Warrior Cats Fanfiction: Whispers of the Shadows Book 1 Rivers Descending

Chapter Twenty

Dawnpaw shook her head, grateful for a moment of rest. She and Tanglebrook were right next to the ShadowClan border, where they had chased a patrol of warriors back to their own territory. She turned to her mentor, hissing slightly as her leg buckled beneath her. A bite wound glistened in the darkness of the night, and her white paws were covered in blood. Tanglebrook glanced at his apprentice and stood next to her.

"Can you keep fighting?" he asked, gesturing to her hind leg.

Dawnpaw gritted her teeth and nodded. "I'll fight to the death if I have to," she muttered. "One wound won't stop me."

Tanglebrook nodded approvingly. "I'm proud to have you as my apprentice," he meowed. "It's that kind of attitude that gets warriors through the hardest and most grueling battles." Dawnpaw stood straighter at his praise. After four moons with him as a mentor, she knew that he did not give compliments out all the time. Suddenly, paws pounded behind Tanglebrook, and Dawnpaw could see the grey pelt of Waterheart running towards them.

"What is it?" Tanglebrook asked.

Waterheart panted between words, and Dawnpaw saw that her left eye was closed, and swelling to the size of a frog. "Near the far river... Fighting with most of warriors... Emberstar..." The she-cat stopped speaking, and her eyes rolled up to show the whites. Tanglebrook dashed forward, and put a paw to her chest. Relief showing on his face, he turned to his apprentice.

"Go," he growled. "I'll take care of Waterheart. You need to help Emberstar." Dawnpaw stumbled slightly, then picked up pace as she ran to the far river.

Don't let me be too late, she thought desperately. Emberstar couldn't lose another life, or he might be too weak to gather the clan after the battle. And the far river was so close to camp...The orange and white apprentice glanced at the stars, hoping to spot a glimmer of hope from her warrior ancestors.

"Don't let anyone die tonight," she whispered, then plunged into a grove of trees, following a paw-worn path, leading to the far river. She could hear the battle before she saw it. Although the river was loud, louder than usual, Minnowtail's yowl rose above all of the screeches and curses of battling cats.

"How dare you?" she yowled. Dawnpaw burst out onto the bank, water lapping her paws. The orange tabby was standing over Emberstar's still body, facing the ShadowClan deputy Lighteye.

All around her, RiverClan cats and ShadowClan cats grappled with each other. Blood ran down cats' pelt, and the river was turning pink, going on a light red. Dawnpaw leapt into the river, feeling the currents tug at her body. But her paws were as strong as any other RiverClan cat's, and her tail guided her through the water.

"He was a weak leader," Lighteye hissed. Dawnpaw could see, that the white she-cat's fur was bristling, and her haunches were bunched. "He deserved to die."

"He didn't," Minnowtail choked, and ran her paw over the leader's still fur. "He was a wonderful leader." Dawnpaw remembered that Minnowtail had been Emberstar's mate. Was? Dawnpaw thought, and stumbled on the shore. Emberstar's— dead? She froze in shock.

"I'll do the same to you," purred Lighteye. She took a threatening step to the grieving deputy. "If you don't surrender." Minnowtail looked up from her dead mate, poorly covered fury evident on her eyes.

"What do you want from us?" she whispered, calming down. Her tail gestured to the battling cats. "Is all of this spilled blood, all this death going to satisfy you?" Lighteye flattened her torn ears.

"Never," she snarled cruelly. Her eyes were that of a blood-lusting cat. Dawnpaw shivered. "Now, are you going to surrender, or are you going to watch more of your precious clanmates die?" Quick as lightning, Lighteye grabbed Dawnpaw and threw her down on the pebbles. Claws gripped her shoulders, and long fangs leaned against her throat.

Minnowtail's eyes filled with anger, and she stood next to the helpless apprentice. "Let her go, Lighteye."

"Not unless you surrender," The ShadowClan deputy hissed. Her claws unsheathed, and dug into Dawnpaw's pelt. The apprentice whimpered slighty with both fear and pain.

"Fine," Minnowtail murmured. She raised her voice to a yowl. "RiverClan, retreat!" Lighteye released Dawnpaw and stood, staring at Minnowtail.

"Run," she hissed. Dawnpaw turned tail, and followed her clanmates back to camp. The moon shone through the trees, making the defeated RiverClan cat's wounds sparkle in the eerie light.

We lost, Dawnpaw thought despairingly. We lost the battle. We lost Emberstar.

The elders had never been in a battle, as big as this, where they had lost. Dawnpaw doubted that any Clan remembered the last battle where that had happened.

What's going to happen to RiverClan now?