Snowflake's Story

Chapter Forty-One

"Attack!"

The invading cats had come back, and their numbers seemed to double. Snowflake threw herself into battle, raking her claws across a solid brown queen's shoulder. The brown queen hissed and lunged at Snowflake, but Snowflake ducked under her and threw her off, sending her tumbling into another queen. She whipped around and leaped at a black tomcat who had pinned Milk down. She rolled him over and kept him there until Milk got the chance to stand up and slice his claws across the tomcat's face. The tomcat screeched and wriggled from Snowflake's grasp, running out of the building.

"Coward!" Milk growled as the tomcat fled. He bumped Snowflake's shoulder with his own and leaped at a white and gray queen.

Snowflake dared to glance at the area around the ledge. Sunshine, Scorch, Sweets, Tree Trunk, Hershey, Branch, Twig, Vixen, Leaf, Echoing Call, Snowy Blizzard and Shimmering Glow were all bunched tightly together on the ledge. Sara crouched under the ledge, curling her tail around her belly protectively, ready to spring at any cat who dared to leap up to the ledge. The area was well protected by Mouse, Cookiedough, Ash, Apple, Sand and Blossom.

The same brown queen from earlier slammed into Snowflake's side, toppling her over onto her back and pinning her down. Snowflake kicked at the brown queen's belly, lifting her off of her. As Snowflake kicked her claws got caught and ripped fur off, causing the brown queen to shriek and run away.

Snowflake rolled over and stood up, spotting Red struggling with an orange tomcat and a brown and white queen. Snowflake hurled herself at the orange tomcat, slamming him against the wall of the brick building and stunning him as his head hit the bricks. Snowflake latched her teeth into his ear. Memories of the fox fight flooded back. Her locking her jaws on an ear, Snuggle dying.. She yanked and tore it off, spitting it out into the orange tomcat's face. The tomcat's eyes widened and he shrunk back. His yellow eyes showed desperation, so she took a step back and let him flee.

When Snowflake looked back at Red, he had already pinned the brown and white queen down and was clawing at her eyes. Snowflake scanned the room, spotting Hop's eyes glint with victory as he clawed a well-deserved notch into a yellowish tomcat's ear. The tomcat hissed and lunged at Hop's throat, but Carrot locked her jaws on his tail and yanked, tugging him back. Snowflake felt like she would get sick when she heard a snap; the tomcat's tail was dislocated and bent at an angle. He yowled and ran away, out of the building. Hop and Carrot dipped their heads to each other before continuing to fight other cats.

Snowflake heard Bird shriek and whipped her head around. She was pinned against the wall by a black and silver tomcat. Snowflake lunged forward to help her friend, but Bird wasn't usually one to be a damsel in distress. The brown tabby queen shoved the tomcat away and clawed his eye.

Snowflake rolled under the tomcat's belly and clawed with outstretched paws. The tomcat yowled, surprised by Snowflake. He scrambled over her and fled.

"Thanks," Bird meowed, looming over Snowflake.

Snowflake stood up and ruffled out her fur, dipping her head to Bird. "Anytime."

Bird smiled and leaped back into battle.

Snowflake spotted Cocoa bare his teeth at a yellowish and black tomcat, about the size of a youngcat. "Did you hear me?!" He growled. "I will fight until my last breath to protect this clowder and this building!"

The yellowish and black tomcat nodded, terror in his eyes, then turned tail and ran.

Cocoa puffed out his chest. A black queen crept up on him from behind, but she grazed his tail, alerting the chocolate-colored tom. He kicked her in the face with his hind leg, his claws raking under her chin and stunning her.

Satisfied by Cocoa's good fighting moves, she looked over and saw a silver tomcat waggle his haunches, targeting the ledge. Snowflake wrapped her forepaws around his hind legs, making him stumble clumsily on two legs instead of leaping and hurting the kittens. He fell flat on his face, clearly breaking his nose. Snowflake pinned him down and bit down on his neck, growling with satisfaction as she felt blood be drawn from the bite of her fangs. The tomcat hissed loudly and lashed his tail. Snowflake jumped to the side, watching as he sprinted off.

Across the room, James had stood up on his forepaws and spun around, performing a two-legged roundhouse kick, temporarily shoving legs, paws, claws and a tail into a gray and white queen's face. His claws raked her cheek and ear, and his tail knocked her over the side of the head. She stood, swaying on her paws, currently stunned. James took the opportunity to run around her and headbutt her in the side and pulling away quickly, causing her to topple over. He simply watched with a grin on his face as she flailed her paws in panic to get up. She scrambled to her paws and ran away.

"Flee, my cats! Flee!" The solid gray tom said. He glared at Snowflake in-between fleeing cats before turning and running.

"We have won!" Snowflake cheered, joy bursting inside her. She scanned the room; luckily only one body was on the floor. She padded over to it to see who it was; they were probably just injured, and if they were dead, she had her friends to comfort her. She had James, and Bird, and..

Cocoa.

No, not Cocoa..