It happened without warning.

One moment, the ShadowClan camp was quiet. Warriors were milling about the clearing, gnawing on fresh-kill and murmuring to one another. The elders were resting by their den, drinking in the last few rays of sunlight. By the nursery, kits wrestled, scuffing up dust and pine needles under the watchful gazes of their mothers.

And in a single instant, that peace shattered.

Battle yowls sounded outside the walls of the camp. Enemy RiverClan warriors began streaming around the boulder that protected the camp.

For a few moments, the ShadowClan cats could do nothing but stare in horror. Then they sprang into action, leaping back at the invaders with unsheathed claws and bared fangs. The elders and kits were shepherded into the nursery together, kept safe by the snarling queens who defended the entrance.

The once-peaceful camp had dissolved into utter chaos in the midst of the battle. The ShadowClanners fought with ferocity; their eyes burned with the fire of battle, and each cat threw their blows with all the willpower they had. No cat in that camp would tolerate the invasion of their home.

Yet, for those who looked, the RiverClan warriors seemed reluctant. Their strikes were half-hearted; their eyes flashed with uncertainty as they fought. Only Pikestar, the RiverClan leader, fought with the same vigor as ShadowClan.

Among the battling cats, a sudden cry broke through the noise. Every cat stopped dead.

There, lying at the foot of the Highbranch, was a tabby she-cat. The Clan's deputy lay unmoving on the camp floor, teeth still bared in a yowl that would never come. Over her stood a RiverClan warrior, face twisted with anguish as he realized what he had done.

Another yowl broke the silence. Hailstar bounded across the clearing and buried his muzzle in his dead mate's fur. Cats from both Clans stared as ShadowClan's young leader lifted his head to glare at RiverClan. His warriors padded up to join him, forming a single, menacing line facing the invaders. Their gazes sent a clear message: Leave now. Never return.

And RiverClan did just that. They darted out of the ShadowClan camp without looking back.

The line of warriors remained there for what seemed like moons. Then, as one, they broke apart to join Hailstar in mourning the warrior's death.

No cat said a single word. There was nothing to be said.

~000~

Eh...this isn't my best. Hopefully I can do better on the next one.