Book 1 - Warriors: The Shadow Outcast

Chapter Thirty-Six

Mudpaw

Bravestar unsheathed his claws and raked them down Rosestar's soft golden belly as he pinned her down. The crazy leader screamed with agony and fury as the pain reached her. Bravestar's emotionless eyes continued to stare at Rosestar as he raised his paw to slit her throat. The golden leader's eyes widened before she pushed Bravestar off her slender body and stood up, ready for any other attack to be thrown at her.

Mudpaw watched all of this, his eyes widening as he realised just how lucky he was. Relief flooded over him as he watched the two elder cats fight. Mudpaw now knew that if Bravestar hadn't saved him, he would be dead. Rosestar was no match for him, and he knew that, but he'd never actually witnessed exactly how much of a difference their strength was.

Bravestar lunged again, though this time Rosestar found a way around him. She was stopped by the RiverClan tom who hissed with rage as she got closer to Robinwing, who was now panting more as the kits came closer to being born. Bravestar pinned her down as she challenged the RiverClan tom, and soon he pushed her back to the den entrance, growling lowly in warning.

Mudpaw was trying to read the leaders expressions, but it was nearly impossible. Rosestar was very angry—not to mention crazy—but she also seemed scared and sad, as if this fight was something she had been hoping to avoid. Bravestar's expression was emotionless aside from a bit of regret and depression, as if he too was trying hard not to really kill Rosestar.

Bravestar got into a fighting position, ready to attack if Rosestar attempted to reach Robinwing again. Both leaders were growling at each other, though Rosestar was more vicious. She was obviously furious, but Mudpaw didn't understand why. He figured he was too young to know.

"Rosestar, give it up," Bravestar murmured. "You're outnumbered, and the only thing driving you is anger. Why can't you just let it go?" Rosestar hissed with fury, her narrowed eyes turning into slits as she lashed her tail in quick movements.

"I won't give up!" Rosestar hissed, clawing at the ground as her fur bristled. "I won't let it go until those kits are dead! I won't give up until I've gotten pay back for what Rainfur did!"

Rosestar lunged, her claws flexed as she tried to slit Bravestar's throat. The smart leader evaded the attack easily before pulling Rosestar back toward the den entrance. He then stood between Robinwing and Rosestar, his eyes narrowed with determination.

"Rosestar, he's changed," Bravestar told her. "Stop wasting your effort on something that won't even matter. Why can't you just accept the fact that it was your fault and move on?" Tears continued to make their way down Rosestar's golden face, soaking the fur with the salty liquid.

"He hasn't changed!" Rosestar screamed. "He won't ever change! A monster like that could never change, not even with the help of StarClan! He's a disgrace and disaster to the Clans and I can't let him anywhere near WindClan!"

Rosestar lunged again, but Bravestar did at the same time. They crashed into each other, snapping at each other's necks as their claws searched for bare skin to slice open. Bravestar received a large gash on his flank while Rosestar's perfect ear was ripped. The two of them continued to stare at each other, panting heavily while trying to catch their breath.

"Rainfur is not evil anymore," Bravestar said. "He has every right to be here, and he's helping. He wants to kill Sharpstar so that everything will be okay again. Just like it was when we met, when everything was peaceful and we were just silly apprentices." Mudpaw's eyes widened as Bravestar said this, and he heard a few gasps from the RiverClan cats behind him.

Rosestar paused, her eyes showing the fact she was deciding something. The look quickly went away, but she now had more sadness in her eyes. Mudpaw's eyes were wide with shock as Bravestar and Rosestar stared at each other, reliving the memories of when they were much younger.