Path Of A Warrior

Oakheart lay in the mud for a moment and then scrambled to his feet, his fur stiff with outrage. Tigerclaw stepped back, and Oakheart’s angry eyes slid past him and fixed on the ThunderClan cat who was closest …

Ravenpaw.

Redtail felt suddenly cold. There was no way the apprentice could fight the RiverClan deputy.

Before Oakheart could move, Redtail flung himself between the two cats, slashing at Oakheart’s chest. Oakheart reared up onto his hind legs, clawing at him. A sharp pain shot through Redtail’s shoulder, but he dodged the next blow from Oakheart and sank his teeth into the tom’s side.

As if Redtail’s attack on Oakheart had been a signal, all around them the other cats had charged into battle. One, a dark brown tom, batted Ravenpaw roughly out of his way, claws extended, as he ran toward Tigerclaw, and the apprentice cried out in pain.

“Ravenpaw!” Redtail was half pinned under Oakheart. He kicked at the larger cat’s belly with his hind paws, but he couldn’t move. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tigerclaw trying to run toward his apprentice, but three RiverClan warriors blocked his path.

Desperately, Redtail kicked and kicked again, knocking Oakheart back a little so he could twist to look back at the apprentice. “Ravenpaw, run!” he yowled. “You’ll get hurt!” I have to protect him. Ravenpaw was too young and too small for this battle.

Ravenpaw stared back at him. “Warriors don’t run,” he snarled. His voice sounded a little shakier than it had before, but he seemed to brace himself and stepped forward, toward the fight.

But you’re not a warrior. Ravenpaw was going to get himself killed. The thought gave Redtail enough panicky strength to surge up and knock Oakheart backward and away from him. “Go back to camp and get help,” he yowled, turning to the apprentice. “That’s an order!”

Oakheart leaped onto Redtail and tumbled him onto his side, pinning him to the ground. Sharp claws were digging into Redtail’s belly, but he could hear Tigerclaw’s voice.

“Don’t you go anywhere, Ravenpaw!” the big tom snarled. “We’re already outnumbered; we need you in this fight. Are you a warrior or a mouse-hearted kit?”

Redtail couldn’t see anything except the RiverClan tom above him, but he heard Ravenpaw’s hiss as the apprentice threw himself into the battle. What is Tigerclaw doing? Fresh rage rose up in him at the thought of Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw defying his orders—was he their deputy or not?—and the indignation gave him the energy to twist free of Oakheart’s paws.

Oakheart glared past him for a moment. “If that apprentice comes any closer, I’ll kill him,” he growled.

Protective rage flooded through Redtail. With one quick movement, he was on his feet and leaping for Oakheart’s throat. He tore at the RiverClan deputy, blood filling his mouth. Oakheart lurched backward, but Redtail hung on as the other cat’s struggles lessened and finally stilled.

Redtail blinked away the blood that had sprayed across his face. He watched as Oakheart staggered and fell, and finally as the light went out of the RiverClan deputy’s eyes.

Chapter Ten

Redtail staggered backward, staring at Oakheart’s body at his paws. The fight was going on around him—Ravenpaw locked in battle with the small gray-and-black cat, Tigerclaw holding his own against two warriors—but the sounds of battle seemed muted and far away.

He can’t be dead. I can’t have killed him.

But Oakheart was dead.

A wail of sorrow came from the RiverClan cats as they realized what had happened, and two came to pull Oakheart’s body away, their eyes wide with horror.

But the others were still fighting. Redtail tore his gaze from Oakheart’s body. Tigerclaw was grappling with a large gray RiverClan tom. He snarled and slashed at the other tom’s face, but his paws skidded on the muddy earth. Tigerclaw fell, slamming his head against one of the boulders.

For a moment, Tigerclaw seemed stunned, blinking confused amber eyes up at his opponent, and the other cat surged forward, his teeth bared.

He’ll kill him, Redtail realized. I can’t let there be any more death today. Feeling a sudden rush of strength, he lurched forward, biting down at the root of the gray tom’s tail. With a strength and fury he’d never felt before, he flung the RiverClan cat away from Tigerclaw. The cat staggered and lurched, falling into the bushes.

Breathing hard, he turned back to see Tigerclaw staring at him in amazement.

“Redtail! You tossed that cat like a pile of leaves.” The massive brown tom climbed to his paws, shaking his head a little as if to shake off the blow he’d taken. “And you killed Oakheart! I didn’t think you had it in you.”