Warriors: Snow (Warrior Cats Fan Fiction Book One)

Chapter Seven

 The next day came all too soon.

Thornstar led her patrol through the woods with her head held high. Ten cats made up the patrol, while the rest stayed to guard the elders and younger apprentices. The cats were Redfur, Blizzardflight, Dawnglide, Brownstep, Darkstorm, Shrewheart, Stormsplash, Rockflight, Weatherpaw, and Thornstar. Marshpelt and Hilltail had stayed behind in the hollow, ready to lead the Clan in case something went wrong.

"Is ten cats enough?" Stormsplash whispered to Rockflight as they walked through the forest.

Rockflight sighed. "We'll find out," she muttered.

"You supported Thornstar yesterday," Stormsplash murmured. "Are you going to support her now?"

Rockflight didn't reply.

Darkstorm was walking beside his daughter. "It will be okay," the dark tabby meowed, licking Stormsplash's ears. "We have each other, we'll be able to fight them off."

Weatherpaw wasn't so sure.

The patrol reached the Wolf Cave, its dark entrance eerily close for comfort. It's time, Weatherpaw thought with a shudder. Would he freeze up again?

"Let's go," Thornstar said, signaling with her tail. She padded forward and led the way into the dark cave. The cats looked at each other and then followed their leader.

Weatherpaw crept through the cave behind his Clanmates, his pelt bristling at every little noise. The Wolves were in here somewhere... he looked back at the light from the entrance, getting farther and farther away...

"I knew it, we're going to get trapped in here," Redfur muttered beside him. The red she-cat looked back at the entrance behind them apprehensively. Weatherpaw agreed with her... the wolves could corner them.

The light faded behind them as they turned a corner and the cats were plunged into darkness. They walked on in silence for a while, taking many twists and turns as they went deeper and deeper into the cave.

Maybe the Wolves moved on? Weatherpaw thought hopefully. Maybe we won't find them here at all... maybe we won't have to fight again.

The cats rounded another corner and were blasted with a bright light. They were in a clearing in the middle of the cave, a hole in the roof letting light in. And there, in the middle of the cavern, was a group of Wolves.

Weatherpaw's Clanmates had all stopped at once when they saw the Wolves, and the dogs swung their heads around to stare at the cats, intruders in their home. Weatherpaw froze as he saw the gray dogs. There were about six of them... less than the assembled cats, but they were twice as big and twice as strong.

Before Weatherpaw knew what was happening, the attack started. He didn't know who leaped forward first: a cat or a wolf, but all at once, the cavern was full of battle cries as the two groups of animals collided with each other.

Weatherpaw ducked under a wolf as it reared up and faced Blizzardflight. Weatherpaw raced over to the edge of the cavern, but a wolf had followed him. The wolf bit at his tail, but Weatherpaw leaped out of the way just in time. He whipped around, ready to fight, but saw that Rockflight was on the wolf's back, biting into it.

The wolf howled in pain, but Rockflight clung to it fiercely. Weatherpaw watched as his sister leaped onto the wolf's head and clawed at its eyes. The eyes flew out of the wolf's face and landed on the floor. The wolf swung its head around wildly, blood pouring from its sockets, but Rockflight flipped over and landed on the ground, darting upward and digging her teeth into the wolf's neck. The wolf struggled for a second, but then fell to the floor, dead at Rockflight's feet.