Eclipse

ThunderClan warriors were streaming from their den, pelts bristling, eyes wide with shock. Hollypaw raced into the clearing with Cinderpaw, Icepaw, and Foxpaw at her heels.

“Why are they attacking us?”

This was no time for questions.

“Circle the clearing and pick off the outsiders!” Lionpaw ordered.

He ducked as a WindClan warrior leaped for him, then arched his back. His attacker rolled clumsily over him, landing wrong-footed as Lionpaw spun and leaped for his throat.

Only just in time, he re-aimed his attack, biting the WindClan warrior sharply behind the ear and rolling him to the ground. I nearly killed you! Lionpaw realized how close he’d come to tearing this warrior’s throat out. “Get out of my camp!” he hissed, hooking the warrior with his forepaws and raking his belly with his hind. Or I will kill you!

The WindClan warrior wriggled from his grasp but didn’t flee, only disappeared into the throng of cats fighting in the clearing. Lionpaw tried to follow him, but the WindClan warrior’s pelt disappeared into the gray, writhing mass.

A f lash of white! Cloudtail was shouldering his way through the crowd. Sandstorm’s pelt glowed at the far side of the battle; close by, Lionpaw could make out the white-patched pelts of Sorreltail and Brightheart. Whitewing was outside the elders’ den, slashing side by side with her apprentice, Icepaw, at an advancing line of WindClan warriors.

Graystripe reared up at the entrance to the nursery, battering a WindClan cat with such force that it scrambled backward, hissing, into the crowd.

Brightheart rolled past him, grappling with a spitting WindClan tom.

Graystripe grabbed the tom, hooking him away from his Clanmate and tossing him aside like fresh-kill. “Get inside the nursery!” he yowled.

While Brightheart slid inside the nursery to defend the queens and kits, Graystripe planted his paws at the entrance, his glittering eyes daring any cat to come close.

“Lionpaw!” Ashfur’s yowl sounded from the elders’ den.

“Get over here!”

Lionpaw scooted around the edge of the battle, ducking past flailing paws. Whitewing and Icepaw were still fighting the oncoming WindClan warriors, their fur darkened with blood.

“We’ve got to get Longtail and Mousefur onto Highledge,” Ashfur growled. “I’ll help Whitewing and Icepaw hold this lot off.” He rolled onto his back and shoved a WindClan warrior away with his hind paws. “You guide Longtail and Mousefur up the rocks to the ledge.”

Lionpaw glanced at Icepaw, grappling with a young WindClan tom. Her eyes shone with fury as she battered his ears with blow after blow.

“Get on with it!” Ashfur screeched.

Lionpaw darted into the elders’ den. Longtail and Mousefur were crouching at the back of the honeysuckle cave, fur bristling, claws unsheathed.

“You need to follow me to Highledge.”

“We should be fighting,” Mousefur spat.

“You may have to,” Lionpaw told her. “But for now, it’ll be easier to chase WindClan off if we don’t have to worry about you.” He knew it was blunt, but there was no time for tact. All their lives were at stake. He checked the den entrance. Ashfur and Whitewing were pushing WindClan back. Icepaw, her muzzle glistening with fresh blood, had fought off the tom.

She narrowed her eyes, then lunged at the hind legs of the WindClan warrior battering Whitewing.

They’d created a gap in front of the den big enough to guide the elders through. Lionpaw turned and nudged Mousefur out, then Longtail. He slid alongside them, shielding them from lashing tails and thrashing paws as they made their way to the tumble of rocks leading to Highledge.

Hurry up! He willed Mousefur on.

Longtail was already climbing the rocks, but Mousefur was hobbling as though each step was a struggle. Leaning against her, Lionpaw took her weight and guided her upward.

“Stop!” Firestar stood on the ledge above them, eyes blazing with rage. His yowl rang like thunder around the walls of the hollow.

Lionpaw halted and the cats grew still, all eyes turning to the ThunderClan leader.

“How dare you?” Firestar roared.

The mass of cats parted to reveal Onestar in the midst.

The WindClan leader had led the attack himself! Lionpaw stiffened. This was no raiding party. This was war.

Starlight glittered in Onestar’s eyes. “We dare because we are true warriors,” he meowed evenly. “This battle has been too long coming. ThunderClan must learn that they are not the most important Clan in the forest.”

Firestar listened, still as rock.

“You watch the suffering of others, waiting to be begged for help like you belong to StarClan.” Onestar lashed his tail.

“We will not beg. We are warriors! We will fight for the prey and the territory we need to survive.”

Firestar’s eyes grew wide. “So you invade our camp?” The ThunderClan leader was outraged.

“We want to make sure you get the message,” hissed Onestar. “You think being a warrior means saving mountain cats and rescuing strays. We think it’s about taking care of our Clan.”