Warriors: Tigertail's Destiny DISCONTINUED

Chapter 18

Tigerpaw began licking her paw. She'd been awake for a while and it was getting dark. It was the day before the battle, and she desperately wished she could go. She wondered what Whitesnow would do...

After she washed, Tigerpaw thought about the battle moves that Iceecho had taught her. She looked around to make sure no other cat was around, and tried one out, raking her claws across an invisible opponents ear. Then she pulled her paw back and ducked. She practiced that one again and again until she thought it was perfected, then heard a cat coming, and quickly sat down and pretended to have been washing.

The cat was Mousewind. He saw her ears pricked and looking his way and he smiled. "Hello Tigerpaw," he mewed. "We're all prepared in our fighting skills for the battle. Shiningpaw wishes you could take her place, but she knows you can't. We all miss you."

Tigerpaw dipped her head. She'd become fairly well known ever since she'd become an apprentice. She wasn't sure if that was good or not.

"Tell Shiningpaw I miss her and wish we could fight in our first battle together." As she spoke a plan was forming in her head. "I'll be thinking of her during it."

Mousewind nodded. "I've got to go now, just dropped in to check on you. Goodnight."

"'Night."

Mousewind left as Tigerpaw curled up, the details of the plan falling into place.

Tigerpaw awoke in the forest again, with Nightpaw standing next to her.

He turned and said, "Iceecho isn't here. That worries me a bit."

Tigerpaw looked around and didn't see her anywhere either. The clearing where they practiced in was empty except for the two of them.

"Well, I guess we'd better look for her then," she said.

Nightpaw nodded and nervously padded into the trees, Tigerpaw following. As they walked, they heard shrieks and yowls. Tigerpaw pressed closer to Nightpaw, scared of what they might find.

After walking for a while, they heard Iceecho talking to another cat.

"I must be going now, I have cats to train. We can finish this later."

A different voice spoke. "Alright, I'll be waiting."

Tigerpaw looked franticly at Nightpaw and they sprinted back to the clearing, just managing to settle down when Iceecho appeared through the trees.

"Hello Iceecho!" Tigerpaw meowed.

"Tigerpaw, Nightpaw," Iceecho dipped her head. "Have you been practicing?"

They both nodded.

"Good. Tonight we're going to incorporate that move I taught you last time into one we're learning tonight."

After practicing the move they'd learned last time a few times, Tigerpaw's thoughts had drifted to the prophecy. She suddenly asked Iceecho about the other cats.

"Tigerpaw, it's not my place to tell you, but just know that you are the fire of life."

»»

The next day Tigerpaw awoke to lots of chatter. The cats were getting ready for the battle.

She stood up, finding that her leg barely hurt anymore, and padded confidently into the clearing. Bluepaw spotted her first and raced over.

"Tigerpaw, you're looking so much better!"

Tigerpaw smiled. "Thanks, Bluepaw, I'm feeling lots better. My leg doesn't hurt at all anymore!"

Bluepaw purred, happy for her sister, and licked her sisters ear affectionately. Then Blackstar jumped on top of the tree branch and Bluepaw sadly turned to go stand in the crowd next to her mentor.

"Cats going to the battle, if you're ready, stand by the entrance. If you're not, stand by the medicine den."

All of the cats went to the entrance. Blackstar dipped his head.

"Now, let's show those ThunderClan cats we're not standing for trespassing on our territory! Who's with me?"

The entire camp cheered, full of enthusiasm, as Blackstar jumped down from the branch and pelted out of camp, the cats headed to the battle following.

As soon as those cats had gone, Tigerpaw casually padded to the dirtplace, not being obvious or anything. As soon as she was hidden from the camp, she slipped out of the dirtplace and pelted after the cats, her leg starting to feel a bit sore now.

She arrived at the battle to see that ShadowClan was losing. Her eyes widened and she hurried into the battle, clawing a golden ThunderClan tom's ears. He turned and hissed at her, raking both paws at her ears. Tigerpaw ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack when she heard another battle cry, and looked to see five more ShadowClan cats arriving. Help had come!

The golden tom was already tired from another opponent, and when he saw the new cats he turned and ran, following two others from ThunderClan.

Tigerpaw turned, her leg starting to pain her when she heard a frustrated hiss, and looking to see Mousewind trapped under a bulky tabby tom. She launched herself at the tabby with a yowl, raking her claws down his side and forcing him to let Mousewind go.

Mousewind looked up to thank whoever had saved him, but scowled when he saw Tigerpaw. "What're you doing here, you'll get hurt! You haven't had enough training and your leg is not fully healed!"

Tigerpaw looked at him sheepishly. "I had to come! No way was I missing out on my first battle!"

Mousewind opened his mouth to respond when a large, unsheathed paw hit Tigerpaw in the head, making her stagger. Mousewind clawed at the cat that had hit her, yelling something that Tigerpaw couldn't hear, as everything was moving slowly and as blurry. She took a step forward, tilted, and fell the world going black.

»»

Tigerpaw blearily opened her eyes to see a mossy ceiling above her head, with hushed voices talking worriedly around her. She tried to sit up, only to groan and lay back down as the world spun and her head throbbed angrily.

Mousewind walked up to her. "Tigerpaw, do you know how foolish it was to come to the battle barely trained, hurt, and young? You could've gotten killed!"

"I know," she mewed. "But I couldn't miss out on my first battle!"

Mousewind shook his head. "We've decided as soon as you're better you'll be assigned to the nursery bedding for a moon. Next time it'll be worse." He turned and padded away.

Tigerpaw groaned. Why had she went? Mousewind was right, she could've gotten killed and it was a foolish thing to do.

Cloudnight padded in. "How are you feeling Tigerpaw?"

Tigerpaw shrugged. "My head hurts if I sit up, but it's just a dull throb when I'm laying."

She nodded, her paws working on something Tigerpaw couldn't see. Then she picked whatever it was up and padded to the right side of Tigerpaw's head, the side that had gotten hurt. Cloudnight's paw pulled something off of her head and Tigerpaw winced. Then she put the new -what was the word, poultice?- on Tigerpaw's head. It was cool and felt good on Tigerpaw's throbbing head.

Cloudnight then left Tigerpaw and padded back into the clearing to attend to the rest of the injured cats.

As Tigerpaw started to close her eyes, she heard a voice and opened her eyes again. It was Iceecho. She stood right in front of her in the shadows, her paws seemingly fused with the shadows.

"You've done well, very well Tigerpaw. But this is only the beginning."

A/N:
Ey I finally finished the chapter! :D So thoughts on this? Do you think Tigerpaw was punished hard enough? Is Iceecho good or bad? Comment what you think below!
XxShadow