Chapter 23: Heavy Weight

Even with all our endurance training, our pace for our return trip had me gasping. We were running. The road was silent, so we crossed with ease. It was only when a familiar scent hit me did I worry.

"Wait! Dogs!" I yowled forcing the patrol to a stop.

We all skid to a stop, but Bluestar looked back at me curiously.

"Those dogs should be tied up." Bluestar mewed.

I shook my head frantically. Then an unknown voice decided to support my statement.

"The young one is right. Those dogs are let loose at night. Name's Barley. Listen. You'd be better off cutting through the field. Just watch out for…"

Tigerclaw cut him off. "We don't need the advice of some rogue. We're in a rush."

Bluestar gave Tigerclaw an annoyed look before stating, "thanks for the information. We'll cut through the field."

The rest of our patrol took off with me slightly lagging. I could faintly hear Barley yowl "Wait!" in the distance, but we were already too far gone. That Barley seemed like the helpful sort, kind of like a neighborly farmer. What had he been trying to warn us of before Tigerclaw cut him off? We weaved through the fields at a frantic pace, only slowing once we reached the edge. A ditch separated us from the rest of Windclan's/Shadowclan's land, so Bluestar and Tigerclaw went in first. Firepaw and Ravenpaw were quick to follow, but something in the back of my mind kept me hesitant. Something about this screamed ambush.

From around the corner of the ditch came a writhing mass of oily black fur. Only the worm-like tails broke up the monotony of the squeaking squirming mass. We weren't even back to Thunderclan and we were already engaged in a battle. I was lucky to avoid their first strike since I wasn't in the ditch. Bluestar was the one hit first with Tigerclaw right behind her. I dove behind the mass of rats to trap them in a pincer. I have neither the grace of Firepaw or skill of Tigerclaw, but I have weight. Instead on focusing on individual rats, I focused on dispersing the crowd. With claws extended, I sent rats flying out of the ditch, uncaring that they were likely not that hurt by the attacks. As I said, disperse the crowd. Rats are usually cowardly solo, so I wanted them dispersed enough to stop with the pack tactics.

I admit, I wasn't as much help as I desired to be. I did get rid of a fair crowd, but I just didn't have the lethality of the rest of the cats in the patrol. I was also taking too much care into not getting hit. Rats are one of the most filthy vermin in existence. I didn't want to lose my life this second time around to something as simple as a rat broke the siege was when Barley form earlier made an appearance. He joined me on the back side of the swarm of rats and mowed through them like a skilled reaper. The rats retreated after that. Unfortunately, it appeared one cat didn't make it. Bluestar's form was still on the ditch bed.

Suddenly I heard a loud intake of breath from Bluestar. The rat wounds that spattered her pelt somehow seemed shallow now. They still were wounds, but they more qualified as scrapes or scratches now. What happened, I pondered.

"Forgive me for scaring you. I have just lost a life. That was my fifth." Stated Bluestar calmly despite having died just a moment ago.

My head was reeling. The nine lives thing wasn't BS? I mean ghost cats had talked to me, but they really had the capability to give a cat nine lives? This Starclan was more powerful than I thought.

"Should we rest a moment?" Firepaw asked as Tigerclaw seemed to be staring down Barley like he'd planned the whole thing.

"This is your fault rogue! You sent us here expecting us to die!" Tigerclaw spat.

"No. I tried to warn you, but you took off too fast." Barley replied defensively.

"Hold Tigerclaw! If Barley wanted us dead, he wouldn't have come to our aid. Regardless, we can't afford to stay. Thank you, Barley, for the assist, but we must be off." Bluestar mewed in a commanding tone.

Barley just nodded before we were back to that frantic run towards camp. It was a near straight shot with us passing the territory markers faster than I could scent them. We got to camp to find it in a full-on war. With a yowl, Bluestar dived in with Tigerclaw backing her. Firepaw must have spotted something because he was rushing towards the nursery with Graypaw backing him. Where would I be most useful, I pondered. Then Redtail's cryptic words hit me. I needed to be with Lionheart. Either he or Tigerclaw was in danger. I hhonestly wouldn't mind Tigerclaw's death, but that felt too easy. I spotted the deputy in a fight with three cats at once. I decided to bulldoze in. I didn't fail to notice Ravenpaw on my tail. I think I must have been smiling. I do not remember, but something about him being there made me feel my attack was that much better.

Again, I am a hefty cat. When I bulldozed in, I mean I bulldozed in. With my head tucked low so my shoulders could bear the impacts and my already low frame, I launched cats with my attack. I think a few Shadowclan cats actually ran away after being launched since it was such an unusual and frightening experience. It barely took ten seconds for Ravenpaw and I to reach Lionheart's side. He bore many scratches and cuts, but the worst was his right front leg. A really A gaping hole was in its side from where he must have fallen on a rather sharp rock and gotten lightly impaled.

Ravenpaw pressed the attack on the three attackers. I went with a few combos Darkstripe drilled into me while Ravenpaw weaved throught heir attacks with unnatural grace, leaving shallow but stinging scratches on their most sensitive features, the nose and ears. My combos on the other paw, were pure brutality. They sent the attackers skidding and rolling when they landed. Admittedly, they were predictable, but it only took one for me to catch them in a full combo. I was essentially the heavy weight boxer of the cat world. My hits packed a punch, but I'd win no grace contests. It wasn't long before Shadowclan sounded a retreat, but I heard Lionheart collapse behind us.

Spottedleaf came rushing over trying to patch him up, but it was clear his leg wound had him bleeding out too fast.

"I'm sorry. I can't save you." I heard her utter.

"Mousedung you can't!" I hissed. "Ravenpaw, keep some pressure on that wound. I have to grab something real fast."

Ravenpaw and Spottedleaf looked at me confused but complied. I retrieved a ball of baling twine from my nest and a firm stick I collected just for this purpose. While the rest on the clan seemed content to let him pass, I was not so kind. It would tear down everything I taught Tigerclaw if he won by default. I rushed back and looped the twine around his injured leg above the wound. I put the stick between and began twisting it until it sinched tight. The bleeding on the wound slowed to an oozing.

"Can't bleed out if he can't bleed. Plug up that wound!" I growled at Spottedleaf. It wasn't intensional, but when in a place of command, I always was a bit growly.

Spottedleaf sealed up the wound cleanly before turning to me. "Where did you learn that?"

"An old rogue. They don't have herbs as common there, so they have to resort to more drastic means. While this bought you time, the rogue used to just choke the limb to death. With no blood, the limb would just atrophy and fall off. Crazy old bastard." I lied. It wasn't a cat who taught me this. It was a homeless man. The story was close enough to be believable.

"Well, whatever this is worked. Lionheart seems stable. You really saved his life." Spottedleaf mewed with a measure of respect.

"Don't go thinking I'm going to become some medicine cat now. I just pick things up. Mint still gives me a migraine, and your den stinks of it. I have half a mind to get all my treatments done by Yellowfang because at least ammonia doesn't make my head feel like its being crushed." I snapped with a light hint of humor.

Spottedleaf actually chuckled before moving to aid the rest of the wounded.

"You actually saved me?" Asked the fallen cat.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Tigerclaw's sake." I replied.

"Tigerclaw, huh?" He stated before the fatigue overcame him. His breathing was steady, so I didn't need to worry. See Redtail! I'm not a cat so easily bested by fate!