around, trying to buck Pineheart off of her back. The male saw her distressed and swiftly rushed forward and sank his fangs into Pineheart's neck. Pineheart screeched as the male flung him into the air and caught him by the neck like a piece of fresh-kill. After giving Pineheart a few more shakes, the male threw him to the ground with a distasteful growl. Pineheart's eyes were wide open and blood poured out of the wound on his neck. For a moment, Goldenstar thought that Pineheart was merely dazed, but he recognized the scent of death from his brother's death long ago.
Pineheart was dead.
Summoning up all of his courage, Goldenstar yowled and leapt at the male. Sinking his claws into the male's face, Goldenstar bit the male's nose until blood rose from the wound. After hearing Goldenstar's yowl, Dashwind, Moonshadow, and Mousethorn rushed to aid the WaterfallClan leader. Mousethorn and Dashwind leapt on the female, while Moonshadow helped Ryeleaf and Goldenstar with the male. The three toms raked their claws all over the tom's long russet fur and the dog let out a howl. The shook off the warriors and fled away with his mate joining him.
"Goldenstar…" Moonshadow began. "Pineheart was a brave warrior."
"Yes, he was," Goldenstar murmured. He wondered how he was going to tell Leopardnose. His mother and her brother were close, ever since their other brother, named Ashwhisker, died many moons before Goldenstar was even kitted. Goldenstar had also begun to notice how close Otterwhisker and Pineheart were getting. It was nice to see that Pineheart was beginning to find new love after his former mate, Hawkfeather, perished in their old territory.
A startling yowl drove Goldenstar from his thoughts. Near the edge of the plateau stood a black and white tom with gleaming golden eyes. In his jaws was a squirming pale gray tabby tom.
"Let me go!" the young tom snapped.
"I'm sorry Quailpaw," the strange tom meowed, too soft for Goldenstar and the others to hear, "but I must obey the commands of my master." He raised his voice louder so the other cats could hear him. "This is your only chance, Goldenstar," he meowed. "Surrender the forest and I'll let your son live."
Goldenstar growled; how dare this strange tom threaten him and his family?! But Goldenstar thought about it for a moment; should he give up his newly found home or risk his youngest son's life? The answer was clear to him and Goldenstar padded forward, much to Moonshadow's surprise.
"Goldenstar, what are you doing?" he hissed. By now, the fighting had stopped and both species were studying Goldenstar and the strange tom.
"I'm doing what's right," Goldenstar replied, not caring to look back at his baffled deputy. He kept padding forward until he was two tail-lengths away from the black and white tom.
The rogue still had Quailpaw in his jaws when he spoke again. "It's good to finally see you in the flesh, Goldenstar," he meowed thoughtfully. "I've heard so much about you."
"Funny," Goldenstar pointed out. "The only thing I know about you is that you have my son in your jaws." He let out a threatening growl.
Quailpaw whimpered and starred hopefully at his father. Was his father really about to let him die just so he could keep the Clans safe for a little while longer? His father merely stared at Quailpaw with no emotion showing in his bright golden gaze.
The rogue simply ignored threat and kept talking. "Now…about that territory…" He paused to glance towards the promising piece of land that lay below. He couldn't wait to get his claws on the prey-riched territories!
Now!
Goldenstar wasted no time as he leapt on top of the slim rogue. The rogue let out a muffled yowl through Quailpaw's scruff and took a few paces backwards. Goldenstar, hoping that the rogue would let go of his son, bit down on the rogue back. The rogue growled and retaliated by grabbing Goldenstar by the head with his claws. Goldenstar got on his hind legs and dug his claws into the rogue's shoulders. He reached in for a bit on the neck, but the rogue had other ideas. He stepped backwards into nothing and fell off the plateau, dragging Goldenstar and Quailpaw down with him.
"Goldenstar!" Moonshadow yowled as both species hurried towards the side of the cliffs and glanced downwards, hoping to see any signs of their comrades.
There was none.