Golden Wings

Seasons passed. Six cats traveled to the sun-drown-place and the Clans had been driven from the forest and fled to the Lake territory. And there the Clans remained. And there RiverClan thrived…

A young dark tabby bounded swiftly into the camp which was split from the rest of the forest by two v-shaped streams. The tom yowled like a lost kit, calling, “Leopardstar! Leopardstar!” The tabby warrior’s icy blue eyes flashed as he cried the RiverClan leader’s name. A small brown tabby tom loped behind the dark tabby, panting with the effort.

My dreams of two little kits broke and shattered when the warrior’s screech sounded. I rose my golden body from my nest and slipped out of my den beside the tiny rivers. I streamed from the den, my amber eyes flashing at the young warriors. “Hawkfrost! Voletooth! What in the name of StarClan is the matter?”

“ShadowClan!” the warrior called Hawkfrost spat. “Roaming and romping on our territory like badgers! I ought to turn them into mouse fodder for this!”

Leader, are you now Hawkfrost? I hissed, and found that my Clanmates around me were doing the same. I had to think quickly, which as a seasoned leader of the greatest Clan, RiverClan, swift and beautiful, I could. “Darkfur, Splashtail. Take Heavystep and Reedwhisker to the ShadowClan invasion.” I whipped my head to Hawkfrost, my former apprentice. “Where, and how many ShadowClan warriors?”

The blue-eyed tabby bared his teeth into a snarl. “We found them crossing the border by the Thunderpath. There are five of them; I recognized Russetfur among them, and Cedarheart. Blackclaw and Swallowtail are there, but they won’t last forever.”

“Two RiverClan warriors are worth the entire lot of ShadowClan!” a cat behind me called---a new warrior named Otterheart. Some other RiverClan cats yowled their agreement.

“True,” I meowed, nodding. “But they won’t last forever.” To Voletooth and Hawkfrost, I ordered, “Take Ripplepaw as well. The experience will do him good.” A dark tabby apprentice scampered to the chosen warriors’ side, and when they turned to depart, cheered on by their Clanmates, I followed behind them. But when I did so, a dark blue-gray she-cat blocked my path. Her sapphire eyes bore into mine. “Leopardstar, are you fighting too?”

I flicked my golden ears. “Yes, of course, Mistyfoot.” I padded past my older deputy, but I felt her worried gaze upon me. What was she afraid of ? I was still young and able to lead my Clan into battle, as I would be for seasons more until my lives failed. And I would do it valiantly.

I maneuvered around my Clanmates to Hawkfrost at the lead. His muscles were rippling under his tabby pelt---I caught myself glancing. “Hawkfrost.” The tom looked to me. “Lead on to the Thunderpath.” He nodded, but kept at my side as our patrol ran through the wood. Even though Mistyfoot had returned to RiverClan in the old forest after being captured by Twolegs, and had been back in RiverClan for moons, I couldn’t help thinking about Hawkfrost as deputy. He had taken her place while she was absent, and he had done a fine job. What must he feel like, having to be a normal warrior again? After all, nearly the whole Clan supported him.

We raced into the clearing by the Thunderpath and found two dark-pelted cats fending off horrid-smelling ShadowClan warriors. The two dark-furred cats were Swallowtail and Blackclaw, and they were desperately trying to ward off the invaders.

A warrior named Rowanclaw swiped at Swallowtail, sending the dark tabby she-cat tumbling to our paws. The young brown tom Voletooth, who had followed Hawkfrost into camp, leaped over the winded Swallowtail and knocked Rowanclaw to the ground. The brown RiverClan tom and the ginger ShadowClan tom grappled furiously in a ball of fiery fur. At my command, Hawkfrost, Reedwhisker, Darkfur, Splashtail, Heavystep, and Ripplepaw leapt into battle. There were now ten RiverClan cats, including myself, fighting five worn ShadowClan warriors. And since I myself had four lives remaining…

The young brown tabby Splashtail was dislodged from a gray cat’s pelt where she held it with her claws. The gray tom was Cedarheart, and when he saw me, he threw himself at me. I snarled threateningly, and scored my claws across his face when he approached me. The startled gray warrior was thrown back; he yowled, batting my flank with clawed paws. Scarlet blood welled on my gold fur, and my amber eyes flashed. I slipped under Cedarheart and attacked his paler gray belly. The gray cat howled and pulled me away, snapping teeth on my ears. But I wrenched my ears from his grasp, blood spotting the mud. Beyond our battle, Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, screeched, and a line of fresh ShadowClan warriors fell into battle. I hissed at my own mistake. This was no border skirmish! This was a real, well-planned invasion at attempt to steal RiverClan land! And Blackstar had placed his warriors well---they had reinforcements. We did not. But there were only six more cats, and that wouldn’t affect us too poorly.

A pure white she-cat called Snowbird slipped to Cedarheart’s side and the two pressed me harder and harder back. The dark tom clawed my body while the young Snowbird battered my legs. I swiped at the both of them, but they grew to be overwhelming. When I bit down on Snowbird’s snowy fur, she called out to a small brown apprentice to aide them. The young tom’s green eyes glowed with battle light at the prospect of fighting a Clan leader.

Three ShadowClan cats against this one RiverClan leader. I did not doubt my battle skills and strength, but three were a little much. I screeched and fought like a warrior of LeopardClan, mighty and swift, sinking my claws into each adversary’s fur. I soon chased the apprentice away, who ran to across the Thunderpath to the ShadowClan border with terror in his leafy eyes. Snowbird hissed, “Snakepaw!” but it was no use. Snakepaw was gone. Cedarheart snorted and struck me with more force, spitting, “We can battle her without Snakepaw. Nine of her lives are worth one of ours.” I pressed me ears against my head, and knocked Cedarheart back. The gray cat shrieked, and leapt on top of my back. Young Snowbird’s eyes lit and she clawed my paws. I raised my forelegs to throw off Cedarheart from my spine, but the tom pressed harder down. Raising my paws was my mistake, for my balance was placed into my hindquarters. Cedarheart slammed his paws down on my back and Snowbird butted with all her might into my side with strength like StarClan.

The air was stolen from me, and my legs buckled. Soon, I was down with one white warrior attacking me while Cedarheart’s dark gray fur smothering me. A snowy white paw crashed over my eyes and struck me at the side of my head. Stars flew in my mind, and blackness threatened to wash over me. I struggled for air under the dark tom over me, and Cedarheart taunted from where he blocked my air, “The great Leopardstar! Downed by two warrior of ShadowCl---” The gray tom never finished his boast, for he himself was downed by a flash of dark brown fur and glinting claws. Hawkfrost was ripping clumps of ShadowClan fur; Cedarheart yowled for mercy.

Snowbird shrieked and left me to protect her Clanmate. “Get away from him!” Blackness still clouded my vision, but I attempted to rise to my paws and aimed a yet skillful blow to the white warrior’s haunches. She turned, but I raked my claws down her muzzle and bit her ear. Snowbird wailed and pushed Hawkfrost away from her Clanmate. Both cats took for the ShadowClan border.

“Fight, you cowards!” Russetfur yowled, but it was too late. Most of her Clan had fled. I leapt over Darkfur, the black she-cat rolling away, and knocked Russetfur down. The dark red deputy snarled and began to strike me, but her last companion, a small brown cat called Oakfur, fled from where Heavystep and Ripplepaw doubled against him. The ShadowClan she-cat spat, “This isn’t over, Leopardstar.”

I let her pass me and the red ginger she-cat raced to her territory. Triumphant yowls erupted from my warriors and I joined them, but the dizziness returned. I swayed on my paws, and I would have fallen if Hawkfrost hadn’t pushed his shoulder under me.

“Leopardstar!” Swallowtail fretted, and Ripplepaw shivered. I struggled to keep awake, but I growled, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” The senior warrior, Heavystep, didn’t look better than me; the old cat would retire soon.

I murmured to Hawkfrost, “This isn’t necessary.”

The dark warrior practically ignored me, but he would not let me stand on my own. “Leopardstar, you need so see Mothwing.” He nodded to the RiverClan cats. “Let’s go.”

Heavystep padded to me. “Will you be able to walk?”

My amber eyes darkened. “For StarClan’s sake, I’m younger than you, Heavystep! Worry for yourself.” Heavystep dipped his head, bounding after his Clanmates, but Hawkfrost wouldn’t let me go. Every other RiverClan cat had left. Only Hawkfrost and I remained.

The tabby tom gazed into my eyes and meowed, “Are you ready?”

“Stop treating me like and elder!” I hissed. “I’m not old. I’m not too very young, but I am not old either! I’m only five leaf-bares!”

Hawkfrost sighed. “Yes, Leopardstar.” He slipped away from me and I steadied myself. But after a few heartbeats, I stumbled. “Fox dung,” I cursed, and the tabby warrior with the cool-blue eyes balanced me again.

“We’ll take it slowly,” Hawkfrost assured me. His dark pelt pressed against my sleek golden-brown fur. He padded soundly into the forest, and I couldn’t help leaning against him. Waves of darkness began to cover my senses. Was it my fevered imagination, or did I actually hear the dark warrior purr?

At the camp, Mothwing welcomed me, and I shook myself from Hawkfrost and he dipped his head to his sister and me before bounding away. The dappled golden tabby medicine cat sniffed me over and meowed softly. “Come to my den, Leopardstar. You were nearly knocked out.”

I trailed behind Mothwing, trying to shake the weariness away. But the dizzy feeling kept coming back, and when Mothwing led me to a moss-laden nest, I did not wait for the herbs for any of my wounds. As soon as I collapsed into a nest, I gave into the darkness…