Surviving is the Only Way

Chapter 3: The Battle and Wounded Cats

Nightwing, help me!" Came another yowl from a black she-cat, she was pinned to the ground by a dark brown tabby, who had his jaws clamped down on her neck. Growling with rage, the black and white she-cat leapt at the tabby, grabbing onto his back and scratching at his wide shoulders as she scrambled closer to his head. He began to rear up, freeing the she-cat beneath him, but the cat on his shoulders was faster; she extended a paw with claws unsheathed and slashed at his eyes, raking her claws through the soft material. The enemy cat let out a pained caterwaul, and as the black and white she-cat hopped down from his shoulders and growled, the blinded tom stumbled dazedly back to his territory.

The black and white she-cat turned quickly to the cat she had saved. "Nightfang! Are you hurt?"

Nightfang lay still on the ground, but her tail twitched rapidly. She took a moment to respond. "No, I'm just shocked."

"About what?"

"That I nearly died, mouse-brain," she growled back, but her eyes held amusement. "This is no time to joke, though. Keep fighting, I'll join you soon!"

The black and white she-cat ignored her entirely and waited until Nightfang had risen to her paws to fight. The two she-cats then worked as one, clawing at enemies from both sides and pinning them down, one raking their exposed underbelly or clawing at their faces. They had chased off multiple enemy cats, but their Clan was still being pushed back. The attackers were strong and much greater in number, not to mention fueled with the promise of new hunting territory and prosperity. DawnClan was losing.

The she-cats rushed to the back of their defending line, where a long-haired she-cat crouched low to the ground, hiding from their rival Clan.

"Where in the name of StarClan are those slimy and creepy shadow slithering fools?" The black and white she-cat yowled, glaring up at the sky as she stared back at Nightfang, who looked back at her with the same annoyed expression on her face.

"Snowstar!" The black and white she-cat meowed angrily. "What are you doing? Join the battle, you useless ball of fur!"

She did not reply, simply staring at one of her warriors as they were struck down by a large gray enemy cat. Her mouth widened as she yowled, "DawnClan! Retreat!"

Nightwing hissed angrily as she glared daggers at her Clan leader with disgust shining in her dark purple eyes. "What are you doing, Snowstar? We can still fight! Get back here you sorry excuse of a Clan leader! Who in there right mind made you Clan leader anyways? Ashscar or Nightfang would make better Clan leaders then you!"

Snowstar turned and glared right back at Nightwing. "I said to retreat! Are you a deff kit? Listen when your leader is speaking to you!" Nightwing just hissed at the DawnClan leader and turned away, storming off into the woods, with her sisters following close behind her.

"I hate this! Now DuskClan will think we're week! And it's all thanks to our mouse-brain of a Clan leader! Ugh! She's a selfish being and a total cowered!" Rippledawn hissed, lashing her dark ginger tail back and forth, her pine-green eyes narrowed into slits as she continued to trott back into camp with the rest of her clanmates close behind her. "I know, it's absolutely ridiculous! What in the name of StarClan is up with Snowstar anyway? Can't we pick a new leader to lead our Clan?"

Nightwing gave a frustrated sigh as she shook her head. "Sadly that's against the warrior code, I wish we could do that though." Ashscar nodded in agreement, as she turned around to her clanmates while giving a knowing look to Nightfang and Rippledawn. "I vote that Snowstar should be fed to wolves!" Irontail snarled, hissing and lashing her light-gray-and-white tail in anger as she stared directly into Springlight's amber gaze with her crystal blue gaze. "I vote in agreement with that statement, don't you, Mintfur?" Spottedtail mewed, and the cream-and-white she-cat nodded her head in agreement.

"Wait, hold up a second." Nightwing meowed, "I smell other cats." The black and white she-cat sniffed the air and twitched her ears back and forth. "Come on, let's check it out." The group of 9 cats turned around and raced into the shadowy trees. But when they came out, they were somewhere even worse. "Oh no. Nightwing... there is the Cursed Forest." Ashscar said, sounding worried. The grass was charcoal black and all the trees were dead. There were fish skeletons along the forest floor. The nearby lake water even looked reddish.

"Uh... Nightwing? Are you saying that there are cats living here?" Springlight worriedly meowed, her amber eyes scanning around, looking for any signs of life.

Suddenly movement in the trees caught Spottedtail's eye and she motioned with her tail for the others to look. Sure enough, a small group of 7 cats slithered out of the shadows like snakes, there body's thin and fur matted with dirt and mud.

"Oh, my StarClan! They look so thin and underfed!" Moonfire mewed in horror, her eyes wider then a vole as she gazed upon the small group of cats. "We need to help them!" Ashscar meowed, narrowing her eyes with a determined look on her face.

The others glanced to one another for several seconds before they finally nodded there heads in agreement. Ashscar motioned with her tail for Spottedtail to follow her, and together the two she-cats slowly approached the small group of cats.

"Oh, my StarClan! What happened to them? They all look badly injured and extremely underfed." Spottedtail mewed in horror as she and Ashscar got closer and closer to the 7 cats. As they approached, a small silver-and-white tabby took notice of the two of them and her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stared straight at them. It was clear to both Spottedtail and Ashscar that these cats had been in this forest for quite a long time. But there was one question that kept racing through their heads: how long had these cats been here? And how did they survive for this long with the constant threat of scorpions, vultures, and giant insects? Spottedtail and Ashscar had no clue, but these cats needed help and fast, because if they didn't get help soon... they could die.

"What do you want?" The silver-and-white tabby meowed while flexing her claws and narrowing her eyes. Ashscar sighed softly and twitched an ear. "Relax, we're not here to hurt you. We just want to help you." Ashscar meowed, flicking her tail in a friendly gesture. "Yeah right," the silver-and-white tabby she-cat growled, hissing and launching herself at Ashscat with a battle-ready cry. "ASHSCAR!" Spottedtail screeched in fear as she watched her best friend fight with the silver-and-white tabby.