Dovewing dug into the thick russet fur until she felt skin pop beneath her claw-tips. The fox flicked its head from side to side until Dovewing was dizzy, but she didn’t let go. Dimly, she was aware of movement at the edge of the clearing. She glanced up, and her momentary lapse of concentration loosened her grip. The fox flung her off like a bug and Dovewing flew through the air to land with a thud on the earth. She gasped for breath.
A golden tabby face loomed over her. “Keep still. You’ve been winded.” It was Lionblaze. “Watch her, Cinderheart,” he ordered. Then he vanished, and Dovewing heard a fresh scream from the fox.
Fuzzily, she made out Cinderheart’s features peering down at her. “We heard a commotion and came as fast as we could,” the she-cat explained. She glanced up and winced. “I’ve never seen a fox fight like that before. Oh, Lionblaze, no!”
Dovewing fought to sit up. Cinderheart propped her against her shoulder. Lionblaze was crouched on the fox’s back, sinking his teeth into its neck. Blood poured from a rip in his ear but he didn’t seem to notice the scarlet liquid pooling into his eyes. Below, Thornclaw and Mousewhisker clawed at the fox’s free front leg, while Blossomfall and Ivypool attacked its hindquarters. There was something in the way each pair of warriors moved, matching blow for blow, bite for bite, that reminded Dovewing they had trained together for a long time in skills the ThunderClan cats couldn’t dream of.
The fox twisted its head around to snap at Lionblaze. Cinderheart lunged forward. “He’s going to be killed!” she hissed.
Dovewing struggled to her feet and put out one paw to stop the she-cat. “He’s okay,” she mewed. “Let him fight.”
Cinderheart turned to face her, her blue eyes ringed with white in fear. “But he doesn’t have his powers anymore! He can be hurt now!”
“I know,” Dovewing meowed. “My powers have gone too. But he’s still the best and bravest warrior that ThunderClan has. Don’t take that away from him, Cinderheart.”
The gray she-cat held Dovewing’s gaze, then slowly breathed out. “You’re right,” she whispered.
The fox let out another unearthly screech, which was abruptly cut off. With a hideous gurgle, it spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground. Thornclaw and Mousewhisker only just managed to jump clear. Lionblaze leaped down from the fox’s back and stood over it, watching its flank heave one last time.
The bracken rustled and Bramblestar burst into the clearing followed by Squirrelflight, Cherrypaw, and Molepaw. The ThunderClan leader stopped dead when he saw the fox and the battered, bleeding warriors around it. “What in the name of StarClan has happened here?” he growled.
Squirrelflight bounded over to Dovewing. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” Dovewing wheezed. She stood up and gingerly tested each paw. Her ribs were bruised on one side from hitting the ground, but there was nothing seriously wrong.
Lionblaze prodded the fox with one paw. Its head lolled away from him and another gush of blood came from its mouth. “She’s dead,” the warrior announced unnecessarily.
Bramblestar walked over and looked down at the silver teeth still clutching the fox’s foreleg. “Cherrypaw and Molepaw said they found traces of a fox inside the border. Did you chase it into the trap?”
Dovewing padded forward. “No,” she mewed. “This fox was already trapped when the first patrol found it.” She stared at the apprentices. “Wasn’t it?”
Cherrypaw nodded miserably.
Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what they told me.”
“Nor us,” Dovewing meowed. “I think they wanted my patrol to find it when it was alive and crazed with pain.”
“Why would they do that?” Squirrelflight asked.
Dovewing let her gaze travel over the shamefaced warriors to rest on her brave patrol. “Because my patrol was made up of cats who once trained with the Dark Forest. Cherrypaw and Molepaw feel no loyalty toward them, and were willing to send them into great danger.”
Bramblestar’s hackles rose. “Is she right?” he demanded.
Molepaw shifted his paws. “We didn’t know they’d attack it!” he whined. “We just wanted to scare them!”
There was a blur of movement, and suddenly Lionblaze was looming over the apprentices. “You nearly killed them!” he hissed.
Cherrypaw shrank to the ground. “We didn’t mean to!” she bleated.
“Stand down, Lionblaze,” Bramblestar ordered. “We’ll return to the hollow. All of you who fought this fox, I want Jayfeather to check you over.” He turned and stalked out of the clearing. The cats trailed after him, silent now from shame or exhaustion after the frenzy of fighting for their lives. Dovewing’s head spun and she leaned gratefully on Cinderheart’s shoulder as they pushed through the ferns and descended the slope to the camp.
Inside, Bramblestar was standing on Highledge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a meeting!” he roared.
There was a ripple of shock as cats emerged from the dens or put down the fresh-kill they’d been eating. Bumblestripe raced over to Dovewing. “What’s happened? Are you all right?”
She breathed in his warm scent and let it comfort her. “I’ll be okay,” she mewed.
Bramblestar barely gave the cats a chance to settle before he began speaking. His words were flung into the hollow like stones into a pool. “There are brave warriors among you today,” he declared. “Cats who risked their lives to protect their Clan, who rushed into a situation without knowing what they faced but didn’t turn back. They fought the most savage of enemies, and won. We are in their debt.”
A murmur passed through the crowd and cats turned to one another in confusion. What had they missed? Had there been an attack from another Clan?
Bramblestar continued: “Ivypool, Blossomfall, Mousewhisker, Thornclaw, and Birchfall, please come to the front.”
The five cats limped to the foot of the cliff. Thornclaw’s lip was torn, and a scab was already forming above Ivypool’s eye. Birchfall and Mousewhisker were missing several clumps of fur.
“Some of you continue to blame these cats for the battle with the Dark Forest,” Bramblestar meowed. “You are wrong. Today, these cats saved our lives. They were tricked—yes, tricked—into taking on a wounded fox. I am pleased to report that the creature was defeated and ThunderClan is safe. If you feel anything toward these warriors, it should be gratitude, respect, and the utmost loyalty. They have proved that they are willing to lay down their lives for you. In future, you will be prepared to do the same.”
Dovewing looked around and saw that several of her Clanmates seemed uncomfortable, flattening their ears and shifting their paws. Berrynose and Poppyfrost were among them.
Bramblestar raked the Clan with his amber gaze. “Know this, warriors. The Dark Forest will win if we do not forgive those cats who were once their allies. Forgiveness is far more powerful than hatred and suspicion. United, we are as strong as we ever were. Divided, we will fall. Remember that the Dark Forest is still out there, ready to prey on our dreams. Hostility and distrust among us will give them more force than they deserve. Do you want that?”
“No!” chorused the cats.
Bramblestar tipped his head to one side. “I don’t hear you!”
“No!” ThunderClan yowled, shivering the leaves on the trees.
Bramblestar lowered his head to pray. “Great StarClan, we thank you for giving courage and strength to these warriors today. May we honor them always.”
His words were echoed by the rest of the cats, quietly like a soft breeze. There was a stir of movement near the front, and Dovewing stood on tiptoe to see Cherrypaw and Molepaw approach the cats at the bottom of the cliff.