Shinestar's fight 'ENG'

Shinestar's fight

„Shinepaw, from this moment you will be known as Shinetail. StarClan honors your courage and cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."
  "Shinetail! Shinetail!" Yowls of joy filled the camp of ShadowClan where a young white warrior was sitting in the middle and gazed with her icy-blue eyes into the amount of cats. Her fur prickled exited.
  Silverstar stepped over to her. His muscles showed clear beneath his silver tabby pelt. When he laid his chin at her head she licked his shoulder, honouring. Pride shimmered in his big, green eyes. When he walked away a pretty, golden coated she-cat came close to her and licked her ear, purring, "You really deserved your warrior name Shinetail. I couldn't be prouder of you."
  „Just wait until I'm leader of ShadowClan, Honeyfur," Shinetail purred at her mother.
  "Leader?" Honeyfur, ShadowClans deputy, put her head on one side, "Is that your goal?"
  "That's what I'm living for," the white warrior mewed. Irrepressible will burned in her eyes, to follow her path until she'd reach her goal.
  Honeyfur looked at her daughter. Sorrow and fear filled her eyes, "Young warriors should think to become loyal warriors for their Clan. Who will become leader lies in the paws of StarClan and the Clans leader. It's not good if such young cats already want so much power."
  "I know, but I can't suppress this feeling. It's like my whole body would scream to do my duties for the Clan as leader, not as ordinary warrior," Shinetail mewed quietly and looked at her paws. Honeyfur surely was right, but how could she fight something what seemed always that obvious for her?
  Honeyfur sighed, "Many older warriors shares that dream, but not all of them can become leader. Please, don't expect too much from yourself. I don't want to see you sad if your dream breaks."
  "It won't", the young warrior assured and stepped toward the camp entry, where a young, flame colored tom was waiting for her.
  "Honeyfur and Swampfoot are really proud of you. I wish my parents had been here when I earned my warrior name," he mewed and gazed longing at the cloudy sky, "But I know that they were looking at me from silverpelt."
  Shinetail putted her nose comforting at his shoulder and mewed softly, "And I bet, they couldn't have been prouder of you when they had seen it living Leaffire."
  "Thanks, Shinetail," Leaffire purred, "How about a bit hunting before your vigil tonight?"
  After a nod of agreement the young warriors leaved the camp into the well known marshy land of ShadowClan.

"There it is!" Elmclaw yowled. The grayish red tom dashed out of a bush, following a badger. Weak and half ripped apart a cat whimpered between its jaws. With her eyes wide of terror, Shinetail ran behind her patrol. When they blocked the badger's way it let fall its prey and ran threateningly toward the cats, its huge, yellow teeth bared. Blood was running down its muzzle and dropped at the frozen floor.
  "ShadowClan, attack!" With a fierce yowl the warriors leaped onto the badger. Shinetail hit her claws into one of its back legs and ripped off big tufts of fur. Growling, their opponent flung itself from one side to another and tried to catch one of the swift fighters. Leaffire clung himself on the badgers back and tried to dig his claw through its thick coat. Furious, the badger flung its head around and bit into the tail of the young apprentice Owlpaw.
  Screaming in panic the she-cat was spinning through the air when the huge animal shook its head.
  "Owlpaw!" Leaffire hissed and leaped at the badgers head to save his apprentice and scratched deep wounds into its muzzle.
  With a yowl of pain, the badger threw Owlpaw at the ground and dashed away, a bloody trail behind it.
  Leaffire stood immediately at Owlpaw's side and looked at her nervously. A badly wound was at her tail, which just hung at a few tendons at the rest of the body anymore. It was clear that Mudthroat had to bit the tail off to help her.
  When Shinetail sorted her minds she looked at Elmclaw who crouched next to the cat the badger had hunted. The usually golden fur matted with blood and stained dark red, the body twisted and torn.
  With eyes full of grief, Elmclaw rose, "Honeyfur is dead."

With her head hold high, Shinetail stepped out of the leaders den. Silverstar followed her into the deep snow in the camp, "I'm glad that you'll move already into the nursery. In weather like this you shouldn't hunt any longer. It's better for you and your kits. The warriors will care about you very well."
  "I know. I just wished it would be in a better time. Leaf-bare is already hard enough without one less hunter," the white warrior mewed and looked worried at her leader which started coughing, "Especially now, while that many are ill."
  Silverstar shook his head, "It's always the right time to give birth of new warriors for the clan, especially when the clan is weakened. This ensures our survival. Leaffire and you will be great parents and your kits will grow to wonderful warriors. Maybe one of them will become successor of Leaffire when he change from deputy to leader and a new deputy took his place."
  "Leaffire will be a good leader," Shinetail mewed quietly and stepped toward the medicine cats den. Mudthroat sat in front of it and gazed at the she-cat when she came nearer, "Are you ill? If not, you have to go. I don't want that you get greencough as well."
  Shinetail dug her claw into the snow, nervously, "I just want to now how Swampfoot is going."
  Sympathetic, the black tom stroked his tail along her flank, "I'm giving my best to heal him. I gave him catmint, and he's sleeping now."
  Shinetail gave a short nod and walked over to the nursery. She nosed her way in and noticed the pleasant scent of milk and moss. Silverstar's mate lay curled in her nest. Martenkit and Elderkit pressed at her belly, saved from the cold. With a sigh Shinetail curled up in her nest and thought.
"Shinetail? How are you?" Leaffire asked when he bowed over the she-cat.
  Coughing, Shinetail opened her eyes and looked into the face of the flame colored tom, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be."
  "Mudthroat allowed me to take a short look at you," Leaffire mewed and licked Shinetail's ear, "The medicine cats den isn't that comfortable as the nursery, but only here you aren't able to infect the others."
  "I'm afraid, Leaffire. What if our kits are ill as well when they got born?" The young queen asked weakened.
  "That won't happen," Leaffire tried to calm her.
  "Swampfoot already died. What did I do that StarClan send me that punishment?" Shinetail coughed again and sank into her moss bed.
  "StarClan don't punish you. I'm sure it's no bad sign against you," the tom mewed anxiously and rose, "I have to go now. I'll come back as soon as possible."

Dimmed light came into the nursery. Purring, Shinetail licked over the head of a tiny, gray she-kit, which looked curious at the twitching tail tip of her mother. Next to her lay a red tom curled in the moss.
  "How long does it take until we can play with them?" Martenkit asked. The dark brown tom leaped excited around the newest members of ShadowClan.
  "As soon as they are surer on their paws," Shinetail mewed soft and used her tail to pull her kits near her belly.
  When Shinetail curled up a scream approached in camp, "We are being attacked!"
  Scared Shinetail rose to her paws when a large, gray tom broke through the wall of the nursery and sliced Silverstar's mate's throat with one blow. With a stifled yowl, the brown tabby she-cat fell to the ground. Slowly, her blood and life seeped out of her body.
  Martenkit and Elderkit screamed in terror and hide at their mother's lifeless body.
  With a furious yowl Shinetail flung herself onto the attacker and hit hard at his head, claws unsheathed.
  The tom ran away with deep wounds.
  Mudeyes nosed her way into the nursery. Her long, brown fur matted with blood, "There are more and more coming. Bring the kits out of here, into the forest."
  "I can't take care of four kits at once when that much invaders are here."
  Shocked, Mudeyes noticed the dead queen and nodded at Shinetail, "Took your kits. I'll take care of these two."
  „I want to stay with mommy," Elderkit whimpered and pressed himself at his mother's body. Carefully, Mudeyes took the young tom at his scruff and leaved the nursery. She pushed Martenkit with her tail to made him following her.
  Short, Shinetail pressed her nose at her lifeless clanmates shoulder and turned to her kits, "Graykit, Rubykit. We have to go. Come with me."
  Helpless, the young cats stepped unsure through the growing grass of early newleaf. They whimpered tired when Shinetail drive them even father.
  "Go on, my little ones. We're still too close," she mewed worried and gazed over her shoulder, back to camp. Fierce yowls and bloody scent filled the air.
  Graykit sat down on the ground. Her gaze was exhausted and hungry. Her brother sat next to her.
  Troubled Shinetail took her daughter and carried her a few tail lengths. Carefully she putted the gray she-kit onto the ground and ran back to Rubykit.
  When she grabbed the scruff of the red tom, a black loner landed on her back and hit his teeth into her shoulder. Shocked, Shinetail let fall her son and turned to give her opponent a blow with her claws. She dug her teeth into a front leg and throw down the attacker, "If you belief, that I'm easy prey, you're wrong!"
  Claws unsheathed, Shinetail hit at the Tom's blank belly. Spilled blood gave her white fur scarlet spots. When she tried to make her final strike another loner broke out of a bush and rammed the queen.
  Outnumbered, the se-cat tried to defence herself. The bigger tom ripped large tufts of fur from her shoulder. The weakened tom bit into Shinetail's tail and tried to unbalance her.
  Hissing, Shinetail hit into the bigger tom's face and sliced his cheek. He yowled in pain and wanted to bit into Shinetail's neck when Leaffire threw him down and sank his teeth into the tom's throat.
  The black tom yowled shocked, "Gnome, no!" With all his strength he hit at Leaffire's head, which fell bad injured to the ground.
  "Leaffire!" Shinetail screamed in terror and tore the tom's flank with her claws. Bleeding hard, he ran away.
  Graykit and Rubykit crouched beside their father and whimpered quietly.
  "Don't be afraid. I'm okay," Leaffire comforted them and gave a short purr.
  Blood dropped at the ground beneath him when he rose, troublesome, "Shinetail. Are you alright?"
  Shinetail didn't answer. She just stared at the the weakened tom, claws unsheathed.
  "Shinetail?" Leaffire asked nervously.
  „All my life I've waited to become leader, but Silverstar named you his deputy instead of me," Shinetail mewed with her voice cold like ice, "My love for you let my forgot my frustration that I wasn't the successor of my mother, but I never became really happy. I've thought that long what I could do and then became mother, but even that didn't make me happy at all."
  "And do you belief that you'll be happy if you kill me and become deputy?" Leaffire asked and looked down at his kits, "Do you really want to take their father away from them for a dream which maybe never comes true? You know, that Silverstar could name someone else his deputy as well."
  This is my last chance," Shinetail mewed and stepped over to Leaffire, "The only way that remains for me."
  Leaffire looked into his mate's face and licked her ear, sad, "I'll always love you Shinetail. I'm just hoping that you'll never regret it. Whatever you will do now, you can't change it anymore."
  "I know," Shinetail mewed bitterly.

"Leaffire! Shinetail!" Shortfur and Elmclaw, which ears was torn, leaped out of a near bracken. With their eyes full of terror, they neared themselves to the white queen, which crouched beside the lifeless bodies of Leaffire and their kits. Grieving, she had dug her nose into Leaffire's fur.
  When the warriors stood next to her she raised her head, "The loners killed them."