Dreamcloud and the other ThunderClan warriors had reached the camp, including their frail leader Lilystar, and the worried deputy Stormcloud, who was watching Lilystar with anxious eyes.
Dreamcloud pricked her ears. There was a sound of leaves crackling.
Dreamcloud braced herself, ready to defend her Clan even at the cost of her life. Wriggling her haunches, she prepared to launch an attack on any ShadowClan intruder that dared stray into her sight. If...Flywhisker was correct.
Dreamcloud exhaled relief when she saw three familiar pelts, one black and white, one gray, and one gray with black spots with a white chest. It was only Braveclaw, Graypelt, and Spotfur, her clanmates who ambushed the ShadowClan cats!
Dreamcloud greeted them, mewing," It's great to see you unharmed. I hope you are all well enough to fight. May StarClan help us win the battle." She delicately stepped aside, for she was at the camp entrance.
Dreamcloud squinted, desperately trying to find all of ShadowClan's warriors, hatred in their eyes, and fur tattered after the ambush.
"Hopefully they don't come," Dreamcloud thought, "then no more blood will be spillled."
Thoughts buzzed in Dreamcloud's mind.
Then a certain thought struck her like a badger had sliced her muzzle.
"If I still refused to ambush Lilystar after all the things she said Tigerpelt would do, maybe she wouldn't be hurt so badly!" Dreamcloud thought, guilt tugging at her stomach.
"Oh StarClan, please help Lilystar! Don't let her join you so soon!" Dreamcloud prayed silently, looking at the starless sky.
Dreamcloud wondered if StarClan was still above her head in Silverpelt, purring as she remembered young Silverstripe, her daughter who she had named after Silverpelt, who joined WindClan shortly after she became a warrior because of her fondness of eating rabbits and being closer to what her name came from. Coppershine, Silverstripe's sister had joined WindClan with her because of her fondness of eating hares and her love for Silverstripe.
"If StarClan is still above our head, they sure lost their shine!" Dreamcloud thought.
Dreamcloud sighed.
Head and tail drooping, Dreamcloud turned and began to pad back to camp when a piercing and hot pain shot at her back.
Dreamcloud spun around to face her opponent. It was Surgepelt, Tigerpelt's mate who dug her claws deep into Dreamcloud's back.
Dreamcloud let out a yowl of pain and threw Surgepelt off of her, racing into the ThunderClan camp and shrieked, "ShadowClan reached the camp!"
The cats poured out of their dens, yowling challenges and insults to the ShadowClan cats.
"Fox-hearts!" Lilystar screeched, "We let you take our prey the first time, then only chased you out, then we had to give Rabbitstep a scar so ShadowClan wouldn't come anymore!"
"You dare attack our camp?" snarled Lightningfire, standing protectively over the nursery with Breezefoot, and Curlpaw, while Rabbitbreeze, Lionpelt, Starshine, Cloudsky and Dreampaw watched the Shadowclan cats with hostile gleams in their eyes, "Leave now, before a fight begins."
Dreamcloud mind whirled.
"Ha!" Flaxfoot sneered, "I suppose ThunderClan are all scaredy-mice and soft kittypets, and too scared to fight the ferocious ShadowClan!"
Dreamcloud felt rage swamping over her.
"How dare ShadowClan call us scaredy-mice and soft kittypets!" Dreamcloud thought, her tortoiseshell fur burning all over.
