GoldenHeart

Chapter 2

After three moons, SparkPaw and MintWhisker had approved the kits old enough to be without ShadowStripe, so their parents had gone out on patrol. The kits scuffled near the enterance as they awaited their parents' return, squealing and snarling and snickering. Their play was soon interrupted by LizardStrike.

"Honestly! Do you have to play right here? There are a zillion other places in camp for you to play, and yet you chose here! Unbelievable!" The tom snorted as he swatted at BlackKit.

She fell sideways to avoid his claws. SnakeKit and TigerKit began growling and biting at LizardStrike as he dealt a blow to BlackKit's feeble flank.

A furious yowl sounded. ThunderPaw shot from the thorn barrier and landed on LizardStrike, slashing his claws down the tom's light brown flank.

Things got serious fast.

LizardStrike whirled around, unsheathed his claws, and scored them across ThunderPaw's face. The silver apprentice howled in pain and fury as blood welled to the surface and soaked his fur. Unsheathing his own claws, ThunderPaw scooped LizardStrike's legs from under him. The warrior hit the ground and ThunderPaw leapt on him. Blood and fur streaked through the air as the two toms fought.

"Enough! ThunderPaw, you attacked a Clanmate! What do you have to say for yourself?" RavenWing spat. The she-cat would've kept going, but her apprentice had been thrown across the clearing. As RavenWing rushed to check on him, LightningHeart appeared and ambushed the unsuspecting tom.

LizardStrike fell with a yowl as LightningHeart dug in her claws. She gripped his neck scruff in her mouth and bit down until she tasted blood.

"Fox-heart!" LizardStrike spat.

He twisted and threw LightningHeart off his back. The deputy fell onto the Basking Rocks, and began snarling fury. Bunching her legs, she launched herself back towards the traitorous tom. LizardStrike bucked in retaliation, but this time LightningHeart was ready. She dug in her claws, kept her balance, and bit down on LizardStrike's ear.

By now, the whole camp had been attracted. They watched with shocked eyes as LightningHeart tossed LizardStrike across the clearing, her smaller size not defining her strength. LizardStrike yowled as he hit the ground, and let out a chilling wail when LightningHeart split his belly open. Coughing blood, the tom crawled towards MintWhisker and SparkPaw's den. A furious cauterwaul split the air. LizardStrike returned a minute later with a new wound over his eye.

"LightningHeart! ThunderPaw! LizardStrike! My den, now!" StormStar summoned with an edge to her voice.

"Yes, StormStar." The deputy helped the silver apprentice climb up the cliffs to his mother's den. LizardStrike kept trying to climb up, but his weak and bleeding body made it hard.