Web of Lies

v

"Everyone, please calm down!" Robinflight shouted over all of the commotion. Cats were everywhere, screaming, arguing, and screeching. "We need to stay calm!"

The rioters didn't listen, screaming and protesting HillClan coming into MossClan's territory. Cats who had nothing to do with the situation fought to get past the angry ones, getting hit and injured in the process. Frightened kits caught in the middle of the chaos cried for their mothers, narrowly avoiding being trampled. Robinflight was useless in this situation, her voice barely audible over the strife.

Willowberry and a few queens weave in and out of the crowd, dragging injured and wounded cats out of the danger. Willowberry tried her best to treat the incoming cats, but they overwhelmed her. She called out for Robinflight, beckoning for her to come over. Robinflight nodded and leaped off of High Rock, dashing to the medicine den.

"What's wrong?" Robinflight panted.

"Everything, you dolt!" Willowberry hissed. "Do you know where Coralstar went? The queens and I haven't been able to find him or Daylight. He needs to be here, he's the only one the rioters will listen to!"

"I haven't seen him or Daylight, no, but did you check the leader's den?"

"Of course we checked there! That was the first place we looked! Rowantail was the last cat to see him," Willowberry sighed. "They just vanished into thin air."

"Where would they even go? Coralstar is sick, he can't go far, even without the riot."

"Where he would go isn't important," Willowberry explained, looking miffed. "It's why he would go that's puzzling me. Coralstar isn't the type that would abandon his duties, especially if he's leaving you in charge."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean. Now, we need to get these cats under control, and shouting won't work. We're going to need to get physical."

"Physical?" Robinflight repeated, shocked. "I'm a horrible fighter! I'll get beat up right away!"

"Well, if you were a good deputy, like Coralstar thinks you are," Willowberry said harshly. "Then you wouldn't care about getting hurt. It's the clan that matters, not-"

"Yeah, yeah! I'll start rounding the cats up, but where do we put them?"

"There's an old cave that we used to use for prisoners, remember? They put it out of use when we were kits, so you probably don't. It's at the very back of the camp, and I need you, Rowantail, and a few other senior warriors to block them in their. Just roll the boulder in front," Willowberry explained slowly. Robinflight noted how good she was at keeping her cool. She was scared, of course, but she knew how to think and make a plan under pressure. Her paws shook and her sharp eyes were filled with fear, but she acted rationally, and that was a trait Robinflight admired.

"Robinflight?" Willowberry asked. "You listening?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. Block the cats in the cave, got it," Robinflight answered, suddenly embarrassed she had zoned out like that. Pretty green eyes weren't important when a civil war was about to break out.

"Wonderful. Now, go!"

Robinflight turned and darted through the crowd, her small frame able to weave in between the furious rioters. A large, heavy, cat fell on her, and her tail took the impact. She heard a large crack, and sharp pain raced up her spine. Robinflight cried out in pain, but no one paid attention. She pushed the cat off of her, and crawled away from the crowd.

"Quailfern!" She gasped, suddenly noticing the blood stains all over her fur. Some of it was hers, but the majority was the crowd's. A sick feeling washed over her. This wasn't what she signed up for. "Quailfern, come here!"

"Robinflight?"

"Quail-" A cat slammed into her body, sending her skidding across the ground. The rocks tore her skin, the warm blood matting her fur. The cat lay still atop of her, blood leaking from several wounds on their body. The cat crushed Robinflight slowly, not moving and not breathing.

The cat was dead.

Robinflight cried out for help, desperately scratching and kicking in a feeble attempt to get out from under the cat. Her entire body felt sore, and she knew that she had no choice in whether she lived or died today. Her end would be up to the cats if she didn't fight first.

Cats scampered and screamed around her, fighting and killing. Robinflight's vision was blurry, unable to make out clear shapes. She couldn't black out now. She had to stay awake, alert, find a way out. But she couldn't find a way out if she was being slowly killed, unless...

A sudden wave of determination surged through her and she started to think clearly. She needed to think from a new perspective, a new point of view. What had she been doing that had given her no results? Robinflight thought about her actions. She had been pushing up, trying to kick the cat upwards. She had to do the opposite. She had to lift him off, not kick him off.

Robinflight readied herself, positioning her legs and paws in a place where she wouldn't injure herself. One wrong move, and she could break most of her bones. She breathed slowly, trying to push the pain out of her head. One...

Cats cried all around her.

Two...

Blood was spilled on the ground next to her.

Three...

A cat fell to the ground, throat cut open.

Go!

She lifted up, and the cat on top of her rolled away, and she rolled with him. She screamed as they tumbled towards the riot, about to be trampled by the crowd. But before she faced her death, she pushed off and flung herself away from the crowd. She skidded to a stop, tearing her skin once more.

"Robinflight, are you okay?"

"Nugh..." Robinflight moaned. She looked up to see the cat that had said it, and a feeling of relief calmed her panic. "Look, Willowberry has a plan. You need to grab Rowantail, then we can round up the rioters and push them into the old prison cave."

"That's her plan?" Quailfern said. "Seems rather dangerous."

"Doesn't matter!" Robinflight snapped. "Go, go get Rowantail! We need to get this under control!"

Quailfern nodded, his face firm and determined. He dashed around the crowd, calling out Rowantail's name. He returned a few minutes later with Rowantail, and they put their plan into action.

"So we need to put this entire crowd into one small cave?" Rowantail asked skeptically.

"Yes, and they're going to fit," Robinflight assured.

"How're you so sure?"

"I..." How could she be so sure? She wasn't sure of anything in her life, why was this any different. A familiar, ghostly voice rang through her head.

This is your time to prove yourself, Buzzardstar's voice pushed. Die or fight. There are no other options.

"I'm not sure," Robinflight answered, confident and reassured of her decision. "But maybe that's the point. Maybe we aren't meant to be sure. We die or fight, and I think we should fight."

"Then it's settled," Quailfern shrugged. "Today, we fight."

a/n: ahhhh i'm so proud of this chapter!! i love putting my characters in life threatening situations, and this was probably my favorite scene in the whole book!!! tell me what yall think! love yall

also, @Infinity1258 blast will continue because we'll just recycle plays, so all is good!!!