StarClan isn't real..

Chapter 24

Fallenthroat wiped tears from her eyes, wishing she could have saved her sister more than anything. She turned towards the bramble barrier. "StarClans in there, aren't they?" She murmered. Rising to her paws, she padded unsteadily towards it. "We need to set them free, Weedtooth."

She could hear Weedtooth as he dragged himself over to join her. He feels hopeless without Stormcloud, She thought. Glancing towards the bloody, brown tufts of fur between her claws, her tail drooped. Palemask is dead.

She had wondered where the tom had been. Now Fallenthroat knew. Guarding StarClan warriors like rabbits in a fox den, like a vulture circling above hopeless prey. The StarClan warriors were imprisoned, driven out of their own hunting grounds like an enemy patrol. And that's how the Dark Forest warriors sent the prophecy.

Poking her head through the barrier, Fallenthroat spotted the starry pelts. "Help us break you out!" She hissed.

One of the StarClan warriors noticed her, then whispered to another, and soon all of the dead cats were clawing and biting at the thick brambles. Fallenthroat tugged and clawed, feeling her teeth chip and her claws slowly uncurl from her toes. It'll be worth it. She'd give her own tail to free the StarClan warriors, not like she really had one.

***

Yellowpaw slashed her claws at a Dark Forest warrior, satisfaction flooding through her as blood splashed onto her pelt. "That'll teach you to claw my face off!" She spat, spinning around and kicking the warrior in the face.

"Really mouse-brained of a time for you to bring that up, Yellowpaw!" Greenfern, who was fighting off two Dark Forest warriors, let out a yowl.

Glancing over, Yellowpaw saw that one of his eyes was clawed out, replaced by a criss-cross of claw marks. "At least it's not your face!" Yellowpaw called back, turning on one of the Dark Forest cats that was fighting Greenfern. She flung herself at the Dark Forest warrior and clawed at their pelt, making fur and blood fly everywhere.

She hissed with pain as claws raked onto her flank, dragging her backward. She was flung into a marshy puddle, and kicked out with her hind paws. Yellowpaw's claws connected with fur, and she let out a hiss of satisfaction as a Dark Forest warrior tumbled backwards.

Yellowpaw leapt to her paws and shook her fur clean of mud, then glanced around. Logpaw was wrestling with Finchpaw, yowling insults like "Traitor!" or "Fox-heart"! Specklebird was fighting off Ryepelt, who ducked nimbly and then dove beneath the deputy, raking his claws down his belly. Specklebird hissed and swung his muzzle beneath his belly, sinking his teeth into Ryepelt's scruff and flinging him out onto the clearing.

"Stay away from my son, traitor!" Grassleg launched himself across the battlefield and onto Specklebird, clawing at the deputy's pelt.

Sandwillow, Grassleg's mother, let out a sarcastic mew. "Yes, yes, use the parenting technique I taught you." She mewed, batting a Dark Forest cat away casually. "If a stranger, or in this case, traitor, touches your child, give them the claw mark treatment."

Grassleg's tail flicked. "Deadbee better be watching Patchstep!"

"She's fine!" Sandwillow gripped a Dark Forest warrior's scruff and sent him flying into his clanmate. "Trust me, giving birth to kits was no easy task, but I doubt a cat like Patchstep will have any trouble." Seeing Grassleg slammed to the ground by Specklebird, Sandwillow hissed, "For StarClan's sake!" and marched over.

Whiskers twitching with amusement, Yellowpaw turned and launched herself at Finchpaw, who had pinned down Logpaw. She tackled her adoptive sister, wondering if she was supposed to feel sad about having to attack her.