WARRIORS - The Pony Prophecy

Chapter 15

Duskpaw's POV (Twilight)

The next while after Softpaw shared her vision was fairly calm. The days leading up to the next Gathering were rather uneventful, and I looked forward to seeing my friends again. When we arrived at the island on the night of the Gathering, I had expected things to stay peaceful, and for the first little while, they did. We hung out for a little while and then the leaders began to announce their news. 

As Ravenstar began reporting ShadowClan's news, a flash of fur burst through the bushes as a gray and white tom hurled himself toward the tree where the leaders sat. The ShadowClan leader cut herself off, her bright green eyes widening in surprise as the tom knocked Whitestar off the tree. Immediately I rushed forward, checking to make sure he was okay. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw him kick the gray and white tom off of him.

At once, cats from every Clan surrounded the tom, their ears flattened and claws unsheathed. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Spicepaw climbing up the tree and leaping down on top of the tom's back, digging her claws into his pelt. The gray and white tom hissed at her, and tried to swipe at her, but a pale gray ThunderClan warrior hooked his claws around the tom's forelegs, raking the tom's side with his hind legs. Many other cats leapt into battle, making it nearly impossible to tell one cat from another. 

A flash of dark fur caught my eye, and without thinking I turned to see who it was. Almost immediately, the figure vanished, and I felt a heavy weight crash into me from behind. The force knocked me over, and I tried to get up, but before I could move, a set of paws rolled me onto my back and pinned down my chest. The gray and white tom's bright amber eyes glowed with malice as his claws sank into my fur, and I realized with a jolt of panic that he had my legs pinned so I couldn't knock him away from me. He raised one paw and prepared to strike, and I shut my eyes as tight as I could, terrified of what was coming next.

But the impact never came.

Suddenly the weight of the tom was lifted off of me, and I opened my eyes to see a small gray WindClan apprentice clinging to his shoulders, her yellow eyes blazing with fury as she clawed at his face. The gray and white tom twisted around in rage, trying to throw the young she-cat off of him, but Featherpaw kept her grip, determined not to let go. 

Bluepaw rushed toward me, her eyes wide with concern. "Duskpaw!", she meowed, helping me to my paws. "Are you okay?" I nodded, though her expression was still clouded with worry, which only grew as she spotted the part of my chest that the tom's claws had dug into. As I followed her gaze, I realized they'd torn more than just fur. 

I had been too scared to register the pain before, but now it was clear as day. Blood dripped from a set of deep scratches beneath my fur, and as the pain grew, I began to feel dizzy. My vision blurred, and I stumbled, then collapsed on top of the blue-gray she-cat. 

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I felt a small paw gently prod at my side, and I let out a light groan. My eyes opened slightly, and I saw Firepaw crouching beside me. Softpaw sat beside her with several herbs at her paws. Many other cats sat nearby, and I realized I must have passed out. 

Suddenly I noticed there were two cats missing. Neither Bubblepaw or Spicepaw were anywhere in sight.