Эрин Хантер - Path Of A Warrior

Despite the danger they were in, Redtail felt a pang of irritation. Tigerclaw’s been bad-mouthing me to his apprentice? What kind of Clan loyalty is that ?

There was no more time, though. Oakheart was moving forward with a snarl, shouldering Tigerclaw away from the smaller she-cat. His face was dark with fury.

Redtail’s heart beat faster. It was just him, Tigerclaw, and an undersized apprentice against five full-grown RiverClan warriors. He and Tigerclaw were both skilled in battle, but this was a bad situation.

Maybe he could scare them off. “Tell Crookedstar that the next RiverClan warrior we catch on ThunderClan territory will die.” He narrowed his eyes at the bigger tom. “We want this finished.”

Oakheart’s eyes widened a little in surprise, but then he took a step forward, his ears pressed back angrily. “No matter what you threaten, RiverClan has to eat. We won’t give up these hunting grounds. Even if we have to tear ThunderClan apart to keep them.”

The other RiverClan cats began to pace forward behind Oakheart, their tails twitching steadily back and forth. Redtail watched them warily, his muscles tensing.

With a snarl, Tigerclaw lashed out at Oakheart, knocking the RiverClan deputy to the ground. “Flea-bitten water rat!” he snarled. “Keep to your own territory.”

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.”

Tigerclaw’s voice was admiring, but Redtail just felt sick. There was a time when Tigerclaw’s praise would have meant everything to me.

Now, though, Oakheart was dead, and for what? It wouldn’t settle the conflict over Sunningrocks.

Fury burned inside him as he looked into Tigerclaw’s eyes. He is to blame for all this. It hadn’t had to come to a fight, not today. If Tigerclaw hadn’t attacked the RiverClan cat, Oakheart would still be alive. Young Ravenpaw wouldn’t be injured.

Redtail wouldn’t be a killer.

He had never killed another cat. Not until today.

“Tigerclaw?” Ravenpaw’s mew was tentative. The skinny apprentice inched closer, looking back and forth between them. Blood still dripped from his shoulder, running down his side. There were still two RiverClan warriors left—the small black-and-gray she-cat Tigerclaw had first attacked, and the larger gray tom Redtail had flung away from Tigerclaw. They were pressed low to the ground, their ears back, snarling as they eyed the ThunderClan cats.

“Ravenpaw, go!” Redtail growled. If nothing else, at least maybe he could save the apprentice from any more of this.

Tigerclaw looked at Redtail thoughtfully, and then, perhaps seeing the fury and desperation in his eyes, yowled, “Go back to camp, Ravenpaw! Redtail and I can finish this!”

“But the fight’s not done,” Ravenpaw meowed. “And I owe Redtail … he saved me … Oakheart said …”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Redtail snapped.

“Go while you still can,” Tigerclaw agreed. “Run back to camp now!”