Warriors - The Rising Sun (old draft)

Chapter 19

She narrowed her eyes at Starlingpaw and Saplingpaw shrugged off the rock, wobbly on her paws.
Blackpaw unsheathed her claws when Starlingpaw got into the rock, sauntering over to her side and turning, flicking her tail majestically.
"Blackpaw, put your claws back in." Longscar scolded.
She frowned but did as he said.
"And.. go!"
She propelled herself forward, and saw Starlingpaw slide to the side, and she skidded past.
A smile crept on her face when she lured her right into a trap.
Starlingpaw laughed and was about to turn and face her when she jumped on her back and slammed her paws on her shoulders.
The apprentice crumbled forward, and she was knocked by surprise as she jumped up and knocked Blackpaw off her back.
Nearly sliding off the rock, she recovered quickly and bared her teeth. With a fearsome yowl, she narrowed her focus onto her. The surroundings were a blur when she raced at her on top speed.
The apprentice leapt up yet again, but she ducked under her stomach and raked her paw down it.
Though her claws were sheathed, she could tell it hurt her.
The white cat turned and knocked her feet out of Blackpaw.
She fell to the ground and a weight was on her, but she bunched her muscles and bent her spine, Starlingpaw flying off her back.
In one quick movement she twisted and hit the apprentice into the ground and stood on her, giving her an arrogant smile.
She had won.
Blackpaw was about to say something rude when a paw flashed out and lashed at her wound, and she realized the apprentices claws weren't sheathed.
She let out a howl of pain and instinctively unsheathed her paws, being blind by her blood in her wound, and struck the apprentice multiple times before staggering away, and plopping on the rock with her paws pressed against her wound.
She heard Starlingpaw shriek, as if a late reaction to her attack and realized she must have shredded her stomach.
A warmth arrived to her side and noticed the scent of Mulberrylight.
"Are you okay?" He asked, crouching down beside her.
"I'm.. fine." She replied, lifting her paws from her wound. It quickly stoppped bleeding but it still stung.
"Starlingpaw shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, and neither should you have lashed back." He said sternly.
She blinked open her eyes and staggered to her paws and looked at the white cat.
She was curled in a ball with blood staining her fur around her stomach and Lynxtail standing over her.
"Come on, you need some rest." Her mentor said, placing a tail on her shoulder.
"No." she said, turning to Mulberrylight. "I want to still fight."
"Are you sure?"
"Quite."
"Okay then.."

After things were cleared up, she crouched on the stone and waited for a challenger.
She saw with dismay the cat that climbed the rock was the tom from the medicine cat den.
Wait, he's an apprentice?
He was big enough she thought he was a warrior.
Clearly annoyed, she hissed loudly and waited for the signal.
"And.. go!"
She was glued to her spot instead, and waited for him to charge.
Blackpaw jumped and shot forward when he was only a tail length away from her, and she skidded to a a stop and turned on him.
Still facing away, his tail stuck out. She slammed her paws on to it and heard him yowl.
He yanked his tail out of her grip, and lashed out with his paw and knocked the side of her head.
She fell and her limbs went still.
"Oh my gosh! Did I hit your wound? I'm so sorry!" He said, nearing her.
She smiled when he walked in range and she struck out with her feet, knocking him off his paws.
Flipping on to her paws, she jumped on him and pinned him.
"I am the winner." She said with a sly smile.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
She snorted and got off him, sitting down and licking a paw.
He clumsily got to his feet and sat down.
"That was a good fight." He said.
She drew her paw over her ear for a moment, washing it.
"Thanks." She said.
"I'm Rockpaw. Who are you?"
"I'm Blackpaw." She said.
"Really? But your paws are white!" He said jokingly.
"Im still an apprentice," she said, lifting her head up, trying to look dignified. "Maybe I'll be Blackhead when I'm a warrior."
"Alright, training should end." A Mountain Clan cat said.
She felt a gaze burning into her and she looked around until she spotted a Mountain Clan apprentice staring at her.
He looked oddly familiar.
The dark forest!
He was from the dark forest. She had seen him once or twice, but never really talked. He must have noticed her, and he twitched his ears and swiveled his head away.
She was drawn out of her thoughts when there was a terrified yowl.
"Dogs are attacking the camp!"

As she reached the camp, her muscles pumping, she saw several large dogs fighting off multiple cats.
She hadn't necessarily wanted to join the fight, but some of them noticed more cats arrive and they turned on them.
She crouched down and hissed, fear making her fur spike up. She saw a small dog let out a yelp and run away with multiple cuts.
Then a couple of Mountain Clan cats let out screeches and flew at the dogs who were snarling at the Scarlet Clan cats.
Relief flooded through her pelt as more dogs ran away yelping, and she smiled.
Her eyes looked around the camp to see the damage when she saw the running dogs from before circling around the camp and sneaking into the nursery.
It was a trick! They do have brains!
With a roar, she propelled herself toward the nursery and flung herself at the closest dog.
It let out a yelp of surprise as she rammed into it. She unsheathed her claws and swiped at its muzzle, hanging on after a second swipe.
With a roar of anger, the dog flung her off and she felt her legs collapse under her.
She struggled to stand up, but by then the dog has its meaty jaws wrapped around her and was swinging its head back and forth.
Well, this is the end.. she thought regretfully as her vision closed in and faded out until another burst of pain made her vision work again. Stars dangled in her vision.......