The opponent of Pineshadow was a tall russet-colored warrior who hailed from Ravenclan named Cliffdrop. This cat was said to have killed five kits, two apprentices, and three warriors. Their murder spree was cut short when their former accomplish betrayed them and slit their throat. After the deed was done, they were pushed over a cliff, thus their name. They are calculating and fully apathetic to others' pain or grief. The lithe cat's skills lie in stealth and speed, though they are plagued by a fear of tall heights. Whether this was due to their death or it was apparent beforehand is unknown. Cliffdrop is very defensive about their fear nonetheless, always lashing out at anyone who makes fun of them for it. They also seem to always think they have complete power over their companions, which is often not true, as their betrayal showed. This cat looked haughtily at their opponent, they had expected more. Being rather impatient in this setting, they were the first to pounce.

Pineshadow dodged stiffly, still caked in now-drying blood. He attempted a swipe at the feline, drawing blood from a scar on their forehead. The red liquid almost seemed to blend in with the warrior's russet fur. They had to squint their left eye to avoid getting any blood in it but continued to attempt attacks as well. Cliffdrop pounced on the tom, leading them both to tumble over. When they landed, Cliffdrop on top of Pineshadow, the tom forcefully bit them on the shoulder. The warrior pulled themself up and dug their claws into Pineshadow's skin, reopening some of his recent scars. He gritted his teeth in pain, causing him to have an even tighter grip on his opponent's shoulder. Seeing that he wouldn't let go so easily, Cliffdrop decided to try something different. The russet-colored feline began to leap around, attempting to throw their opponent off. Pineshadow held on with all his strength, though it was considerably depleted from his last fight. It took several leaps before the tom fell off, making contact with the hard, blood-stained dirt which was a part of their appointed arena. 

Both took a few seconds to take in the fresh air after such a wrestle, the crowd seemed to be on the tip of their tails. 'Who would make the first move?' They all seemed to wonder. This was soon answered as Pineshadow began to stiffly rise. Cliffdrop was still worn out from having to buck around to get their enemy off of their back. Both were at a standoff once more. The tension was as thick as the trunks of the giant trees surrounding the camp, both fighters were wary of the other. The black tom then lashed out at the warrior, batting repeatedly at the cat's ears. Their response was heard clearly as a dangerous yowl clawed up into the air, pulling the cat into action as they leaped on top of Pineshadow, pinning him down. He scratched at the opposing warrior's soft belly with his hind legs to no avail. The tom's kicking was weakened due to the stings he got from his scattered wounds. Cliffdrop seemed to feel none of this though, a vengeful glean in their eyes. They began to quickly lower their open jaw to where their opponent's neck could easily be bitten into. Before anything further could happen though, the winner was declared.

"Cease your fighting! The winner of the final round is Cliffdrop! The two recruits known as Stormpaw and Pineshadow shall have the duties of being the lowest of the low for the rest of the moon!" The deputy had announced, though he had consulted with the other judges first.

The two fighters limped over to the healers, though foul blood remained between them. Stormpaw rushed over to their protector, a concerned but still enthusiastic expression clear on them. The apprentice asked worriedly about his friend, though all questions were answered with something along the lines of 'I'm fine.' Both cats seemed to be unbothered by their future duty as grunts for the clan in the duration of almost a full moon.

....

Redfang and his companions were watching the two from afar, an almost disgusted look decorating the lead tom's face. He spat on the ground before he began to speak contemptuously.

"Heh, what a pathetic duo those two are. A meek apprentice who's afraid of their own shadow and do-gooder warrior!"

Weaselsnout piped up, trying to be clever. "Yeah, It's a wonder they're even in the Dark Forest. I bet they couldn't stand a week here!"

Snakebite side-eyed her companion before remarking, "I wouldn't be so sure, the tom's a tough one. And besides, we know that the sniveling kit of an apprentice was sent here by Blackclan; it happens every week, you mouse-brain!"

Their leader then spoke in a low tone to them in a conspiratorial nature. "That aside, what about the tom? He certainly isn't from Blackclan, and he hasn't done anything a Forest warrior would do. All he's done is be a little code-follower. He's almost as much of a goody-two-paws as the warriors of Cloudclan!"

All were in agreement that it was quite strange. The three weren't the only ones to notice either, quite on the contrary, it seemed that the whole Dark Forest had noticed this peculiar occurrence. Certainly the tom must have done something horrible to end up here; but what? This was a question that Redfang was desperate to answer. And he soon began to hatch a plan with his goons to get the answer he so vied for.