Any exhaustion Bramblestripe may have felt had completely faded in the aftermath of the day's events. After Hawkstar announced the battle plan, he had decided to get in some battle practice. He felt no fear, only relief that they were finally going to finish this once and for all.
Shadowheart was one of the cats practicing. Bramblestripe didn't know what to think but he was willing to trust her. Why else would she come back right before a battle? Bramblestripe could see that not all of the other warriors were comfortable with Shadowheart but Hawkstar had allowed her back into the Clan. Whether they liked it or not, they needed Shadowheart's help.
At last, the time for practice was over. Hawkstar called his warriors together and they slipped out of camp. They headed straight for the woodland border where Shadowheart had told them the battle would take place.
It had all come down to this.
Every GrassClan warrior stood in a line facing the woodland border, waiting for the battle that would decide their fate once and for all.
Bramblestripe stood beside Shadowheart at the end of the line with Duskflower on his other side. Like him, they stood staring into the trees, every sense alert for the first sign of their enemy. The forest was nothing but a silent white wall. Not even the wind stirred. Then, they heard it.
The thrumming of many paws. The undergrowth shook as the enemy approached. Then, they broke through into the open, coming to a halt at the border. Shadestar stood at their heart, a black stain against the snowy forest. His eyes glittered in the darkness though he showed no surprise at GrassClan's presence.
"Shadestar, there is still a chance for this to end without bloodshed. Take your Clan back home and leave GrassClan in peace," Hawkstar began.
"And if I don't?" Shadestar asked, mew low in menace.
"If PineClan crosses the border, GrassClan will fight, and you will lose."
Shadestar gave an amused purr. "If you believe that, Hawkstar, you're even dumber than you look."
It was true that PineClan outnumbered them, and unlike GrassClan, not all their warriors were present. Though, numbers weren't everything. Before Hawkstar could respond, Shadestar kinked his tail in silent command. As one, PineClan surged forward in an overwhelming dark wave. The once silent night broke out into screeches and yowls.
The battle had begun.
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Rising from the Ashes
FanfictionThe four Clans-GrassClan, OakClan, PineClan and WillowClan-have lived in relative balance since the Clans began. They kept separate, save for their Gathering every full moon. While they had their disagreements, they kept a relatively harmonious exis...
