2019 Writing Event A Sky Without a Moon

Nightwisher

And don't you dare go hollow....
[div style="background:#E0D3aF;max-width:800px;max-height:30000px;border:4px solid #000000;margin:auto;padding:10px;line-height:1;"]The world felt heavy. Wind whipped through the glen, causing the long grass to dance at its command. Sleek figures sneaked forward under the thick night sky, belly fur brushing the ground as they prowled. Unsheathed claws dug into the dirt with each step. The chaos of the storm winds made it nearly impossible to detect the movement of hostile clan cats, the smell of rain was so dense that the Thunderclan deputy could barely smell his own.

“Can you see them?” Crownose’s hushed voice broke through the tense silence as the cats spread out, four on the front lines and three on the back, creating a small defensive figure. It may have been a bit excessive to send so many cats for a mere warning, but they needed to make the message clear on the off chance the last warning hadn’t been enough.

“There’s movement, but I can’t tell if it’s the wind or not,” Mouseeyes whispered back, words rushed. The brown she-cat’s fur was already puffed out until she looked to be twice her normal size. The deputy’s amber gaze rested on his old apprentice. Her warrior ceremony had been less than a quarter-moon ago, but she should have known better than to let her nervousness show so freely. Crownose pushed the thought from his mind; if he worried too much about Mouseeyes, he wouldn’t be able to lead the defensive.

A jagged scar of lightning lit up the sky and the deputy used the moment of precious light to scan the glen, gaze flitting across the treeline. There, just a tree length away, were three silhouettes. A hunting party. Thunder roared above them. The tom could feel the anger and fear of his bristling clanmates. The trained eyes of fellow warriors and apprentices were on him as he steeled himself. Shadowclan had been warned to stay off of Thunderclan territory. It hadn’t been taken seriously before, and that had been a mistake.

Another bolt of lighting cut through the sky as Crownose ordered the others forward with a flick of his tail. The Thunderclan cats pressed through the grass, stalking the Shadowclan hunters. Predator becomes prey. A smirk tugged at the deputy’s lips with the thought.

“Crow-!” A crack of thunder cut through the warning as the clouds finally opened and sheets of rain fell upon the glen. Crownose whirled around, toward the direction of his littermate’s voice. Five Shadowclan warriors bounded forward through the long grass and flung themselves at the Thunderclan cats. Yowls and battle cries were muffled by the roaring of the storm. Crownose’s attention was elsewhere, however. The familiar large shape of the Shadowclan deputy stood, jaws pressed into the fur of Honeyfang’s throat. The golden she-cat writhed under the weight of the white tom, then went still. A claw of ice ran down Crownose’s spine as he felt his fur prick and his hackles raise.

“No!” charging forward, rage and rain blinding him, Crownose leapt at the enemy deputy. Claws sank into the flesh of the Shadowclan cat’s shoulder. Teeth snapped, missing their target as the white tom ducked his head. Twisting his body and pressing his back onto the ground, the white warrior forced Crownose atop him. The large tom tucked his haunches under the Thunderclan deputy and raked his claws across the black cat’s belly. Crownose was forced to jump back or suffer further wounds.

“This is Thunderclan territory, Iceheart,” Crownose spat. Lightning lit the sky once more and he could see the bloodstained maw of Shadowclan deputy.

“For now,” Iceheart responded, voice calm, his tone almost amused. Crownose launched himself forward once more, hatred taking over. Iceheart met him in kind. Both toms reared onto their back paws, matched in size. Thorn sharp claws cut into Crownose’s cheek, but he felt his own blow land, tearing across Iceheart’s right eye. The white tom dropped back onto his haunches and Crownose started to lower himself, trying to land another attack. Before he could, Iceheart pushed hard against the rain soaked ground, claws digging into the mud as he lunged forward.

“Gah-uph!” Crownose gasped in pain as he felt claws stab into his chest. He was forced onto his back, the air knocked from his lungs. Iceheart’s paws pressed down as the black tom struggled against him, feeling himself forced deeper into the muddied glen floor. Amber eyes widened as Crownose felt Iceheart’s jagged teeth meet his throat. Claws thrashed out desperately, poorly aimed blows glancing off the Shadowclan cat’s dripping flank.

Then suddenly, the weight was gone. The Thunderclan deputy gasped for air and pushed himself to his paws as he watched Iceheart grappling against Heatherpelt. Crownose’s gaze flicked around the battling cats. Thunderclan was sorely outnumbered. How -- The hunting party. The deputy’s heart sank as he realized the situation. The call for retreat rose in his throat just as a Shadowclan she-cat barreled into him. Crownose dug his claws into the drenched ground, using his size against her as he spun around, claws dragging against her shoulder and pulling out clumps of wet fur. Dappletongue hissed in pain and stuck back, the blow aimed poorly. Crownose dodged to the side, his paws slipping against a soaked patch of thick grass and falling onto his side. The she-cat took advantage of his misstep and sprung forward. The Thunderclan cat responded quickly and he raised his back paws to meet the attack. Crownose caught Dappletongue by the belly before sinking his front claws into her head. She snarled, shaking her head while the black tom raked his hind claws against her stomach.

With all of his strength, he pushed the she-cat off of him, scrambling to his paws and darting forward before she could fully recover. Powerful jaws clamped around her throat until blood flooded into his mouth. Crownose released Dappletongue, her body slumping lifelessly against the ground. The Thunderclan deputy didn’t have time to enjoy the small victory. Despite how hard his clanmates were fighting, there was still no way to win. The rain had slowed to a stopping point, the clouds pushed North by the wind.

“Retreat!” The yowl was met with a clash of far off thunder. “Retreat!” Crownose called again.

Heatherpelt was the first to respond. The senior warrior had been holding her own against Iceheart, but it was clear the larger tom would win if the fight were to continue. Backing up a few steps, her green gaze darting around to make sure her allies would follow along, the she-cat was distracted long enough for Iceheart to leap forward and knock her to the ground. There was no time for hesitation. Crownose pushed forward, claws sinking into the Shadowclan deputy’s flank and throwing him to the glen floor, throwing up water and mud as he did so. The black tom jumped away, tail lashing. He hadn’t been in the position to kill Iceheart and he wasn’t going to risk getting killed himself.

“Retreat!” Heatherpelt’s shrill plea cut through the fighting once more. Mouseeyes and Volepaw had already disengaged, ears flat against their heads as the warrior and apprentice backed away. At the sound of surrender, the Shadowclan warriors Gingerfoot and Sandfur leapt from their fight against Snowsky and a heavily injured Ashpaw.

“Don’t let them!” Iceheart’s angry snarl boomed. In a heartbeat, Shadepool and Jaggedclaw launched themselves after Mouseeyes and Volepaw.
“Run!” Crownose cried, panic rushing through him. Shadowclan had won, why keep fighting? The Thunderclan cats turned tail, bounding through the wet grass, claws tearing at it as they desperately tried to keep their footing.

The treeline was too far away, and the Shadowclan cats were gaining on the injured Thunderclan members. Taking a deep breath, Crownose dug his claws into the ground and spun around, not giving the enemy time to respond before he threw himself back into the fray. It might not buy his clanmates much time, but maybe it would buy them enough. The Shadowclan cats were surprised by the attack, jumping aside as Crownose tackled their deputy to the ground. The black tom landed a hard blow, shredding Iceheart’s left ear before teeth sunk into his scruff and Jaggedclaw dragged him off.

Iceheart regained his footing, shaking his bleeding head. The tom’s white fur was darker now than it had been before the battle, blood wetting his fur as much as the rain had. How much of it was his own? Crownose didn’t know. Iceheart snarled, launching himself forward and knocking Crownose out of Jaggedclaw’s jaws with a sharp, painful tearing of the Thunderclan cat’s scruff fur. The black tom squirmed under Shadowclan deputy’s weight, trying to get his back paws under the other tom’s belly. He couldn’t. Iceheart’s jaws clamped around Crownose’s throat. Amber eyes went wide just as they had before. Heatherpelt wasn’t here to save him this time. Crownose’s gaze darted around the enemy cats, a mixture of fear and pleading in his eyes. The Thunderclan deputy writhed underneath Iceheart, paws flailing as he tried to find the strength to push the white tom off. Blows became weaker and weaker. The last thing that Crownose saw was the clear sky after a storm. A sky without a moon.
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