Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Weight slammed into Sweetscent as her yowl awoke the rest of the Clan. Gasping for air as her back was slammed against the ground. Winded, her opponent took the chance to bite her chest.

When her eyes adjusted, Sweetscent realized the cat who attacked her was Rockfall. With a roar of fury and pain, the deputy scraped her claws across the gray cats' face and surged up, knocking the tom off.

Rockfall stumbled backward and hissed, his left eye shut and bleeding from her scratch. "Useless she-cat!" He snarled. Fury flared in her bones and she dove under him, kicking up with her hind legs, her claws digging into his soft belly.

The screech of pain that came from his mouth was deafening and she gritted her teeth together to hold back her own yowl as teeth sank into her shoulder.

Scrambling to her paws, Sweetscent let out a loud snarl and leaped for the exiled DuskClan leader, crashing into him and sending him onto his back on the ground.

The deputy sank her teeth into his neck, biting down hard as he cried out in pain. He desperately squirmed and scratched at her but she didn't let go until he stopped moving altogether.

Letting go of Rockfall's neck, Sweetscent lifted her head and looked around at the blood bath around her. The sight of the blood made her gag but she forced herself to look around for Rainshadow's white pelt.

When she saw her brother, he was standing over the lifeless body of Sunfur, his muzzle dripping with blood. Sweetscent stared at him in horror and flew across the clearing.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance!" She screeched, locking in combat with her brother. "When I saw Whitesnow dead at your paws, I should've killed you where you stood!"

"Whitesnow didn't stand a chance! She needed to die to help Larchstar rise to power!" Sneered her brother, matching every blow his sister landed.

Blinded by fury and grief, Sweetscent barely felt any wounds her brother was giving her. He killed Whitesnow. He helped Rockstar and Larchstar rise to power. He did not deserve to live any longer.

Pinning Rainshadow to the ground, Sweetscent glared into his blazing amber eyes, so much like her own. Baring her teeth at her brother- no, her enemy, the she-cat dug her claws into his neck and yanked with all her strength and pulled her claws towards her.

Rainshadow let out the loudest shriek of pain and anger that the battle ceased and every cat stared in shock and horror at the writhing tom.

Watching him with a cold expression on her face, Sweetscent watched the life drain from her dear brother's eyes as he was sent to a dark place where no star dare shine.

"Rainshadow!" Yowled an all too familiar voice and Larchstar's black fur flew at his deputy, jaws snapping and paws flailing. "You killed your own brother!"

Sweetscent pushed him back with such force, Larchstar landed on his back but scrambled to his paws. "He's no brother of mine," she growled, eyes narrow as the tom bared his teeth. "Just like you're no leader worthy of leading a Clan."

Larchstar's green eyes widened and he looked around to see the rest of the living rebels surrounding him. Sweetscent saw with a pang of grief that Pounceheart's body was beyond the snarling cats. Laying right next to her was poor Grayoat, both with their necks bearing a nasty wound.

Turning her gaze back to the trapped leader, Sweetscent flicked her tail. "You're lackeys are dead, Larchstar. You're Clan has turned against you." She stalked towards the tom, who backed away in fear. "You lost."

Larchstar hissed but the snarling cats around him made him glare at his deputy. "I will not lose until you're dead at my paws!" He roared and flew himself at Sweetscent, who was prepared for the attack.

Sweetscent reared on her hind legs and crashed into her leader, claws sinking into his shoulders as she bit into his exposed throat. She hissed as pain flared in her flanks and Larchstar jerked his neck free.

The pitch black tom darted to the right, tackling the she-cat and scoring a blow across her back. Sweetscent growled, lashing out with a paw and catching his ear, making a nick in the tip.

Slipping to the side as he prepared another attack, rain began to fall, making the ground slippery and easy to fall. That didn't stop the two clashing cats as they dealt blow after blow to each other.

Sweetscent's muscles screamed in exhaustion and her body wailed in agony but she forced herself to keep dodging and attacking the tom. Blood was oozing from her pelt but she ignored it. Her Clan needed her to survive, and if she had to kill Larchstar, then so be it.

Eventually, Larchstar had her pinned to the ground with a paw raised to end her life. Tensing, Sweetscent kicked up with her hind legs and slashed open his neck, knocking him off.

Panting, the she-cat shakily got to her paws and saw her opponent on the ground, blood pulsing from his neck as his emerald green gaze glazed over and stared sightlessly at the sky.

"You killed him..." Meowed Honeypelt, pelt bloody but her eyes were bright.

"He has nine lives though," Sweetscent meowed, tilting her head. Everything hurt, her paws, her body, her claws.

Snowpebble, who hid in the medicine den for the duration of the battle, padded forward. His fur was dripping with rain and his paws were red with the blood he stepped in. "StarClan refused to give him nine lives because of the crimes he'd committed." The medicine cat explained.

"So that makes me..." Sweetscent was interrupted by Flameheart. The ginger tabby she-cat padded in front of the circle of wounded cats and bowed her head.

"All hail Sweetstar! Leader and savior of FireClan!" She yowled, the other cats following her lead and bowing before Sweetscent.

"I-I'm not a leader yet," she reminded the others, her voice shaky. She turned to Snowpebble, tail flicking. "I need to be healed quickly and I'll go to the Moonstone right away." Snowpebble's whiskers twitched with amusement as he nodded. "Yes, Sweetscent." He meowed, leading the she-cat away from the battle-field and into the warm medicine den.