Winterfrost woke to the feeling of something wrong. She lifted her head and tasted the air. Something was wrong! She got to her paws and stretched. Then, she peered outside and saw that 5 cats where padding into the camp. She was about to give a warning yowl but an elder beat her too it. Moonshade's yowl echoed around the camp. One of the five cats flinched, but remained position. Cats padded out of their dens, but where alert as soon as they saw the newcomers.
"Thornstar? What brings you here?" Shadowstar's voice rasped from the other end of the clearing. He padded up to the massive black-gray tabby.
"Have you forgotten already?" Thornstar hissed impatiently, clawing at the ground with thorn-sharp claws.
"About what?" Shadowstar looked confused.
"Our plan to attack Sunclan and Rainclan!" Thornstar growled, glaring at Shadowstar. Winterfrost winced at the mention of attacking Rainclan.
"Oh, that plan." Shadowstar murmured though Winterfrost could tell it was half to himself.
"Don't you remember? We have the power to control every clan in the forest! I think the only one holding us back is you." Thornstar slid his claws out, but the Cloudclan cats quickly formed a protective line in front of Shadowstar, ready to attack if Thornstar dared to do something. Thornstar gave a laugh.
"I see there are some traitors among us?" Thornstar's voice was icy calm.
"We aren't traitors! We where never traitors! The only traitors in the forest are Darkclan!" Swiftclover, a cat Winterfrost had seen only a few times, retorted, fur bristling. She was a cat Winterfrost thought would be cool to hang out with, but never got the chance to say 'hi'.
"Darkclan? What is Darkclan?" Thornstar asked sarcastically, tilting his head.
"We are now known as Thistleclan! I even did the ceremony! And the rest of the clan agrees, so join us! Thistleclan and Cloudclan will unite, and create Battleclan!" Thornstar yowled. The other 4 cats yowled approval.
"I will think about your offer, Thornstar. But is it really necessary? Think, what are we fighting for? Power? You can't have more power than Starclan grants you!" Shadowstar challanged, flicking his tail for his warriors to move away from him. The line broke and surprisingly, Swiftclover padded over to Winterfrost, who had padded to join the rest of the cats, and sat down next to her.
"Oh, but I can! Starclan never helped us, Starclan never helped me! My entire family died beneath Starclan's paws and they didn't even lift a claw to help! Starclan will pay for what they did to me, and for abandoning my clan! If you won't join me, some, precautions," He flicked his tail and instantly, more than 17 cats streamed into the camp behind Thornstar.
"Will be made." He finished with a wave of his tail.
"We don't have to fight, we will let you go back to your territory without battle." Shadowstar meowed uneasily.
"Our own territory?" Thornstar sounded shocked.
"We are in our territory. And we don't intend to leave. Not now, not ever. Any cat who wants to join us will fight beside us now!" At first, no cat moved. Then, a white cat with gray patches padded up to Thornstar and sat beside his warriors. Winterfrost instantly recognized the familiar pelt of Snowdrop. She never really hated her, but for some reason Snowdrop couldn't stand Winterfrost. Every time Winterfrost greeted her, Snowdrop would hiss in defiance and race away. A few other cats that would hang around Snowdrop followed her. When no other cat moved, there where 6 Cloudclan cats that had joined Thistleclan.
"Some of your warriors are wise at least." Thornstar grunted.
"Get out of our camp!" Shadowstar's tail lashed from side to side.
"Did I mention this is our territory? Our territory. Our camp. Thistleclan, attack!!!!" Shadowstar yowled and flung himself at Shadowstar. Winterfrost couldn't see what happened next because more Thistleclan cats streamed into the camp. Oh Starclan, did they bring their whole camp!? Winterfrost saw elders, queens, young apprentices, kits, and even the medicine cats pouring in.
Winterfrost knew that some of the cats might recognize her, so she raced from the camp and splattered mud on her tail tip and paws, which quickly dried and if you didn't look closely, looked like that was her fur color. Then, almost as quickly as she left, she flung herself into the camp and bowled over the nearest cat, a black tabby tom, and pinned him down. She clawed at his shoulder, giving him a nasty scratch, then showed him off with a nip on the tail as he fled in a screech of anger. She was about to attack another cat when something slammed into her.
Winterfrost shrieked as the blue-gray tom nipped her ear, tearing it. Winterfrost felt herself being forced to the ground under the cat's strength. But quickly, Winterfrost's foot kicked him and he stumbled away from her. As he got up, Winterfrost rammed into him and knocked him away with a breath-taking force. Winterfrost got up and shook her fur when another shape ran in front of her with a hiss. Snowdrop!
"You have gotten into our plans too many times!" Snowdrop hissed and lashed out at Winterfrost, landing a blow on her chest.
"What plans?" Winterfrost hissed, tail lashing. Snowdrop looked at her innocently.
"Why, the plans to take over the forest! The dark forest will control everything. They are the true cats! Starclan are just wimps and liars! They won't help you now." Snowdrop gave a low growl and leaped onto Winterfrost's back. Winterfrost was bigger than her, but Snowdrop planted her claws squarely on Winterfrost. Winterfrost yowled in hate and threw her off, but Snowdrop raced back to fight again. Swiftly, Winterfrost lashed out at the smaller cat and sent her tumbling away. Winterfrost looked around to see that Thistleclan was winning. Then, she looked up and was horrified. The clouds had completely covered the sun and the sky, showing Starclan didn't approve. She gave a warning yowl. All the cats stopped fighting and looked up.
"Starclan doesn't approve!" Shadowstar yowled.
"Starclan are weak wimps! Thistleclan, ignore every defiance that Cloudclan makes! Attack!" Thornstar ordered. His cats leaped into battle again. Winterfrost was about to attack when she noticed two white shapes bundling around the nursery. At first she was confused, then she realized that Patchpelt was fighting! She should be in the elders den! She was about to leap to her aid but was too late. The Thistleclan tom clenched his teeth into Patchpelt's neck fur and shook rapidly. Then he tossed her aside and pursued the nursery. Winterfrost stared at Patchpelt's shape on the ground. Her neck was twisted awkwardly and her eyes where glazed with battle in her eyes. Then, something in Winterfrost just snapped at that moment. Thistleclan had no care for Starclan. Thistleclan was trying to take over Cloudclan and their territory! Thistleclan must stay away from Cloudclan! Winterfrost yowled and flung herself into the clash of cats. She felt herself running faster and faster until she reached the nursery. Inside, the three white kits that had been playing with Winterfrost before where huddled in the corner. A Thistleclan cat was swiping his tongue over his lips and stalking towards them. Instinctively, Winterfrost slammed herself into the cat, knocking the breath out of him and surprising him.
"You. Killed. Patchpelt!!!!!" Winterfrost screeched and battered at the tom's exposed underbelly. The tom wriggled and squirmed to get away and as soon as he got his footing he fled. Winterfrost looked over at the kits, they where shivering, but they seemed alright, despite a few scratches. Winterfrost nodded and was about to run back into the battle when a yowl startled her.
"Get everyone out of the camp! Now!" Shadowstar ordered his clan. The Cloudclan cats quickly broke from the fight to flee or get other clan members away from the camp.
"Go to the Great Oak! Hurry!" Shadowstar yowled. Winterfrost quickly picked up the kits by their scruffs. She ignored their mewls of surprise and raced out of the camp, tail streaming behind her. She didn't know where the Great Oak was, so she followed the other Cloudclan cats. She arrived at a giant oak tree that seemed to reach to Starclan. She set the kits down closest to the tree and raced back to the camp. She saw all of the apprentices, including Whitepaw, running from the camp. The elders where running as fast as they could to get to the Great Oak. Winterfrost saw only a few remaining warriors that where finishing their fight with Thistleclan, then fleeing. Winterfrost pelted after them. She knew that all the Cloudclan cats had left the camp, and she didn't hear pawsteps behind her which meant that Thistleclan knew they won. As the rest of the cats arrived, Winterfrost heard some of the cats wail in greif, some licked their wounds and some where helping to gather herbs. Winterfrost turned her head as Panthertuft approaches her. Winterfrost knew she had become friends with the she-cat, even though she never got to say hi.
"Oh Winter, what will Cloudclan do now?" Panthertuft murmured, looking at her paws. Honestly, Winterfrost didn't know. Starclan tried to stop the battle but Thistleclan ignored them. What would her adopted clan to now?