Warriors #3: Moonrise ✓

Chapter 15

Starspeckle's POV

As I'm certain my friends won't come back for me, I sigh and look up, hearing the sound of heavy paws against stone.

"Sharpclaw," I mumble, and before any cat can blink, the gigantic mountain lion pounces on unsuspecting cats, tearing them apart within minutes.

Blood splatters on the cafe walls and the floor in an eerie pattern.

I witness the fear; I feel it.

"What are you waiting for?! Come on!" Stonepelt yells as he attacks the large cat.

I shake my head. I couldn't believe that I truly had to do this. Why did the relentless chase choose me? I'm not even silver!

But with not much else to do, I launch myself at the puma and rake my claws through its fur.

He snarls and tries to shake me off, but my claws are too strong to be ripped away.

And as I grit my teeth and try to hold on, I hear something faint but grow louder until it becomes clear: "RAGH, get away!"

Dazed, I lose my grip, and Sharpclaw throws me off.

I crash against the cave wall and slump down, feeling weak.

But just as I'm about to give up, Sharpclaw approaches and bares his fangs at me. "Brave little furball," he groans. "You could have been a good warrior in my clan if you were big enough, but now you shall die like the others."

But just as he's about to deliver the final blow, I hear a howl, and a reddish-brown, tabby blur attacks Sharpclaw, causing him to growl and step away from me. The blur lands and I see Brambleclaw standing there, his fur puffed up twice its size, tail lashing and spitting.

"Stay away from him, do you hear me!" he shouts.

Sharpclaw snorted and swiped at Brambleclaw, who barked back and leaped away just as the large cat's paw slammed into the ground just a whisker's length from my snout.

I hissed, feeling strength surging through my body, and soon I pounced on the massive beast, sinking my claws into its fur and striking hard at its neck.

Soon, Sharpclaw began to tremble violently, and I released my grip weakly, sliding down from his back as the large cat fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

"Uh," I started, but I was soon overwhelmed by the tribe cats who congratulated me, thanked me, and licked my fur. I quickly shook them off and stood panting at the entrance to the den where my friends were.

They looked bewildered, worried, and proud all at once. "You did it!" Feathertail exclaimed. I looked at her and then at Sharpclaw, the motionless mountain lion.

Blood started to trickle from his neck and the small wound I had inflicted. Then I saw something: two shimmering blue eyes and a glistening cream-colored coat.

A tail as strong as a tree lashed out, and wings as vast as a forest flapped in the silver moonlight that had risen so suddenly.

And then it dawned on me: I saw a reflection of myself — my true self.

My dragon.