Chapter 3

I am so sorry to all of you, my loyal readers and reviewers, for not updating for such a long time. I had a huge bout of writer's block, and I thought I might even have to discontinue the story already. But, after 10 minutes of staring at a blank Microsoft Word page, I finally started to write, and I now present to you the finished product - and the replies, of course.

Niah-Miyoki - Thanks! Well, that is if I do end it. Most of the time I get bored of my stories in the middle or get writer's block and stop writing, but I'm determined not to discontinue this one.

EyeOfTheTiger - Bramblestar will probably stay evil until the very end, when his little secret is revealed. What is that secret, you ask? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading.

Tigerstar-Demon - I love Blackpaw, too, he reminds me of Lionpaw for some reason:D Anyways, don't worry, Bramblestar will get much eviler over the course of the story. About Squirrelflight and Leafpool, though… I've never thought of that. Perhaps I shall include something like that in the next chapter. - laughs evilly -

The Awesomeness of Moosey - Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to update soon.

Pinkpelt the Crack Butterfly - Well, I had to demonstrate how evil Bramblestar had become somehow, didn't I? About Daisy, well, she just irks me. She's too soft. They should send her back to the horseplace where she belongs. Berrypaw, Mousepaw and Hazelpaw are awesome, though.

Nightpaw stared out in amazement at the vast expanse of moorland before her, her eyes so wide they looked like two dark blue moons. She shivered as a fierce gust of wind buffeted her fur, and she remembered that the Clan called WindClan had once lived here. Now she knew why they had been named that.

Her paws itched to race ahead of the patrol, which consisted of her, Blackpaw, Firepaw and all three of their mentors. It would be much easier to run across the windswept hills, but she restrained herself with a little difficulty.

Dustpelt's ears flattened against his head as they began to leave the shelter of the trees, and Weaselfur proudly took the lead, his stride springier and his posture more relaxed than it had been in the forest.

"The HawkClan border his over there," he announced, flicking his tail casually toward the horseplace. Suddenly, he froze and tasted the air, his fur bristling.

"At least it's supposed to be," Nightpaw heard him mutter fiercely, causing the rest of the patrol to test the air for themselves. Nightpaw pulled back in disgust as she caught the strong, vile scent of what she guessed was HawkClan laid out on the ground before her. She had no idea what this meant, although she could tell it was bad, for all three warriors had hard looks in their eyes.

"They're trying to steal our territory again," Spiderleg hissed, his fur bristling, and realization dawned on the three apprentices, who had been standing there, dumbfounded.

"The scent is fresh - they must be somewhere nearby," came Dustpelt's growl, and he turned to the apprentices.

"Which of you is the fastest?" he demanded, and Nightpaw knew he wasn't asking so they could fool around and argue about the verdict. She and Blackpaw both immediately pointed their tails at Firepaw, who glared at them.

"Firepaw, run back to camp as fast as you can and tell Bramblestar to send reinforcements. Now," Dustpelt ordered. The ginger tom nodded and darted off, but not before he shot furious glance at his siblings.

The rest of the cats watched him go, anxiety prickling between them. Nightpaw willed her brother on silently in her mind, hoping somehow he would feel it and run faster.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Intruders."

Nightpaw spun around to see three cats glaring at them. She had no idea who these strange warriors were, but judging by their scent, they were from HawkClan. Nightpaw and Blackpaw bristled their fur and spat at the small patrol, making the leader, a lithe black tom, turn and smile at them smugly.

"Blackclaw," Dustpelt hissed furiously. "Do you really believe that you could beat us with only three of your warriors?"

The two cats behind Blackclaw, a black tom and a tortoiseshell she-cat, shifted uncomfortably on their paws, but the HawkClan deputy continued to smile.

"You seem to have underestimated our numbers, Dustpelt," he hissed icily. "HawkClan isn't as mouse-brained as you think. And we want this territory for ourselves."

Nightpaw's eyes widened in fear as a dozen large muscular cats appeared behind Blackclaw's patrol. How was she, an untrained apprentice, supposed to fight fifteen battle-ready warriors? Firepaw had better get back soon.

The two parties stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, their eyes locked, their fur bristling and their lips pulled back in over a dozen ferocious snarls. The grey she-cat realized that these might be the last peaceful heartbeats she would ever experience, for she knew that HawkClan was not afraid to kill.

"Attack!" Dustpelt and Blackclaw yowled at the same time, and the moorland erupted into a flurry of flying teeth and claws. Nightpaw leaped onto the back of the smallest warrior in the crowd, a light brown tom, and dug her claws into his pelt.

The tom twirled around, trying to dislodge her from his back, but her grip only became firmer, making him yowl in pain. She leaned down, trying to bite the back of his neck, when the largest ginger tom Nightpaw had ever seen appeared and knocked her off her victim's back with a twitch of his paw.

Nightpaw crumpled to the ground, shivering in fear as the tom loomed over her, a malicious glint in his eyes. She could see that the small patrol was being driven farther back onto BrambleClan territory by the HawkClan warriors. It was hopeless. Closing her eyes tightly, she waited for the inevitable moment when the enemy warrior's bone white teeth would sink into her throat…

Suddenly, a loud yowl sounded from behind her, and she opened her eyes, recognizing Bramblestar's battle cry. Taking advantage of the warrior's momentary distraction, she raked her claws down his soft belly, making him leap away. He glared at her as she yowled briefly in triumph.

Finding Blackpaw and Firepaw among the mass of fighting cats, the three of them raced toward each other, panting heavily after their separate battles. Nightpaw could see blood trickling down the side of Blackpaw's face from a large gash, and sweat had darkened Firepaw's coat to auburn. She gasped at the sight of them.

"What happened to you?" she asked, barely able to contain her fear for them. But before either could answer, Dustpelt approached, his fur falling off in ragged clumps and his dark brown tabby coat matted with blood.

"Go back to camp, you three," he ordered, his voice still full of it's usual pride and confidence, despite his condition. Nightpaw opened her mouth to protest, but was quickly silenced as Firepaw stuffed his tail in her mouth.

"Yes, Dustpelt," Blackpaw replied for them. Nightpaw glared at him as he began to herd them back toward the hollow and away from the bloody scene behind them.

A/N - I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it was very difficult to write for some reason. I just couldn't think properly. I also apologize if this chapter is terrible.