Erin Hunter - Twilight

Squirrelflight crouched in the bracken with her gaze fixed on the kittypets. As soon as Tawnypelt appeared, they both sat up, ears pricked. The black and white tom mewed something to his companion. Then both cats flowed down from the wall and stalked across the open ground toward Tawnypelt.

At once Russetfur signaled with her tail, and the warriors split into two groups and slid away, their bellies pressed close to the ground as they crept in a wide circle. Neither kittypet noticed; Squirrelflight guessed they weren’t used to picking up unexpected scents, and besides, they were too intent on their prey.

Tawnypelt lay on her side, her chest heaving with painful, panting breaths. As the kittypets drew closer she raised her head and gasped out, “Don’t hurt me, please!”

The big tomcat thrust his muzzle into her face. “We won’t hurt you, roadkill,” he sneered. “We’ll just take off a few pawfuls of your fur.”

“That’ll teach you to come into our place,” the tabby hissed, slashing a paw toward Tawnypelt’s eyes.

Tawnypelt flinched. Squirrelflight heard Brambleclaw gasp and saw the huge warrior dig his claws into the ground as if he had forgotten that his sister wasn’t as helpless as she looked.

At the same moment Russetfur leapt out of the bracken.

“Now!”

Squirrelflight pelted across the open ground, Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol keeping pace with her. The two kittypets took one appalled look at the tide of cats rising to engulf them and turned tail and fled back toward the nest.

But the other warriors were already in place behind them, advancing shoulder to shoulder. The small tabby kittypet let out a terrified wail, but the big tom leapt into battle, charging straight for Cloudtail and carrying the white warrior off his paws. Rowanclaw leapt on top of them as they writhed on the ground in a whirl of teeth and claws.

Tawnypelt scrambled up and sprang at the tabby.

Rainwhisker and Russetfur piled in to help her, so Squirrelflight launched herself at the big tom as he tore himself away from his opponents’ claws and tried to flee across the clearing. Hissing in fury, she raked one paw across his face; his blood spattered onto her fur, warm and sticky. She ducked as he swung a paw at her, slamming her head into his chest so that he staggered back and collided with Brambleclaw coming up behind. Squirrelflight scrambled on top of him, avoiding his battering hindpaws; a heartbeat later Brambleclaw had him pinned by the haunches while Rowanclaw came up and sank his teeth into the thrashing black and white tail.

“Don’t mess with our warriors, you hear me?”

Squirrelflight hissed into his ear. At that moment, she was speaking for all four Clans, ready to kill if a hair was harmed on the pelt of a cat from any one of them.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Tawnypelt and Rainwhisker had pinned down the tabby cat. Russetfur spoke to him in a low growl, then turned and stalked over to the big tom. She looked down at him in silence for a moment, while he glared back with yellow eyes full of hatred.

“You are a kittypet, and you belong with your Twolegs,” she snarled, her voice full of contempt. “The forest is ours now. Cause any more trouble for us, and you know what will happen to you.”

Squirrelflight jabbed her claws into the tom’s pelt.

“Understand?”

The black and white cat spat at her.

“Understand?” Squirrelflight repeated. “Or would you rather I bit your throat open now?”

“I understand,” the cat growled.

“Let him go,” Russetfur ordered, adding to the big tom, “Go back to your Twolegs and stay there.”

Reluctantly Squirrelflight and the other warriors released the kittypet. He staggered to his paws, shaking drops of blood from his pelt. The tabby slunk over to his side and stood with head lowered and tail drooping to the ground.

“Go!” Russetfur bared her teeth. “Now!”

Both kittypets backed away a couple of paces, then turned and fled for the nest. They scrambled over the wall and vanished into the garden. Squirrelflight heard the door of the nest open and a Twoleg voice raised in alarm.

Russetfur twitched her tail and the combined patrol of ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats bounded back into the shadow of the pine trees, not stopping until they were within sight of the camp.

“I’ll fetch Blackstar,” Russetfur meowed, slipping over the edge of the hollow.

Tawnypelt padded over to Brambleclaw and pushed her nose into his fur. “Thanks. You were great—all of you,” she added, lifting her head.

“It was a pleasure,” Brambleclaw purred. “Any time.”

“Wasn’t that great?” Squirrelflight meowed. “I’ll never forget the look on those kittypets’ faces when they saw us coming. And Brambleclaw, you were in just the right place when I attacked that big brute. You were terrific!”

The warmth welling up inside her turned to ice as Brambleclaw’s gaze swept over her from ears to tail-tip. “You fought well too,” he replied stiffly, as though he were paying a compliment to another cat’s apprentice.

Squirrelflight sank her claws into the leaf mold and bit back an angry retort. She wasn’t going to quarrel with her Clanmate in front of the ShadowClan cats. But his coldness hurt more than any wound she had received in the battle.

The bushes rustled in the hollow and Blackstar appeared.

“Russetfur tells me you made the kittypets promise to leave us alone.”

“You shouldn’t have any more trouble,” Brambleclaw meowed, “but if you do, let us know. We’ll be glad to help.”

“Thank you.” Blackstar’s voice was cool. “But I think we’ll be able to manage for ourselves now.”

His words were a dismissal. Brambleclaw didn’t try to change his mind. He gathered his cats together with a sweep of his tail and briefly touched noses with Tawnypelt. “Good-bye,” he mewed to Blackstar. “I expect we’ll meet at the next Gathering.” He turned and headed back toward ThunderClan territory, following the scent trail they had left on their way.

Padding behind him, Squirrelflight felt dull anger slow her paws. The excitement was over; the brief feeling of closeness to Brambleclaw was over too. Why couldn’t they just be friends? This antagonism was such a waste , when the two of them fought so well together. Her belly twisted with pain that Brambleclaw could put aside old rivalry for the sake of ShadowClan, but not for her.

“Fine. If that’s the way he wants it,” she muttered, too low for any cat to hear. “See if I care.”

But her shoulders ached and her drooping tail brushed the pine needles as she followed her Clanmates back to the stone hollow.

“I’ll be glad when newleaf comes,” Mothwing remarked, turning over her store of juniper berries with one paw. “We’re very short of herbs.”

“It’s just as bad in ThunderClan,” Leafpool told her, touching her shoulder sympathetically with the tip of her tail. “This has been a long leaf-bare, and we don’t know the best places yet to find supplies. At least your cats are getting well now.”

“Yes, thanks to you.” Mothwing let out a purr, then turned to Willowkit, who was standing just outside the medicine cat’s den, shifting from paw to paw. “Give two juniper berries to each cat—except for Minnowkit and Pebblekit. They can have one each. Can you remember what juniper is for?”

The small gray kit paused with one paw raised, ready to snag a couple of berries on her claws. “Bellyache,” she began, eyes narrowed with the effort of remembering, “but they’re getting better, and their bellies aren’t aching anymore.” She hesitated, puzzled; then her eyes brightened. “Strength!” she mewed triumphantly. “You’re giving them juniper so they’ll get strong again.”