Like I said, I would update as soon as I can!
~Chapter 10~
Reedstar flinched when he heard the sound of a cat's body landing on the ground. Surrounded by all of these rocks, the sounds of the battle carried louder than he'd hoped. His Clanmates were crouched beside him, eyeing the area where Weaselstar and Scorchfur's patrol had last been seen.
"Now we will strike," StormPride growled. She rose to her paws, and several other Tribe cats followed her movement. Stormfur was also with them, looking at the stones expectantly. Brook kept close to his side, whimpering only a little as their kits bounded forward.
StormPride had said that they were old enough to join in and defend the Tribe. Reedstar could understand their mother's fears. He too could feel the sense that he would lose friends and maybe even gain some. This could easily be their last battle.
Unlike me, he thought with a bitter shake of his head. I have eight lives left.He looked up to the stars, but only saw them gleaming back coldly. Were StarClan even with them? Or was it the Tribe of Endless Hunting?
He watched helplessly as StormPride let out a fierce battle cry and lunged into the camp where the rogues were hiding. There were only a few yowls of dismay, and he noticed that it only came from she-cats. He whirled around to see that Cinderstar was readying her own patrol.
"We may not see each other again," Cinderstar began in a grim voice, "but we will always honor those who have fallen."
The ThunderClan warriors bowed their heads. Reedstar noticed that Silverpond had joined in the battle. There was a fierce glint in her green eyes, and for a moment, Reedstar thought that she had gotten her sanity back. But the light only lasted for a second, replaced by an ominous threat in them.
Almost as soon as the yowls of dismay faded, Cinderstar led her patrol out. Leapordblaze, who was flanked by Mudtalon and Branchfoot, looked furious. The large group of ThunderClan cats disappeared, and now, RiverClan were all that was left.
Reedstar suddenly felt terrified. He couldn'tbring himself to lead his Clanmates to their deaths. As he watched Shellspots comfort the cats who were just as afraid as he was, he knew that his thoughts were justified. But something inside told him to keep going on.
We are with you...Reedstar recognized Feathertail's voice, and felt her warm breath stir his ears. Crowfeather was there too, keeping a watchful eye on his mate. And another cat, whose pelt was the same color as Feathertail, only slightly brighter, was there. Reedstar suddenly remembered the stories Mistystar would tell him when he was a kit.
Silverstream, her best friend, had fallen in love with Graystripe, a ThunderClan cat, and Firestar's best friend. She had died giving birth to his kits, and his kits grew up in RiverClan. Mistystar had even gotten to know Graystripe a little better. In fact, they had become good friends when he stayed in ThunderClan. But she realized just like Leapordstar that his heart belonged with ThunderClan.
Though he never knew the true feeling of lost love, he had a feeling that it was going to happen tonight. But as he rose to his paws, he felt his strength return.
He padded over to his deputy, who was speaking softly to Pouncetail and Beechfur. The two warriors looked ready to fight with their lives. The thought sent a flash of pride through Reedstar. They were so loyal, that they would never dream of breaking the warrior code.
"RiverClan!" he yowled. Many eyes looked up at him expectantly and fearfully. "Tonight, a great victory will be won. Now come with me so we can take down the rogues, once and for all!"
His voice seemed to add an effect to these cats. They all carried his yowl, and suddenly they were surging into the battle. But when they reached the camp, a horrified look filled their expressions.
Cats were everywhere, fighting each other fiercely and shedding blood. Reedstar recognized Dawnstar's pelt, though it was badly mangled and blood seemed to cover it like a cloud of dust. To his surprise, she was defending Flightpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice.
The black tom bounded forward to face a brown tabby with a white face. The tabby hissed and nipped at his paws, but Reedstar was ready for it. He leaped to the side and lashed out with his claws, and opened a wound on the tabby's face.
"BloodClan, retreat!" Reedstar stared in shock as what looked like over twenty cats piled out of the camp. They were all covered in blood - most of it their own - and they had collars that were studded with teeth. The leader of these cats, or what appeared to be the leader, was the most unusual looking of the group.
He had long, thick fur that was shaded with a paler gray. The gray fur was mixed with black and brown splotches, and his eyes were the most startling. They were a steely gray, darker than any shade he had ever seen in his life.
"Claw!" Reedstar recognized Stormfur's voice. "You won't get away this time!"
The strange, dangerous looking cat turned to Stormfur. "And why not? I don't see your leader anywhere." He snorted and started to turn, when a sleek gray tabby flash of fur hit him.
Claw let out a yowl as StormPride, who had come from nowhere, began to fight him. The BloodClan cats just stared at their leader. Their looks were mix of confusion, anger and fear. StormPride bent down and bit hard on his neck.
The BloodClan leader let out another yowl; it was now mixed with fear. Suddenly, his yowl was cut off. He fell to the ground limply, and there was a shocked silence that followed.
"BloodClan is no more, once again," the Tribe Healer growled.
The rogues stared at each other in confusion, and they all started to run. The rogues who had orginally been here ran after them. Stripes, a silver tabby with dark stripes followed, though he looked furious.
Reedstar looked around at the remaining cats who had survived the battle. There were more than he expected. Only a couple of ThunderClan cats had fallen.
Those cats were Mudtalon, Emberfoot and...Silverpond. Leapordblaze crouched down at the she-cat's body, and let out a thin wail that carried off the rocks. His wail was carried off with the rest of the ThunderClan warriors, including Cinderstar herself. Peppermint, who had also joined the battle, dashed over to her sister's side. She kept pressing her nose into the pale gray cat's fur, though even that didn't wake Silverpond up.
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"She wanted to die," Leapordblaze murmured. They were back in the cave now, and the bodies of their fallen were splayed in front of them. "I should have been there to protect her."
Cinderstar, who was sitting next to him, shook her head. "There is nothing you could have done," she replied, though her voice was shaken by grief.
Stormfur and Brook were crouched over Claw's body. Apparently, he had been their son, but he was banished after killing a fellow Tribe cat. His name had been Claw of Furious Eagle. Their other kits, Ember who Clings To Fur and Rock that Hangs From Ceiling looked just as sad.
But as Reedstar shook his head, he knew that they weren't really gone. They were with them, among the stars in StarClan. The thought comforted him, as he stared at the bodies. Their spirits walked withy their own fallen Clanmates and friends.
