Treacherous Skies

Chapter 9

Suddenly Echoheart was pulled from behind, and she lost her balance, yowling out in pain. She whipped her head around. The third fox, the one that they'd first met at the top of the cliff, was dragging Echoheart by her tail. Echoheart growled in pain and anger, thrashing in its grip.

It must have jumped down to help the other two!  she thought in fear.

She turned and lashed out at it, raking her claws across its white muzzle. It howled, releasing her tail. She turned to get to her paws, but another fox snapped out at her ear, tearing it. Echoheart hissed, then leapt into the air, landing on the fox's flank. She clawed at it, then sunk her teeth in deep, tasting the blood on her tongue. She felt satisfaction in her bloodied claws as the fox knocked her off and fled down the hill and into the bushes.

Echoheart heard another hiss and spun around, heart thumping. Bumblefrost had joined Whispersong's side and was helping her fight one of the foxes, which was more than twice their size. Echoheart started to go and help them, but her face hit the snow hard, stinging her torn ear. She was being dragged down again by the second fox, which had suddenly come from behind the bushes and leapt at her. Echoheart, now exhausted and weak, missed when she clawed for its eyes. It bared its teeth mockingly and cornered her against the stone wall. Echoheart looked around wildly for a way to escape, but she was trapped.

"Echoheart!" Whispersong screamed from what seemed to be forests away. Echoheart could just see her sister from behind the fox, her eyes stretched wide in terror. Then Whispersong was dragged down, the first fox on top of her. Echoheart heard her sister's howls of pain, and horror raced down Echoheart's spine; there was nothing she could do to help her. Bumblefrost was desperately trying to help, but the fox kept knocking him the to ground, and this time Bumblefrost hit a rock and shuddered, then lie still.

Bumblefrost can't be dead!  Echoheart told herself, ignoring the fox closing in around her, growling ominously.

Then a caterwaul of absolute terror suddenly filled the air, ringing in Echoheart's ears and chilling her heart. There was another shriek, and Echoheart could see her sister's dark crimson blood staining the snow.

Whispersong! She's going to die!

Then Echoheart shook her head. No!  she thought. She would not  let her sister get torn up by a fox! She couldn't let that happen!

The fox in front of Echoheart snapped, barely missing her nose, and Echoheart felt a sudden burst of energy. She lashed at the fox, feeling her claws dig deep into flesh. Its blood splattered the snow and her mottled gray tabby fur. The fox tripped, and Echoheart took that chance to race to her sister's help.

But just as she was leaping over the fox, it sat up and grabbed her, locking its jaws on her hind leg. Echoheart collapsed, and fell limp, her leg numb. She clawed the fox's nose, and it released her leg with a yowl of pain, cowering toward the bushes. She stared at her limp leg, gushing blood. But when Echoheart tried to move it, nothing happened. Echoheart's breathing quickened, and she started to panic.

Whispersong and Bumblefrost's screams filled the air as the fox they were fighting covered them in blood. She detected a glint of satisfaction in its evil eyes, and Echoheart's blood turned to ice. They were all going to die!

StarClan, let it be painless! Take me quickly!

Suddenly the fox lying in front of her started to stir, and it stood up. It glanced at Echoheart, saw that she was wounded, and lashed its tail in mocking. Then it reared on its hind legs, aiming for the killing blow. Echoheart closed her eyes, repeating her previous pleas to StarClan in her head.