ECHOES

Chapter Seventeen

"There was never butterflies. Just fire."

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Flamepetal had never been as apprehensive as she was now. Her legs trembled and she rumbled, making it almost look as if an earthquake was erupting beneath her paws. Her eyes were round and flashed with absolute terror the moment Dimstar led them straight into camp. Battles were the causes of many deaths -- of her brother's death.

A nervous lump formed in the she-cats throat as her group tore into EchoClan's camp. A battlecry erupted from the throat of Dimstar, signaling the beginning of the battle for freedom and vengeance. Flamepetal's paws thundered against the earth as she raced into the camp, her tail streaming behind her and her claws ready to lacerate her enemies any moment now.

Cats flung themselves straight in battle around her, colliding into the stunned followers of Archangel. Hissing and yowls of agony soon began to echo through the camp, making Flamepetal's head spin. Her ears folded against the back of her head when she spotted droplets of blood already fall to the ground and stain the snow.

Flamepetal feared the scarlet liquid, for it was a sight she never longed to see. It was the same substance that painted her brother's pelt the day he passed. The same liquid she had even drained from some of her victims, the metallic taste filling her mouth. It sent a chilling shiver down her spine, causing her fur to stand upright.

She cowered back into the shadows of the camp, her paws scuttling through the snow. She watched the horrific scenes of battle take place before her as cats were mercilessly slashed and pinned to the earth, struggling to free themselves and breath. Flamepetal didn't want to be one of those cats, but at the same time she couldn't have any of her Clanmates die. Not anymore.

Her gaze scanned camp, searching for a cat who was weak enough to attack. Finally, her gaze landed on Creekshadow, who was laying on the earth and struggling to move. The she-cat had one eye missing and her face was severely scarred. A perfect target to start off with.

Then Flamepetal came to a realization. She remembered entering the camp to see Creekshadow was already missing an eye and terribly scarred. Perhaps Creekshadow had tried to stand up to Archangel before the ambush and ended up suffering an agonizing punishment. She couldn't watch her just bleed to death -- she had to get her out of the center of the battle and to Slap.

Without taking a moment to process and develop a plan, Flamepetal rushed straight into the battle. She ducked away from the flying claws that reached towards her and kicked up snow behind her as she raced forward. She ducked and slid under the leaping forms of cats and even had to dodge away from multiple balls of fur that rolled across the earth. The battle was already doing terrible damage to both side. The results may be great in the end, but the cost would be terrible.