Sunrise

Chapter 3

Fur flew in every direction. Cats he had never seen before hurled themselves at cats he's known his whole life. Stormwhisker saw Stormstrike fighting fiercely against a burly rogue with long golden tabby fur and deep scars, amber eyes showing no emotion as he fought. The warriro's black and white pelt had spots of pale red where fur should have been white, but was soaked with blood. He scanned the crowd for Scorchpaw and Cherryblossom, and was dismayed to find the pale pinkish she cat and her son battling fiercely against a ginger clanmate he couldn't even begin to recognize under all the flying fur and bloody scratches. Great Starclan, he thought wildly as he started forward. That's Splashstorm!  Heart pounding with the force of a thousand monsters, Stormwhisker dug his teeth into Scorchpaw's scruff and pulled the ginger and black apprentice off of his mentor, bracing himself as his nephew spun around and glared at him. "Don't forget which side you're on," The crippled medicine cat spat at Scorchpaw. "You and your mother better remember." The apprentice opened his mouth for a scathing reply, but Stormwhisker was gone in an instant. He spotted Mudpaw fighting Kindletail, both cats hissing intensely. The tortoiseshell she cat thrust the apprentice's head to the ground, knocking him out. Stormwhisker jumped in and dragged Mudpaw out of the thick fighting, and into the medicine den. "Stay here." He ordered. "I'm going out to find some yarrow for those scratches." I have to find Sunshatter, he scanned the crowd for familiar calico fur. Whatever he's planning, it can't be good. 

Almost a heartbeat after he'd started searching he found his target. White and red silky fur whirling around, claws sinking into an all too wonderfully yet awfully familiar brown pelt. Owlbranch's mahogany chestnut coat with deeper tabby stripes and lighter speckles was dampened with blood and streaked with mud, no doubt his friend had been fighting for a long time. He held back a choking cry of horror as the deputy, now leader he supposed, was thrust to the ground. But before Sunshatter had time to deliver the killing blow, Stormwhisker darted to his best friend's side with a flash. Oak brown with dark stripes met pale grey with lighter and darker speckles, and the two cats stood back to back, facing their opponent. Sunshatter looked more red than usual as his patching mixed with areas where wounds gushed out deep crimson liquid. Sunshatter's eyes darted to his, and their eyes met, a mix of fury and fear and longing and heartbreak all in one glance, before his brother tore his amber gaze away and lunged at both of them. Stormwhisker barely had time to flick his tail before the calico Tom was on them both. Teeth sank into his shoulder as he jerked away, yowling. Owlbranch hissed and embedded his claws into Sunshatter's flank as the Tom roared with rage. As the three cats fought, every cats seemed to get more and more soaked until the ground became wet with blood. Or was it... rain? Was it raining? Stormwhisker looked up and saw tiny droplets scattering from the sky. The salty tang of blood and the trapped feeling of pressing rain reminded Stormwhisker of the river all over again. He prayed to starclan it wouldn't flood. 

A shriek erupted from the battlefield, and Stormwhisker caught sight of a fiercely determined white face with black spots and dripping fur yowl into the sky with scratched all along her pelt. The golden rogue was winning, and it seemed that he had no hesitation to take Stormstrike's life. No!  Stormwhisker thought in a panic. I can't lose another clanmate! It'll kill me!  The silver medicine cat ripped himself away from his brother's grip as he felt claws wrap around his neck. Raising his head to spot Owlbranch fighting beside him, he tried to speak through the increasingly heavy downpour. "Go help her!" He yowled, hardly able to see Owlbranch's glittering green eyes, even though the brown Tom was right next to him. "I can handle Sunshatter!" Oh, starckan above, I wish that were true!"  He cried despairingly in his head. Sunshatter was older than him, and much more experienced in fighting, and furthermore murder. What chance did Stormwhisker have? He was just a crippled medicine cat, never trained in the art of fighting like the other warriors. I'll just have to make do, He decided. The clan has no room for useless cats. 

His own shriek of pain woke him up from his train of thought as his brother scored his claws along the grey Tom's flank. He winced and struck back, aiming a clumsy blow at Sunshatter's face. The calico's claws felt as sharp as thorns. Sunshatter lunged at Stormwhisker's exposed underbelly and Stormwhisker's teeth grit as he tried to push Sunshatter away, but the Tom held on fast. He watched in horror as blood poured in endless a mouth form his wound, and he staggered away. I can't loose now, I need to stop him. No one else knows how!  He panted and struggled up. "My coward brother," he began, staring straight into his brother's eyes. "Are you going to stay here where your friends can help you when things get messy? Come on, let's take this fight where nobody can disturb us." Sunshatter's eyes glimmered with the sense of a trick, but the urge to prove Stormwhisker's taunting statement made him stand up and glare at the medicine cat. "Very well. Let's go." Sunshatter hurled past him and waded through the river, which was swollen from all the rain. Stormwhisker leapt over it but got his paws thoroughly drenched in river water. His brother bounded through tall pine trees until he reached the edge of the large channel that bordered them and thunderclan. Oh river spirits! Stormwhisker realized. He's using my fear of water against me! We're going to battle by the river!  

Stormwhisker skidded to a halt as his brother turned to face him. "Well? No more stalling, let us Finish this!" He leapt at his brother, clawing at his eyes and making Stormwhisker's vision bright red. As he fought to right himself, Sunshatter aimed blow after blow at his brother, knocking him back further and further. Stormwhisker prayed they weren't by the riverbank yet. He bit onto the calico Tom's tail and Sunshatter screeched, slamming his paws down on Stormwhsiker's shoulders and pinning him down. Stormwhsiker's ears turned cold with the torrent of rushing water. Oh no, please no. Water circled his head, threatening to block out his vision. This isn't how I'll end! This can't be how I'll go down! Sunshatter  can't win! His sight was going blurry as his brother whispered one final word into his ear. "Goodbye, brother. It was nice knowing you."