Silverlight's Virtue #1: Dark Shadows

Chapter 29

  If the situation had been any less drastic, Silverpaw would've thought it funny - the look of "I told you so" on Leaflight's face and Firelight's look of utter surprise gave the scene a quite comical look - yet it was anything but comical.

  The fighting on the battleground ceased, and as one, as if by unspoken consent, the two enemy Clans drew together, all thoughts of missing prey forgotten, united against a common enemy.

  The situation was looking more and more hopeless as wave after wave of bloodthirsty, energized Death Tribe cats poured out of the Twolegplace, teeth bared, hungry for a battle. Despair spread through the Clan warriors as they realized that they had made a drastic mistake in fighting each other earlier - and that they would have to fight the Death Tribe... and lose.

  The Clan cats were outnumbered two to one, exhausted and wounded, and yet Clan cats had trained for battle their entire lives, and were far more skillful fighters than the Death Tribe cats. At first, it seemed as though the battle were tipping in the Clan's favor, and triumphant yowls were heard across the clearing as Death Tribe cats went down.

  Then a fresh wave of Death Tribe cats slammed into the back of the Clans, effectively trapping them and turning the battle into a desperate massacre. The Death Tribe did not adhere to any sort of warrior code, and thus Clan cats were killed, bodies strewn across the battlefield.

  Silverpaw found herself cornered by a Death Tribe brute, snarling and baring his teeth, which were red with blood. She fluffed up her fur and reared, trying to scare off the tom. He merely lunged, digging his claws into her belly and bowling her over.

  Silverpaw let out a yowl of frustration and heaved upwards, throwing the tom off her. Remembering a move that Lionblaze had taught her, she lashed out a paw, aiming for what Lionblaze had called a "pressure point" on the tom's neck, and, much to her surprise, he crumbled on the ground, unconscious.

  Cool.

  Faced with the threat of kill or be killed, many Clan cats were getting brutal in their tactics and abandoning the finesse and grace and the fighting they'd learned all their lives and trading that for brute wrestling and snarling. There was a palpable air of despair on the battlefield.

  Slowly, the Clan cats were being driven back by the sheer number of Death Tribe cats, and more and more warriors fell by the claws of the enemy. The tide had turned, and it seemed as though all hope was lost.

  Silverpaw was fighting alongside Sparrowpaw, blood streaming from their numerous wounds, when Leaflight pushed her way through the throng of cats to their side. Silverpaw dispatched the Death Tribe cat, sending her howling back to the Twolegplace, and turned to Leaflight. She had a long scratch on her brow, leaking blood, and her pelt was matted with blood, though not her own.

  "Listen." she said in an urgent voice. "I need you two to ask SeaClan for help in this battle. MoonClan is too far away, and SeaClan is our only hope of surviving this battle and protecting our land from the Death Tribe. I'm needed here, so I can't go personally, but I am putting the lives of our entire Clan into your paws. Go quickly and return safely - may LightClan light your path." And with that, she was gone, swallowed back into the battle.

  Silverpaw cast an astonished glance at Sparrowpaw, whose eyes were lit up with excitement. "A mission!" he yowled excitedly. "Let's go." Silverpaw groaned and darted after him, paws tingling with adrenaline.

  They darted through the forest, avoiding the main brunt of the battle, and crossed the border into SeaClan with next to no complications. They hadn't gone far when they were spotted by a SeaClan patrol. "LeafClan invaders!" A cat yowled. "Get off our land!"

  The patrol crested a rise and came into view. The cat who had yowled earlier pushed his way to the front of the patrol and tackled Sparrowpaw to the ground. "Stop!" Silverpaw yowled, pulling him off Sparrowpaw. "We came to talk to Sealight - we're under attack by the Death Tribe. Bring us to her now!"

  A murmur passed through the patrol, and the tom who had tackled Sparrowpaw sat up. "Why should we help you LeafClan scum? I'd say we should just sit back and wait for you to get destroyed by Death Tribe, and then take your land." Silverpaw's eyes widened, shocked. "You're a-" she began, but a she-cat cut her off, glaring at the tom.

  "LeafClan lent us hunting rights in the Bracken Woods and saved us from starvation in the winter. I don't care what Sealight said afterwards, but I think these cats aren't a threat to our Clan - let's bring them to Sealight."

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  Silverpaw burst into the SeaClan camp, followed by Sparrowpaw and the patrol that had found them. The patrol leader, she-cat who had spoken up earlier disappeared into Skylight's den and reappeared moments later, along with Sealight, who was looking annoyed, while the tom from earlier huffed and snarled.

  Silverpaw opened her mouth, about to yowl to StarClan that LeafClan and FireClan needed help, when Sealight cut her off. "I know what you're here for. Do you think that SeaClan couldn't hear the yowls of battle from LeafClan territory? You want to ask for our help to defeat FireClan? Fat chance. It's none of our business anyways - we don't owe you anything."

  Silverpaw's mind spun with indignation, and she barely managed to control her impatience. "You've got it all wrong." she mewed, eyes narrowing. "We're not fighting FireClan - at least not anymore. The Death Tribe attacked us both while we were fighting-" she was once again cut off by Sealight, who mewed, "Yeah, the Death Tribe. Another lie made by LeafClan, I suppose? You must really be desperate to keep your territory from FireClan if you're making up lies and seeking help from us."

  Silverpaw gaped at her.

  "I'm not kidding! And besides, you do owe us for the hunting rights we gave you the entire winter! Or have you forgotten?" she growled, voice rising in pitch. 

  Sealight turned away, radiating coldness. "I don't argue with LeafClan apprentices. Go back to where you came from - SeaClan will not help you."

A/N: Yay! LeafClan is going to die!

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