I'm almost to chapter 45, where Amberleaf (my main competition) is! –evil grin- Watch out, Amberleaf.

This is kind of a continuation of all the way from chapter 3, So You Think You're Tough, Huh? This takes place about a moon after that chapter. Enjoy!

RIVAL

That cat was no kittypet, I can tell you that.

When my Clanmates found my lying there, bloody and missing patches of fur, and with the black-and-white tom standing over me, they were stunned. They tried to fight off the cat, but he ended up breaking Lionclaw's forepaw. He'd heard about the Clans and wanted to join one. Raincloud was too terrified to say no, so we brought the loner to Pouncestar, who merely agreed to let him into the Clan.

The tom's name was Claw, so Pouncestar decided to call him Clawpaw. He was about a moon older than me, and trained very hard. Although, he didn't quite understand that he was supposed to keep his claws sheathed during a mock fight.

Soon, he fell in love with my sister, Creekpaw. I was afraid for her. But Creekpaw didn't love him. She was afraid, too.

One morning, Clawpaw tackled me and pinned me down against the apprentices' den floor. "What did you tell her?" he demanded.

"Tell who?" I choked out, squirming and writhing underneath his strong grip.

"Creekpaw!" he spat. "What did you tell her to make her not love me?"

"I-I didn't tell her anything, Clawpaw!" I hissed. "Get off of me!"

Clawpaw stepped off and watched me scramble to my paws, panting. His eyes were filled with sorrow. That was something I'd never seen in his amber eyes. I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"Clawpaw…" I murmured. A tear slipped down his cheek, and he stared down at his paws. "I…I love her more than anything, Bramblepaw…"

My heart ached for him, which was strange, because he had almost killed me about a moon ago. "I'm sorry, Clawpaw…she's afraid of you. Maybe if you didn't act so menacing, she wouldn't be scared."

Clawpaw didn't take my advice, though. After Creekpaw died, he soon fell in love with a beautiful she-cat named Skypaw. I had had a crush on her ever since we were kits in the nursery. She appeared to like me, too, but both of us never had the guts to tell each other. I awoke one morning at dawn and heard murmuring outside my den. I poked my head out and saw Clawpaw and Skypaw sitting side by side, pelts pressing, tails entwined. They sat watching the sunrise.

Then we became warriors. Skypaw is now Skygaze, and Clawpaw is now Clawpelt. I am Bramblefur, which doesn't sound nearly as menacing and tough as Clawpelt. Skygaze gave birth to Clawpelt's kits: Sunkit, Patchkit, and Brackenkit. Clawpelt probably trained them to despise me, because whenever they walk past me, they glare at me out of the corner of their eye.

Clawpelt's kits are apprentices now. I was given Patchpaw to mentor. He doesn't seem to hate me as much as his siblings do, but he's not exactly happy that I'm his mentor. When Clawpelt found out that I was mentoring his kit, his eyes blazed with anger and his pelt bristled.

Now I'm laying here, my life bleeding out of me, under the claws of Clawpelt. The life that was threatened by this very cat is flashing before my eyes. I am reliving every moment I'd had something I'd loved taken away from me…by him. The sky is lightening. Creekpaw bounds toward me, her brown tabby pelt mottled with stars. "Come on, Bramblefur. Come with me."

I float from my body, the shell that protected who I am, and race alongside her. I will miss Skygaze and Patchpaw, who, every day, was liking me more and more. I will miss the warriors' den and my soft mossy nest, and all my friends. I'll miss Pouncestar, because he was a great leader, even though he allowed my ferocious killer into the Clan. I don't want to die, even though I'll be with my sister. I liked my life, when he wasn't in it.

Clawpelt will always be my rival.

Rambling. Short. Boring. Sorry!

xx-Starfall-xx