Chapter thirty-seven 

Quickflash sprinted through RiverClan territory, a wild smile on her muzzle. See me now, father? I'm serving my leader, aren't you proud? Quickflash chuckled. As the warrior code says, the Clan leader's word is law.

Keep running, turn left a bit, Sageweed said. Quickflash obeyed. Those reeds, right there! Quickflash signaled for the warriors behind her to walk with her tail. She stepped forward, ginger fur standing on end. Quickflash sprang forward, parting the reeds with her paws. She smiled a toothy, crooked grin, as three terrified queens and six kits stared back at her.

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A terrifying yowl hit her ears, but Cindertail stood her ground. She felt the other warriors tense around her. "Hold your positions," Wavestar commanded. Cindertail felt Troutpaw shaking beside her. The young gray tom looked terrified. He's only eight moons old. Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm your mentor, so it's my job. At that moment, Froststar burst into camp.

A whimper escaped Troutpaw. Froststar stood, claws unsheathed and digging into the soft earth. His lime-green eyes were blazing, his white and spotted fur sticking up. His hackles were raised, and drool hung from his jaws. Cindertail could see fresh wounds on his body, but he seemed totally unfazed. "RiverClan," he snarled. "You have three options." At each word he spoke, drool dripped from his jaws. "Leave, join us, or die."

"No, we have a fourth option," Wavestar said, stepping forward bravely. "We choose to fight." A cruel grin spread across Froststar's face. A knowing look crept into his eyes.

"Then you choose to die." The fur on the back of Cindertail's neck stood up, and a cold breeze ruffled her fur. A dank, musty, rotten scent touched her nostrils. What the--? Next to Froststar, four shadowy warriors faded into view. They cackled, claws glittering. More and more appeared, surrounding the RiverClan cats. Oh StarClan, no. Please please no.

Froststar began to laugh too. "Poor, poor RiverClan. You have no chance."

"Actually, they do." Brackenfoot, the StarClan warrior said, and Froststar's father shimmered into view. Froststar's eyes widened with rage.

"You," he snarled. "I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF THIS!" he marched toward the starry tom, causing the rest of RiverClan to shrink back in fear. He stood, a mouse-length from Brackenfoot. Fury radiated from his pelt. "You maggot-eating flea-pelted dungface!" Cindertail, and the rest of RiverClan, couldn't help but gasp. Does he really dare show this must disrespect to a StarClan cat?

"Don't talk that way to your father!" Brackenfoot snapped.

"You're not my father! My father abandoned me as an apprentice," Froststar spat. That's right. Brackenfoot jumped in front of Cragstar to save him from the fox. Brackenfoot's eyes softened.

"So that's what this is about. Son, I was just being a loyal warrior."

"Cragstar had nine lives! You only had one!" Froststar exclaimed. Wow. Is this really happening in front of me right now?

"You would want one of your warriors to sacrifice themself for you, wouldn't you?" Brackenfoot questioned. Froststar was silent for a few moments.

"Yes," he finally meowed. "Oh, I'm so sorry father."

"For everything that you've done?" Brackenfoot asked. Is that it? Will there be no battle? No bloodshed? A grin slid across Froststar's face.

"Nah. Just for this," he snarled, and before anyone could react, leaped onto Brackenfoot, slamming him into the dirt and pinning him. Brackenfoot's head slammed against the ground, and he was knocked out. RiverClan cats shrieked. "ThunderClan, attack!"

ThunderClan warriors surged forward. Troutpaw yowled in fear. "You got this, Troutpaw! Just stay with me!" Cindertail yowled back, but lost sight of him as a wave of cats washed over them. Cindertail was thrown into a whirlwind of teeth and claws. Claws sliced her flank and she gasped, teeth snapped over her left ear. Cindertail shrieked, lashing out, holding back her panic as she was flipped over. Something feral came over her and she snapped, attacking anything that touched her.

Cindertail managed to get to her feet, and the feeling subsided slightly. Heart pounding in her ears, she looked around, desperately searching for Troutpaw. Instead she spotted Froststar, standing on high-rock. "Keep fighting! GO ThunderClan, go!"

A ThunderClan apprentice cowered at the edge of the scene. Froststar snarled, leaping down. He grabbed her scruff, and threw her into the battle. "Fight, Mothpaw! Fight!" Cindertail was horrified, but couldn't dwell on it for long. She heard a familiar yowl, and spun around, nostrils flaring to spot Troutpaw. He was frantically blocking Mossypelt, a black ThunderClan tom, who was wildly snapping at the young cat's neck.

Cindertail screeched, running forward and clearing the space between her and her apprentice with a large leap. She slammed into Mossypelt, knocking him off Troutpaw. Her teeth connected with his ear and she snarled, tugging at it. Mossypelt yowled in pain, whipping a paw out, slicing his claws right above her eye. Cindertail yelped and leaped back, preparing to fight again, but the damage was done. Mossypelt hissed, blood dripping from his torn ear. The tom's eyes were shining with madness, and Cindertail recognized the glittering in its depths: fear.

Froststar has driven them past their limits. Cindertail didn't have time to feel sorry for him. Or anyone of the cats for that matter. She had to defend her Clan. She crouched over Troutpaw, who was whimpering. "Troutpaw? Are you okay?" She sniffed him, and located the spot where the scent of blood was coming from. He had a cut right below his neck. Painful, but not super dangerous. She let out a long breath of relief. "Get up, Troutpaw, before someone else attacks." And indeed someone else attacked. Claws dug into her back, and Cindertail was shoved into the ground. She screamed, as an expert paw sliced two long marks into her back. The RiverClan she-cat was flipped over to face her opponent.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Shadeblossom's bright yellow eyes stared into hers. Cindertail searched her gaze, and found only steady calmness, no madness and no fear. She's on Froststar's side. "Hmmm. I've seen you before. Cinderhail? No. Cindertail, yes, that's you. Well, prepare to die-" she was cut off as she was lifted off the ground by Ashenbranch, a RiverClan tom. He prepared to slam Shadeblossom down but the wicked she-cat was quicker. She twisted in his grasp with expert skill, slicing her claws across his neck. He gasped and dropped her, and quick as an adder, Shadeblossom sunk her teeth in his neck.

"No!" Cindertail screamed.

"How unfortunate," Shadeblossom hissed, revealing blood stained fangs as the tom went limp.

She sprang for Cindertail again, claws outstretched, but she was ready. Cindertail ducked, rolling away. Shadeblossom spun on her heel, snarling. "You're not getting away that easily!"

There was a screech, and Cindertail turned to see a shadowy warrior with Troutpaw's scruff in his jaws. He began to shake him. "Troutpaw!" Cindertail yelled, and in her moment of distraction Shadeblossom was on her. "No!" Cindertail thrashed about as Shadeblossom tried to pin her. Her shrieks were cut off as Shadeblossom sunk her claws into her chest. At that moment, everything slowed. Is this really happening? Shadeblossom's cackle sounded distant, as she lifted up Cindertail's limp body, and slammed her back onto the dirt. No. Shadeblossom's tail-tip brushed her nose as she turned away, skipping off to find another victim. Cindertail rolled onto her stomach. She could feel the blood from her chest seeping into the ground beneath her. It was coming out so fast.

Troutpaw's body hit the ground a few tail-lengths from hers. "Troutpaw!" she yowled, but her voice caught in her throat, a sticky liquid bubbly up inside. Cindertail gasped, trying to force air inside her lungs. She reached out a paw, then another, dragging herself forward. Blood sprayed across her flank, and someone fell beside her. She didn't look, just kept pressing forward. The ground was sticky and slick, and her head felt light. The sound around her faded out, and she reached Troutpaw. He looked up at her with his pale, blue, innocent eyes, that were already beginning to cloud. Cindertail stopped beside him, feeling a coldness spread through her body. Blood was sticky on her chest. She reached out a paw, brushing Troutpaw's neck. It came away sticky.

"Troutpaw," she rasped.

"Cindertail? Am I going to StarClan?" Troutpaw asked. Cindertail could only make a gurgling sound in response. Instead she reached out, touching his paws with her own. They gazed into each other's eyes, mentor and apprentice. Cindertail watched as his eyes closed, and then hers followed.

They lay together, their pools of blood merging, as Cindertail's eyes closed and she was swamped into darkness.