Run Away Bravely (Stormwind)

“Hold the line!” A desperate Antpelt yowled from the side under pressure, only to be bitten by an infected cat a heartbeat later, the tom crying out in pain and collapsing onto his side, swarmed by more of the infected.

Cinderheart whirled around, her eyes widening in alarm when she saw the group of cats beginning to buckle under the onslaught.

Lionblaze let out a fierce yowl as he tore yet another infected cat to pieces, blazing a trail through them all. Since infected didn’t bleed in the traditional sense, it said something that the golden-brown tabby’s pelt was spotless save for the mud that occasionally rubbed off on him from one of the undead.

Breezpelt looked behind them at the sound of a desperate yowl. The warriors on the Windclan side of the island seemed to be struggling to hold the line, getting pushed up against the barrier around the camp clearing.

Cinderheart made sure to keep close to Breezepelt as the pair of them fought, her expression one of grim determination as she took down the infected.

Breezepelt charged forwards as well, running practically straight into the infected. The tom tried not to cast his gaze on the faces of the other cats, not wanting to recognize somebody he knew. Instead, he became a whirlwind of claws, though he was eventually forced to fall back slightly.

Several warriors followed him instantly, the rest either hesitating before following him or not following at all, either too scared or deciding to stay back in case some infected got past the first line. Cinderheart was one of the ones to follow instantly.

As was his usual style, Firestar took charge of the assembled warriors. “Don’t let them into the camp!” The tom yowled, bounding forwards straight towards the infected cats.

Cinderheart bristled with fear and anger. They’ve never tried to attack the island before. Why are they doing it now? She wondered, glancing around for a leader to coordinate them.

A few heartbeats later Breezepelt was at Cinderheart’s side, staring grimly at the horde coming out of the water. Lionblaze was there as well, hissing angrily as if he could intimidate the infected, but of course they simply shambles on towards the warriors.

Cinderheart had to shove her way through the crowd of stumbling, half-asleep warriors to reach the area where the infected were climbing out of the lake.

Suddenly, almost every pair of ears in the lake were trundling towards the island from all directions, the guards sprinting through camp and yowling to wake the warriors who were in their nests. The confused, half-asleep cats bundling out of their nests only added to the confusion in the clearing as the first of the infected came ashore.

Foxleap, who had sounded the alarm, took several steps back once the infected turned in his direction, eyes wide with fear.

Cinderheart scrambled to her paws, bolting in the direction of the Yoel.

Breezepelt has started to nod off as well, but at the sounds from the guards around the camp the former Windclan tom scrambled to his paws, running to go help.

Sure enough, the ears that had been visible to the cats as the infected wandered on the lake bottom were now rising out of the water, showing rotted faces and bodies covered in brown mud. Their ears being above the water meant that once the first cat sounded the alarm, every infected suddenly directed themselves towards the source of the noise.

(And now the attack! Mwahahahaha!)

Hours after Cinderheart had fallen asleep, a couple of hours before dawn, the night seemed to be peaceful and the guards were half-asleep on their paws. Until the infected got near enough to be seen and panicked yowls were heard, that is.

Cinderheart jerked awake as noise exploded into the night air.

Breezpelt sighed softly as he laid beside her, unsure of what to do besides snuggle up against Cinderheart.

(*pokes to Hello Feline Friends*)

Cinderheart purred softly, slipping deeper into sleep.

Unable to sleep at that point, Breezepelt simply groomed the parts of the She-cat he could reach with slow strokes of his tongue.

Cinderheart closed her dark blue eyes, drifting into a light doze.

Breezepelt felt an odd stirring in his chest as he pressed close to Cinderheart, a little flutter he hadn’t felt since he crushed on Heatherpaw (and of course mated with her once or twice before she went back to Lionblaze).

"You're welcome," Cinderheart murmured, touching her nose to his ear and closing her eyes.

“Thank you,” Breezpelt grumbled into her fur, pressing his nose into it and inhaling The she-cat’s scent, still unmistakably tinged with the smell of the forest.

Cinderheart nuzzled his neck, letting out a soothing purr. She didn't try to say any words of comfort, knowing how little they helped even when you knew you would see the cat again in StarClan; she couldn't imagine how useless they would feel when you knew you would never see them again. The tabby just lent her silent support to the tom.

Breezpelt shifted when Cinderheart cuddled up against him, pressing his own body closer to hers. He relished in the loving contact, the first he’d felt in moons, and gave Cinderheart an appreciative lick on the cheek.

Cinderheart rolled over to cuddle into the tom’s side, offering him silent comfort. She didn’t know how it felt to lose a cat to the infected, but she remembered when her brother had died. It had still hurt, even know he would be going to StarClan.

“I think she’s gone to me for good.” Breezpelt Murmured softly, biting hard on his lip to keep himself from sobbing.