Dark River

the earth and held his ground, wrestling Weaselfur to the floor while Brook turned and knocked Owlwhisker flying with a back-kick.

“Let’s take those two!” Poppypaw nudged Lionpaw and flicked her bushed-out tail toward Harepaw and Breezepaw, who were swiping at Brightheart as she wrestled with Whitetail.

Lionpaw nodded. “I’ll take Breezepaw,” he hissed. He pelted forward and flung himself at the black apprentice.

Caught off guard, Breezepaw rolled onto the ground.

Lionpaw leaped on top of him, using his hind legs to brace himself as he slashed out with his forepaws. But Breezepaw was quick. He ducked out of the way, leaving Lionpaw flailing at thin air. Lionpaw spun in time to see Breezepaw lunge at him. Remembering Tigerstar’s move, he flicked his hind legs into the air, spun on his forepaws, and leaped backward, then

reared up and raked Breezepaw’s astonished face with each paw, before tucking his head under and doing a neat forward roll.

Satisfaction flooded him. Did you see that, Tigerstar?

Then he froze. He had spotted a pale tabby pelt among the fighting cats.

Heatherpaw?

His heart lurched. He looked closer and sagged with relief when he saw that it was just Owlwhisker hurtling away from Brook. Suddenly, his ear burned; Breezepaw had caught him with a thorn-sharp claw. Lionpaw’s ear grew wet as blood pulsed from the wound. Angrier than ever, he hurled himself at Breezepaw. The WindClan apprentice fell backward and Lionpaw reared up to rake him with his forepaws, but Breezepaw rolled neatly out from under him.

“Not fast enough,” the WindClan apprentice sneered.

Suddenly, Hazelpaw streaked past and butted Breezepaw with her head. The WindClan apprentice fell over, winded, and Lionpaw raked his claws down his flank.

“Never stop to gloat!” Hazelpaw hissed at Breezepaw and clamped her teeth into his tail.

Yowling, Breezepaw scrambled to his paws and kicked Hazelpaw away with his hind legs. He stared into Lionpaw’s eyes. “Can’t take me by yourself?”

“Do you want to bet?” Lionpaw leaped at him, grabbing Breezepaw’s head between his forepaws and using his hind paws to sweep his legs from under him. Another Tigerstar move! The WindClan apprentice rolled down the slope and

disappeared over the edge of the gully.

Ashfur had Weaselfur pinned to the ground a tail-length away. The WindClan warrior managed to struggle from his grasp, but Ashfur caught him under the chin with a well-aimed blow that sent him sprawling back against a clump of brambles. Weaselfur screeched in pain and, struggling to free himself from the thorny branches, scrabbled backward onto WindClan territory.

Brook was driving Owlwhisker steadily down the slope, balancing on her hind legs while she aimed slash after slash at his retreating muzzle. Poppypaw clung to Whitetail’s back while Brightheart raked the ears of the WindClan warrior.

Harepaw was already fleeing across the stream, with Hazelpaw yowling after him. “Run back to the nursery, Harekit!”

“Retreat!” Ashfoot ordered.

Tornear looked up from pummeling Thornclaw’s back with churning hind paws. At once Thornclaw slithered from his grasp and scrambled to his paws, aiming a vicious blow at the tabby’s head. Tornear reeled, hissing, then turned back, eyes narrowed with rage. But the other WindClan cats had already fled.

“This isn’t finished!” Tornear leaped the gully and halted beside his Clanmates. They huddled together, scratched and bleeding, flanks heaving, and stared furiously at the ThunderClan cats.

“Stay on the moor from now on!” Dustpelt hissed.

Ashfoot glared at the dark brown tabby warrior. “Firestar

gave us these woods! If you have a quarrel about us hunting on them, take it up with him!”

Dustpelt flexed his claws. “I’ll take it up with any WindClan cat—warrior or apprentice—that I catch hunting ThunderClan’s prey!”

Lionpaw fluffed out his fur and hissed at Breezepaw. “No more squirrels for you!”

Breezepaw lashed his tail. “Don’t be so sure!”

Thornclaw leaned toward the border. “Go home!” he snarled.

Dustpelt bristled, blood staining his muzzle. “This isn’t the end.” He turned and, muttering angrily, led his Clanmates limping into the trees. “Is anyone badly hurt?” He swung his head around to look at them.

“My tail hurts,” Brightheart meowed. “But it’ll mend.”

Lionpaw licked his paw and ran it over his scratched ear.

He could feel the nick that split the top. He would carry this battle scar forever, he thought proudly.

“Brook?” Dustpelt narrowed his eyes at the mountain cat.

“That looks like a nasty scratch on your flank.”

“It’s not deep,” Brook reassured him, though fresh blood was still welling at one end.

“I’ll take her back to camp,” Stormfur offered.

Dustpelt nodded. “Thornclaw, Spiderleg, and I will re-mark the border. The rest of you go back with Stormfur.”

“Can I stay and help?” Lionpaw asked.

“You look like you’ve had enough for one day,” Ashfur told him.

Lionpaw dropped his gaze. Did his lack of sleep show that much? Reluctantly, he followed Stormfur and Brook as they headed into the trees.

Hazelpaw caught him up. “Wasn’t that great?”

“I feel like a real warrior now.” Poppypaw fell in beside them.

“Me too!” Lionpaw felt a sudden surge of happiness.

Hawkfrost was wrong if he thought Lionpaw would never make a great warrior!

As the patrol headed down into the hollow, Brambleclaw shot out of the thorn tunnel to meet them. “Did you drive them off?”

“It was easy,” Stormfur meowed.

“No serious injuries?” Brambleclaw asked.

“Just some scratches.” Brightheart flicked her tail and winced.

Brambleclaw touched Lionpaw’s head with his muzzle.

“That ear looks sore.”

“It’s okay,” Lionpaw assured him.

“Lionpaw fought like a warrior,” Stormfur meowed.

Lionpaw lifted his chin as Brambleclaw ran his tail along his spine. “I’m sure he did,” the ThunderClan deputy purred.

“Is he hurt?” Squirrelflight was plucking the ground impatiently as the patrol padded into the clearing. She hurried to Lionpaw’s side at once, and Lionpaw shied away. Don’t make a fuss, he thought.

“He fought like a warrior,” Brambleclaw told her.

Squirrelflight blinked at Lionpaw. “Good.”

“Brook’s got a scratch and Brightheart got her tail bitten,”

Lionpaw reported. “But WindClan won’t be coming onto our territory for a while.” He hoped it was true. He was lucky that Heatherpaw hadn’t been in the WindClan patrol, but what about next time?

“Your ear looks pretty bad,” Squirrelflight fretted.

Lionpaw shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“Better get it seen to anyway.” Squirrelflight nudged him toward the medicine den where Stormfur was guiding Brightheart and Brook through the bramble entrance.

Reluctantly, Lionpaw followed them. He didn’t want Leafpool to heal his battle wound too well in case it didn’t leave a scar that would show how well he had fought.