Embarrassing Love (For Spooky_Love_Raven's Contest)

Chapter 5

Vinestar leaped on clanrock and called the chaotic clan together. With one yowl the clan became silent.

"We need two patrols," he began, "One will be a back up patrol and will strike once Thunderclan is weak." Although Vinestar's words were strong, he seemed hurt by the fact of fighting a battle in a clan that was meant to be peaceful.

"Deerheart will lead the first patrol along with Tumblefire, Nightwhisker, Foxpelt, Winterfern, Tawnypetal, and Lifepaw. The second patrol will be lead by Sparkclaw with Heronflight, Swiftstep, Echoshine, and Lilypaw." The chosen warriors flexed their claws. Lifepaw was too full of shock to do anything.

Why me? Why not someone who would be more useful? She thought. Russetpaw nudged her forward gently. She nodded gratefully back to him and ran up to the patrol that was gathering near the fern tunnel. Deerheart was planning how they would attack.

"We will split our patrol into two groups," She drew in the dirt to show where the patrol would go, "One group will drive the battle away from Thunderclan territory and into ours, where the undergrowth is less thick. The other patrol will run into battle and move the battle from the inside." The cats nodded in agreement.

"Tumblefire, Winterfern, and Lifepaw will be in the patrol that rushes into battle. The rest of you will come with me. Tumblefire, I trust that you will lead the second patrol well." Deerheart finished. Tumblefire dipped his massive head. Deerheart padded out of camp and flicked her tail for her patrol to follow. Tumblefire followed her closely with Vinestar padding behind him at a distance with his patrol. Lifepaw felt the gaze of her clan mates follow her until they had left camp.

The patrol made their way quickly through the trees. As they neared the border, hissing and yowling split the silence. Deerheart padded faster and her patrol followed her, leaving the other patrol slightly behind.

Deerheart raised her tail for everyone to stop. They peered through a clump of ferns to see Eaglestar and his deputy, Leopardfang, with a few other unrecognizable clan mates viciously attacking Sharpnose, Owlgaze, Ivypaw, and Flamepaw.

Lifepaw had the urge to spring into battle and fight side by side with Flamepaw, but stayed silent knowing that it would ruin the element of surprise. Instead she tore at the grass with her claws repeatedly.

Tumblefire stalked around the clearing that the cats were battling in. Once he reached the other side, Deerheart burst into the clearing along with the rest of her clan mates. Lifepaw rushed into battle and looked around for Flamepaw.

No! I'm supposed to be driving Thunderclan away from the territory. she thought. Instead, she targeted a small brown she cat that grappled with Ivypaw. She bowled into the Thunderclan apprentice, knocking her to the ground. Lifepaw pummeled her ears and felt blood spatter the ground.

The she cat hissed and sprang upward, teeth bared. Lifepaw yowled when the cat bit down savagely on her shoulder.  She shook the apprentice off easily and noticed how weak she looked. Her rib cage was showing and she had a tired look in her eyes.

Leaf-bare must be giving them problems. Lifepaw thought, sad to think of a clan starving. She snapped out of her thoughts when the exhausted apprentice leaped back onto her. Lifepaw easily dodged and ran away, not wanting to hurt the weak cat.

She gazed around the storm of yowling cats to see a tom with black stripes slashing Flamepaw viciously. Lifepaw screeched and hurtled at the tom, neatly slashing his flank. He hissed with surprise and clawed at Lifepaw's shoulder. His claws sliced deeply into her flesh. She yowled and broke free from his grip.

The tom turned back to her, showing no mercy. He leaped at her and she neatly dodged, remembering her training. She bit down on the tom's tail and released her grip when he swung at her face. This tom should have gone to another battle by now. Is Thunderclan really this desperate?

By now the second patrol had joined in the battle. The Lifeclan warriors were more skillful in their territory which gave them even more of an advantage over the starving Thunderclan cats. Finally Vinestar yowled for the battle to stop from a tree branch. Everyone looked to him, waiting for him to sort things out.

"This battle is pointless." he yowled, "All we are doing is attacking weakened cats. There is no honor in that." Lifepaw looked around and realized that the Thunderclan cats bore more scars than the Lifeclan warriors.

"I would like to know why Thunderclan attacked us in such a weak state." Vinestar looked to the battered Thunderclan leader, Eaglestar.

"We have waited too long for more food. Other clans have denied us fresh kill. You took over this territory that should be ours!" Eaglestar hissed. His clan mates glared at the Lifeclan leader.

"If you had asked, then we could have given you a strip of our territory for leaf-bare!" Vinestar hissed back. Eaglestar looked defiant, but something else clouded his gaze. Was it regret?

"I see that Lifeclan is as unhelpful as the rest of the clans. We can trust nobody now. Tunderclan retreat!" the leader yowled. His clan reluctantly slipped back into the abundant undergrowth of their territory.

"Stupid crow food eaters." Tawnypetal whispered to Foxpelt. He nodded in agreement. As the cats waited for instruction from their leader and deputy, Lifepaw looked around for Flamepaw. She saw a lump of orange fur at the edge of the clearing. Lifepaw ran over to him and saw a deep gash in his belly. Her insides went cold.

"Flamepaw is injured!" Lifepaw yowled desperately. The clan turned to her with shocked expressions. Softwing and Kinkpaw burst out of a clump of bracken holding herbs. Softwing touched his flank lightly.

"He is alive, but only just." Softwing sighed. Kinkpaw wrapped cobwebs around his flank. To Lifepaw's dismay, she could see Flamepaw's blood soak into the cobweb. Softwing chewed a poultice and rubbed it on the wound.

"Let's get him back to camp." Softwing meowed. Tumblefire and Sparkclaw carried him back to camp. Lifepaw walked alongside them the whole way. Sparkclaw gazed blankly in front of him, obviously grieving for his injured son. Lilypaw scampered up to Lifepaw's side.

"Will he be OK?" Lilypaw asked Lifepaw.

She glanced briefly at Lilypaw, "I hope."