Hi reviewers! I'm so sorry that some chapters were super short, but this next chapter is going to be... interesting. XD Also super sorry it took so long to update.
"We should enter their territory over there, and then the other two patrols will go from there and there." Lilystar flicked her tail over her dirt drawing. "I really think that if Windclan listened to me, this battle will not happen." She sighed. "So much blood loss..."
Fernshadow, Applelight, Skyleap, and Darkflame, her best warriors, crowded around her to see the battle plan. Applelight, the youngest and newest of her best warriors, rubbed her muzzle along her mother's cheek. "It will be okay," she said to Lilystar.
"Why do I have to fight?" Spottedpaw stamped her paw on the ground. This was so unfair! "What if Violetpaw attacks me again?"
"Then she will be an apprentice forever!" Deerwind called cheerfully. "But you still have training to do!"
Spottedpaw sighed. "That's not MY fault!" she mewed as she raced to catch up to her mentor.
When she got to the training grounds, Deerwind immediately put her to work. "You have been hurt for so long! Even your littermates are better than you!" She looked at the ground. "It makes me look bad." Deerwind looked at the ground for a heartbeat, then looked up again. "Attack me."
"What?"
"With your claws sheathed," she added.
Ah. That makes sense, Spottedpaw thought as she pounced, aiming for her mentor's chest. But, to her dismay, Deerleap only dodged her blows. Spottedpaw landed on the ground with a thump.
"Try again." Deerwind beckoned Spottedpaw with her tail.
This is going to be a long training session, Spottedpaw thought with a sigh to herself.
"Good job, Spottedpaw. You made lots of progress. You are ready for battle."
"Why do you sound so... solemn?" Spottedpaw's eyes gleamed.
"Battle is not a fun thing. Sometimes lots of cats die over a small strip of land." Deerwind sighed. "My mother died in battle."
"Oh. When is the battle?"
" Tonight. Echomoon's herbs are fresh, and no one in the camp is hurt at the moment."
Can't wait. "Why so soon?"
Deerwind looked at her apprentice in annoyance.
"I should stop asking questions, shouldn't I?"
Deerwind nodded. "It will be a long night."
"Thundrerclan, attack!" Lilystar's yowl cut through the open hills like claws slashing through a dock leaf. One of the two battle patrols surged into Windclan territory. In the patrol, there was Violetpaw, Brightspirit, and Echomoon trailed behind. Skyleap, Briarpool, and her apprentice Rockypaw were also in the patrol along with Flamepaw and his mentor.
Lilystar threw herself at a Windclan warrior. The rest of the patrol yowled and leaped into battle.
Soon after, Spottedpaw's patrol was summoned for battle.
Spottedpaw looked at her littermates, who were all in the back-up patrol with her. "Let's hope no deaths are to come to our clan today," she mewed.
"Hope. "Deerwind padded over. "Although the warrior code says a good warrior does not need to kill, some cats disrespect the life of their enemies, and kill for the love of blood. Let us hope the clans have not come to this after our countless seasons of trying to tame the wild spirits inside of us."
Duckwing suddenly bounded up to them, his ginger pelt gleaming in the moonlight." It's time."
"Oh, now you make this battle sound like a scary nursery story!" Honeypaw bounded up and looked at her mentor. " There's no time to be solemn! First battle excitement, remember?" She glanced at her brothers, who were bouncing around like crazy kits about to play 'Shadowclan is attacking'.
"Hey, don't look at me!" Duckwing looked offended. "That's what my mentor said at my first battle!"
"Your mentor was also Snowpelt, who has a reputation for having a frozen heart after all his mates died, one after another." Deerwind's tail curled in amusement.
"Come on, you slowpokes!" Cloudpaw's voice came from the entrance. "We have to leave! For battle!"
Deerwind and Silverfeather, Cloudpaw's mentor looked at each other in amusement and hurried off to find their apprentices.
"Help!" A shriek rang from the intense battlefield. Echomoon! Violetpaw abandoned the skinny apprentice she was fighting and raced toward the scream. When she got there, she skittered to a halt and almost ran away.
Frostfire. Just the name scared the wits out of even the bravest Thunderclan warriors.
Frostfire's head whipped around and caught sight of Violetpaw. He sneered. "Are you trying to save your precious medicine cat? Well you're too late." He slashed at the pinned medicine cat's throught and Echomoon went still.
Violetpaw's eyes filled with an uncontrollable rage. She had left Windclan to try and get away from this horrible monster. And now he had gone and killed the only cat who had been her friend. With a piercing yowl, she leaped on him, clawing any patch of fur she could. "You... monster!"She screeched.
Frostfire only smirked. "It's my job, bumblebee," he snarled. As Violetpaw stood, shocked, the enormous Windclan warrior pounced, with his paw pressing all the air out of her lungs.
Don't you dare call me the name of my dead sister: Beepaw. Of course, you wouldn't know about emotion, you murderer. But Violetpaw's fire had been quenched. All she could do was lie there and let the black take over...
"Hey, snowflake!" A young voice taunted.
Frostfire whipped around to look at the cat, but still stood on Violetpaw. "I-I left t-t-that life," he mewed like a nervous kit.
Frostfire was a kittypet named Snowflake?!
"How did you know? Who told you?"
"A cat who believes even the old warrior code should not be abandoned. They request not to be named, and I will live up to that promise." The mystery cat paused. "I'll give you a hint: Butterflies."
Frostfire completely was caught off-guard and released Violetpaw. "Butterfly," he whispered sadly. "How..."
"Yes, I know the name of your own daughter who hates you. There are many other cats who hate you, but I seem to have hit a soft spot... Snowflake."
Frostfire mewed something, and he ran away to his side of the border, tripping over roots, seemingly permanently driven crazy.
Violetpaw looked up and saw a familiar, triumphant young face above her.
Spottedpaw? "Why did you help me?" Violetpaw croaked.
Spottedpaw never heard her, though. Echomoon had twitched, and apparently was still alive. Spottedpaw raced to help her medicine cat.
Back at camp after the battle, Echomoon was sleeping peacefully, all bundled in cobwebs.
Spottedpaw was finishing her hard-earned vole. After all, Deerwind said she fought beautifully. Thunderclan also won, defeating their strongest warrior.
Spottedpaw heard pawsteps and looked up. It was Violetpaw.
"Why did you save me?"
Spottedpaw shrugged. "I looked, saw, and reacted. Anyone else would do the same thing."
"But you defeated Frostfire with words! Frostfire, the warrior that made Windclan so feared, nobody dared to fight them!"
Spottedpaw shrugged again. "I've learned from the best." Firestar.
Violetpaw recognized that dreamy look in Spottedpaw's eyes. "Hey, knock it off. Flamepaw's still mine.
Spottedpaw sighed. Even though I saved her life, she doesn't give me what I really wanted, she thought.
Well, it was worth a shot.
Hope you reviewers like! Sorry it took so long to update, again. Can't wait for next chapter! I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS!
-Echomoon