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| - “ Windpaw!” I gasp. The she-cat looks at me, her blue eyes dancing with triumph. “ I’ve got you, Snowfeather,” she hissed “ you’re going to pay for killing my mother!” “ Windpaw, I never-” my meow is broken off by a bloodcurdling wail. Horror pulses through my veins as I struggle to throw the she-cat off. The queens and elders! “ Gorsestar is attacking the little camp,” Windpaw smirks “ sorry to see your ShadowClan friends die.” Rage blinds my vision as I writhe free of her grasp and shove her to the ground. “ Listen to me, Windpaw,” I growl, “ I’m not going to let innocent cats die because of your bitterness.” “ Bitterness?” Windpaw wails and strikes my nose. Blood fills my vision. “ You are a traitor! You killed my mother. Appleleaf would be alive it wasn’t for you and your ShadowClan scum! I’m telling, Snowfeather. And there is nothing you can do about it.” “ Wait!” I yowl and snag her tail with my claws as she attempts to bound past me. The sounds of battle are driving me insane. I have to help them. “ Do you want more cats to die like Appleleaf? I’m doing the right thing! If I can prevent Hollowstar and Gorsestar waging war on each other, no one will die.” “ How do you know?” Windpaw growls and turns to face me. I look into her blue eyes and find just a kit wailing for her mother, loosing her grip on the earth. Pity rushed through me and I suddenly wrap my tail around her shoulders. “ Because I know that Appleleaf doesn’t want that,” I whisper “ do you think she wants to see the Clan she died saving at war?" " I don't know," Windpaw cries, a sob in her throat. " Let me go!" " No," I say. " I will not let you go unless you promise. You promise not to tell until all this is over. Promise?" " I-I promise," Windpaw chocks, her whole manner echoing in reluctance. " Good," I release my hold on her tail, and she smooths is with her tongue. The screeches of cats in the queen's camp sounding in my ears, I race away towards the fight. When I reach it, I stifle a gasp of horror. The little camp is destroyed. Dens have been smashed, and the entrances torn down. Kits are wailing, queens shrieking, and warriors snarling. Gorsestar is in the middle, his eyes wild. He rears up and brings his paw down on a bramble thicket. A red-furred queen shoots out just as it collapses, a kit swinging in her jaws. Gorsestar chases after her, snarling in pleasure. Suddenly, something black-and-white shoots past me. Badgerstripe! My old enemy hurls himself at Gorsestar, knocking him away from the queen. " No!" I cry as Gorsestar slits his throat. Disbelief. Sorrow. Hatred. I stare at the body and my leader, until they merge into one mass of fur and snarls. " You killed Badgerstripe!" Reedflame howls. He bursts through the fray and runs at Gorsestar. The two toms fall in a whirl of claws. Panic begins to set in my throat. I look around. It is clear that the WindClan cats are the greater number. Then it hits me like a slap in the face. RiverClan! We just formed an alliance. I can go get them! I turn around and knock a cat blocking my way flying. Guilt sets in as a realize it is Stormheart, but I can't dwell over that now. Flattening my ears, I duck and weave between fighting cats, seeing warriors fall as they try and protect their loved ones. " Rainpaw? Where are you going?" someone calls. I turn around at the edge of the clearing and spot Frozenwhisker staring at me. Impatience rushed through my paws. " Getting RiverClan! You stay and get the elders and kits out of here!" before he can reply, I leap across the stream and vanish into the pines. Heart thundering, I follow the route I just took. Trees, bushes, rocks, they all whoosh by me as I race to the RiverClan border. Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my paw and I tumble to the ground. All of a sudden, my side is on fire and I feel something wet on my paw. Blood. I take a moment to absorb the pain, then prepare to get up again. " You okay?" I feel something fasten into my scruff and haul me up. Gratitude and annoyance shoot through me at the same time. " Frozenwhisker! I told you to stay there!" He faces me, blue eyes wide with hurt. "I told Blackfeather to do that. Besides, you needed me. What if Heronstar refused and tried to attack you?" " I'm not weak," I say, trying for patience. " It's fine, Frozenwhisker. I have to go. They're killing your warriors!" " You-you don't understand!" Frozenwhisker calls as I begin to run way. Patience snapping, I whirl around to face him. " What don't I understand?" Frozenwhisker cringes, then takes a deep breath. " I-I love you." The earth begins to shift under my feet. Frozenwhisker flattens his ears, but his eyes are shining. He stretches his muzzle forwards to brush it against mine. " I love you, Rainpaw," he repeats. He pauses. I know what he's waiting for. He wants me to say I love him back. I know I should say that, but the words are stuck in my throat. I see that passion burning in his eyes, something I lack. I do love him, but... not the way he wants me to. " I can't,"I whisper and turn away, unable to meet his gaze. Forcing my numb legs into action, I stumble away to RiverClan. --- The enormity of that hit him in the face like a rock. He watched her beautiful pelt fade into the trees, and his tail drooped. Heart aching, he turned back to the battle. All of a sudden, he didn't feel like fighting anymore. There was nothing to fight for. Rainpaw did not love him. He forced himself back into the fighting, forced his paws back onto the blood-soaked earth. He paused. --- I race back to the battle, the earth humming with the paws of countless RiverClan cats. Heronstar and his warriors are disgusted that WindClan would do such a thing, as am I. Pushing away Frozenwhisker's confession, I yowl out to Heronstar. " They're fighting here!" The leader gives me a grim nod, then continues running. I stand still, feeling RiverClan rush by me like an unstoppable current. " We fight for justice! For justice!" Heronstar cries as he clears the stream with a single jump and charges into the thicket. His warriors speed after him, calling out " Justice! We fight for justice!" I watch them bound into battle, then follow. --- The RiverClan cats are beating the WindClan cats back like a tidal wave. They fight in pairs, using their larger frames and strength to overpower the lithe WindClan warriors. I find myself fighting beside Rockfall. The light grey tabby is a furious fighter. Unconsciously, we begin to work together. She rakes a WindClan tom's ears. I do not want to recognize him. While she does that, I duck under his belly and heave him up. When he lands, Rockfall is upon him. " Rainpaw!" I hear a gasp. Horrified, I meet Reedflame's stare. He is pinned beneath Gorestar's foot. By the looks of the leader, Reedflame has put up a good fight. The tom raises his claws, preparing for the kill. " Get off of him!" the sounds bursts from my throat and I ram my head into Gorsestar's chest. Grunting, the tom staggers back. In a flash, Reedflame is up and standing beside me. His eyes are full of hatred. " I will never rest until he is dead! He killed Badgerstripe!" Reedflame twists around and lands under Gorsestar's stomach. Before the silver tom can strike, a black shape meets Gorestar's and flings him away. " Hollowstar!" I cry. The black tom's eyes are like Reedflame's. He cuffs the tom on the ear. Tipping his head back, Hollowstar yowls. " Stop this!" to my surprise, the fighting lulls. I back away as Hollowstar approaches the fallen Gorsestar. To my utter surprise, Reedflame curls his tail around my shoulders and gently pulls me back. His pelt brushes mine, and suddenly I want to bury my face in his fur and never have to see the horrible world again. The cats form a circle around the two leaders. " Do you need assistance?" Heronstar steps forwards. He doesn't repeat words in battle. " Leave this to me," Hollowstar is shaking in fury. He hauls Gorsestar up and viciously throws him down again. "Do you have any honour? Do you even live by a warrior code? Look what you have done!" he cries. " Give us...land," Gorsestar raises his head with obvious effort. " Never," Hollowstar hisses. " You have killed our queens, kits and elders today. I will never stop fighting now, Gorsestar. You have awakened the wrath of ShadowClan." He points to the bodies in the clearing. I stifle a sob. There are eight. One is Badgerstripe's, two are elders, and two are queens. Beside the queens are the bodies of three kits. All of them in the Clan. " Then surrender, or more will die," Gorsestar snarls. " No!" Heronstar leaps up and pushes down the tom. " We would rather die than submit ourselves to scum like you." " He speaks the truth," Hollowstar says. " Take your warriors and get out. I am letting you live, but only so I can kill you another day. Leave!" Shooting him a venomous glare, Gorsestar flicks his tail and hauls himself up. As silently as they had come, they leave. I find my legs shaking. I don't want to return to WindClan. Not after what they've done. The clearing is silent. " Cats of ShadowClan, from now on, your lives will be different," Hollowstar announces. " We are at war. We have been wronged, our Clanmates slaughtered, and I, for one, will never rest until vengeance is achieved!" " And neither will RiverClan!" Heronstar steps forwards. " From now on, we are at your side. RiverClan will fight alongside you!" I close my eyes as the blood-chilling war cries of both groups ring out into the blood-red sky.
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