The Warrior Games

Chapter 6

Runningpaw awoke to the sounds of paws running through the forest. Blinking her eyes open slowly, she opened her mouth to yawn when she breathed in the scent of three familiar enemies. Her eyes became wider as she saw a figure leap from behind a tall tree. It was Fang.
"The apprentice! We've got her!" Runningpaw heard the BloodClan cat yowl. The WindClan apprentice didn't need another warning. She leapt up onto her paws and without looking back, she began to run. She raced through the undergrowth, leaping over tree roots, diving over bushes. She could hear the BloodClan cats getting closer, catching up. She ran faster, leaping through the undergrowth. Suddenly, she tripped on a tree root , stumbled and then fell to the ground. Quickly, she managed to scramble into a nearby bramble bush. She lay there, silently, feeling the blood pulsing in her ears. She tried to slow her breathing as she heard voices just outside the bush she was hiding in. 

"Where is the stupid mousebrain? She can't be far." Scorch was saying. 

"Can you scent her?" Darktail hissed. 

Fang inhaled a deep breath, "I think I might have her trail. I think she went over here." Runningpaw froze, she was too tired and in too much pain to make another run for it. Fang began to slowly approach the bramble bush in which Runningpaw was hidding in. The WindClan apprentice took a deep breath as Fang leaned over the bush she was hiding in. 

"Hey! Look! It's that weak she-cat from your Clan, Darktail!" Scorch hissed, pointing his tail in the opposite direction.

"Silverflower? Where?" Darktail's ears perked up and he turned his head to see where Scorch was pointing at. Runningpaw continued to hold her breath. 

Fang growled, "You broke my concentration!" 

"Then let's go get that queen. She'll be an easy target, no doubt." Scorch said. 

"Are...are you sure we shouldn't get that apprentice first?" Darktail asked. 

"Nah, that WindClan cat won't get far. I smelt blood on her trail. We'll leave her to die. Let's go get your friend, Darktail. Or...would you rather go join her and ask her if she needs help getting away?" Scorch sneered. 

Darktail flexed his claws, "No way! Silverflower would never be any use to me anyway." 

"Then what are waiting for?" Scorch grinned. Fang sighed, "Fine. But I want to come back here later and check that apprentice is dead. I've never liked Apprentices....or WindClan cats." She growled before setting off towards the trees. Runningpaw looked through the bramble bush to see Darktail look back towards her one more time, before turning to follow the BloodClan cats as they set off to slay another warrior.

***

Rabbitpelt was padding through the woods, searching for water. As a RiverClan cat, water meant more to him then just a drink. It also meant that he could feel at least slightly at home. He could swim, he could maybe even set up his own small camp there. A camp of One. 

He shook his head as Mossheart came back into his mind. He regretted letting his sister leave him and go find those BloodClan beasts. But there was nothing Rabbitpelt could do now.

You can go after her! A voice in his head told him, but he shook himself, trying to get the thought out of his mind. It would be suicidal to go after her sister - if she had found Scorch and Fang by now then Rabbitpelt wouldn't stand a chance of survival. Besides, only one cat could come out alive, and he didn't want it to end with just him and Mossheart. 

Although, Rabbitpelt knew, if the only remaining contestants of the Game were him and his sister, he would die to let her win. 

Then why aren't you going after her? The same voice in his head asked him, If you would die for her, then why aren't you out there risking your life for her?

Rabbitpelt flinched. He felt like such a coward. Here he was, searching for water, trying to make his own camp, while his sister was out there, maybe she would get rejected by the BloodClan cats, and instead they might attack her, kill her. But Rabbitpelt knew that he would certainly not be able to take on two massive cats like Scorch and Fang, plus vicious Darktail. He wouldn't stand a chance.

But maybe his sister would.

Maybe his sister would win.

She was smart, she could probably trick the BloodClan warriors if it came down to just them and her. She could outsmart Darktail, who really was just a proud, arrogant and impatient cat who wanted to win above all else. In ways that made him strong and in ways it made him weak. Rabbitpelt knew that. Maybe his sister really did have a chance...more of a chance then Rabbitpelt did. 

The RiverClan warrior sniffed the air. There was something familiar about the scent he had discovered. Something very familiar. Suddenly, Rabbitpelt was filled with new energy and he began to run towards the scent, which was getting stronger and stronger as Rabbitpelt ran towards it, his heart filled with hope and joy. 

He saw the reeds - he pushed right through them. And there it was, right in front of him - a stream. It wasn't nearly as big as the stream that ran around RiverClan territory. But it was a stream all the same. Rabbitpelt dove into the water immediately. He drank it in, he dunked into it several times. He felt like a fish, darting in and out of the water. 

Now he had a new weapon. 

He was going to live by the water, and if any cat tried to attack him, he would use tactics only a RiverClan cat would know. 

He could survive this. 

And he could only hope that Mossheart would survive too.