Warriors: The Compromise, #1 [DISCONTINUED]

CHAPTER 5

     The territory was silent, Stormstar's patrol creeping along the thickets and bushes. The scent of the bloodthirsty rogue was getting closer and closer.

Larchbright seemed to be anxiously swishing his tail, his ears flat. "Larchbright, hush, we can't let our ambush fail," Stormstar ordered as the patrol continued cautiously through the foggy forest, snow crunching under each paw quietly.

Ryeleap halted, and dropped to a crouch swiftly, angling his ear to let the rest of the patrol know to stop. The clearing was silent, and in the distance, a muscular, scarred, storm-grey tom sat.

"Is this the rogue?" Stormstar whispered to Ryeleap.
"It should be."

Just as they were about to pounce, the grey tom turned and stared at their hiding place, his eyes bold and scary. His muzzle was crooked, his face full of scars, his left eye gray with a cataract, the other a sudden yellow.

Larchbright flinched, a bit scared. Owlflight looked over at Larchbright, resting his tail gently on her shoulder.

Stormstar looked over at the rest of the cats, nodding his head once, as they ran into the clearing with a strong battle cry.

The dark grey tabby leader sliced at the rogue's side, hissing. "You filthy rat! You will never win!" The rogue screeched as he pounded at Stormstar's muzzle with large claws.

Stormstar would wince, his lips curling into a snarl, "Ryeleap, up!"

Ryeleap nodded, leaping onto the rogue's back with burrs for claws. Stormstar managed to get the rogue distracted after Ryeleap's jump, so he bolted off to Owlflight and Larchbright.

"You can go back to camp, this rogue is easy—," Stormstar was cut off when claws ripped into his shoulders, tearing fur away. He yowled, Larchbright leaping into action.

"I won't give in that easily, hound!" He hissed at Stormstar, the two fighting with deathly power.

Ryeleap, laying limp on the ground, winced at the severe wound in his flank. "Ryeleap, hang in there!" Owlflight would run over to Ryeleap, licking some blood away before running back to camp to get him to Eucalyptus.

In the meantime, Larchbright attempted to tear the rogue from Stormstar, blood spilling all over.

Stormstar begun to feel weaker and weaker on every blow, it was starting to become ridiculous. His vision begun to get shady, for he was starting to get closer to his 8th life— one Starclan cat gone.

He struck at the rogue's neck, harder than ever, and pushed him to the ground. "Die, rogue," Stormstar hissed.