Pain sliced through Thunder’s muzzle. Snake had caught him with a vicious jab, and now blood sprayed the earth. He dodged low and sank his teeth into Snake’s forepaw, gasping as jaws clamped his neck. His heart lurched as he felt Snake bite down. Mind whirling, he tried to twist free before Snake could crush his spine like he would crush prey.
“Get off him!” Lightning Tail yowled. And then suddenly Snake was gone. Thunder leaped to his paws and saw Lightning Tail hauling Snake backward. The rogue’s hind paws churned the air as Lightning Tail lifted them off the ground, his claws hooked into Snake’s flanks. With a grunt, Lightning Tail heaved Snake away. Snake staggered backward and disappeared into the mass of writhing pelts.
“Are you okay?” Lightning Tail crouched beside Thunder.
Thunder straightened and shook out his fur. His scruff was wet with his own blood. “Yes,” he growled.
“They’re fighting to kill!” Lightning Tail’s eyes were wide.
“So will we.” Fury pulsing beneath his pelt, Thunder scanned the battle. Dappled Pelt reared to meet the slashing blows of a long-furred rogue. Shattered Ice struggled beneath a mottled brown-and-white she-cat. Wind Runner tore at Quick Water’s spine-fur with punishing hind claws. Gray Wing backed into the shadow of the great rock. Dew slashed at him, eyes slitted. Gray Wing fought back with a flurry of blows that sent the she-cat staggering, blood welling at her muzzle.
As he drove Dew toward her camp mates, Petal darted forward. The small yellow she-cat’s eyes flashed with hatred as she barged past Dew. “This one’s mine!” Hissing, she threw a hefty blow that caught Gray Wing on his ear.
He flinched.
“That’s for my brother, you murdering snake-heart!” Petal leaped onto Gray Wing’s back, sinking her teeth into his tail as she pounded his head with her hind paws. “You had no right to kill Fox!”
Dew lunged and bit Gray Wing’s forepaw. He stumbled and fell, Petal clinging to his back. Dew lunged again, claws outstretched, and raked Gray Wing’s flank, opening long, scarlet wounds in his pelt.
Thunder dived forward, shouldering his way between thrashing bodies. “Gray Wing!” Panic pounded in his ears. He reached out and dug his claws into Dew’s thick gray fur. Snagging flesh, he pulled her backward and tossed her to one side. She landed clumsily at Shattered Ice’s paws, eyes wide with surprise. Shattered Ice glanced down at her, then rearing, he slammed his paws hard into her exposed flank.
Thunder backed away as Gray Wing stretched onto his hind legs. Petal clung like a burr to his back. He twisted, snapping at her hind leg and she shrieked as his jaws clamped down on the bone, releasing her grip and thumping onto the ground.
Thunder leaped in beside Gray Wing. Tails to the rock, they faced the battling cats.
“Thanks,” Gray Wing panted. Blood streamed from his flank. His ear tip hung, torn and loose.
Thunder could feel his own pelt matted with blood. The air was rich with its stone tang as the screeching cats fought. “We’re not finished yet.”
“You’re not finished until Gray Wing’s dead!” Petal reared in front of them, claws glinting in the half-light. A tabby rogue slid in beside her and glared at them. As Petal dove for Gray Wing, he lifted his forepaws. Thunder reared as the tabby leaped at him. Together, he and Gray Wing met their attackers with a flurry of blows, batting them backward, step by step. Gray Wing knocked Petal away with a swinging blow that sent her reeling. She collapsed onto Gorse Fur, who turned and met her with another swipe.
Thunder’s hind legs trembled beneath him as he hit out at the tabby. His muscles burned until, panting, he lost his balance and collapsed onto all fours. The tabby dropped heavily onto his shoulders, and agony scorched through Thunder’s pelt as claws dug into the wounds Snake had left. Thunder struggled, stumbling as Gray Wing tugged the tabby sharply away.
Flanks heaving, he watched Gray Wing wrestle the tabby to the ground, hind paws scrabbling at the rogue’s belly. Beyond them, Rainswept Flower fought two toms, snapping at one, then the other as they drove her backward, away from her camp mates to the edge of the clearing.
A yowl from the far side of the battle jerked his attention away. He recognized the agonized shriek.
Wind Runner!
Leaf was pinning her to the ground, drawing back his lips as he prepared to sink his teeth into her spine.
“No!” With a roar, Gorse Fur let go of Petal and pelted for Wind Runner. He charged into Leaf, knocking him away with such force that the thump of the tom’s flank on the hard earth sounded over the yowls of rage and pain. Wind Runner leaped to her paws beside Gorse Fur. Together they drove Leaf backward until, eyes bright with panic, he ducked past them and streaked into the heart of battle, his gray-and-white pelt disappearing among his camp mates.
Thunder’s mind whirled. How could this end? As he flattened his ears against the shrieking, paws slammed into his side. He staggered, gasping. Fircone. He recognized the tom’s mottled brown-and-white pelt. Turning to defend himself, he caught Fircone’s eye. “This must stop!”
“This is Clear Sky’s territory!” Fircone arched his back. “We’re just fighting to defend what’s ours.”
“The hollow belongs to no cat!” Thunder blinked. Fircone had been one of the cats to beg him to stop Clear Sky expanding his borders. Now he was fighting to protect land Clear Sky hadn’t even claimed! “You asked me to stop him!”
“Times change.” Fircone thrust a paw out, catching Thunder’s ear.
Thunder ducked away as he felt the tip tear. What had Clear Sky told these cats to persuade them to fight so bitterly?
Claws snagged his scruff and he fought to stay on his paws as Fircone hauled him sideways.
Black fur streaked past his vision. Tall Shadow crashed between them, shoving Fircone away. The tom’s eyes widened in surprise as Tall Shadow leaped on him. Thunder froze, watching Tall Shadow’s bristling pelt as she pressed Fircone onto his spine and sliced his belly with thrashing claws. The she-cat trembled with fury as she lashed out.
Fircone shrieked in pain, then fell still.
Tall Shadow leaped away and stared at the tom. Blood streamed from his lifeless body, coloring the earth.
Thunder’s mouth felt as dry as the dirt. He’d told Lightning Tail they would fight to the death. The idea had sent courage surging beneath his pelt. Was this what courage did? He stared at Fircone’s corpse. The rogue would never taste prey scent again or feel the sun on his back or the wind in his fur. “You killed him.”
“So?” Tall Shadow’s gaze raked the battling cats. “Clear Sky’s cats are showing no mercy. We must fight or die.”
Rainswept Flower was on her back, a tabby rogue pinning her shoulders to the ground while a tortoiseshell scraped at her flank. Thunder prepared to leap, but Acorn Fur was already racing toward her camp mate. She charged the tabby, bowling him over. Rainswept Flower leaped to her paws and, hissing with rage, began swiping at the tortoiseshell.
Lightning Tail rolled, shrieking, across the clearing. Thorn had him in a badger-grip, pulling his head backward and exposing his throat. His hind paws hacked lumps from Lightning Tail’s pelt. Yowling, Lightning Tail twisted in Thorn’s grip and, fast as a snake, sank his teeth into the rogue’s shoulder with a snarl.
As Thorn screeched and let go, Frost’s yowl rang across the clearing.
Thunder turned. The white tom was pressed against the trunk of an oak. Blood splashed the bark as Snake slashed at Frost’s muzzle. Frost ducked, hissing, and dived for Snake’s hind leg. His blue eyes flashed in the gloom as he tugged Snake’s leg from under him. Snatching his pelt with a forepaw, he hooked him onto his spine. Snake tried to roll away, but Frost lunged for his throat.