Froststar's Destiny

Chapter Six

"Oho, your leader! Ha. He's so great, is he?" Mousestar taunted. "He has nine lives, doesn't he? He's a true leader, isn't he? If so, why are you so scared?"

"Because you have nine lives too!" Frostpaw protested, unsheathing her claws again. She'd sheathed them when she'd killed the first one, Rosepelt, because killing was still new to her. She couldn't do it easily. She knew the warrior code, that real warriors shouldn't kill unless completely necessary, but it was necessary now, wasn't it? They wanted to kill her leader and medicine cat, plus they outnumbered her two to one!

"However, we have reinforcements," Birdsong meowed cruelly, a terrible, mean smile sliding onto her face.

Frostpaw took a step backwards as seven more cats emerged from the trees. They had battle scars because AutumnClan was always fighting, and even the tiniest apprentice had a scar across his eye.

"Scarredeye," the tiny apprentice introduced.

"Scarredeye?" Frostpaw demanded. "Shouldn't it be Scarredpaw or something?"

"But it's my eye that's scarred," he mewed, looking confused.

"She thinks you're an apprentice. Show her, Scarredeye!" Birdsong growled.

Scarredeye leapt on top of Frostpaw, slashing wildly, but he lacked the skill and coordination of a true warrior. Frostpaw evaded him easily, landing a solid hit on his stomach which accidentally opened up his belly. Blood pooled onto the ground and he collapsed, writhing on the ground. Birdsong merely tsked and didn't do anything to help. The other warriors tsked along, saying they'd made Scarredeye a warrior too young and he wasn't even ready to fight the pathetic white-furred SummerClan apprentice.

"That was disappointing," Mousestar meowed, his voice cold and calculating. "How much longer till your leader comes out, do you think?"

"Not long," Frostpaw meowed confidently. "Then he'll chase all you baddies away, and he'll kill you all like I killed Scarredeye!"

Whatever that was, it egged them on. They all attacked her in one fluid moment, and she just slid sideways, letting them all claw each other. Some hits were fatal and two died from that. It only seemed to anger them more. They hissed that she didn't fight properly and refused to call it tactics. They apparently didn't want to accept tactics in battle.

"Never mind," Mousestar growled. "Birdsong, kill her!"

Fear flashed for the briefest moment in her eyes before Birdsong leapt onto Frostpaw with her claws unsheathed. They were tinged red, pretty much showing how many battles she'd been in. AutumnClan warriors chanted for their deputy, booing for Frostpaw, uncaring that it was distracting Birdsong and doing nothing to Frostpaw. Finally the deputy whipped around and shouted, "STOP CHANTING!" which was all the time it took for Frostpaw to casually slip by and slit her throat. Birdsong fell to the ground and spasmed weakly a few times before finally dying. Frostpaw looked around contemptuously.

"Who's next?" she growled.

They all crouched low, ready to spring, and newly named Stonestar came out of Mothermouth with his medicine cat. Both of their jaws dropped agape when they saw six AutumnClan warriors crouched low ready to spring on one of their apprentices.

"Stop!" Morninglight cried. "In the name of peace, stop!"

"What's peace?" Mousestar cackled. "Attack her for even suggesting that, too!"

"Morninglight!" Stonestar cried dramatically, leaping in to save her. What about me? Frostpaw thought. Looks like she'd have to fend for herself.

But Stonestar was helping her in a heartbeat. Frostpaw almost wondered why, but then she realized Morninglight's body was spasming and the pale gray medicine cat was dead on the ground. Stonestar's eyes glittered with tears,  but no true warrior cried. No true warrior showed weakness. The basic rules.