Warriors New Rivals
Chapter 17
I hope Swiftleap is ok… Chestfall fretted. Whitepaw had arrived back instead of Swiftleap because Swiftleap knew that the five cats needed help. Wait, four cats… The clan hadn't grieved too long for Breezefang because they knew that the badgers were approaching, and fast.
"Chestfall, Dapplecoat, Screechclaw and Flowerstep, you come with me to help fend off the badgers, the rest of you stay here in case the badgers make it back to camp!" Redfeather ordered from highcliff.
"Stumpyleg and Honeyclaw, we only need you to come help if the badgers become too much so make sure you stay in the elders den," Brindlestar advised standing beside Redfeather on the highcliff.
"My patrol, move out!" Redfeather bounded down from highcliff and raced out of the thorn tunnel with his patrol following.
Chestfall quickly looked around the clearing. I hope they can defend themselves… Chestfall then followed the patrol to where Whitepaw had said the badgers were but the patrol had stopped because the badgers had moved forward closer to the camp.
"Keep pushing them back!" Moonblaze shouted over the hissing and yowling of other cats.
"It's too hard, we can't win," Icebreeze pleaded.
"Not so fast!" Redfeather charged at a large muscular badger.
"Redfeather!" Shredflame eyes lit up and then filled with confidence. "I'm not alone," he muttered through a mouthful of badger fur.
Chestfall instantly pounced on a smaller badger and raked his claws down its flank; Screechclaw, Dapplecoat and Flowerstep had done the same.
"Get out of here you filthy thing" Chestfall hissed, the badger left the way it had come whimpering, but after it had left two more arrived, Chestfall leaped up a tree and managed to climb along a couple more trees to see where they were coming from, the badger he had shredded up was lying dead closer to its den.
"How many are there?" Chestfall muttered to himself, he climbed back to the clearing and looked down. He could see ten badgers fighting nine cats. This was not a fair fight, Chestfall looked around for his brother and saw him gripped to a badgers back.
"Help!" Dappelcoat's meow split the clearing; Chestfall looked over and saw her cornered against a tree with two badgers closing in on her.
"I'm coming!" Chestfall leaped down from the tree and raced toward her, when he arrived he leaped on top of one of the badgers and bit down hard into its ear, tearing it off in single heartbeat. The badger instantly ripped him off and threw him at a tree. It quickly ran off back into the bushes.
"And stay out!" Dapplecoat hissed to the second badger, Chestfall looked around and saw that there were only four badgers left.
"We're winning!" Redfeather praised, his eyes instantly filled with horror as he realised where the badgers had been leaving to.
They're headed for the camp! Chestfall instantly sprinted after them leaving everyone else in the clearing.
"Chestfall, wait!"
Chestfall ignored Redfeather's order and kept running, he parted his jaws and tried to scent the badgers but all he could get was whiff of their remaining scent. Why can't I smell anything? Chestfall suddenly realised that one of the badgers had cut his nose and filled it with his own blood.
"Chestfall!" Moonblaze called out from behind him. He whipped his head around to face his father and soon after was shoved up a tree on a low branch quickly followed by Moonblaze, suddenly three more badgers charged past.
"What!" Chestfall wanted to sprint back to camp to help his clanmates.
"The other one was killed by me and Swiftleap. Anyway Redfeather, wants us to rest," Moonblaze advised.
"Rest? How can we rest knowing that the rest of our clan is about to be bombarded by badgers?" He hissed.
"Just come with me" Moonblaze advised.
"Fine," Chestfall replied, storming off in front of his father.
"Can you walk?" Chestfall heard Swiftleap meow.
"No, it hurts too much," Dapplecoat's meow replied. Was that my fault? I shouldn't have left her…
"Just try," Swiftleap gave his mate a soothing lick on her forehead.
"Ow!" Dapplecoat stood up but her hind paw had a huge cut in it that was oozing blood out like a stream on a stormy day.
"Please wake up Shredflame, you have too…" Ashclaw's grief stricken voice sounded behind Chestfall.
"I don't think he's going to," Icebreeze soothed the she-cat.
"He has too!" She retaliated. Chestfall tried to take his mind off Shredflame by offering to go find Breezefang's body. Redfeather had replied with a brisk nod and Chestfall had shot off into the bushes. He eventually found her body, her head was twisted slightly and her mouth was drooling blood. Chestfall tried not to gag at the she-cat but he lifted her by her scruff and brought her back to the clearing.
"Oh, great Starclan that hurts!" Chestfall jerked his head over to the voice and saw that Shredflame had woken up with a crooked paw.
"You're ok!" Chestfall exclaimed through a mouthful of fur.
"Come on, let's go back to camp" Redfeather meowed, he then realised that Dapplecoat and Shredflame couldn't walk.
"Maybe any cat that is fit enough to go back to camp should go?" Chestfall queried.
"Good idea, Swiftleap, Chestfall, Flowerstep and Icebreeze come with me, Ashclaw and Screechclaw you stay with these two." Screechclaw looked up from cleaning himself and gave Ashclaw an angry hiss before continuing to clean his cuts. Redfeather signalled his tail toward the two cats that were sitting beside Breezefang's body; all four cats got up and walked out of the clearing, starting a run as soon as they got out of earshot.