Warriors(the Fire Rises): Choises (English version)

Chapter 10

Firepaw looked thankful at Riverclaw. "Thank you, Riverclaw. I will always be in debt with you, even when this will be moons behind us." 

Riverclaw nodded back. "Thank you, Firepaw. Without you, the clans would be lost forever."

Firepaw laughed a bit awkwardly. "Oh, don't make it bigger than it is, I'm not that important.." But he thought. 'I am not that important, right? I'm just a stupid apprentice, who also used to be a kittypet, I only did what any good warrior would have done, right???'

Then, the two toms turned around and walked to the top of the hill.

"Tigerstar!!" Firepaw yowled.

The large tabby stiffened, before looking up with a shocked and frightened look in his eyes. "F-Firepaw? You should be dead by now!!" Then he looked at Riverclaw. "Riverclaw? What are you doing, just standing there? Kill him!!"

But Riverclaw growled back. "No, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar looked surprised, before growling back. "What do you mean 'no'? I am your leader, you will follow my orders! Kill him!!"

Riverclaw ignored him and turned towards his clanmates, who had stopped fighting to watch the argument. Waveclan! From now on we don't fight against Fireclan anymore, but we will fight with them! We aren't loyal to the Dark Forest, but only to Starclan!"

Then it was Firepaw's turn. "You all heard Riverclaw, Fireclan! We don't fight against Waveclan anymore, but only against Tigerstar and his gang! Now, attack!!!"

The clan cats looked at each other with confusion at first, before they understood the message and went into battle again. "For Starclan!!!" they all yowled together.

Tigerstar in the meantime, watched the speech with agony. "Waveclan! Don't fight with Fireclan, they are our enemy! I order you to turn back now, don't be cowards!" When that had no effect, he turned back to Riverclaw with anger. "Riverclaw! Come here this instant and make sure your clanmates come back to me too!!"

 "We aren't yours, Tigerstripe! You don't deserve to be called leader of Waveclan, this will be your end!" Riverclaw yelled at him, before throwing himself down the hill, towards Tigerstar.

In the few seconds it took Riverclaw to meet Tigerstar, the large tabby searched for his friends. He saw that the enemy warriors were with many more, and almost everyone of his small gang had fled, or died. The few that were still fighting, we're busy keeping themselves alive. But none could help Tigerstar now. And for the first time in his life, Tigerstar was afraid, afraid of his life. But he was all on his own now.

When Riverclaw slashed his side, Tigerstar's mind was back in the present. He grabbed the grey tom with his teeth and threw him off. "I will destroy you!!!" Riverclaw yelled. Tigerstar stood ready for another attack, and Riverclaw jumped on his back. Tigerstar let himself fall to the ground and unsheathed his claws in Riverclaw's shoulders, pushing him to the ground. "I am your leader, you will listen to me!" Tigerstar spat the words in Riverclaw's face.

"Y-you wil... never... be... m-my leader... Ti-gerstripe..."

Tigerstar couldn't hold it back anymore and exploded with rage. 

"I AM YOUR LEADER! YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!!"

He prepared himself to end the fight forever, here and now...

"LEAVE HIM ALONE TIGERSTRIPE!!!"

Firepaw threw Tigerstar off Riverclaw, and quickly helped the grey warrior get on his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, a few scratches." Riverclaw admitted. "You were just in time, I almost joined Starclan there."

"Then it's good I wasn't too late."

Tigerstar slowly rose to his feet again, and looked at the two toms with hate. His fur stood straight up from anger and he showed his teeth. But when he looked in Firepaw's eyes, he didn't see fear. He only saw that the young apprentice was brave and confident. That made Tigerstar himself realize what he feared, he feared to die.

Firepaw was ready to attack and jumped towards Tigerstar, who quickly jumped away. But there was Riverclaw, who did manage to hit him. The tabby tom screamed and hit the warrior away. Then Firepaw came again, who stood on his hind paws and clawed at Tigerstar. The large tom looked around, scared. 'How did this happen? I should be winning this now!'

"STOP IT!"

He yelled at Riverclaw, but he ignored Tigerstar and leaped towards his throat. Tigerstar felt the fangs pushing into his body, and tried to escape his grip. After some wrestling he managed to escape and he rolled down the hill, blood streaming from his wounds.

Shaking, he stood up and looked up. Riverclaw and Firepaw stood on top of the hill, they looked down on him. Riverclaw was growing and Firepaw looked him in the eyes. "Are you still gonna fight? Be real, Tigerstar, you can't win this. Your friends  either fled or died, you're on your own. If you'll keep fighting, you'll die. That would mean you will rot in the Dark Forest forever..."

Tigerstar didn't like to admit it, but he knew Firepaw was right.

The young tom was still looking at him with a frozen gaze. "Tigerstar, your only option is to flee. Run, run away from Waveclan, run away from the forest, and if you can, run away from Starclan. You don't deserve to be called a leader, from now on you will be known as Tigerstripe again."

Tigerstripe

He hadn't expected to ever be called that again, but Firepaw was right, it was his only option.

"If that is what you wish, Firepaw..." he growled before turning around, leaving the clans forever...