Runningwish let a growl grow in her throat.
"Two against one would be the way Dark Forest cats fight." Runningwish spat sourly, her fur on edge as she watched them both, denying her mind from slipping into anxiety and fear. She could only win the fight if she knew she would win. Thornleap returned her growl as he went into a stance for battle, pushing Snowtuft to the side.
"Fine then, since you're pretty, I'll keep the runt from the fight." He commented darkly, barking a command to Snowtuft. The fallen warrior glared menacingly at them both before disappearing. Runningwish felt a twinge of pity for the tom, he seemed to never be apart of anything. No wonder he became evil.
"Keep those eyes on me." Thornleap roared, rushing her as her last thought escaped her attention. She jerked her body to the side, barely avoiding the brute force of his charge. He snagged her leg, however, having gotten a bite and scratch on her hind leg. She hissed at the pain, but she quickly repositioned herself.
Thronleap was a misleading tom, his size making his speed unpredicted. But, she beat him before, she could do it again, even though Bramblefrost had really been the breadwinner in that fight. She shook the doubt from her mind.
Her green gaze turned on the ginger tom with a new fire in them, her body eager to rejoin the fray. Thornleap was preparing his next attack, pacing slowly back and forth in front of her, his fur also fluffed up, making him appear even larger. It intimidated her, of course, but she couldn't turn tail and run.
"Come on, Thornleap! Don't leave me waiting! I knew you were bad, but being rude is just awful." Runningwish jeered, mimicking his mockery of her before. If he wanted to battle with wits and claws, she would gladly oblige. He seemed annoyed by her comment, his eyes narrowing further than before. He had only seen this as a game, but now it was slowly becoming personal.
"I killed another smart mouth on my way over to you. Let's see how you fair." Thornleap retorted, thrusting himself at her once more, a large claw aimed straight for her.
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Squid was ferocious and wide eyed, paranoid that an attack was hiding just outside their peripheral. She was right to be worried, all of them were. She was among the mixture of Shadowclan and Thunderclan cats, completely lost among the conflict. She wasn't familiar with the scent of these other clans, too afraid to accidentally strike someone on her side.
She was just outside the medicine cat den, having forced Snowpoppy and Sunscar to stay inside. She had taken the duty of guarding it, or at least discouraging others from approaching. But, she was certain her bleeding side was not as intimidating as she could've been without it. She was generally small as well, which didn't help.
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Walt rushed into the camp, toppling over any cats that got in his way, doing his best to recognize those that were apart of Thunderclan or Shadowclan. It was easier for him than the other members of his clan, he had met both Runningwish and Cheetahstep, both seeming to have given him an idea what Thunderclan members smelled like, at least compared to the other cats of the lake.
He had come barreling into the camp in search of Squid, he was all too aware of her injuries. He had witnessed her being taken down by a large ginger tom. It had been apart of their surprise attack.
The blue she-cat was small, but tough. She had nearly rivaled Gouge in combat prowess. It made sense, he realized, Gouge had been the one responsible for Squid's training. Taz had been close behind, his concern for the blue she-cat strongly apparent to everyone in their clan.
It only got worse when the attack began.
Walt had defeated three of the dark forest cats that had charged into the prototype of Bloodclan's camp before he took off to the Thunderclan camp. Tiny had retreated his group to the Windclan border to escape the first assault, sending Squid to warn Greystar as fast as possible.
And now he was here, having been pushed aside by Taz.
"I'll get her!" He yowled back to his clan mate as he charged through the crowd. Walt sighed with frustration, but kept his guard up. He spotted a few familiar cats in the crowd. There was one that made him pause.
The slender she-cat of brown stripes and green eyes was fighting against two toms, and she looked to be losing. Walt took off for her, pouncing onto the back of a large giner tom who had been facing off with her, the other large brown tom that had also been opposing took the chance to strike at the she-cat.
Runningwish hissed and did her best to dodge his attack, her hind leg seeming to be badly injured. She ended up being pinned by the larger tom, Walt digging his claws into the ginger tom as he watched, hanging on for dear life as he was being tossed around.
"Get away from him, Runningwish!" Walt roared, leaping from the orange tom onto the brown tom, both cats rolling away from their momentum. Runningwish gasped when the weight was removed from her and she turned, doing her best to flee, but there was no where to go.
She tried to push and shove through the other cats around them, it did nothing. She was too weak. Thornleap chuckled darkly behind her, beckoning the warrior to face him.
"You're my kill now." Thornleap snarled. Before he could leap at her with a finishing blow, a large brown pelt hurled itself at the Shadowclan warrior, pinning him.
"Tigertooth!" Runningwish yowled with realization. The tom turned to her, his pelt covered in mystic fire, gleaming in it's dark hue. His eyes glowed with a vicious yellow, his stripes ignited with anger.
"Get somewhere safe! This monster shall die!" Tigertooth roared at her. Runningwish couldn't make herself respond, afraid of both toms, finally breaking through the crowd to escape the confrontation.
°---°----------------------------------------------°---°
Walt rose, blood dripping from his muzzle. He had done it, at a cost. But, it was done. His combat rival was dead and he had won.
Walt had little time to reflect on his actions, his ears perking as he took off to find Runningwish. He was uncertain how he would react if he found her dead to that ginger tom. If only he had finished quicker!
He took on many other cats along the way, doing his best to aid anyone he could, glad he was being mostly ignored as everyone focused on their battles. Walt found no sign of the she-cat, no body, no scent. There were too many cats around him, there was too much blood to make out a trail.
All he could do was hope she survived. For now, he needed to see if Squid was still breathing. He continued to push and shove, forcefully making his way through the crowd, finally arriving at the medicine cat den, the direction Taz had gone when they arrived. He froze at what he saw, taken back by the scene.
Taz stood over a tattered body- no, a corpse. His eyes were wild, teeth vicious. He was posed to obliterate the one responsible for the sin beneath him. The ferocity seemed to slack when Walt entered his vision, a glint of grief and relief sparkling in his eyes, but they were removed quickly.
Walt came over to him, not daring to ask what happened to their companion. This wasn't a simple battle, this was the first assault of war, and they would lose many more than just Squid. His heart hung heavy as he took up a defensive stance beside his friend.
"I'm with you." Walt said softly, making Taz's ear twitch.
"Thank you..." The black tom muttered.
°---°----------------------------------------------°---°
Runningwish had escaped into the nursery, the only place she could reach, the closest place to hide. Spottedlegs flinched at her arrival, a concerned gaze overcoming her.
"Runningwish, oh by Starclan, look at you!" Spottedlegs fretted, inspecting her leg and other wounds, although they were lesser injuries in comparison. Runningwish ignored her a moment, looking to the entrance, glad that there were about four warriors loyally protecting the den. She needed this sanctuary, having been allowed to pass into it without question from the other warriors.
She did not look well at all. Soon her adrenaline would lower and she would feel the true pain of her fight with Thornleap and Brokenleaf.
"I'm fine. I just needed somewhere to rest..." Runningwish said softly, breathless. She collapsed under her weight, exhaustion overwhelming her now due to having actually stopped moving. Spottedlegs watched helplessly, turning her eyes to the entrance with thoughts of her mate's safety on her mind.