CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

                                    

                                          
Beefrost arched his back with a ferocious hiss into the undergrowth at his hidden enemy. "Come out!" He growled, glancing at Maelstrom. Fear-scent wafted off of him, but he stood still, bristling wildly.
A small brown queen leaped out of the bush, her fur bushed up to look twice her size. Maelstrom blinked at the small cat, then glanced at Beefrost. This cat looks younger than Haypaw. "Where are the others?" He demanded from the small AlpClan apprentice.  There was a defiant glint in the young queen's golden eyes.
"Hand over your prey!" She hissed, her eyes flicking between Maelstrom and Beefrost. "You want TrailClan prey?" He asked her, trying his hardest to sound unafraid.
He wasn't frightened by this apprentice, but their clanmates, who could be lurking close by. Leaning over to Maelstrom, he whispered. "You know how to get to the camp from here? Warn Rockstar." And Maelstrom nodded, and without warning, dashed away.
"After him!" Beefrost heard a warrior screech, he felt a horrible pain after hearing the warriors voice. Crowfang! Beefrost felt helpless for a moment, plunged back into the old battle that killed Aldercry. But a warmth beside him brought him back. My fierce warrior. Beefrost recognized his mother's soft voice.
With a sudden spring of energy, Beefrost launched himself at the black warrior, who growled with delight. "We meet again!" He screeched, digging his claws into Beefrost's shoulder. The small apprentice scrambled after Maelstrom, and with all of his strength, Beefrost heaved Crowfang off of him. "And I'm not a scared apprentice anymore!" He growled, slicing his claws at Crowfang, who ducked just in time, but not enough to save him from a shredded ear, which oozed blood when he reared up again.
Before Crowfang could strike again, he launched himself at the apprentice, who squealed with surprise and tumbled onto the ground. But struggling to his paws again, Crowfang sliced his flank with his thorn-sharp claws, making Beefrost shriek with pain. Thrashing wildly, Beefrost watched as two more warriors sprinted past the little apprentice. Relentless claws tore at Beefrost's flank. Struggling to keep his breath, he lashed out his claws, raking his tormentor in the chest, using his hind legs to push himself free, and raced after the warriors, Crowfang hard on his tail. 
Beefrost recognized one of the warriors as Tinyheart, he looked bigger now, with muscles that rippled in his pelt. The other was a white tom with whiskers the size of a mouse's tail. With all of his strength, he leaped on top of Tinyheart, who hissed with rage and struck out at Beefrost's ear with his claws. Agony erupted in Beefrost's head as he caught sight of blood glittering off of Tinyheart's claws.
"Fox dung!" Beefrost spat, digging his claws into Tinyheart's shoulders. The young warrior seemed to have lost his spirit from their last fight, he wasn't spitting insults left and right. "Raintuft! Keep going! Get that white cat!" Tinyheart howled to the white tom, who raced ahead.
Just as Beefrost managed to free himself from Tinyheart's grasp, Crowfang leaped onto his back, with a screech, Beefrost thrashed around like a manic dog, hissing as the older warrior dug his claws into his neck. Tinyheart reared, slicing his claws across Beefrost's muzzle. 
Blind with pain, he leaped up as high as he could despite the weight of Crowfang on his back, and let himself flop onto the dirt, landing with his belly up, winding the black tom. Crowfang wheezed and shook himself as Tinyheart snarled at Beefrost, striking another well aimed blow at his cheek.
"Beefrost!" Dizzy, Beefrost looked up as he heard his name, he saw the white warrior Raintuft fleeing, a deep scratch scored into his back. "The white cat brought back up!" He hissed as he passed Crowfang. Beefrost heard Crowfang spit with outrage. 
"Come out! The rest of you!" He yowled into the bushes, and in an instant, Beefrost was surrounded by AlpClan warriors. Craning his neck, he spotted Scorchtail and Haypaw at the front of the patrol, Grasstail, Birdstem, and Foxsky hard on their tails. Relief flooded through Beefrost as he staggered to his paws. Maelstrom leaped back into the clearing, his thin pelt standing on end, Frostpaw and Fallenpaw stood on either side of him, lashing out at a AlpClan warrior with neat swipes. 
Scorchtail leaped in front of Crowfang, his eyes glittering with challenge. "Remember me?" He sneered. Taking his claws and raking them across the hissing black tom's face.
Grasstail and Foxsky wrestled with the red tom that had wounded him in their first fight, Birdsky gave a ginger apprentice one swipe and sent it squealing, and Haypaw had just finished chasing off a fearful speckled black apprentice. Beefrost couldn't help but admire her powerful, yet graceful attacks as she leaped onto another warrior's back, a warrior he didn't recognize.
"Fallenpaw!" Beefrost heard Haypaw scream in dismay. Whipping around, he watched as Frostaw and Scorchtail hauled the little red bundle of fur away from the hissing Tinyheart. "Useless scrap of fur!" The young warrior spat, his yellow eyes narrowed to slits, and his white fur stained red with blood.
"Retreat!" Haypaw screeched, racing over to her sister's side. Grasstail looked up, puzzled, the warrior she was fighting struggled out of her grip. "Your apprentice said retreat." He sneered in her face. Beefrost hurried over to Fallenpaw's side, her sides were still, and her scent was being washed away, replaced by a scent he recognized on Forest, death.