Chapter 15: Lionblaze

1K 46 35
                                    

LIONBLAZE

            Lionblaze was gasping for breath by the time he reached the entrance to the ShadowClan camp. He looked into the camp and saw Rowanstar lying on the ground with a large patch of fur missing on his right side. Sunsplash stood in the middle of the camp staring in a certain direction. Lionblaze followed her gaze as a flash of orange light lit up his world. It was gone after hardly a moment had passed. Where the warriors den had been was a large crater with black sand; no, not black sand, it was soot. Smoke rose from the crater and rocks and other pieces of debris were still flying through the air.

            Sunsplash stumbled forward and Lionblaze knew that she was too tired to summon any more fire.

            Out of the corner of his eye, Lionblaze saw Rowanstar rising to his feet. “Toadfoot! No!” Rowanstar screeched. “First you killed my leader and now you’ve killed my deputy!”

            Bramblestar stood in the middle of the camp, frozen in shock. “Come on, Bramblestar! You need to leave!” Lionblaze hissed as quietly possible.

            Unfortunately, it attracted Rowanstar’s attention. His head swiveled around and his eyes narrowed even more when he saw Lionblaze. “I’ve noticed that ThunderClan fights with fire and words instead of claws now. Have you grown so weak that you rely on unnatural powers instead of strength, weaklings?” Rowanstar growled coldly.

            Without warning, Rowanstar launched himself at Bramblestar, and quickly sliced his claws across the ThunderClan leader’s neck. “Lionblaze…” Bramblestar choked out. “Last life…..”

            His LAST LIFE? Lionblaze thought in shock.

            His eyes clouded and closed for the final time, and the ThunderClan leader lay unmoving and still. But Lionblaze wasn’t given any time to register the death of his leader. “And now, you puny she-cat, say good-bye!” Rowanstar snarled.

            A shaft of starlight suddenly appeared next to Sunsplash. A young starry black-furred she-cat descended from the sky and stood next to Pondpaw. “You will not lay one paw on my sister,” she hissed.

            “Pondpaw!” Sunsplash exclaimed.

            “Well, Rowanstar, it seems like you’re going to be the one who has to say good-bye for a little while,” Pondpaw said confidently.

            “Just because you’re a StarClan cat doesn’t mean I can’t kill you if you’re siding with the wrong side,” Rowanstar growled.

            “And who are you to defy the will of StarClan?” Pondpaw replied coldly, meeting his gaze. “Last time I checked, every cat agreed that the one on the wrong side is you. Wait, every cat except for you, mouse-brain!”

            “Mouse-brain yourself!” Rowanstar snarled, rushing towards Sunsplash and Pondpaw.

            A wall of water burst up from the ground, blocking Rowanstar’s path. Rowanstar skidded to a halt, looking frustrated. Pondpaw raised a forepaw and shoved it towards the ShadowClan leader. The water moved towards Rowanstar and lifted him high into the air. Pondpaw quickly dropped her paw back onto the ground and the water immediately dropped back down and sank back into the ground again. Rowanstar fell from the sky as the water disappeared, unable to control his fall. He landed hard on the ground, sending a cloud of dust up into the air. When he was visible again, his breathing had stopped and his neck was twisted at an awkward angle.

            Up until this point, the ShadowClan warriors had just been watching, obviously expecting their leader to win this battle. But now as they saw him lying unmoving on the ground, having lost a life, they angrily narrowed their eyes and began to slowly surround Pondpaw and Sunsplash. Pondpaw arched her back threateningly and hissed, but Lionblaze knew she couldn’t take on a whole Clan of warriors.

            Suddenly, a brown tom dashed into the circle to stand in front of the two sisters and turned to face his Clan. “Don’t attack these two cats,” the tom hissed, blinking his light blue eyes. “Innocent cats don’t deserve to be killed.”

            “They’re far from innocent, Littlecloud!” a brown apprentice hissed. “Their leader killed my brother, and they killed Rowanstar!”

            “Bramblestar killed your brother because Rowanstar forced him to fight,” the ShadowClan medicine cat replied. “Your brother would still be alive if it wasn’t for this pitiful excuse for a leader. And these she-cats only came here to rescue their leader, who should’ve never been captured in the first place. Rowanstar lost a life due to his own foolishness, the same as Blackstar did. Did any cat really think that anything good would come out of breaking the warrior code which was created by StarClan? From stealing prey, capturing leaders, and ignoring the will of StarClan? Let these cats leave, so that there may be peace between our Clans. May we forget the pointless hatred that has lasted for too many moons.”

            A few cats continued to block their path, but most of the cats moved to one side to create a path for Sunsplash and Pondpaw to walk through.

            Littlecloud turned his head to face Lionblaze. “I’m sorry for what Rowanstar did to your leader. I hope you lead your Clan well, Lionstar,” Littlecloud meowed.

            Lionstar held his gaze for a tense moment. Then he dipped his head and replied, “Hunt in peace for many moons, Littlecloud.”

            The three cats left the camp and walked forwards in silence. Finally, Pondpaw spoke. “I’ll summon some water to help lift your cats out of the ShadowClan trap, but after that I must leave,” the StarClan apprentice meowed.

            “Pondpaw?” Lionstar meowed. “When you were still, um, alive, you thought that I didn’t love you. And I want you to know that that’s not true.”

            Pondpaw returned his stare. “I know,” she meowed. “I know.”

Warriors: The Unknown Threat Series Book #6: Howling WindWhere stories live. Discover now