Prologue
“ShadowClan, attack!”
⠀⠀Rippletail’s battle cry echoed in the air, the ginger tom leaping into the mass of cats below. Batchaser wasn’t far behind him, outstretching his claws to meet the throat of a distracted ThunderClan warrior.
⠀⠀He latched himself onto the brown tom, the two cats rolling in the dirt. The black tom slashed his claws down Paleheart’s cheek, kicking the other tom off of him.
⠀⠀“ShadowClan scum!” Paleheart spat as he staggered to his paws, blood dripping down his face. “You’ve always been ignorant enough to believe you owned our territory!”
⠀⠀“ThunderClan is fat.” Batchaser drew his lips back into a snarl. “You need no extra prey!”
⠀⠀A fire blazed in Paleheart’s eyes as he whacked Batchaser in the nose. The black tom stumbled back and narrowed his eyes. “The kittypet can fight, eh?”
⠀⠀“I’m not a kittypet!” the tom growled.
⠀⠀Batchaser snickered. “ThunderClan brings so many in, I don’t even know who’s Clanborn anymore.”
⠀⠀Not even responding, Paleheart leapt forward and aimed for the ShadowClan warrior’s exposed neck. Batchaser thought quickly and ducked his head, smashing headfirst into the other tom. Paleheart yowled in shock and hit the ground. The black tom gritted his teeth as pain shot through his head.
⠀⠀“Y-You’ll never take this territory,” Paleheart stammered in determination. “We won’t let you.”
⠀⠀“Your Clan of kittypets won’t stop our Clan of warriors,” Batchaser scowled. “Maybe it’ll teach you a lesson not to be so welcoming to every cat you come across.”
⠀⠀“ThunderClan is strong because of our kindness!” Paleheart hissed. “Unlike your Clan, we’re liked.”
⠀⠀“We’re feared.” Batchaser bared his teeth. “You’re fools to try and mess with us. You’ll learn soon enough.”
⠀⠀“ThunderClan will take it’s chances.” The brown tom thrust his head toward Batchaser, ripping his pearly white claws through the tom’s ear. The ShadowClan warrior shrieked in fury and backpedaled, eyes widening as blood ran down his face.
⠀⠀“Now you know how it feels,” Paleheart spat. “Get out of here while you still can.”
⠀⠀“′I’ll take my chances,’” Batchaser mimicked the ThunderClan tom.
⠀⠀“Then you will regret your choice.”
⠀⠀Batchaser felt the wind get knocked out of him when a cat smashed into his side. He gasped for breath as he hit the muddy ground, a brown color splattering over his fur.
⠀⠀A small white tom was standing over him, smirking. “Not so tough now, are you?”
⠀⠀“I’m not afraid of kittypets,” Batchaser snarled, using his hind legs to kick the white tom’s jaw. The apprentice’s eyes widened as he leapt back, stumbling around as though he were dizzy.
⠀⠀Finding his chance, the ShadowClan warrior leapt to his paws, able to breathe again, and aimed his claws toward the white tom’s throat. He yowled in surprise when he was pulled back. Batchaser swiveled his head around and noticed Paleheart’s jaws wrapped around his tail.
⠀⠀The black tom turned and crashed into the warrior. He then felt a pair of five claws insert themselves into his back. He closed his eyes and let out a shriek when crimson red blood dripped down his flank, the apprentice’s claws sinking deeper into his skin.
⠀⠀Paleheart narrowed his eyes when he noticed Batchaser’s pain, proceeding to bite into the black warrior’s throat and rip it open. The ShadowClan tom opened his jaws and let out a horrified shriek as black spots edged his vision.
⠀⠀He fell to his side, gasping for any air he could catch his breath on. Blood pooled around his body, Paleheart and the apprentice running off and leaping onto other ShadowClan cats.
⠀⠀Nothing felt real anymore. A gray pelt flashed in front of his eyes, ShadowClan’s medicine cat staring at Batchaser in horror. The she-cat was trying to talk to him, but he couldn’t respond. He didn’t know why Cloudflame cared. He was going to die. She should be treating other cats, not him.
⠀⠀He shook his head and let his head fall. He had no energy or strength. He curled his claws in as pain seared through his body.
⠀⠀Batchaser took his last dying breath, the darkness covering his vision once and for all. When the pain disappeared, the ShadowClan warrior opened his blue eyes and was greeted with a beautiful world full of stars.
⠀⠀StarClan.
