War - Battles of the Wild - The Darkened Moon

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: GRIFFARA

I rushed toward the Leap Clan Warriors, wings pumping to propel me forward. They roared back, and started their own charge, covering the distance in the blink of an eye.

The sound of thundering pawsteps and clashing metal was only drowned out by the guttural war cries of the surrounding Warriors.

I caught my first enemy in midair, a lithe brown dog. His light armour made it easier to find his weak points, and I made short work of him with a slash of my talons.

Alena forced her way forward beside me, snarling furiously as she took on a feline that rivalled her in size. 

Atlas and Maya pushed up as well, their heavy steel armour glinting in the blood red sun.

I glanced up to see a feline sailing through the air, before I sent him back to the ground by pummeling him out of the air with an outstretched wing. 

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of snarls and cries of pain, fur and blood flying through the air. Someone bit into my wing, but I shook them off, losing a few feathers in the process. 

I thought I saw shapes slinking by out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored it, passing it off as a trick of the light. That is, until I heard someone behind me cry out.

"They're behind us!" I heard someone call. 

I had just a moment to look back, and my eyes widened. A group of Leap Clan Warriors had snuck past our defenses, and were now bounding for the treeline, heading directly toward Power Clan camp. 

The undefended camp, with only the untrained Clanmates, the young, and the old there currently. If these Warriors got there, it would be nothing short of a massacre. 

"Fall back!" I screamed to my clan. "To camp! They're going to attack our camp!"

Luckily, my voice seemed to reach my Warriors. 

With a final, lethal snap of my curved beak on the enemy in front of me, I raised my wings and took off, speeding toward the undefended Power Clan camp. 

My army turned and raced along the ground beneath me, Leap Clan hot on their heels. 

I touched down on the dust of Clan camp just in time to meet the large group of Leap Clan Warriors. 

Untrained Power Clanners hunkered down in their dens, looking out with fearful eyes. 

I could tell that they were caught between wanting to help their leader and fearing for their lives. 

I fanned my wings, trying to look big and menacing, but I knew I couldn't beat so many. I'd have to stall until my Warriors arrived. 

"You Leap Clanners disgust me," I spat. "Always resorting to cowardly tricks." 

I heard the rustling of approaching pawsteps. 

Just a few more seconds.

"And you lot are always stupid enough to fall for them," a large black and white dog gloated.

"My Clan will arrive any second now. They'll kill you for this. You'll die on foreign soil."

The Leap Clan dog snarled, uncertainty in eyes. "Then you'll die with us." 

With that, he lunged. 

I twisted to fend him off, but the next second a huge feline was at my side, claws raking at my ribs. 

I turned to face her, but then I felt a sharp bite on my hind leg. 

Then a snap of teeth at my throat.