Pure silver stars glittered in the vast indigo expanse of the night sky as a golden tabby tom ducked from tree to tree, holding his breath as he looked over the bark to spot any enemies watching him. When he was content that there was no threat, he lunged for the next oak tree, shielding himself behind it. He could smell the fresh scent of copper blood in the air, and he looked down at his own pelt, tattered with crimson and rampant with wounds. Pain slowed his steps, but he had to get out of here – he had to go back to camp and warn his Clan leader that there was an attack.
As he looked over the roots of another tree, he could spot the broad shoulders and the sleek fur of the ThunderClan cats, who were camped out for the night, ready to launch another attack on ShadowClan in the morning. They were laying down, curled up in balls, snoring slightly. There was not even a single cat on watch. To the naked eye, they were resting, conserving their energy for the final attack on ShadowClan, surely to crush them. The golden tabby tom narrowed his eyes as he watched the cats snooze. Wait, what am I doing, trying to go back to camp? I can stop them right here!
The tom skidded to a halt, digging his claws into the soft earth beneath his paws. If he had the ability to do so, right now, he was not going to let these ThunderClan cats launch their final attack on the ShadowClan camp. As a cat of strength and honor, he couldn't let them destroy his home. They've made a terrible mistake, attacking the cats who live and breathe the night. I won't turn and run. I'll fight until the end. I am Lionfire, a warrior of ShadowClan, a cat of the night, and I will die for honor.
Lionfire studied the cat in front of the tree. Even in the darkest shadows, his excellent ShadowClan vision could make out the black stripes of the silver-furred warrior, Flintstrike of ThunderClan, the cat rumored to be the next deputy of his Clan. If rumors spread of him losing to a ShadowClan warrior, just as he was in the grasp of victory, he wouldn't be very popular, now would he.
As the ThunderClan cats' snores shook the earth to its core, Lionfire pondered the best course of action. How could he defeat the cats in front of him in just one blow? He was only one cat, and around him, he guessed there were about five cats. One versus five – what odds were that? But I've never been one to back away from a challenge. Lionfire unsheathed his claws and teased the earth with their tips. I won't let ShadowClan fall.
Swift as a snake, Lionfire slipped out from behind the tree and used the soft earth to conceal his pawsteps as he swerved between the sleeping ThunderClan cats. He narrowed his eyes, and in seconds, he was on top of a pale brown tabby tom, sinking his teeth into his neck before he could cry out. The tom stayed limp underneath him, and Lionfire leaped on top of the cat next to him. His claws dug straight into his throat, and his life slipped out of his body before he could cry out. Although guilt swamped Lionfire's heart for ending the lives of these cats, he knew that, if these cats were allowed to live, his Clanmates' lives would be lost in place of theirs. If killing enemies protects my Clanmates, then that's what I'll do.
Lionfire cut down the two remaining cats before he approached Flintstrike. Blood splattered Lionfire's yellow tabby fur, and he looked down with burning green eyes as Flintstrike opened a single eye. The eye looked Lionfire up and down, and then the other eye opened as he leaped to his paws. He glanced around him, his jaw nearly hitting the ground as he stared at the dead corpses around him. The tom started to let out a yowl, but Lionfire gave a massive leap and pinned Flintstrike to the ground, covering his mouth before he could say anything. Lionfire lunged for his throat, but Flintstrike jabbed at Lionfire's stomach and the ShadowClan tom loosened his grip on the silver tabby. When Lionfire staggered, Flintstrike rolled neatly out of the way before jumping to his paws and turning on the yellow tabby.
"How dare you?" Flintstrike hissed, his amber eyes blazing, a stark contrast to the shadowed land around him. "You say you are a cat of honor, yet you kill my Clanmates in dead silence! You do not even give them the chance to a fair fight!"
Lionfire lashed his tail. "Don't you dare accuse me of being dishonorable, when Brindlestar has brought her entire Clan to slay every single one of my Clanmates!" he snarled at the silver tabby tom. "I will protect my Clan, even if it means taking on ThunderClan single-handedly!"
"You're a fool." Flintstrike's ears flattened. "Your attack is fruitless and suicidal."
"If I must die to protect my Clanmates, so be it," Lionfire hissed, lunging at Flintstrike and rolling with him on the hard ground, pine needles sticking to their pelt as they crashed on the forest floor, each of them swatting each other's bodies with powerful paws and sharp claws. Lionfire's skin tore as Flintstrike's claws dug deep into his fur, but Lionfire wasn't defeated yet – he could feel Flintstrike's hot blood pooling underneath his claws as he ripped at the ThunderClan cat repeatedly.
Flintstrike's hot breath was thick against Lionfire's ear as he hissed, his voice dripping with venom, "You ShadowClan cats are nothing but a menace, a poison to the forest. There will never be any strength and honor to you scheming, heartless brutes. We'll take you out, no matter what."
"You can take our lives and our freedom, but you cannot take our honor," Lionfire growled at Flintstrike. "We will get through anything so long as we have it."
"Honor?" Flintstrike snarled. "ShadowClan will never have any honor!"
"You may think that there is no honor in war, less in dying, and none in killing," Lionfire growled, gripping Flintstrike's skin, tighter and tighter with every word, "but there will always be true honor in how warriors compose themselves while they fight. There will always be honor to be found in standing for a just cause and defending those who cannot defend themselves." With that, Lionfire shoved Flintstrike off him, sending him flying across the field. He pulled himself to his paws, watching the fear in Flintstrike's gaze as he stared at the dead corpses of his fellow warriors, and the blood spilling from his pelt. He leveled a glare, full of fury and hatred at Lionfire, and then turned on his heel, disappearing into the forest. Lionfire watched him go and waited for the cry.
"Brindlestar, we must retreat!" It was Flintstrike's voice, echoing through the night. "Too many cats have died today. We can try again at another time!"
"Flintstrike?" Brindlestar's voice was rife with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you everything in camp later," Flintstrike was replying, his voice coming in gasps. "But listen to me. It's not worth it. Four cats have died in the span of seconds. ShadowClan is ruthless and dishonorable. We need a better plan for attacking them."
There was a long span of silence after Flintstrike's words. Then a sigh echoed through the clearing, and Brindlestar replied, "Very well. We will retreat."
Yes! Lionfire listened as the ThunderClan cats rose from their sleep, and their pawsteps echoed across the forest floor while they retreated back to the forest. Lionfire looked over his shoulder, seeing the corpses of the cats he had killed. He looked up at the single star that sparkled in the night sky. May those cats be sent to StarClan, having died bravely for their own Clan. Their death was an honorable one, a strong one. There is nothing more glorious than to die for the ones you love. With that, Lionfire scampered away through the pine trees, running as fast as he could until the ThunderClan scents faded, and then disappeared completely. He skidded to a halt, breathing heavily, and then sat down, grooming the blood out of his golden tabby fur.
It had been dangerous, but Lionfire had managed to repel the ThunderClan invasion in a single night, even after his Clanmates had spent the entire day fighting them off. It had been a gamble, and Lionfire fully expected to die in the fight. But he had used his ShadowClan abilities wisely, sneaking up on them while they had been asleep. Although he couldn't deny the ache that tugged at his heart when he had killed cats that had didn't even stand a chance, he knew he would rather see those cats die than his Clanmates.
Lionfire turned on his heel and headed towards his camp, where he could report to his leader that ShadowClan was safe, and that the ThunderClan threat was put at bay for a while. But he knew that, in this age of war and chaos, ThunderClan would be back. Whether it was in a moon or a season, Lionfire had no idea. But when they were back, Lionfire would repel them once more. He would prove Flintstrike wrong. He would show Flintstrike and ThunderClan that ShadowClan was known for its strength and honor. After all, honorable cats lived and died for their Clan, and that was what every ShadowClan cat had been trained to do, since birth.
ShadowClan was the epitome of strength and honor, and Lionfire would prove it, even if he had to die to do so.
A/N:
Hey all! If you're reading Scorchstar's Family at the moment, I'm taking a short break from it. Why? I'm currently writing Rootstar's story and WindClan and ThunderClan's stories closely intertwine right after the newest chapter of Scorchstar's story (72 I believe), and so I want to make sure all loose ends are tied up and things are in order before any of those are published. So basically, Scorchstar's story is on a hiatus until I finish writing Rootstar's (or possibly sooner, at least when I think that there's no changes I have to make anymore). So, in the meantime, have the beginning of Talonstar's story. I hope you all enjoy this.