The Lost Prophecy: Book 2: Broken Destinies

Chapter 25

Ravenpaw was given no choice but to spring directly into the center of the battle.

Rogue cats were everywhere, hissing and snarling and lashing out with thorn sharp claws. It took all of Ravenpaw's self control not to run away.

Ravenpaw bounded shoulder to shoulder with Sandpaw, nipping at their enemies' legs as they went. They were separated by a scrawny brown warrior. Sandpaw went left, yowled a fierce war cry, and leaped into the thick of the battle. Ravenpaw went right, and found himself face to face with-

"You!" Darkstripe hissed, slamming Ravenpaw into the ground. Gasping, Ravenpaw stumbled backward. "You ruined me!" Darkstripe swung a paw that connected with Ravenpaw's ear.

"No!" Ravenpaw ducked, and heard claws whistle past his ear. The next swipe he wasn't so lucky; pain lanced through his muzzle, and he tasted blood. He was about to scramble away when a voice echoed in his ear, a memory, separate from the battle. Whenever I see you train, your first instinct is always to dodge. Evading an attack can be an effective strategy, but you cannot be afraid to fight back as well.

Darkstripe reared up on his hind paws, and feeling as though he was in a dream, Ravenpaw rolled underneath him and delivered a sharp kick to the tom's vulnerable belly. Thrown off balance, Darkstripe's tail waved wildly to steady himself; it whisked past Ravenpaw's nose. In less than a heartbeat, Ravenpaw rolled back to his paws, charged forward, and bit down.

A screech rang out, and Ravenpaw was vaguely aware that it belonged to Darkstripe. He continued to hang on as Darkstripe scratched at his side, unable to get in a good hit as he dragged Ravenpaw by the tail. Ravenpaw could see the rest of the battle out of the corner of his eye: Brindleface, digging into a ShadowClan tom with thorn-sharp claws, Frostfur and Speckletail, taking on three rogues at once, and Graystripe, who had apparently returned to camp, fighting side by side with Sandpaw. The rest of his patrol was nowhere to be seen.

Darkstripe finally managed to wrench his tail out of Ravenpaw's grasp. He sprang forward and pinned Ravenpaw to the ground. This time instead of trying to wriggle free, Ravenpaw churned his hind legs against Darkstripe's belly. His claws easily cut through Darkstripe's thin fur, and in an instant Darkstripe was sent scrambling.

Ravenpaw's moment of triumph lasted less than a heartbeat; Darkstripe sprang at him again, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

Scrabbling away, Ravenpaw felt claws hook his leg and pull him backward. Ravenpaw tumbled over in a heap, and recognized that Darkstripe was about to sink his teeth into his neck. This was it; his bravery had been for naught. He waited for the end to come, his eyes screwed tight and his ears flat. A long moment passed. Nothing happened; clearly Darkstripe had been distracted somehow. Thanking StarClan for his good luck, he looked up.

Darkstripe had been thrown some ways off, and was slowly rising to his paws. Dustpelt was staring at his former mentor with an expression of pure hatred on his face. "And to think I ever respected you."

Darkstripe eyed him, a snarl etched on his face. They began to circle each other. Back arched, Darkstripe jerked his nose a whisker length forward and then slid back. Dustpelt tensed but seemed to recognize that Darkstripe was feinting. Ravenpaw realized that much of Dustpelt's apprenticeship had prepared him for this day. His former mentor would be the one cat he had the most practice fighting.

In spite of the blood dripping from his fur, Darkstripe appeared to pay his injuries little notice.

Dustpelt suddenly flung himself at his former mentor, hissing and spitting.

But Darkstripe was ready. He rushed Dustpelt, bowling him over. Dustpelt slashed at him with his hind legs, but Darkstripe dodged most of his former apprentice's claw swipes. Ravenpaw sprinted forward to help when Darkstripe twisted around, positioning himself so he could pounce, but at the same time leaving his back vulnerable, just a mouselength from Dustpelt's muzzle.