Disclaimer: If I owned Warriors, Berrynose would fall into a lava pit.

Chapter 8. The Unnecessary Fight

"Great catch, Cici!" Boulder enthuses as I kill the frog with a bite to the neck. This morning, Runningnose finally said he was fit to resume warrior duties.

We still live out in the hollow tree beyond clan land, but we're spendin' more and more time in ShadowClan territory. Tigerclaw organizes almost all of the hunting patrols for ShadowClan now, and we help care for the sickest cats. He's got a way about him that makes followin' his orders seem natural and sensible.

"Thanks," I tell the skinny gray warrior. "Never caught one of these slippery things before. They taste pretty good though." Of all the ShadowClan cats outside Tigerclaw's group, he's the easiest to talk to. Some of the others still ain't sure about havin' three rogues up in the place.

We pad in silence for awhile, then Boulder blurts, "How long ago did you leave BloodClan?"

I tense. "How you know we have anything to do with that?" I demand.

Boulder's eyes soften with understanding. "It's obvious to any cat who's lived in twolegplace, Cici," he says gently. "Me and my sister Russetfur get it. You and Mowgli remind me of us."

"We left in hottime. Mama said it'd be easier to find food then. Why you ain't got a warrior name and your sister does?" I ask curiously.

Boulder shrugs. "Russetfur wanted to forget everything we saw and had to do in BloodClan. I wanted to forget too, but I also reckon livin' through that's what made me the cat I am. Cedarstar let me keep my name," he meows. Will I ever accept my past the way he does? I wonder, admiration and affection welling up in me.

After catching a few more pieces of prey, it's back to camp for us. The ShadowClan warriors are already lookin' stronger and healthier. For some reason, Snag glares at Boulder as the gray tom flicks me playfully with his tail.

A ball of moss hits me in the back. I turn at the sound of a mischievous giggle.

"Lightningkit, you're in for it now," I meow in mock outrage, tossing the moss ball back at her.

Lightningkit purrs as she bats it away, then pounces on it with a growl. "Die, ThunderClan invader!"

Her feisty spirit reminds me achingly of Coal. When we were little, he was the most daring of us. He made up games where the three of us and Mama teamed up to kill Bone, but only when the BloodClan deputy was far away. After he was killed, I tried to fill the gap with my own kind of bravado.

I pounce on the energetic kit, and the whole thing turns into a play battle. Boulder gets in on the action by covering both of us with moss. Hearin' the commotion, Lightningkit's foster brothers, Rowankit and Cedarkit, join in the fun. Boulder and I mock growl and swipe at 'em with soft paws. Eventually, we give up and let the three tiny cats clamber all over us.

"If you two want to stop playing like kits and behave like warriors, there's a battle to fight," Blackfoot growls, running into camp.

I straighten immediately, and Lightningkit's whiskers quiver with excitement. "Who are we fighting?" Boulder asks eagerly.

"Tigerclaw took a hunting patrol on ThunderClan territory, but they were ambushed," the huge black-and-white tom says. "Are you sure you're strong enough to fight, Boulder?"

"I'm always strong enough to fight for my clanmates," Boulder meows.

"Rip their fur off!" Rowankit squeaks, pouncing on his brother.

We all fall in behind Blackfoot, and I flash back to the fight in the ravine. Why are we doing this? Why do we always have to attack other cats? I don't like it. But what else am I gonna do but follow?

I ain't even all that surprised that Fireheart's leading the ThunderClan patrol. He and Tigerclaw can't go two sunrises without tryin' to rip each other apart. But I'm horrified to see a brown tabby shape lying bloody and unmoving in the grass. A small black-and-white warrior from ShadowClan is also dead, run over by a car. Stumpytail, Russetfur, and Ratscar look shocked.

"Did you think we'd leave you to fight alone?" Blackfoot asks Tigerclaw.

"No, my friends, I knew you'd come," Tigerclaw says confidently.

A tough-looking white tom rushes me, but I meet him with slashing claws. Snag falls in beside me, and we push the ThunderClan warrior back toward the road. He and his clanmates are outnumbered in the worst way. Will Tigerclaw order us to kill them? I wonder with dread. Why are we riskin' our lives for his grudge?

Mowgli has bounded over to help Tigerclaw with Fireheart, slicing at the ginger warrior's back legs. A cold triumph glitters in my littermate's green gaze as Tigerclaw looms over the other cat.

"What mouse dung is this?" Stumpytail snarls as more cats, smellin' like water and fish, race out of the undergrowth and come at us.

"RiverClan," Ratscar spits.

A blue-gray she-cat lunges at me, snarlin' fit to split. I slice at her hindpaws, knockin' her off balance. But one of her clanmates bowls me over, rakin' his claws down my back. I hiss and sink my teeth into his shoulder, but more of 'em are bearin' down on me.

"Always relying on others for help," Tigerclaw sneers at Fireheart.

But even Tigerclaw ain't daft enough to think we can win this fight. He calls a retreat. The yowls of ThunderClan and RiverClan batter our ears as we run back into the pine forest.

"We must let ShadowClan know we were attacked without provocation. Tragically, Whitethroat gave his life to defend his clanmates from ThunderClan savagery. He died at Fireheart's claws, trying to reach the safety of his own territory," Tigerclaw says.

Stumpytail nods enthusiastically as we get going again. "No warrior kills one of my clanmates without answering to me. Let me go back to ThunderClan and avenge Whitethroat's death," snarls a gray tom whose name I think is Flint-something.

"Have patience, my friend," Tigerclaw says, restin' his tail on the other cat's shoulder in what could be genuine affection or a sign of posession. "Those RiverClan warriors may still be waiting for us. Wait until ThunderClan has to defend themselves on their own, and then we'll destroy them without losing a drop of our blood."

Yeah, right, I think as Boulder and Russetfur pick up Whitethroat's body. Ain't no victory gonna come free. With every pawstep, my anger rises.

"That look on your face means nothin' but trouble, Cici," Mowgli meows, droppin' back to walk beside me.

"Why does Tigerclaw gotta provoke ThunderClan by huntin' on their territory, then lie about it?" I hiss. "Don't that warrior code everyone's always bangin' on about say not to tresspass in other clans' territories and not to kill? There's plenty of prey in our woods and ShadowClan territory, so that whole mess was totally unnecessary."

For a heartbeat, my brother looks troubled. Then he shrugs. "Tigerclaw's our leader now. We follow his orders," he meows.

"Even if those orders are wrong?" I ask. I still say it ain't right, not with ShadowClan still so weak. Tigerclaw's supposed to be helpin' 'em, not usin' em to get revenge for somethin' that don't involve any cat but him."

"Our bellies are full. What more do you want?" Mowgli snaps.

I glare at my littermate. "How can you be so mouse-brained?" I snarl. "That could've been you or me lyin' there dead in the road, Mowgli, and for what? We didn't even get any prey outa that disaster. I ain't afraid to fight, but I wanna know why I'm fightin', what's the point."

It's only when I hear the absolute dead silence that I realize I might have spoken a little louder than I meant to. My anger runnin' away with me again, as Mama used to say. The rest of the patrol have all turned back to stare at me, with Blackfoot, Stumpytail, Ratscar, and Russetfur lookin' especially hostile.

Tigerclaw's the first one to speak, his words comin' out in a deep growl. "The point, Cici, is that now ThunderClan knows they can't forget about or walk all over us. The point is to instill fear. There is always a reason to fight: more territory, more prey, the chance to prove your strength. True warriors love battle. If you're afraid to get blood on your paws and, yes, kill if necessary to make your clanmates stronger, you don't have what it takes to be one of us."

My anger fades, replaced by the dull throb of disappointment. Tigerclaw's speech could've come directly from Scourge or Bone. No matter what he says, I know there's no honor or glory in a fight like this. But everybody else is on his side. Or at least none of 'em back me up. So I look down at my paws and mumble somethin' 'bout how I understand. Mowgli presses his muzzle to my ear, but then he goes to help Russetfur with Whitethroat's body.

We're almost back to camp when Boulder's wry voice meows, "So that's what Blackfoot meant when he told me you have a temper."

"I'd appreciate if you didn't gossip about me with other cats," I say irritably.

But Boulder don't get mad. "I know this is a big adjustment for you, Cici. Till now, all you've had to worry about is whether you, Mowgli, and Snag had enough to eat and someplace safe and warm to sleep. Clan life is harder in a lot of ways. The politics can be complicated, and it can be hard to see the big picture."

"Do you think that battle was right or necessary?" I challenge him.

Boulder actually considers for a moment, his tail twitching. Finally, he says, "I wouldn't have led warriors into enemy territory until I was absolutely sure ShadowClan was strong enough to deal with the consequences. But I understand Tigerclaw's reasoning too. He's not wrong about us needing to prove our strength to the other clans."

An impatient yowl from Snag gets our attention. "Are y'all comin', or do you plan to stay out here till your muzzles turn gray? We're gettin' ready to sit vigil for Whitethroat."

"We're just talkin', keep your fur on," I say, bounding ahead to catch up with my best friend.

By the time we enter the hollow, Tigerclaw and Blackfoot have told their version of the battle, which the ShadowClan cats seem to swallow with no questions. The small tom's body lies in the center of the clearing as his clanmates crouch around him, groomin' him for the last time. Part of me wants to grab Mowgli and Snag and high-tail it back to town, forget all about these forest cats. But I know life can't ever be the way it was, not with all we've seen and done here, and not with BloodClan after us. For better or worse, the forest is still the safest place for us. I just hope Tigerclaw's hatred of ThunderClan don't cost Mowgli or Snag their lives next.