Warriors AU: Into the Wild

Chapter 17

Sunhigh came and went as the cats made their way through Windclan's old hunting grounds. Their heavy silence showed that they were still sore after the rat fight. Sandpaw felt scratched and bitten all over. He could see Silverpaw was limping, occasionally hopping on three legs to protect his injured back leg. But it was Oakstar who worried him most. Her pace was even slower now, but she refused to stop and rest. The grim look on her face, clouded by pain, told Sandpaw how much she wanted to reach the Thunderclan camp.

"Don't worry about Shadowclan warriors," she meowed through gritted teeth as Goldenflower paused to sniff the air. "You won't find any here today."

How could she be so sure? Sandpaw wondered.

They picked their way carefully down the steep, rocky hillside that led to Fourtrees and joined the familiar trail that led home. It was late afternoon, and Sandpaw began to think longingly of his nest, and a plump helping of fresh-kill.

"I can still smell the stench of Shadowclan," Silverpaw muttered to Sandpaw as they trekked through Thunderclan's hunting grounds.

"Perhaps the breeze has carried it down from Windclan's territory," Sandpaw suggested. He could smell it too, and his whiskers were trembling.

Suddenly Patchpaw stopped. "Can you hear that?" she mewed in a hushed voice.

Sandpaw strained his ears. At first he heard only the familiar sounds of the forest—leaves rustling, a pigeon calling. Then his blood ran cold. In the distance he could hear battle-hungry yowls, and the shrill squeal of terrified kits.

"Quick!" Oakstar howled. "It is as Starclan warned me. Our camp is being attacked!" She tried to leap forward, but stumbled. She pushed herself up and limped onward.

Goldenflower and Sandpaw pelted forward side by side. Silverpaw and Patchpaw followed, their tail fur bristled to twice its usual size. Sandpaw fought his soreness as he charged toward the camp. His only concern was to protect the Clan.

The sounds of battle grew louder and louder as he neared the camp entrance, and the stench of Shadowclan filled his nostrils. He was right behind Goldenflower as the cats dashed through the tunnel and into the clearing.

They were met by a frenzy of fighting, Thunderclan cats battling furiously with Shadowclan warriors. The kits were out of sight, and Sandpaw hoped they were safely hidden in the nursery. He guessed the weakest elders would be sheltering inside the hollow trunk of their fallen tree.

Every corner of the camp seemed alive with warriors. Sandpaw could see Lionheart and Patchpelt clawing and biting at a huge gray she-cat. Even the young white queen Whitestorm was fighting, though she was very close to kitting. Darkstripe was locked in a fierce tussle with a black warrior. Two of the elders, Speckletail and Halftail were nipping bravely at a tortoiseshell who fought with twice their speed and ferocity.

The returning cats hurled themselves into the battle. Sandpaw caught hold of a tabby warrior, much larger than him, and sank his teeth deep into his leg. He yowled with pain and turned on him, lashing out with sharp claws and lunging at his neck with his teeth bared. He twisted and ducked to avoid his bite. He couldn't match his speed, and he managed to grasp him from behind and pull him down into the dirt. With his strong hind legs, he clawed at his back till he squealed and struggled away from him, running headlong into the thick undergrowth that surrounded the camp.

Sandpaw glanced around to see that Oakstar had arrived. Despite her injuries, she was fighting another tabby. Sandpaw had never seen her fight before, but even wounded, she was a powerful opponent. Her victim struggled to escape but she held her tightly and clawed her so fiercely that Sandpaw knew she would bear the scars of this fight for many moons.