Thunder's Calling

Chapter 8

It has been a week since her littermates' warrior ceremonies, and something was happening. A few days after the ceremony, patrols have started to scent Appledusk, and not just him but a lot of cats. This worried Thunderpaw, and she had been working no stop to make sure she gathered enough herbs so that they could be prepared for a battle, just in case. 

It was then, while she was organizing the herbs in the medicine den, she heard a caterwaul. Great Starclan no! I knew it! She thought to herself as she darted out of the den and saw the battle unfolding. The clearing was full of cats screeching, some from her clan and some from the cats attack. Then she saw him...Appledusk...

Appledusk turned his head, looking at her. "Aha.. Found you!" He ran at her, and pounced, pinning her to the ground. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did!"

Thunderpaw yowled in pain as he bit down harshly on her shoulder. Suddenly, the weight was removed from her body and she saw Patchpelt, Larkwing, Petalleaf, Birchface and Mapleshade circling Appledusk. "What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing..." Mapleshade asked, her voice deadly quite. 

"I think he has a death wish coming here, and thinking he can try and get away with murdering Thunderpaw..." Petalleaf answered, her eyes flashing dangerously. 

"Did you really think that we would leave her completely unprotected?" Patchpelt asked, his claws digging into the ground.

"No, I didn't. I knew you would protect her, which is why I brought friends. If you had been paying attention you would have realized I had someone near by, and if you look now, I might let you say goodbye..." Appledusk laughed. The family looked and saw in horror that a big, tabby tom was standing over Thunderpaw, his claws pointed to strike at her throat, but just then, Thunderpaw exploded upwards, her claws swiping at the toms neck. "You seemed to have forgotten one thing Appledusk... My father, Birchface has already trained me in fighting. I am not defenseless." She smiled. 

"Took you long enough to get up!" Birchface said, a smirk on his face. 

"Had to wait till his guard was down." She defended herself, pinning the tom down by his throat. "I wouldn't move if I were you. Unless you want to die that is." She said to the tabby she was pinning. 

Appledusk growled in frustration, and pounced onto Birchface. "I'll make sure to kill you this time!" He screeched as he bit down deeply in his throat.

"Birchface!" Mapleshade cried, and lunged at Appledusk, bowling him over. "I'll kill you!" She yowled as she swiped down her claws at her throat. "This is for Birchface and for me! For our kits!" She screamed.

"Petalleaf! Come hold this cat down so I can get to father!" Thunderpaw called to her sister. She nodded at once, taking Thunderpaw's place and watched as her sister ran over to their dying father. "Don't worry dad, I'm going to save you!" She cried, and ran into the medicine den, grabbing cobwebs, marigold and poppy seeds. She rushed back to her father, and quickly started to put the herbs on her father, putting pressure to stop the bleeding. "Stay with me dad!" She took a deep breath and looked around her father. She saw that the bleeding had stopped and started to haul her father carefully back to the medicine den. 

Once he was safe she ran back out into the battle, and was bowled over by another cat. A white and black tabby tom stood over her, pinning her down as he scored his claws onto her flank. Her screech alerted her mother to the danger, with a unnoticeable flick over her tail, she sent Patchpelt after the tom, who knocked him off of Thunderpaw. "Thanks.." She huffed, licking her wounds. "We need to end this, and as much as I hate to say it, it means Appledusk must die or he would never leave our family alone."

"Retreat!"

Her ears pricked as she hear Appledusk's call. No! We have to end this! She thought, but it was already too late as she saw Appledusk's tail disappear through the barrier.

Appledusk's POV

We failed.. No matter, this was the distraction. Everything will fall into place, I'm sure of it. All I have to do is wait...