/ /  Amazing art of Cougarstripe by @/Moon_Cloud – go check out her most recent art book!!  / /

Cougarpaw yowled as he was knocked over. A fire burned inside of him. ShadowClan have no right to attack us!

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw snarled and flung the she-cat off, who landed with a thud on the ground. She stood up, shaking her golden pelt. She was definitely an apprentice, and was about the size of Cougarpaw, maybe a little bit larger. The apprentice growled and leaped at Cougarpaw. The tan tom leaped out of the way, watching the clumsy she-cat land in the mud. She quickly whirled around and clamped her jaws on his tail. Cougarpaw yowled and the she-cat pinned him down.

⠀ ⠀She's heavy. I need a plan.

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw let his muscles rest, acting as if he had gone unconscious. The she-cat released her grip and the tan apprentice slithered out of her grasp, leaping around and batting her muzzle.

⠀ ⠀"Lionpaw!" A cat yowled, running over to help. This was definitely a warrior, and Cougarpaw's eyes grew wide. This warrior was a large, fully snow-white tom with glowing yellow eyes.

⠀ ⠀I know this cat! What's his name? Cloudedsun? I think that's it... Well, whatever his name is, I know he's the deputy... Do I have to fight against two cats alone?

⠀ ⠀"Stay away from my apprentice!" Clawflank yowled and leaped to Cougarpaw's side. "Cloudedsun, you should know better than to allow yourself and Lionpaw beat up Cougarpaw for the sakes of nothing! We haven't done anything wrong! We need shelter, and–"

⠀ ⠀"Shelter? From what?" Cloudedsun spat.

⠀ ⠀"Our camp... It's burned into nothing but ashes," Cougarpaw but in. "We didn't want to fight, we just need shelter for the night."

⠀ ⠀"Can't you just rebuild your camp starting tonight?" Lionpaw questioned.

⠀ ⠀"It's still burning!" Clawflank snarled to Lionpaw. "And there's a badger loose on our territory as well!"

⠀ ⠀"Well, you are on our–" Cloudedsun was cut off by Clawflank.

⠀ ⠀"Yeah, a whole Clan, elders, kits, queens, medicine cats and all, are fighting and trying to destroy your Clan! That's a pitiful excuse, Cloudedsun. You need to tell your fox-hearted leader to stop this madness over nothing!" Clawflank hissed, fur standing on end.

⠀ ⠀Clawflank would be a good leader, Cougarpaw thought.

⠀ ⠀Cloudedsun had a grim expression on his face. "Yes, I will go find Sharkstar right now." He ran off but was flung back into battle with a yowl. Cougarpaw was knocked over to the side and it seemed like the ShadowClan warriors were dragging them away.

⠀ ⠀"No! Stop!" Cougarpaw whirled around to face a gray tom with copper eyes and a very long tail.

⠀ ⠀"ThunderClan scum, get off of our territory!"

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw raked his claws down this apprentice's muzzle, and let out a hiss when the tom leaped on his back and sunk his claws into his skin. Cougarpaw snapped at him, but he was too far back for Cougarpaw to reach, and he dropped on the ground and rolled. He managed to squish the tom and leaped back to his claws, sinking his claws into the gray tom's exposed belly.

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw yowled when the ShadowClan apprentice raked his claws down his left eye, and he staggered back. Blood flowed his left vision and he could hardly see as the apprentice landed blows to his side.

⠀ ⠀"We're not trying to invade you!" Cougarpaw spat.

⠀ ⠀"Sure you aren't!"

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw wasn't going to be beat up by a cat when he hadn't even done anything.

⠀ ⠀He whipped around and raked his claws over the tom's ear and it ripped in half, blood trickling down his face.

⠀ ⠀The tables had turned.

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw hissed and sunk his teeth into the tom's leg as he tried to claw him. The tan tom raised his paw to land another blow but the gray apprentice clawed at his stomach.

⠀ ⠀The tan tom felt rage and he leaped forward, sinking his claws into his throat.

⠀ ⠀No... Stop!

⠀ ⠀He felt some type of power. He could kill this cat if he wanted to. This ShadowClan apprentice's life was in his paws right now.

⠀ ⠀'Don't let it corrupt you...' A voice whispered in his head. 'You're stronger than this, Cougarpaw... You have nothing against this cat. Let him go.'

⠀ ⠀The way she said Cougarpaw...

⠀ ⠀Fawnfur? The ThunderClan apprentice thought, but there was no reply. He sheathed his claws and hopped off of the gray apprentice, who hissed at him.

⠀ ⠀"You nearly killed me!" He spat.

⠀ ⠀"Well, I didn't," Cougarpaw retorted. "It's your fault for attacking me; I never would've even tried to kill you if you hadn't been so mousebrained to not listen to me!"

⠀ ⠀The other apprentice opened his jaws to reply but the tan tom continued.

⠀ ⠀"Kits? Queens? Elders? Do you think ThunderClan brought them to put them in danger? Why would we be attacking you with them?"

⠀ ⠀Suddenly Clawflank ran over, growling at the apprentice. "Vinepaw, you must go back to your camp." His mentor's ears flattened. "If this battle continues..." He shook his head. "You can't stay if this goes on. Leave now!"

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw looked at Cougarpaw's mentor. How did Clawflank know Vinepaw? Probably just saw him or met him at a gathering, the ThunderClan apprentice thought.

⠀ ⠀"Cougarpaw, this battle isn't safe for you either. Go hide in the tree-line where it's safe–"

⠀ ⠀Two ShadowClan cats, mentor and apprentice, sprinted up to them. There was a brown tabby she-cat with gray flecks, yellow-flecked eyes, and a stub of a tail. The apprentice was a dark gray tom, with black tabby stripes and amber eyes.

⠀ ⠀I know that apprentice... He thought.

⠀ ⠀Gravelpaw!

⠀ ⠀Clawflank's fur fluffed up twice his size. "Stop attacking us!" He hissed. "We've done no wrong!"

⠀ ⠀"You trespassed on our territory! Why are you so close to our camp?" The stubby-tailed brown mentor growled.

⠀ ⠀Gravelpaw ignored the conversation and leaped at Cougarpaw. Cougarpaw was surprised to feel Gravelpaw be much heavier than him, and he guessed the ShadowClan apprentice was about to become a warrior.

⠀ ⠀"I hope StarClan doesn't forgive you for this," Gravelpaw snarled. He sunk his claws into Cougarpaw's shoulders and the tan tom yowled in pain. The weight suddenly disappeared, much like how he'd felt with Atticus, and Cougarpaw watched Clawflank throw Gravelpaw off of him whilst being attacked by the brown she-cat.

⠀ ⠀"Cougarpaw, pairs!" Clawflank yowled.

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw nodded at what he said and came up beside his mentor; even though he was much smaller, two ThunderClan cats could defeat one other cat.

⠀ ⠀But we still have Gravelpaw, Cougarpaw reminded himself.

⠀ ⠀Gravelpaw stood up and stopped in front of Cougarpaw. He leaped at the tan tom, exactly like last time, but Cougarpaw was prepared. He sidestepped and bowled into the ShadowClan tom, pinning him to the ground. But this other cat's strength was too much for him, and Gravelpaw easily knocked him off of his back, sweeping him off of his feet. Cougarpaw hit the ground and felt the weight appear back onto his body.

⠀ ⠀He was flipped over and Gravelpaw raked his claws over his muzzle.

⠀ ⠀"Agh! Get off of me!" Cougarpaw snarled, trying to knock him off, but it was no use. Gravelpaw's claws slid out farther and they sunk into his pelt. Cougarpaw yowled, looking around frantically for his mentor, but he was no where to be seen.

⠀ ⠀Did he leave me? Cougarpaw thought in fear.

⠀ ⠀But the gray apprentice from last time had crashed into the darker gray one, hissing at Gravelpaw.

⠀ ⠀Wait, what? Why is Vinepaw, a ShadowClan apprentice, helping me against his own Clanmate?

⠀ ⠀Is he a traitor?

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw's fur fluffed up and he took a few steps back, guarding Cougarpaw, who had now stood up.

⠀ ⠀"Gravelpaw, do you not understand?" Vinepaw growled. "ThunderClan isn't here to invade us! You're too arrogant to look around you; do you think ThunderClan would bring kits, queens, and elders to fight?"

⠀ ⠀"You never know," Gravelpaw retorted, amber eyes glowing in the darkness. "It could be a diversion!"

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw snarled. "Just–"

⠀ ⠀"Stop!" A yowl echoed through the forest. Cats stopped fighting, putting their claws down as they looked up at Wildjay. He was standing on a large boulder, and Cougarpaw watched as Sharkstar also leaped on it, his bright copper eyes looking over the deputy.

⠀ ⠀"Where's your leader?" Sharkstar spat. "I need to speak with him, since clearly you aren't here to fight."

⠀ ⠀Wildjay bristled. "Greenstar is dead," he meowed. "He was left behind in the fire, since we couldn't save him."

⠀ ⠀"Oh, so you're leader now?" Sharkstar raised a brow. "Alrighty, Wildstar–"

⠀ ⠀"It's Wildjay," he corrected harshly.

⠀ ⠀"I thought you were a leader now?" Sharkstar growled, his claws slipping out of their sheathes. "Make up your mind!"

⠀ ⠀"I haven't visited the Moonstone yet, so I'm not a leader. But listen–you need to control your cats! Do you think we brought our most innocent ranks to have them killed? We need shelter! A fire has destroyed our home, and we're seeking shelter while it burns out," Wildjay explained.

⠀ ⠀Sharkstar twisted his head to the ThunderClan camp, narrowing his eyes, blue-gray fur ruffling in the breeze. "The smoke is light." He turned back to Wildjay. "The fire's out. Go home."

⠀ ⠀"Do we look like we're in a state to go back on a trip to our home?" Wildjay snarled, narrowing his eyes. "Sharkstar, we can't go to RiverClan because of the river, and WindClan is too far. You're our only hope, for herbs, food, shelter..."

⠀ ⠀Sharkstar snarled. "And how am I suppose to know if this is a trap or not?"

⠀ ⠀Wildjay curled his lip. "Yeah, a fire burned our camp out and now we're trying to attack you."

⠀ ⠀Sharkstar flicked his tail, looking over the crowd of ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats.

⠀ ⠀"So?" Wildjay asked the ShadowClan leader.

⠀ ⠀"I'm thinking!" Sharkstar snapped. The blue-gray ShadowClan tom finally turned back to the ThunderClan deputy...or, well, leader now.

⠀ ⠀"Fine, I'll let your cats stay. But if you even think of invading–"

⠀ ⠀"Okay, okay, I get it. We won't touch anything we aren't suppose to. We'll be gone by tomorrow."

⠀ ⠀Sharkstar growled. "You better."

⠀ ⠀He turned to the cats. "ShadowClan, I've decided to let ThunderClan stay with us for the night! Their home was burned, and they need shelter." He flicked his tail. "Don't pick fights, just stay low. They'll be gone tomorrow."

⠀ ⠀Sharkstar leaped off, Wildjay following at the ShadowClan leader's heels.

⠀ ⠀"Why did you help me?" Cougarpaw turned on Vinepaw as the two Clans padded to the entrance of the ShadowClan camp.

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw shrugged. "You didn't kill me and Gravelpaw is ruthless. I'm almost sure he would've hurt you, possibly to death."

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw gulped, bounding over the gray tom.

⠀ ⠀"So, I've never seen you around. What's your name? I heard Clawflank talk to you... Err.... Gah, I forgot," Vinepaw mewed to the ThunderClan apprentice.

⠀ ⠀"Cougarpaw," the tan tom purred. "And I know that you're Vinepaw."

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw nodded, a smile curling at his lips. "Yep. Now, let me show you the apprentices' den in the camp."

⠀ ⠀The cats reached the camp and Cougarpaw looked around. It was much different from the ThunderClan camp. Pine trees encircled the camp and rose up over the walls, and trees towered over the entrance. The ground underpaw wasn't muddy, but instead covered in dirt and some dark grass.

⠀ ⠀"Welcome to the humble ShadowClan camp!" Vinepaw smiled, blinking his copper eyes.

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw flicked an ear. "Hey... I'm hungry. What about you?"

⠀ ⠀"Nah, I'm not. But here's the fresh kill pile." Vinepaw sat down beside Cougarpaw and watched him intently as he chose a small mouse.

⠀ ⠀"You can have something larger than that, you know," Vinepaw commented.

⠀ ⠀"I know, but I'd rather not push Sharkstar's trust."

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw laughed. "Sharkstar isn't really that bad. He just acts like he is to protect his Clan." The gray tom lowered his voice. "But I am convinced he isn't very fond of company."

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw let out a chuckle, ripping in to the mouse. He quickly finished it and licked his lips, standing and tiring to Vinepaw. He blinked his green eyes and looked up at the sky, which was turning dark. Pink, blue, and orange highlighted the sky, and Cougarpaw realized that ShadowClan still didn't get as great of a view as ThunderClan.

⠀ ⠀The tan tom looked over at the nursery, noticing a little black and white kit.

⠀ ⠀"That's Smudgekit," Vinepaw spoke, following the ThunderClan apprentice's gaze. "He's the only tom in the nursery, so he's a bit wild." Vinepaw let out a purr and turned around. "I'll show you the apprentices' den. I'm sure you're tired from that battle."

⠀ ⠀Cougarpaw nodded and padded after the gray tom, being led to a clay den. Thorns covered the side and Cougarpaw examined them for a minute, before being forced to enter the den. It was dark but large, and he wondered how many apprentices were in ShadowClan. "Here, come lay down here." Vinepaw led him to an empty nest on the right–paw side, and Cougarpaw laid down. He breathed in the ShadowClan scent, realizing it wasn't as bad as every Clan thought it was.

⠀ ⠀Vinepaw dipped his head and exited the den.

⠀ ⠀Oh yeah. I forgot that Tigerflame, Darkcloud, and Shadowwhisker won't be in the den anymore.

⠀ ⠀He silently cheered for Shadowwhisker's riddance, but felt a pang of guilt. He quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as he thought back to the prophecy. Of bright and dark, two cats shall be brought down from our ancestors. Only time can tell when they will figure out who they really are, but they shall meet in battle. If the brightness that shines loses, no cat will be safe anymore.

⠀ ⠀And Shadowwhisker is the darkness... And I'm the brightness.

⠀ ⠀He let out a pitiful sigh. I suppose it's just a matter of time before we meet in battle. But for now, let's just hope my Clan stays safe.

———

A/N: Hey everyone! So I'm sure you know what my choice for which book I should complete next is! I'm sorry for all who wanted The Prophesied Four, but a certain someone convinced me to do what I wanted, so I decided to write Cougarstripe's Shock.

I hope you guys aren't mad or disappointed in me ;w; I just really want to finish this book. Hell, it's been nearly a year, so shouldn't I keep writing?

Anyway, what did you think of the chapter?

Oh yeah, and here's a joke someone made in the old version of this book:

Vinepaw is growing on me.
Like a vine.

*canned laughter in the background*

So if you could pick, would you rather pick Shadowwhisker or Gravelpaw for who you dislike more?

I'm going to have to say Shadowwhisker, since he did kill Cougarpaw's mother and plotted with Appleheart to set the camp on fire. But why did he do it? You'll have to wait to find out!

Another note that I'll be updating every Sunday, so you won't have to wait so long.

Anyway, please vote and comment your thoughts, and may StarClan light your path!