"Help!" Treepool yowled, rushing into the camp. He had been sent out on a border patrol. "Help!" he repeated, his usually confident voice wavering. "SkyClan is attacking!" Darkpaw froze in shock. This was all Fernstar's fault! A half-moon had passed since the gathering, and the whole of ShadowClan had been waiting for this. 

"Everyone! Come!" Fernstar ordered, bunching her shoulders and leaping towards Treepool. "Where?" Treepool ran off into the forest. 

"Wait! Grassfang, stay here with... Dar- no... Badgerfang!" Frogscar ordered. "Yowl if they come to the camp." He nodded briefly and ran after Treepool. Darkpaw glanced worriedly at her surroundings, then followed the rest of her Clan to a muddy swamp nearish to the SkyClan border. 

"There are so many important herbs here," Shadepaw yowled frantically, his fur spiking and his ears flattening. The smell of fear and anger drafted up Darkpaw's nose. "Tallmeadow needs them!" The medicine cat nodded and began to gather some. Shadepaw blinked and grabbed something with his teeth, handing it to Tallmeadow. "Poppy seeds... For... Uh, pain," he stammered. Darkpaw smiled, in spite of her terror. He was still following his dream. 

Her smile faded quickly as SkyClan cats slunk towards them, jumping down from the pines. Rainstar was in the lead, a snarl on his muzzle. He stepped forward and lifted his chin arrogantly. Darkpaw forced herself not to swipe him. This is ShadowClan territory! She thought fiercely, a growl rising from her throat.

"Give up now or be beaten!" the grey tom spat. "We have the smallest territory beside the lake because all those moons ago, Rowanstar didn't give us enough!" Darkpaw froze, finally noticing how many SkyClan cats were there. Had Rainstar brought all of them? SkyClan apprentices and warriors surrounded the ShadowClan cats. Only two left at camp, but they were seriously outnumbered!

"Never!" Fernstar drew her lips back in a snarl. "ShadowClan, attack!" Darkpaw didn't question her leader's orders for once; without blinking she launched herself at two apprentices. They clawed her sides and she winced, thinking fast. She rolled over on the ground and sprang up, jaws snapping at the larger one's belly. He yowled with pain and the other one fastened her claws in Darkpaw's back, digging deep. She screeched in pain and stumbled under his weight, then managed to roll over, making him fall. She jumped up, protecting her belly, and then countered by jumping onto his back. She clawed him until he rolled over, and stabbed her claws at him. A heavy weight crashed into her back as she was about to repeat the movement. It was the bigger cat! The one she was clawing glared at her and scampered away. 

"Help! Darkpaw!" Shadepaw's voice cried. Darkpaw stole a glance at her brother; two warriors were taunting him and closing in.

"I'm c-" The other apprentice bothering her gnashed his teeth, snapping at her neck, and she ran. Her long legs carried her as fast as the wind. I'm so fast! She looked back to see Yowltail raking the apprentice with her claws.

"Stay away from ShadowClan!" she was growling, fire in her amber eyes. Darkpaw breathed thankfully and ran at one of the warriors. She saw a flash of orange and met with Orangepaw's eyes.

"I'll help," the she-cat explained rapidly. "Come on." She flicked her tail, and they rushed at the warriors, their claws unsheathed and their fangs bared. Darkpaw heard a scream as the warrior she was attacking raked his claw across her side. She turned, yowling in pain, and froze as she saw Frogscar's body falling to the bloody ground, Rainstar's teeth clamped on his neck.

Okay, that was a really short chapter, but I liked that ending. What will happen next? Is he dead, or can Tallmeadow help him? Is Shadpaw okay? Does this mean that SkyClan has won, or will they continue to fight? 

-Shadowstorm