CHAPTER 14-Spread Your Wings

The sky was murky and gray as we slinked across the border with our bellies close to the ground. The heavy scent of rain hung on the air like a damp jacket, and the dew drops glittered on the grass.

Snowpaw tailed along behind me.

As we neared the camp, I could see that it was almost completely deserted. A few warriors were wandering around, and one was guarding the entrance, but most of them were in their dens.

Of course. ShadowClan cats were active mainly at night, so they slept during sun-high.

They looked restful and unworried. They had no idea that ThunderClan was about to launch an all-out attack on them.

Bramblestar crouched in the front and motioned us to be still. He gazed fiercely at the ShadowClan camp and paused.

Snowpaw blinked at me with his clear amber eyes. For a second, I saw anxiety flash in them, but it was quickly replaced with strength and courage. I laid my tail across his shoulders and whispered, "Stay by my side, alright?" I wanted to be there to protect him.

He didn't say anything and just nodded.

I flexed my muscles. I was aware of the silence, of the movement of nervous tails and claws, and of the gentle breathing of my Clanmates. I could almost hear their heartbeats, and how they beat quickly like the wings of a hummingbird.

It set my teeth on edge. Every strand of my fur stood up on end, and my legs turned into jelly the longer I waited.

Bramblestar shifted. He looked back and mouthed the word 'Ready'? The other cats nodded silently, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything.

The dark brown tom suddenly leaped forwards and yowled, "Attack!"

The ShadowClan cats looked up in alarm as a whole surge of ThunderClan cats darted forward.

Quickly, the whole clearing had become one huge mess of screaming, writhing fur and claws. The peaceful silence was broken as warriors darted out from the dens and joined the battle.

There was so much action and confusion. The screams scorched my ears and I wanted to block them out.

A blur of grey fur exploded in front of me and I felt claws rake my muzzle.

A she-cat pinned me down and hissed in my ear. Her claws sunk into my shoulders, but I was too scared and surprised to scream. I tried to remember what my mentor had taught me, and I began to rake my paws on her exposed belly.

She reared back and yowled. Droplets of blood flew everywhere. Squirrelflight suddenly appeared and they became a writhing mess of ginger and grey fur. I backed away quickly.

Snowpaw! Where was Snowpaw? I desperately spun around, but he was nowhere in sight.

The blood-stained grass was slick and slippery, and I ran around, trying to avoid the cats and all the while looking for Snowpaw.

A black and white tom charged towards me with his jaws parted. His eyes were wide with murder. I leaped past him and continued to dart forward.

Suddenly, there was a bloodcurdling wail, and I saw Millie being overpowered by two ShadowClan cats.

Hissing, I bounded towards them and attacked the enemies with all my might.

It was no use. They were much stronger than Millie and I, and I could feel my energy ebb away. They slashed at me with their sharp claws, and I felt my skin rip and blood poured out.

A river of scarlet stained the grass and flowed towards the Lake.

My vision was beginning to blur. The cries of the dying cats echoed in my ears.

A flash of golden brown fur, and Lionblaze and Brightheart were in front of me. They hissed and scratched at the ShadowClan warriors with furious power.

I turned and ran, and stumbled. When would this war be over? Half dragging myself, I scurried to and fro, trying to avoid being noticed. Someone hissed at me, and I turned to find an apprentice wanting to fight. He was half my size, and his green eyes were wide and frightened. His tabby fur bristled with fear.

I tried to stare him down. He shivered and stepped back as I mewed softly, "I don't want to hurt you."

He glanced at me one last time before disappearing in the midst of the battle.

My scratches stung, and I winced. They were raw and bloody, and they hadn't stopped bleeding yet.

My knees felt weak and I just wanted to lie down and wait for the wailing cries of the fighting cats to ebb away.

I heard a scream, and it sounded somewhere nearby. A sharp cliff jutted out of the ground, and I tried to hurry towards it.

Hanging on with his dear life, was Dewpaw. He had somehow slipped off of the cliff, but managed to cling on with his paws. His grip was slipping, though.

Boulders dotted the bottom of the cliff. If he fell, he would be dashed and shattered into a million pieces.

His breath was fast and shallow, and he stared up at me with wide eyes. He screamed, "A-Ashley! Help me! Please!"

I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice his cries. They were all busy fighting each other.

His paws were slipping. He scrabbled frantically on the edge of the cliff as his jaws parted in a silent wail.

I hesitated. Should I save Dewpaw? He wasn't the nicest cat around, and he always liked to tease and torment me. He was nothing but an old sourpuss.

But…

I couldn't just leave him there. This cat was my Clanmate. And I knew that I could forgive him for everything.

I leaned down and grasped his scruff with my jaws. Using all of the strength I had left, I pulled him from the cliff and onto solid ground. I urged my legs not to give way underneath me.

He collapsed, panting in shock, and stared at me.

The blood poured out from my wounds. I groaned, and fell. The world spun before my eyes and made me dizzy. The sky began to darken, and the screams faded from my ears as I saw everything go black. My whole body went numb. It felt like I was floating in midair.

So this was what it felt like to die…

OoOoOOoOooOOoOoOoOoOoOOOOoO

I must have blacked out for a moment, because when I woke up, I realized that I was in the medicine cat's den. My wounds were covered in chewed up herbs, and many other cats were lying next to me. They moaned and writhed in their nests, and a lot of their scratches were deep and bloody. I looked away and covered my ears.

I suddenly remembered Snowpaw. Was he alright? I leaped to my paws, but the pain forced me back down again.

"Ashley! There you are!"

The white tom weaved in and out of the nests towards me. He sniffed my wounds and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

I nodded with a feeling of relief flooding over me. He was still alive. And I was as well.

"What about you?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm okay, just a couple of scratches."

While I sat there looking dazed from the pain of my gashes, he filled me in on what had happened after I had fainted.

The battle had continued on after a while, until Blackstar lost one of his lives. ShadowClan had to retreat, so we were victorious.

"They won't be bothering us for a while now!" he mewed, his eyes glittering.

Then he did something surprising. He leaned down and brushed his nose against my ear. "I was really worried about you," he murmured. I felt his warm breath on my fur, and I closed my eyes to relish the warmth.

A she-cat wailed outside of the den, and I tensed, ready to run away.

Snowpaw looked sad. He whispered mournfully, "While we were gone in battle, some foxes had attacked the camp. None of the warriors were badly hurt, but…"

He paused.

"Well…the foxes broke into the nursery. The queens and warriors, and even the elders, they tried so hard to chase them away. But Graykit ended up dying. And Petalkit's badly injured."

Graykit and Petalkit were Dovewing's and Bumblestripe's kits, along with Streamkit and Grasskit. They had been born only two days ago. I hadn't had the chance to meet them yet.

Dovewing wailed again, and her voice sounded mournful and melancholy, like the cries of a whippoorwill. I winced, and felt tears move at the back of my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Snowpaw asked quickly.

I looked away. "It's…it's just so sad, all of it."

"I know." He leaned down and brushed my tears away. I felt his warmth on my fur once more.

My scratches still stung with a red hot ferocity, and I couldn't get up from the mossy nest. Luckily, the white tom was willing to bring me fresh-kill.

He stayed by my side all night, and kept me warm in the coldest hours of the evening.