A Spark in the Night, part one: The Spark Ignites

Chapter twenty

Softcloud realized that what had woken her was wailing coming from the nursery, sounding like Flowerbreeze. She heard Poppyflower talking to her. "I don't understand how now is different." she was meowing.

There was a pause, then Flowerbreeze meowed, "I don't know either, I just feel like Dovekit is more distant than ever now."

Softcloud stiffened. Does that have anything to do with Leafclaw and Grasswhisker? Trying to take her mind off of the ordeal, Softcloud got out of her nest and left to see if she was needed on any patrol.

"Bluemist, may I join a patrol?"

The deputy turned to face Softcloud, smiling. "What patrol?"

"Any."

Bluemist nodded, and flicked her tail towards Petalleaf, Shiningpaw- Shiningpelt, now- and Stickleaf. She padded towards them. "I'm joining this patrol, I asked Bluemist if I could be in one, that's why I'm just showing up now." She explained.

"Alright, we're patrolling the border." Shiningpelt meowed.

"Five cats on one patrol is a lot." She heard some cat mutter, but she ignored it.

The patrol was about to head back to camp, when a larger ChestnutClan patrol approached the border. "May we speak to Emberstar?" asked Heatherbreeze, the deputy.

Petalleaf looked at them, annoyed, but not hostile. "Does it have to be to our leader?" she asked.

"It should be," he meowed.

Softcloud stepped forward. "Why?" she asked. "We'll pass on the message, if we think it would matter to Emberstar."

Snakefang, in the ChestnutClan patrol, glared at them. "Fine."

Heatherbreeze sighed. "In ChetnutClan, prey has been... abandoning their nests, causing a shortage in our territory. We would appreciate it if you could give us a small strip of land to hunt on."

Stickleaf flattened his ears in rage. "Why would we give you our territory?" he demanded.

Softcloud hissed at them. "It's not MistClan's fault ChestnutClan prey is disturbed by constant running around and yowling your Clan does as some hunting tactic."

Petalleaf nodded, and added "Why not ask TideClan? Or hunt outside of territories?" she asked, irritated.

Heatherbreeze stepped across the border, and Softcloud felt her claws sliding out. Heatherbreeze glared at them.

"We want the territory."

Softcloud heard Shiningpelt growl. "Do you want to fight for some?" she was hissing.

Petalleaf whipped her head around. "Shiningpelt, don't provoke a fight."

Softcloud whispered in Stickleaf's ear, "Their patrol is larger than ours, and there will probably be a fight. You're the fastest, I think you should go get backup." He nodded and Softcloud heard his paws scruffing the leaves as he left.

Snakefang glared at the MistClan patrol. "No, I like Shiningpelt's idea." he meowed, unsheathing his claws. "Let the coward leave."

Heatherbreeze bared his teeth. "Attack!" He yowled.

Both patrols leapt at each other, and Softcloud cringed as clumps of fur started to fly through the air. She was almost at once facing a much larger warrior, Dampgrass. He growled at her, and tried to leap onto her to crush her, but she dodged, and noticed ChestnutClan cats leaping into the undergrowth. Fox-dung! Their surprise-leap move! We have to move the battle somewhere with less bushes. She turned to whisper in Shiningpelt's ear. "Avoid shrubbery, remember?" Shiningpelt nodded, while biting down on Heatherbreeze's tail.

"Move the battle towards a clearing!" Softcloud meowed under her breath to Petalleaf.

The MistClan patrol began trying to move the battle, struggling to do so. This is hopeless, Stickleaf won't get back in time, and we're going to lose! As if on cue, Softcloud heard trampling behind her. She turned around and saw a fresh wave of MistClan cats, almost half the warriors and what looked like all the apprentices charging into the battle. They were about a fox-length away from leaping into battle, when the ChestnutClan cats looked up and saw them. They must've realized the battle had gone from two ChestnutClan cats for every one MistClan cat to one ChestnutClan cat for every four MistClan cats.

The ChestnutClan patrol left the battle and rushed into their own territory before Heatherbreeze could call a retreat. Softcloud looked around. The cats who had been fighting were bleeding from numerous wounds, but none seemed too deep. "Thank you," meowed Stickleaf. "You didn't fight, but if you hadn't come, we'd've lost the battle, and territory."

Yarrowleaf nodded, and the group headed back to camp.