Path Of A Warrior

“Hush, Mudkit,” she murmured. “Stay behind me.” Crowding the kits into a gorse bush behind her, she lowered her ears, snarling at the ThunderClan cats. Redtail stared guiltily at the blood running down the queen’s shoulder and soaking into her fur. No one was supposed to get hurt!

Thrushpelt had already begun tearing apart the WindClan nursery, and Redtail reluctantly moved forward to help him, yanking out soft nests and tearing at the gorse walls. As he dragged a nest of moss and sheep’s wool out into the clearing, Redtail looked up to see Thistleclaw and Patchpelt doing the same thing in the elders’ den, as Bluefur held off the elders, who were fiercely trying to defend their nest despite seeming frail. Tigerclaw had drawn Doespring and Aspenfall into a fight, distracting them from helping Ryestalk or the elders. As Redtail watched, Tigerclaw crouched and slashed at Doespring’s belly, his claws ripping through her fur, and the she-cat lurched backward with a pained screech. Redtail winced in sympathy.

Barkface, WindClan’s young medicine cat, stood squarely in front of his den, snarling protectively. As Redtail watched, Patchpelt took a hesitant step toward him.

“Not the medicine cat’s den,” Bluefur called sharply, dodging a blow from one of the elders. Relief rushed through Redtail. If they destroyed the medicine cat’s den, WindClan cats might die. This fight wasn’t worth that. We aren’t going to do anything terrible here, he thought. We’re just teaching them a lesson.

No matter how many times he told himself that, it still didn’t feel true.

Tigerclaw hissed in exasperation, pinning Aspenfall to the ground. “You’re too soft, Bluefur,” he taunted the she-cat.

“I’m still ThunderClan’s deputy,” she answered. “And I say leave the medicine cat’s den alone.”

Tigerclaw seemed ready to argue, but a sudden yowl of rage drew all their attention to the camp’s entrance. WindClan warriors were streaming into their camp, Stagleap in the lead.

Perhaps they’d heard the shrieks and hisses of fighting cats. Redtail didn’t know. Stagleap cast him one disappointed look, and Redtail looked away, suddenly conscious of the shredded debris of the nursery all around his paws. It’s not my fault, he wanted to yowl, but was that true? He knew what had really happened. He could have talked to Sunstar. He could have tried harder to talk Tigerclaw out of this. Guilt blocked his throat: There was nothing he could say now.

Stagleap threw himself at Tigerclaw, and, in a heartbeat they became a furiously fighting mass of fur, their dark brown pelts difficult to tell apart as they tussled. The other WindClan cats were attacking: Talltail, WindClan’s deputy, leaped for Bluefur’s throat.

A cat barreled into Redtail’s side while he was distracted, knocking him to the ground. Sharp pain spread through his shoulder. Plumclaw was holding him down, her claws ripping at his pelt.

Redtail struggled beneath the small gray she-cat, panting. He couldn’t get to his feet. He had to protect his underbelly.

Then he remembered a move Sparrowpelt had taught him. He stopped struggling for a moment, rolling fully onto his back. As Plumclaw shifted her weight to keep from falling, he kicked up with his hind legs, knocking her away so that he could scramble back onto his paws.

Thrushpelt was swiping fiercely at Hickorynose, who howled in pain, and Plumclaw turned to slash at Thrushpelt with her claws. Redtail looked up at the mass of fighting cats all around him just as Talltail slashed Bluefur across the throat.

Bluefur stumbled. Blood was running down her chest and dripping onto the ground.

“Bluefur!” Redtail yowled and sprang toward her, shouldering Plumclaw out of his way. Talltail was bracing himself for another attack.

“No!” Redtail hissed fiercely. “We’re going.” Talltail hesitated, and Redtail braced himself against Bluefur’s side. “Bluefur, you have to call a retreat,” he added urgently.

Bluefur was leaning heavily against Redtail’s side. “Bluefur?” he asked. The deputy seemed dazed, her eyes fluttering shut, and Redtail could barely support her weight.

She can’t do it, Redtail realized. Bluefur was barely conscious. He looked around at the clawing, struggling cats. There were too many WindClan cats now. ThunderClan was outnumbered. As he watched, Patchpelt fell beneath two WindClan warriors.

Bluefur moaned.

If we stay here, she’ll die, Redtail realized. And we’ve already lost this battle. Other ThunderClan cats might die, too.

“ThunderClan, retreat!” he yowled, as loudly as he could.

Tigerclaw knocked Stagleap away from him. There was a long scratch across the ThunderClan warrior’s face, but his amber eyes were alight with a fierce joy. “What do you mean, retreat?” he snarled.