Another Life: Alaepool's Heart

Creekclaw's POV:

        As Creekclaw walked away from the big fresh-kill pile, he spotted Kestrelwing sitting near the medicine den, and Owlwing limping out. Fresh cobwebs were plastered onto his leg, and his ear had a fresh glob of white web and herb mixture on it. He was on the path the warriors' den, when Kestrelwing bounded over. 
        "Hi Owlwing." he meowed. "How're you doing?"
        "Go away, I don't need you interrupting my path just like last time." The tom's voice was in ill-tempered growl.
        What was wrong with him? Kestrelwing flattened his ears, before walking over to Algaepool. Lakestripe said that Washedkit didn't wake up yet, but Blearykit did. He still wasn't strong enough, but after he ate and rested he would tell everyone what happened. 
        "Hey Creekclaw, want to go on a border patrol?" Burnteyes meowed.
        "Sure." He mewed. Burnteyes went to the the warriors den, and moments later, Birdbuzz and Lilyflower came out. The day was overcast, with a damp breeze promising rain. There were no scents of prey, and once they got out they met mud and sodden reeds. There were no sounds except the river crashing, and wind in his ears.
        Dogbark was still blinking sleep out of his eyes, and Lilyflower was up at the front with Burnteyes.
        "Birdbuzz, do you mind going up to see where Thunderclan has put their scent markers this time?" Burnteyes suggested. "Come back to tell us where you find them."
        "Alright, Burnteyes." Birdbuzz ran ahead, while the rest of them waited on the last stepping stone.
        He still felt anxious that Coldtail and Owlwing tried using Algaepool. He couldn't get that out of his mind. His sister was a warrior, she knew what to do if something attacked her. Flowerstem still wouldn't tell him what was wrong, and that worried him. They were so close, he could say that they were mates. "Be careful of the nets!" Burnteyes  called after her.
        "I wonder where Thunderclan put their markers this time." Lilyflower commented after Birdbuzz dissappeared. "Between what happened last time and how they reacted to Washedkit and Blearykit, it tells me that somethings up, and Froststar might not know about it."
        He hoped Brindlestar would give him an apprentice some day, so if Owlwing or Coldtail had a chance of becoming deputy, he could stop them.
        "Burnteyes! Something's wrong!" Birdbuzz reported.
        "What happened?" Burnteyes meowed, walking up.
        "The Thunderclan border is up to Sunningrocks."
        Lilyflower brushed past both of them until she reached where Birdbuzz stood. She tasted the air and moments later, she stormed back, her blue eyes gleaming with anger. "Birdbuzz's right," she meowed. "Thunderclan has their scent on the rocks!"
        Creekclaw let out a furious hiss, "But that's Riverclan territory!"
        Burnteyes let out a growl of frustration. The patrol stalked up, and after walking a few tail lengths, the reek of Thunderclan scent markers flooded over him.
        "Those are fresh!" Burnteyes hissed. "But if we follow them we can find the patrol, and maybe talk to them." whirling around, he added, "Hey Birdbuzz, can you go back to camp as fast as you can, and tell Brindlestar what's happening? Fetch backup as well."
         The warrior took off, and raced back to camp, dirt flurrying out behind his paws. Creekclaw sniffed at the scent markers to see which side of the rocks they went. They went over the rocks and saw the Thunderclan patrol setting more markers.
        His fur bristled with anger, and he could see his Clanmates' fur bristling with anger too. There were four Thunderclan cats: Coldtail, Pineclaw, and Hailsnow- the same three that'd watched Washedkit struggle in the net, and Timberflake. They were outnumbered, but they didn't have time to wait for Birdbuzz to get back with reinforcements.
        "Coldnight!" Burnteyes called to the Thunderclan deputy. 
        Coldnight whipped around, "What does it look like we're doing?" he meowed insolently.
        "Like you're trying to steal Sunningrocks." Creekclaw hissed.
        "Sunningrocks has always been ours," Burnteyes reminded them. "Everyone knows that."
        "That was before now." meowed Timberflake.
        "Thunderclan wants these rocks back." Coldnight narrowed his eyes at Burnteyes. "And Riverclan's too weak to stop us, ever since the badgers attacked you."
        "How did you find out?" Lilyflower asked, taking a step forward.
       "Not another step near us." Pineclaw replied. The tip of the tom's tail twitched. "You're too busy to fight us, you're also too hurt. And you've lost your medicine cat."
        Right when Pineclaw said that, he felt utterly bewildered. How could Thunderclan have found out? He realized what might have happened, Owlwing and Coldtail told the Exiled, and Coldnight was affiliated with the Exiled. They must have revealed their weakness to Thunderclan.
        There was no time to think about that now. He unsheathed his claws, waiting for Burnteyes or Lilyflower to say something. "Get off our territory!" Burnteyes snarled. "We're not letting you have Sunningrocks or the land surrounding it!"
        Hailsnow curled his lip, his eyes narrowed to slits. "Nope, I don't think so."
        Burnteyes let out a furious screech, before hurling onto a higher rock. Burnteyes rushed up to Coldtail, and raked his claws across his shoulder. The white tom hooked his claws into Burnteyes throat, writhing under him, trying to wriggle out.
        Creekclaw jumped onto Timberflake, and started pawing her belly with his hindpaws. Hailsnow and Pineclaw were fighting Lilyflower, having her leg pinned down by the two huge toms. Burnteyes was still having a go with Coldnight, he clawed the tom, then ran to Lilyflower's side.
        Coldnight wasn't having it, he chased after Burnteyes. Creekclaw scratched Timberflake's open eyes, just missing it. He went behind the she-cat, and bit down on her tail. He caught a glimpse of Burnteyes struggling under the grip of Coldnight, until a final move was made. Coldnight slashed his claws down Burnteyes side, and bit down into his throat. 
         Then he heard yowling and  loud footsteps coming from the stepping stones. Coldnight paused, letting go of Burnteyes body, and spat. "Fox dung!" Before leaping away to Pineclaw's side. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Brindlestar and more of his Clan mates. Brindlestar leaped onto Coldnight, hissing a challenge, and fasted her teeth into Coldnight's loose neck fur. Algaepool ran into Pineclaw, and knocked him onto his paws, giving him rapid claw marks down his cheek. Barkleaf leaped on top of Hailsnow, sinking his claws deep into the toms' fur. Timberflake let out a screech of horror as Blazeheart and Oatfur surged towards her. 
        "Get away from me!" Timberflake yowled.
        Timbeerflake, Hailsnow and Pineclaw fled, leaping up the slope back into the trees.
        "Brindlestar! Don't think you've won! Thunderclan will have Sunningrocks!"
        "Never will you have Sunningrocks." Brindlestar hissed. "Now get back to you own territory!"
        Coldtail's eyes shone with hatred, and let out a furious hiss before turning to flee with his other Clanmates. Barkleaf and Blazeheart chased after them, hard on their paws.
        "N-no!" Brindlestar yowled. She was standing over Burnteyes' limp body. Other cats gathered around, "Wait, he's still breathing!"
         Rapidly Lilyflower went over and explained what happened, how they had a fight over Sunningrocks, and Burnteyes ordered Birdbuzz to go get help, and how Coldnight hurt Burnteyes. "They thought we wouldn't be strong enough after the badger attack." Lilyflower added.
         "You hurt?" Algaepool asked, pushing her way up to him. Her orange eyes were still lit with the battle that had happened just moments ago. He examined his sister for bad wounds on her pelt, then looked at his own. 
        They both lost several pawfuls of fur. He'd lost most of his on his flank. His tail stung, as though the cat that had bitten it did their best to bite it off. Lilyflower had a long scratch down her leg, and blood was trickling from a scratch on Oatfur's shoulder.
        "Well, we'd better get back to camp so Lakestripe can look at our wounds." Brindlestar meowed.
        "I think I'm ok to stay back and reset the markers." Barkleaf insisted. "We need to put our scent along the proper border, so Thunderclan learns where the border actually is."
        "I'm ok too, but I think Lilyflower should go get that ear and paw looked at."
        Lilyflower nodded, looking too battered and exhausted to argue.
        "Then I'll come with you." Algaepool mewed to Creekclaw.
        Her eyes gleamed as she lashed her tail. "Thunderclan needs to learn where the proper border is."

        Creekclaw, Barkleaf and Algaepool returned to camp after setting the scent markers past Sunningrocks. His ears pricked with the hisses and growls of the hurt warriors from camp. He slipped through the camp entrance to find Brindlestar on the Wet Rock, with his Clanmates gathered under. 
        "We should attack their camp, and teach them a lesson." Oneclaw growled.
        Brindlestar twitched her tail, then flicked it for silence. "We will not be attacking anyone's camp," she meowed. "You know, and the rest of your Clanmates know, we're not ready and not fully revived.