Creamfluff's Hope

*/\* Chapter Twenty-three */\*

Creampaw was sleeping soundly in her nest, dreaming of a mountain of mice in front of her. As soon as she was about to dive in to take a bite, she was woken up by a yowl from the clearing.

Looking over to the other side of the den, she saw Softpaw's ears twitching before he slowly lifted his head. "Huh? What's going on?" He yawned, struggling to blink away his sleepiness.

"I'm not sure myself," Creampaw replied, standing up and stretching before going to look through the entrance to the den. The moon was high in the sky, casting a bold bright light down on the MistClan camp. Stars twinkled in the sky as they accompanied the moon in the night.

Another yowl came from the clearing and Creampaw shifted her gaze to look toward the camp entrance. There was a strong scent coming from the shadows that made Creampaw gag. It smelled like mud and pine needles, but there was the scent of MistClan coming from a cat standing in front of the shadows.

"Acornstar! Blizzardspots!" Creampaw strained her ears and recognized the cat to be Hawkflight. The warrior was just visible to Creampaw in the moonlight; he was standing with his back arched and his claws unsheathed, glinting in the light. His tail lashed furiously back and forth as the gruff voice of a cat replied from the shadows. 

"Ah, yes. Cry to Acornstar like a kit!" It was a tom. He didn't sound so happy though. Creampaw shifted aside as Softpaw squeezed through the den entrance and caught a glimpse of what was going on. 

"Ugh! What's that stench?" He hissed, wrinkling his muzzle as he glared at the shadows.

"I don't know. It's definitely other cats, though," Creampaw whispered. Murmurs and groans came from the warriors' den as the MistClan cats slipped out of the shadows of their den and into the clearing.

"Hawkflight? What's going on?" Aloeheart's voice sounded angry with the younger cat, his brown tabby fur barely visible from where he stood. 

Hawkflight turned to look at Aloeheart with a hiss. "Can't you smell what's going on?"

"ShadeClan!" Acornstar's voice boomed from his den as he rushed out into the open. His fur was smoothed down and his eyes gleamed in the darkness as he made his way into the moonlight. Blizzardspots followed close behind him as he stopped to stand in a pool of light.

"Cedarstar! I'd recognize that mangy dung-scent of yours anywhere." Acornstar looked fierce as the moon shone down on his great brown pelt, illuminating every stripe and marking that was featured on his fur.

"Ah, you just noticed?" Cedarstar purred as Creampaw noticed his amber eyes brighten in the shadows where he stood. "I thought this Hawkflight of yours here was smarter than that. All he did was cry out for help like a kit." Snickers of amusment came from behind Cedarstar as eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Why are you in my camp?" Acornstar demanded, fluffing up his pelt as he stepped toward the ShadeClan leader.

"I wanted to claim Moss Rocks as mine once and for all with an ambush," Cedarstar explained. "I would've been successful with my plan if it wasn't for this maggot-pelt right here!" He growled and lashed out at Hawkflight with a paw before Acornstar could reply. A yowl came from the crowd of warriors, and Creampaw noticed the bright white pelt of Snowymeadow as she leapt on top of Cedarstar.

"Don't touch my brother!" She yowled, biting down on the back of his neck and pushing the leader to the ground.

"What in StarClan?" Cedarstar snarled as he flipped onto his back and plummeled Snowymeadow's belly with his hind paws. "ShadeClan, attack!"

Before Creampaw could run to help her Clanmates in battle, Amberstorm was at Softpaw's side. "Listen Softpaw, you haven't even been an apprentice for a quarter-moon and only know how to walk! I want you to stay with Butterflypaw and Silverleaf for this battle." 

"But I want to fight!" Softpaw wailed. 

"You will do as I say, or you will never fight! You don't stand a chance against ShadeClan. Go, now!" Amberstorm hissed at Softpaw. Softpaw hung his head before running across the clearing to the medicine den. Creampaw felt sorry for Softpaw. He would've had the chance to experience his first battle with Creampaw, but he was stuck helping the medicine cats without the knowledge of knowing even one battle move.

"Hurry Creampaw. Our Clan needs us!" Amberstorm dove into the center of the battle, wrestling with a ShadeClan tom named Pineshade. Creampaw quickly dashed forward and found a younger looking dark orange tabby tom sitting in the shadows, watching the battle in horror.

"Scaredy kit!" Creampaw screeched as she leapt on the tom's back. The tom shrieked as he was pushed to the ground by the older apprentice. He looked to be about a quarter-moon younger than Creampaw, making her wonder why he wasn't at the Gathering when she'd went.

Creampaw dug her claws into his shoulders, for she had pinned him down with his spine facing the sky. Creampaw remembered a new move she'd been practicing and decided to test her knowledge on it here. The shoulder drop. She'd already accomplished the first part of it by locking her opponent against the ground, so now she could do whatever she wanted before the tom struck back.

With a yowl, Creampaw began churning her hind paws against the tom's spine. He let out a yowl of pain as Creampaw opened wounds and blood trickled into his fur. Creampaw bit the tom's ear before rolling off of him, allowing him to get up and fight.

The tom clumsily lashed out at Creampaw after he stood up. Creampaw easily dodged the blow to deliver one on his cheek. The tom let out a wail and stumbled backward from the amount of force Creampaw had used. His orange fur was crimson with blood stains as he tried pressing his paw against his cheek to stop the blood flow. 

Creampaw was suddenly pushed to the ground with such force that when she hit the ground beneath her, all the air escaped from her lungs, leaving her breathless as another cat pinned her down. Creampaw quickly flipped around before the enemy could fasten a grip on her fur and caught a glimpse of her attacker. It was a black she-cat who looked the same age and size as the orange tom.

"Get off of me!" Creampaw shrieked, remembered what to do when she was pinned down. Unsheathing her claws, she dragged them across the soft flesh of her attacker's belly. The she-cat let out a wail of pain and anger and stumbled away from Creampaw. Leaping to her paws, Creampaw instantly regained control of her fight. 

It's a good thing I trained extra-long, she praised herself as the black she-cat and ginger tom rushed away from her.

"Scaredy kits!" Creampaw snarled after them, only to be struck in the back of her neck by thorn-sharp claws. Stumbling to the ground, she felt warm, sticky liquid ooze out from her neck. A cat had clawed the back of her neck, leaving Creampaw in great pain. Before Creampaw could react, the same claws sliced her shoulder deeply and she felt the same liquid run down her shoulder. 

Although she was dizzy and too dazed to get up, paw steps walked around her until they stopped next to her head. Through the swirling spots in her vision, Creampaw was able to make out the black fur of a she-cat's head along with a white patch of fur on her chest.

"Never rejoice at your victory until the battle is done," the she-cat's voice whispered into her ear, her hot breath ruffling her ear fur. That was the last thing Creampaw heard before her surroundings went black. 

(I just realized I named Hawkpelt Hawkflight in one of the earlier chapters. HAWKFLIGHT SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER THAN HAWKPELT butttttt I don't have the time to scroll through every chapter to correct Hawkpelt to Hawkflight. If anyone sees the word "Hawkpelt" instead of "Hawkflight" leave a comment and I'll edit it later. Thanks!)