Warrior Cats: Back to the Wild Book#2

Chapter 16

The Clan went silent as Mudpelt looked up at Silversol, terror stricken. Mousepelt held her breath and prayed the RiverClan deputy would make the right decision. Lilywhisker looked at the muddy tortoise shell, anticipating his reaction to the order. Ravenclaw dug his claws deep in to the sandy marsh. Vinepaw watched, quaking in her paws.

"Do it!" Silversol demanded, anger growing in her voice.

"I... I..." Mudpelt looked at his leader, then looked to the ground. Mousepelt noticed the deputy was shaking and the fear on his face was unquestionable.

"We have to stop him!" Vinepaw hissed.

"We can't let Silversol know we're here!" Ravenclaw responded.

"I... Don't..." Mudpelt mewed.

"Do it, or I will!" Silversol shrieked, unsheathing her claws.

Mousepelt then bounded out the bushes. She felt Ravenclaw throwing a silent fit before running out after her with Vinepaw. "That's enough Silversol!" the brown ShadowClan warrior yowled. The white scarred warrior looked to see the trespassers pelt in front of Ripplestar. "You can't force him to kill his leader!"

"She's right!" Bluepaw agreed. "We need Ripplestar, not some Dark Forest she-cat! She's dead in the eyes of our ancestors!"

"And just listen to yourselves!" A light grey tabby elder spat. "You're agreeing with that fox-hearted beast who killed my daughter and grand-kits!"

"Mintflower was good to all of us!" A white and grey tom agreed. "We should be avenging her death!"

"Chase Silversol out!" Numbpaw shouted.

"Let her rot!" A white and black spotted queen shrieked, keeping her mewling kits close.

"How dare you interrupt me!" Silversol spat, pouncing off the rock and on to Mousepelt.

"Mousepelt!" Ravenclaw cried out.

Mousepelt fought the white she-cat off of her, so that they stood face to face. Their teeth bared in snarls and claws unsheathed. They then pounced at each other, fighting with teeth and claws. RiverClan cheered for Mousepelt, but she could feel their uncertainly. The brown warrior slashed her claw at Silversol's neck, but was then knocked over by the white warrior. Silversol bit down on Mousepelt's shoulder, making her wail in pain. She then swung her claws at her scarred face. Blood splattered on Mousepelt's face and Silversol jumped back in pain, yowling her defiance.

"Ah, my face!" Silversol wailed. "You cut my face!"

Mousepelt readied herself for another attack, but was surprised to see terror in the Dark Forest cats eyes. She remembering how she got her first scar! Silversol moved her lips back in a snarl. Her claws were digging in to the ground. She then turned her yellow green gaze to Mousepelt again.

"Liar!" Silversol shrieked, pouncing at Mousepelt again. Mousepelt blocked white she-cats claws and raked hers across her side and flank. Silversol fell over writhing in pain. She took one last glare at Mousepelt and disappeared in to her cloud of smoke.

"Mousepelt!" Ravenclaw pelted over to her side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Mousepelt responded, "but, I think my arm needs to be taken care of..." she could feel the blood rolling down from her shoulder to her paw.

"Thank you for saving me and my Clan," Ripplestar stepped up, his eyes full of relief. "I will discuss things with my deputy now, Trouttail, Cuddlefuzz, Boiledtongue, escort these three to the border!" Three warriors stepped out from the crowd to join Mousepelt, Ravenclaw, and Vinepaw. Trouttail was a long haired, black and white tom with amber eyes and Boiledtongue was short and her fluffy tail was black while the rest of her was silver with brown stripes and muzzle.

They came up to the stream that marked the border between ShadowClan and RiverClan. Mousepelt jumped over and looked back for Vinepaw to jump next. The tortoise shell backed away before bolting off and jumping over the stream on the other side.

"Good job, Vinepaw," Mousepelt praised as Ravenclaw jumped over.

The RiverClan cats looked at one another before looking at Vinepaw one last time and heading back to their camp.

"Where have you been?" Yellowstone fretted as the three came in to camp. The sandy warrior ran over to her kit and licking her head.

"Yellowstone, I'm fine!" Vinepaw insisted at each lick.

"I sent you to get moss!" Stoneheart hissed coming up. "Where did you go?"

"Mousepelt and Ravenclaw asked me to help them hunt and as we chased a rat to the RiverClan border we saw Silversol trying to kill Ripplestar and get rid of ShadowClan," Vinepaw explained her lie, "Mousepelt's the only one who can kill her, so we sent her there to fight her, that's why she has that gash. We sent Silversol running and saved the lake from falling apart with out a Clan. I'm sorry, but moss was the last thing on my mind at that moment."

Stoneheart shared a look with Jumbledstar before looking down at the apprentice. Yellowstone looked just as surprised as the toms. Coldeyes poked his head out the nursery and quickly ran to Mousepelt.

"What happened to you?" Coldeyes looked at the bloody warrior's arm.

"Fight with Silversol on RiverClan territory," Mousepelt explained as Goldenpelt and Stripekit came out the den. Frightwing got up from sharing a vole with Smoothpelt to join them.

"Viperfang won't shut up in there," Goldenpelt complained, "she said the kits are moving around and kicking her too hard."

Coldeyes let out a frustrated sigh as he lead Mousepelt to the medicine den. Beetlepaw then ran in complaining of a thorn in his paw. Mousepelt felt bad for the light grey tom, it seemed as if his mind was far away and their were too many things going on around him that he couldn't put too much thought in to it.

When Beetlepaw walked out, Coldeyes went in to a hole in the back of the den and came out with cobwebs in his paw. He padded it on Mousepelt's wound and she let out a hiss.

"What's wrong with you, Coldeyes?" Mousepelt growled. "You're usually so gentle."

"I'm sorry!" Coldeyes snapped. "But Viperfang won't shut up about expecting Limptail's kits, Silverpaw keeps asking me if Stripekit could be made an apprentice sooner than later, and Flowerstem asked if she could borrow some poppy seeds, but I haven't been able to stock up on any all leaf-bare!"

After seeing the shocked looked on Mousepelt's face, Coldeyes plopped down and lowered his ears and tail. "Look, I'm sorry, okay," he signed, "it's just... Things from my past and the things for the future are popping up in my head."

"You're past?" Mousepelt decided to ask the question that was on her mind since meeting Flowerstem as an apprentice. "Is it something about Flowerstem?"

"She started out as a warrior's apprentice," Coldeyes sighed in defeat, "she was already interested in medicine, but she wanted to join her brother in battle, but after her first Gathering, on the night I received my warrior name at the Moonpool, she came with Silvertail. When I asked why she changed her mind, all she said was 'no reason' then giggled and ran off to Silvertail. As we continued to talk at Gatherings and at the Moonpool, she finally admitted to being in love with me..." Coldeyes trailed off, guilt in his pale blue eyes.

"Did you lover her?" Mousepelt tilted her head.

"I knew her once... That is... As an apprentice..." Coldeyes explained, "And I cared for her... More than the stars on Silverpelt... But I could never love her..." With that Coldeyes made his way out the medicine den and to the nursery.