**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 2- Poison Clouds

Chapter Ten

 Immediately Shattersweep rushed past his apprentice, roaring his fierce battle cry as he blurred into the CloudClan leader. Flurryfur froze in her tracks when she saw the senior warrior followed by his son Lightningstripe and mate Opalstone, but Frostyfur quickly twisted around to join in the calamity.

 Lazulipaw (It could have easily been Lapispaw, as the two sisters were nearly identical) didn't lose sight of Paletail, courageously charging after the traitor as she streaked into the night. Purslanespike, Thunderheart, and an unfamiliar black she-cat swiftly overtook the young apprentice in their pursuit.

 Shardclaw, Onyx-eye, and Tempestwhistle were waiting at the top of the first wave of the stone, with Shardclaw having already leaped downhill at her father's battle cry.  Onyx-eye and Tempestwhistle dutifully waited until Paletail was closer to them before charging into battle.

 The pale she-cat finally slowed down, circling around just in case any of the CloudClan warriors had remained on her trail. For a few heartbeats, she listened intensely to the shrieks of battle from further down the mountain. But then, she forced herself to face a scraggly bush in the most boring part of the territory where the last part of her mission was set. "Galesong?" she whispered frantically. "Are you here yet?"

 "Of course." the senior healer seemed to materialize out of the shadows when he spoke, but something seemed off. His voice was ragged, and almost muffled. Paletail stepped closer to the shelter, concerned. Her friend was hunched over, emaciated, and drooling relentlessly. His usually-lively, pale green eyes were rheumy and he wheezed with each inhale. 

 "Are you alright?" Paletail asked oddly. "You look sick." Galesong had looked sick when she left the day before, but not like this.

 "No, not really." the dark gray tabby confessed. "I brought Silverpaw to help me out with the crystals. My claws are too shaky tonight." he flicked his tail against a branch of the bush, revealing his vibrantly argentine daughter.

 "...Okay. You know what to do. I'll protect you if anyone attacks." Paletail assured the senior healer.

 As if on cue, the she-cat's ears pricked as a high-pitched screech rang out, drawing closer by the moment. She whirled around with her claws protracted, ready to fight an enraged lynx if she had to. But instead, she was met with a more difficult challenge when two of the three youngest cats in the Clan charged uphill towards her and the two healers.

 One of the nearly-identical sisters was much faster, pouncing before Paletail could even wonder if it was Lapispaw or Lazulipaw. Whichever cat it was, she had her teeth chiseling away into her spine- something CliffClan cats were taught to do only in certain situations. 

 The young warrior flipped over, but the mystery sister was quicker, twisting around in a heartbeat and this time planting her fangs into her target's neck. Paletail hooked the smaller cat with a hind foot, sending her scrabbling across the smooth stone.

 Now Indigopaw had reached the scene, but was already panting greatly. Paletail slashed her claws across one side of his muzzle, driving him back a bit. His obscure sister was contrastically quick to rebound, taking a flying leap at the warrior and forcing her outstretched paws into her side with such force that both cats tumbled downhill for a few terrifying moments.

 When the unidentified she-cat suddenly loomed above Paletail, one paw poised to strike, the warrior finally was forced to look at her eyes. They were unusually light blue, almost white, like icicles. They always looked strongly focused, but now clearly displayed her anger. This was a cat who was absolutely prepared to kill, if not inclined to. 

 But then, Paletail had a flash of realization. That was the truth, but it wasn't entirely credible. As a CliffClan apprentice, she had been trained to swiftly defeat cats who were at her throat, actively attempting to take her life. But this was a real battle, and she was the bad guy. 

 In a split second, she snagged a fleeting observation with a mental claw. This wasn't her story. It may be completing a future-defining quest, but hadn't she just changed the lives of countless other cats? Not to mention, she was merely a background character in her mentor's winding tale. Or Sapphirestar's or Galesong's or the apprentice who she didn't even recognize, even though she was actively clawing off her face.

 Paletail lashed out blindly, connecting with her opponent's shoulder. The bluish she-cat staggered back, not taking her icy eyes off of her. Just as she was about to pounce again, Onyx-eye flew out of nowhere, almost instantly pinning the apprentice with her expert claws. But then, the situation seemed even more real when the pitch-black cat drove her iconically long fangs into her victim's spine. There was an ominous crack, which Paletail looked away for.

 The young warrior didn't have any time to think when suddenly a yelp of pain bolted through the darkness. She whirled around to find Galesong with Thunderheart's teeth clamped firmly on his foreleg. "Get off me, you Streamsniffing-" the senior healer was cut off when the unfamiliar black she-cat joined in, placing both front paws on his muzzle. 

 For only a split second, the senior healer was trapped. But then, everything seemed to happen at once. His rheumy eyes sprung open with a strange new strength- unbridled rage, which Galesong seemed to be allergic to. But now he thrashed around viciously, snapping at the two cats until both hung back, reconsidering at the sight of the spontaneously violent healer. 

 But then, still barely a moment after he had been pinned, Galesong whirled around and snapped his teeth onto a cat who hadn't even attacked him. A cat who wasn't even part of the battle, actually. In his jaws was a shocked Silverpaw, who let out a surprised yowl. Galesong had only bitten her for a second when the two warriors resumed their attack with a new sense of camaraderie as Silverpaw, too, batted wildly at the tom. 

 Onyx-eye nearly ran Paletail over as she rushed past, barreling into the other black cat, whose name finally surfaced- Splashshine. The two energetic fighters chased each other into the darkness, while Paletail used her weight to shove Thunderheart back a step. Even though she attacked with all of her might, the thick-furred white tom sent her winded with just one blow. When her vision cleared, she was lying on the ground nearly a moose-length away.

 Uphill, she finally saw where Indigopaw had disappeared off to. Silverpaw had sheltered him under the bush. Now the two apprentices watched in horror as their fathers circled each other, both pelts fluffed out absurdly. Thunderheart was a skilled fighter, although slow and not very bright. Galesong was agile and a quick thinker, but not very strong. He had never once fought another cat until now, while he was detrimentally underweight and pitifully sick- but now bristling with unnatural fury.

 Thunderheart made the first move, rearing on his hind paws and curling his thick tail in so that he hovered over Galesong for a moment before he struck. But Galesong was one step ahead, focusing his inferior weight onto three paws as he leaned back, thrusting one paw upwards with his claws curved out. Before the white warrior even saw the deadly crescents braced below him, he fell straight onto the gray healer's outstretched claws. 

 By the time Paletail was stumbling over, Thunderheart was already crushing Galesong with his now-dead weight. The scrawny healer hit his head on the smooth stone, twitching for a moment before settling for the final time, his muzzle still salivating excessively.

 Indigopaw, Silverpaw, and Paletail all stared at the two cats for what seemed like an eternity. Just as the sun should have been peeking over the horizon, Onyx-eye appeared from downhill. "Galesong!" she barked, as if commanding him to get up already. But as she galloped closer, her expression turned to one of realization.

 "Brother!"