Sunfall glared at him. “Warriors do not need to shed blood to win battles.”
He slid through the ferns, and Bluefur followed with Snowfur at her heels. Sunfall led them toward the ravine and doubled back, using another route, until they could see the RiverClan warriors fighting their way out of the brambles.
Bluefur heard one of the warriors hissing, “What do we want such stupid territory for?”
“More prey for RiverClan, less for ThunderClan.” That was Shellheart, the RiverClan deputy. “Now stop fussing and keep moving.”
Bluefur peered over the low bushes. The wind was with them, blowing RiverClan’s scent over Stormtail’s patrol as it waited to ambush. As RiverClan headed up the slope, Bluefur saw the ferns quiver where Windflight’s patrol crouched, ready for Stormtail’s signal.
The RiverClan patrol looked strong and fit. Bluefur bared her teeth. We’ll just have to fight harder, then. They’d escaped the brambles, though their fur was matted with thorns. Creeping up the rise, ears flat, tails down, they halted at a flick of Shellheart’s tail. Her hackles were up.
“I smell ThunderClan,” she warned.
Timberfur, a brown RiverClan warrior, tasted the air. “Fresh scent.” The warriors behind looked warily over their shoulder. “Perhaps—”
Timberfur didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence.
Stormtail launched himself at Shellheart, yowling the signal. Swiftbreeze and Patchpelt hurtled after. Timberfur reared up, Shellheart ducked, and the other warriors spun around, their eyes wide, as Windflight’s patrol exploded from the ferns to one side.
“Attack!” Sunfall screeched, pelting forward.
Bluefur surged after him and flung herself onto the back of a RiverClan warrior. She recognized the black-and-silver markings of Rippleclaw as she dug her claws into his pelt, struggling to get a grip on the oily fur. Rippleclaw shook her off and turned, rearing up. There wasn’t enough time to scramble to her paws. Bluefur rolled out of the way a heartbeat before he crashed down where she’d fallen. His paws caught in a trailing tendril, and he cursed as the thorns sliced his pads.
Bluefur raked her claw down his flank as he turned on her, his ears flattened. She tried to duck but Rippleclaw’s blow came too fast. A heavy forepaw swiped her muzzle, and pain shot through her. As she stumbled and pressed a paw to her bleeding nose, a white pelt flashed beside her. Snowfur reared up and began batting Rippleclaw hard, one paw after another.
Yes! Memories of the fight with Crookedjaw flooded back to Bluefur. They’d won together before; they’d win again this time!
Bluefur pushed herself up on her hind legs beside her sister and joined in. Rippleclaw staggered backward, his flailing paws defending now, not attacking. They drove him back into a bramble bush. He tripped as branches swarmed around his hind legs, yowling when the thorns pierced his pelt. Together Bluefur and Snowfur dropped onto all four paws and, as one, began nipping at him.
Confused and panicking, Rippleclaw struggled free of the brambles. He leaped and turned, but Snowfur and Bluefur pressed on with their attack, Snowfur biting his flanks from one side and, when Rippleclaw twisted to attack them, Bluefur cuffing him from the other. Screeching in rage, the black-and-silver tom jumped over their backs and hared away through the trees.
“One down,” Snowfur puffed.
“More to go.” Bluefur spun around, tasting the air. She couldn’t detect the scents of Crookedjaw or Oakheart. That’s good, right? Because they’re both strong warriors, and I wouldn’t want to meet them here after fighting for this long already.
She ducked out of the way as Windflight chased another RiverClan warrior, yelping, into the trees. Thrushpelt rolled past Bluefur’s paws clutching Ottersplash, clawing her spine with his hind claws until the RiverClan warrior yowled for mercy.
Stormtail aimed a hefty swipe at a RiverClan apprentice and sent him bowling into his Clanmate. The two cats lost their balance and Stormtail jumped on them, clawing one with his forepaws while he sent the other flying with a mighty kick from his hind legs.
“Fight, you mouse-hearts!” Shellheart howled at her Clanmates, as Bluefur sprang at her and landed on her back.
“Did you think it would be easy?” she hissed as she sank her teeth into the RiverClan deputy’s shoulder.
Claws hooked Bluefur in return, and Shellheart managed to tear her off. She yowled as her forepaw was wrenched, its claw still tangled in Shellheart’s fur. Sick with agony, she freed herself and spun around.
Timberfur faced her.
Gasping with pain, Bluefur reared up to fight the burly brown tom, but Snowfur was already dragging him backward, sinking her teeth into his scruff. As he toppled over, Bluefur rushed at his belly, crashing into him so hard she heard the breath rush from him. Gasping, Timberfur wriggled free and fled toward the RiverClan border.
A frightened shriek ripped the air.
“Rosepaw!” Bluefur shot through the brambles, slithering between the branches with practiced ease. Bursting out on the other side, she saw Rosepaw cornered between the roots of an oak by two RiverClan warriors.
“Pick on someone your own size!” Bluefur yowled and flung herself onto the back of the biggest tom.
“RiverClan has never fought fair!” Snowfur’s screech sounded behind her, and as Bluefur tumbled the big tom over, she saw her sister sink her claws into the other tom’s pelt and drag him away from the startled ThunderClan apprentice.
Her mouth choked with RiverClan fur, Bluefur managed to yell at Rosepaw. “Go for his belly!”
Rosepaw lunged forward, thrashing at the tom with unsheathed claws until he twisted so hard in Bluefur’s grip, she had to let go. The tom growled and swiped at Rosepaw, but the apprentice was too fast. She ducked out of the way, and the tom shredded bark instead.
“Can’t move fast enough out of the water, fish-face?” Bluefur taunted him.
The tom hissed and lunged for her, but Rosepaw darted under his belly and threw him off balance. Snowfur had already sent the other tom pelting into the undergrowth. His Clanmate staggered to his paws to face three hissing she-cats, and Bluefur felt a surge of satisfaction as panic filled his gaze. He backed toward the roots as they advanced.
“Do you think you can take on all three of us?” Snowfur challenged.
“He could try,” Rosepaw growled.
“He looks pretty mouse-brained.” Bluefur felt power surge through her paws, but she pressed down the urge to attack. This warrior was outnumbered; they could easily beat him.
Which means we should let him escape.
She flashed a warning glance at her Clanmates, hoping they understood. Snowfur nodded and stepped aside, leaving a gap in their ranks. Without hesitating, the RiverClan warrior pelted through it and fled toward the border.
As Bluefur slid back through the brambles, she saw Sunfall kick out with his hind legs and send a RiverClan warrior reeling. Bluefur dived out of the way just in time as the RiverClan warrior tumbled past her.
“Retreat!” Shellheart yelped, and the remaining RiverClan warriors turned and fled. Their deputy paused, his eyes gleaming. “The rocks are still ours!”
“But never the trees,” Sunfall snarled in return.
Exhilarated, Bluefur chased the retreating warriors to the border.
“We’ll have the rocks back, too, one day!” Thistleclaw yowled as RiverClan splashed across the river, made shallow by greenleaf.
Sunfall lifted his muzzle. One of his ears was torn, and blood dripped onto his cheek. “Well fought.” He gazed around at his Clanmates. “Any serious injuries?”
Bluefur remembered her wrenched claw, which was throbbing and swollen underneath. It hurt, but it could wait till she got back to camp.