Warrior Cats Book 1: A Dark Path- Dusk of the Clans

Chapter 18

Shadowpaw woke with a yawn, trenching before prodding Foxpaw awake, "Get up you lazy lump!" He groaned and batted her paw, "I don't waaaannaaaa."

Shadowpaw laughed and said, "Come on, let's go ask if we can join a patrol." Foxpaw sighed and leaped to his paws, shaking clumps of moss from his russet pelt.

Shadowpaw led the way out into the dimly lit clearing. Crowclaw stood, arranging patrols and sending off cats to hunt and gather fresh-kill for the upcoming leaf-bare.

"Crowclaw, is there a border patrol we can join?" Shadowpaw asked, padding alongside Foxpaw up to the deputy. The tom nodded and meowed, "You can join the patrol with Sedgeberry, Swiftfoot, and Thrushstripe."

Shadowpaw nodded and she bounded over to Swiftfoot, "We're on your patrol." The light brown tabby she-cat flicked her ear in acknowledgement, and then led the way out of camp.

Shadowpaw trailed with Foxpaw, both apprentices keeping pace with the older warriors. Shadowpaw leaped over a rock, and Foxpaw bounded after her as the warriors continued dashing toward the ShadowClan border.

Sedgeberry came to an abrupt stop, the other warriors skidding and almost running into eachother. Sedgeberry's fur was spiked up as she narrowed her eyes, staring through a dense section of brush.

"What is it Sedgeberry?" Thrushstripe asked quietly. The golden and brown she-cats ears were pricked and she opened her jaws to collect more scents.

Sedgeberry's eyes flew wide and she yowled, "ShadowClan!"

The thick undergrowth shook as ShadowClan cats leaped through it, yowling battle cries.

Foxpaw yowled beside Shadowpaw, squaring up to a tabby ShadowClan tom. Shadowpaw felt claws spike her tail, and she whipped around with a snarl to face Weaselpaw.

Shadowpaw took a breath, watching her surroundings slow around her. She saw Weaselpaw lunging for her, and darted to his side, leaping onto the larger apprentices back, and using her hind leg to sweep his paws out from under him.

The ShadowClan apprentice squealed as her claws tore down his pelt, and she twisted, swinging him over her and knocking him to the ground.

Shadowpaw aimed a sharp slash on his flanks before leaping onto the next enemy. Shadowpaw dragged a tom off of Thrushstripe, calculating his weakness. She chomped hard onto the toms shoulder, and he shrieked tearing from her grip and pelting off, leaving clumps of fur in Shadowpaw's claws.

She saw a tabby she-cat lunging for her, and leaped up into the air, slashing her claws down the she-cats spine as she soared by beneath her.

Shadowpaw twisted, biting the hindquarters of another ShadowClan she-cat as Foxpaw raked at her ears. Sedgeberry rolled by in a shrieking whirlwind of fur as she wrestled with a large tom.

Swiftfoot was back to back with Thrushstripe, the two cats exchanging expert blows to their opponents. Shadowpaw leaped and bowled a she-cat off of Foxpaw, sending her staggering with a hard kick of her hind legs. Shadowpaw whirled around to face her next opponent and came face to face with Nightwolf.

The two cats looked at each other, and Shadowpaw dipped her head to her, then leaped over her, and onto the cat behind her.

Shadowpaw felt claws rake her side and she hissed, grabbing a silver she-cat and flinging her back, sending her crashing into a warrior Sedgeberry was fighting.

Shadowpaw whirled in a blur of fighting, slashing, ducking, and leaping over and over. Thrushstripe shrieked as a ShadowClan cat sank its fangs into his chest, and Swiftfoot hissed, batting a tom away.

Shadowpaw felt claws take her ear, and turned, spitting and clawing the toms face. A yowl split the air and ThunderClan cats poured into the fight, Duskstar leading the way with Swanpaw, Mintpaw, and Lionflame trailing close behind. Shadowpaw felt the tide of the battle turn in favor of ThunderClan as the fresh warriors plowed into the fight.

Shadowpaw slashed a toms muzzle, feeling brood spray as he squealed in pain, running right into Mintpaw's outstretched claws. Shadowpaw whirled around to see Foxpaw leap onto Rotpaw's back, sinking his fangs into the surprised apprentices neck. She raced across the clearing, jumping out of the way of Lionflame as he wrestled with a ShadowClan she-cat, and pulled Foxpaw off of the apprentice, "Your going to kill him Foxpaw! Help the others, I'll take care of Rotpaw."

The older apprentice hesitated, then nodded, leaping back into the fray. Shadowpaw dipped her head to Rotpaw, and he winked, turning and leaping away into the fight. Shadowpaw whipped around, knocking over a silvery she-cat before she leapt onto Lionflame. Shadowpaw felt herself sink into the order of slashing, ducking, leaping, and twisting as she overpowered the she-cat, sending her haring off with a fierce slash.

Shadowpaw felt her side, and one of her ears sting like fire, but she ignored it and continued fighting. She caught a glimpse of Batstar, who had Duskstar pinned to the grass, raising his paw with unsheathed claws for a killing blow on the ThunderClan leader. Lightining fast she leaped over a ShadowClan tom, who was wrestling with Swanpaw, darting between the ShadowClan leader and her mentor. Claws slashed down her chest and she shrieked in pain and fury, sinking her fangs into the leaders front leg.

Batstar yowled as Swanpaw, followed by Mintpaw and Foxpaw streaked across the clearing, all the apprentices swarming the surprised leader. Batstar wrenched out of their grip, yowling, "ShadowClan! Reatreat!" Shadowpaw and the other apprentices joined in as some of the ThunderClan warriors chased the fleeing ShadowClan cats out of their territory.

The cats began padding back to the group from chasing off the remaining ShadowClan warriors, and the apprentices began chatting.

Swanpaw had a slash on her shoulder and a nick in her ear as she meowed on about how she chased off a huge ShadowClan tom.

Mintpaw, who had a nasty cut above her eye, and a bite on her haunches, began bragging about how she bit a she-cat so hard she was shrieking for mercy, and Foxpaw, who had a bad bite on his front paw, and clumps of russet fur hanging off his pelt, went on about how well all the apprentices fought while chasing out the leader.

Shadowpaw winced as pain lanced up her chest where the ShadowClan leader had slashed her, Shadowpaw felt the ground lurch below her.

Shadowpaw staggered with a surprised yelp as her paws gave way below her. Foxpaw was at her side instantly, his warm scent drifting around her. She blinked, trying to focus her blurry and swaying gaze, and she could scarcely hear him yowling, "Shadowpaw! Duskstar, we need help! Its Shadowpaw!"

Shadowpaw felt determination spark through her, and she forced her eyes into focus, fighting the dark wave of unconsciousness. Duskstar was at her other side and she heard him order, "Foxpaw help me take her to camp, Swanpaw race ahead and tell Ivyleaf." The white she-cats eyes sparked with fear for her friend and dashed off, Shadowpaw felt the two toms gently help her to her feet, and she let them lead her to camp, leaning on both of them to keep weight off her paws as blood soaked her chest fur, dripping onto the grass.

Shadowpaw was unable to calculate the time it took for them to get her to camp, she saw worried faces all around her, and heard Foxpaw whisper, "Its okay Shadowpaw, your going to be fine, I promise, I won't let you die."

Before she knew it Shadowpaw was lying in a nest, Ivyleaf pressing cobwebs after cobwebs to her wound, ordering Foxpaw to chew herbs for her to use.

The whole time was a blur, and she was dimly aware of the medicine cat prompting her to eat a few poppy seeds, "They'll help you sleep Shadowpaw, you need rest." Shadowpaw obeyed, letting sleep wash over her.

(There's the ShadowClan vs ThunderClan battle for you guys! And it shows Shadowpaw's loyalty to her fellow Dark Forest cats, not fighting them on the battle! Hope you enjoyed, tell me your comments, liked, dislikes, lemme know it all XD baii <3 Jade)