Sandstar's Journey (COMPLETED)

Chapter Seventeen

As Raintail opened her eyes, she saw blurry figures swarming around her. 

She wasn't dead.

Her eyes widened as a large cat jumped over, hurling a shadowy figure into the wall. Raintail mewed in surprise, and ducked her head as claws swiped overhead. 

What was going on?

Raintail lifted herself from the ground, but she was shaking. She looked at the wall and to her horror saw the blood smeared across the wall. That was her blood. 

She thought back to the incident, the male slamming into her, knocking her to the wall. She felt light-headed thinking about it. She noticed the battle that was raging around her. Cats flew in all directions, fur and blood littered the ground, it was raining, and the fighting cats were drenched. She slunk back onto the wall, crouching to stay dry from the rain. And she finally noticed who was fighting. Sandstar flew across the battle field, attacking and swiping her claws at her opponents. Raintail stared in awe. Sandstar was the best fighter of Thunderclan. She felt guilt trickl8ng in her heart. 

Why did I push her into the river? Why? 

Raintail's tail swayed in the wind, hitting the wall. She watched Dart jump onto cats, his claws raking into their fur. He was so brave. Raintail didn't have the courage to attack cats that big. It suddenly dawned on Raintail.

They came all this way to save me.

Guilt and regret blurred her vision. The pounding of the rain against the cement like the pain she felt in that moment. She lifted her damp body, her fur clinging to the ground. 

She had to fight. 

She had to fight to prove herself worthy.

She leapt into the bloody battle, yowling and mewing in anger, not at the cats, but at herself. She    managed to sink her claws into that same icy-eyed female. The female yowled in pain, twisting around to see her opponent. Mewing in surprise, the female threw her body to the ground, crushing Raintail's legs under the weight. She howled and the female jumped up, her claws closing in on Raintail's neck. The deadly sharp claws held Raintail's wet fur, holding her to the ground as she got ready for the kill. 

The she-cat mewed in a taunting voice. "That all you got? You mewling kit?" She mewed, pressing her claws harder into Raintail's neck. 

Raintail gasped for air. The fire began to taste again. It crawled in, the fire stood over her, licking her wounds and laughing. It crawled up her neck, fire brewing in her throat. Trying to scream, but only reaching for air. She craned her neck, staring up at the sky, her eyes slowly closing as the claws on her neck grew tighter, her breath stuck in her throat.

And something blurred past her.

It knocked off the she-cat, and Raintail felt air again. Her lungs collapsing, she took in the precious air, her eyes trying to catch the battle. Even if she was lying on the cold, hard cement, rain drumming down and drenching her fur. 

She still felt warmth.

Everything was numb, no more pain, just numb, everything was quiet. 

The noises of cats yowling and rain pouring was fading into the background. A large, orange pelt stood over her, and in hushed whispers it asked, "Are you okay?" Over and over again. Her eyes shut, and the noise fading, lost in darkness, she saw something. 

A shadowy cat appeared in front of her, the cat stared at her with a firm gaze. "You have proved yourself." It said, the shadowy cat's voice booming. "Proved what?" Raintail asked in a low mutter, her eyes still heavy. "Proved you have a second chance." The shadow cat replied, it's voice echoing off the cold, dark walls. "You have until night to prove yourself worthy." 

Everything disappeared, and Raintail awoke, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon.