This Is Wrong But It Feels So Right (Stormwind)

Swallowpaw quietly limped alongside Blackpaw, thinking deeply and she would have fallen several times had it not been for the Tom being more attentive than her. As it was, her ribs had started hurting by the time they were barely halfway there, though she did her best to hide it. It seemed to work too; she'd had practice the last quarter moon. Finally, they reached the Gathering Hollow.

(Cool!)

Even though Swallowpaw had rejected him while he was living in Meadowclan's camp, Blckpaw's concern and feelings for the pretty, yet subtly beautiful apprentice had never waned. Every night since the battle, even on the first when they were both exhausted, he'd come in to tell her old stories the clan had passed down from generation to generation, to help her with her exercises, and to bring her good and help her walk to the dirtplace. Now, the heterochromatic tom was forced to deal wit the reality that he'd be leaving her back at her home with his mate once more, and the idea tugged at his heartstrings a little but he accepted it. Despite still being a mere apprentice he'd taken some of the leadership duties and respect of the remnants of Lakeclan. Therefore, he lead the small gathering contingent, making sure the rest of the clan never got ahead of their injured Meadowclan guests.

Swallowpaw was sitting up, her ribs wrapped up (somehow), quietly listening to the medicine cat lecture about being careful and what not to do, etc. She was capable of going home now, but had to take it easy just like the other three, which was why LakeClan was going early, with only a handful of cats. Barely a dozen LakeClan cats had survived/stayed after the attack, Blackpaw included. 

(I'm planning of having Swallowpaw stay in LakeClan and she can be Blackpaw's 'official' mate)

(He only knows her by name though thanks to le crush :3)

The whole time the group was gone, Blackpaw checked on Swallowpaw and the others every day, but mostly Swallowpaw, feeling a newfound loyalty to Meadowclan after living with them and getting to know them all personally. By the sundown on the night of the gathering, the four seemed to have recovered alright, for the most part. Blackpaw walked in to check on Swallowpaw for the last time, hoping that the she-cat would be ready to at least manage the walk, if not heal fully.

(And the other three badly injured cats :3)

Within ten minutes, MeadowClan had left the LakeClan camp, leaving behind their four badly injured cats until the gathering so as to keep their wounds from worsening; they might have died if they moved them.

Blackpaw pinned his ears, but remembered that there would be a gathering in less than a quarter moon's time. Perhaps the tattered remnants of his clan would make it there, and that's where he could see her again. "We'll send Swallowpaw back when she's recovered!" He yowled after her, before wheeling around to assist the remaining warriors with cleaning up the hectic scene.

She frowned at him. "I can't, Blackpaw. My clan needs me." She truly did seem sorry. "I am a leader; my clan comes first, before everything else, even my own life." She hesitated before swiftly reaching out and touching her nose to his ear, spinning around and walking off to take care of her cats.

"Two of ours died, including Lightningscar, and at least four ran off into the forest and haven't returned." Blackpaw replied, sounding surprisingly like a leader for an apprentice. Looking around warily before coming closer to her, he mewed "Please... stay tonight. I'm scared. Your deputy can take your clan home."

Mallowstar glanced over at Barkheart's den and sighed wearily. "Two of our cats died and another three are badly injured."

"Maybe we'll elect someone… they'll know what to do." The younger cat, despite being of warrior age, was clearly quite unsure of his own answer, and yet he didn't want to be responsible for such a monumental task. Glancing back over at Barkheart's den, into which he'd managed to drag Swallowpaw, he mewed "Swallowpaw was badly hurt by Lightningscar. Barkheart is treating her now."

"I know. But I don't know what to do," she admitted in a low tone. "I've never had to rebuild a Clan before."

Blackpaw knew he couldn't be affectionate with her in such a crowd, but he padded up to her anyways. "Mallowstar... what now? We're in a shambles, with no leaders..."

As the highest ranking cat in the clearing, Mallowstar was taking charge of the pitiful remnants of the Clan.

"Barkheart will take a look, don't move." Blackpaw replied firmly, fetching the medicine cat, who quickly confirmed that two of Swallowpaw's ribs were cracked, one broken and the other only fractured somehow. As the apprentice was tended to by the other clan's medicine cat, the exhausted Blackpaw sought out Mallowstar.

Swallowpaw winced, breathing heavily and unevenly. "Owww. I think he broke a couple of my ribs."

Snarling, Blackpaw leapt up and raked his claws straight down the exposed belly of the enemy leader. As the tom writhed in pain, the apprentice delivered an almost certainly fatal slash across the neck before kicking Lightningscar down the slope, his black body landing in a crumpled heap behind the main fight. As more of the warriors loyal to him saw his remains and fled into the forest, the rest were beat back until they were either captured or forced to turn tail as well. Finally, a yowl of triumph came from the few cats that had defected over to Mallowstar's leadership during the fight. They'd won.

Blackpaw was only concerned with the welfare of his crush, having heard something break. "Swallowpaw!" He yowled, rushing to her aid.

Swallowpaw yowled with pain, feeling something crack as she was squished beneath his bulk.

The leader then had another idea as Swallowpaw's claws simply dug deeper into his back in response to his bucking. He rose up on his hindpaws, then fell backwards, now trying to squish her beneath him and against the wall or path.

Growling, Blackpaw finally got back on his feet, one of his heterochromatic eyes closed as blood posed into it from a wound on his face.

A short squeal escaped her mouth and she dug her claws on tighter to avoid falling to her doom, fur bristling.

Growling ferociously, Lightningscar tried to buck Swallowpaw off and make her suffer the fate of his cohorts, a fall down into the camp from on high. Meanwhile, Blackpaw struggled to regain his footing, some of the gravel slipping beneath his blood-stained paws and threatening to carry him off the path with it.

Swallowpaw ran to help Blavkpaw, leaping onto Lightningscar and tearing her claws into his back.

Despite looking intimidating and bigger than the two of them combined, the ton was quickly felled and then knocked down the slope to their left by Blackpaw, the large warrior rolling down the steep slope and coming to a jarring stop in the clearing. The next two warriors were dispatched in much the same way, one fleeing while the other two limped to the medicine den. By now, however, Ligntningscar (not Lightningstar, whatever he may have convinced himself) was onto their game and lashed at Blackpaw, slicing the tom painfully with razor sharp claws.

She nodded, eyes wide, and proceeded to do her best to do just that.

Snarling, a grizzled, scarred old tom approached them first, heavyset and looking dangerous.

"Trip him up, I'll do the rest!" Blackpaw shouted frantically, knowing the heavyset tom was a tiny bit clumsy.

Swallowpaw shot after him, at a startling speed for the young apprentice. If there was one thing she prided herself on, it was her speed; she was one of the fastest cats in the Clan despite being only ten moons old.