“Badger!” a cat yowled, and Ashfur leapt up from his conversation. That’s Squirrelflight! She’s in trouble!

He dove underneath the brambles leading out and threw himself towards the badger - putting himself in front of Squirrelflight. She was hissing something at it, teeth bared, but he plunged forward to run his claws through its matted fur. The badger bellowed hoarsely and began shaking him off, retreating backwards.

Thank StarClan Squirrelflight’s safe! But the she-cat didn’t seem to share the sentiment, and was glaring at him. Did I… do something wrong?

Brambleclaw burst through to meet them, bleeding from a scratch down his side. I wouldn’t want to meet whoever gave him that, Ashfur thought to himself. Badgers are nothing to trifle with.

“Squirrelflight!” Brambleclaw meowed, and Ashfur wished he could claw his throat off to shut him up. “Help me—we’ve got to get Daisy and the kits out of the hollow. Sorreltail, too.”

Ashfur sighed. A badger, roaring, reared up behind him, and he ducked under its blow and jumped onto its back, clawing up its spine and doing his best to make sure it would hurt. He dug his teeth into its neck as it thrashed, and his legs were thrown away from its body. Fortunately his jaw did not give out.

“Mouse-dung!” he spat as it threw him back again, and he was thrown onto the hard ground, something cracking in his ribs. “You’ll pay for that!”

He leaped for the badger, claws outstretched, and caught it by the ears. It roared, hot breath on his stomach, and began snapping at him - Mouse-dung! - and although one bite grazed his side, he was able to scramble up and over it, pushing it away and lunging to protect a she-cat unaware of a badger swiping at her.

He snapped his teeth at it and hissed. It groaned in uncertainty, but backed off a little. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Rainwhisker, his half-sister, growled. “Go deal with that one!”

Something caught him by the ear and it stung. A badger was looming over him, seemingly from out of nowhere. It had swiped at him and a gash in his ear was bleeding.

He hissed at it. I don’t have time for this! It ignored him, roaring and slashing again, grazing his side lightly. “Ow!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Ferncloud jumped onto its back and bit into its ear. It reared up, slashing for her, but Ashfur had spotted a familiar red pelt and was running into the darkness to meet it.

He crouched and began to follow closely behind, trying to ignore the whining of the kits and the heavy breathing of the badgers. 

“Come with us.” Squirrelflight called suddenly, and Ashfur saw the shapes of the elders in their den.

“I know a way.” Squirrelflight added.

Mousefur shook her head. “A blind cat can’t climb rocks,” she replied with a glance at Longtail. “Then you go,” Longtail responded. “I can still claw a badger if it comes near enough.” Mousefur hissed at him. “We’re staying together and that’s that.” 

Squirrelflight sighed. Behind her, Daisy was shivering. Ashfur slid out of the shadows to greet her, and in the moonlight she looked exactly like a StarClan warrior.

“Squirrelflight, are you okay?” he asked, trying not to sound too worried. It didn’t work.

“Yes, I’m going to show Daisy and her kits a way out.”

“I’ll come with you,” he offered

“No,” she snapped, whiskers twitching. “Go to the nursery and help Brackenfur.”

The nursery! I could be by your side, protecting you!

“Fine,” he muttered, although Squirrelflight didn’t hear him. He slipped past her - his tail brushed her pelt accidentally and he shivered - and he sprinted along the edge until he had reached Brackenfur and Cinderpelt.

A large badger was looming in the doorway to the nursery. Ashfur screeched and launched himself at it, swiping away one of its attacks and ducking into the nursery. Brackenfur and Cinderpelt were tending to Sorreltail. The large badger snapped at Ashfur and caught him by the tail, dragging him out of the doorway. Ashfur held on for dear life - his claws left rivets in the sand - but the badger was much stronger than him. It caught him with a swipe, knocking him to the ground as he tried to stand.

Suddenly a flash of red lit up his vision. Squirrelflight! She hissed at the badger. Behind him, Brackenfur was tussling with a young badger, and Ashfur pulled himself up, ears ringing from the blow. I need to help him!

The badger who had thrown him to the ground growled in pain. Ashfur whipped his head around to see Squirrelflight raking her claws along its exposed belly. It reached down and grabbed her, long claws forcing her over, and crushed her beneath them.

Squirrelflight! Ashfur growled, anger and heat surging beneath his pelt, and he launched himself at the nearest target - the badger’s foreleg, the thing depriving his mate of air. He latched himself on with his teeth and clawed at it desperately.

The badger growled and raised an arm to shake him off. Squirrelflight jumped up - Thank StarClan! - and dashed along the other side to rake her claws along the badger’s flank.

Ashfur dropped to the ground and, the moment Squirrelflight paused for breath, darted around, intending to land a bite. He never got the chance - Squirrelflight, spurred on by the badger’s distraction, raked the badger’s shoulder viciously.

It roared in confusion, and, tail between its legs, retreated. Ashfur gave her a glance of victory and saw, despite the blood on her face, that she was proud of their accomplishment. Perhaps he was included there, too.

Ashfur spun and saw Brackenfur, teeth fastened in the ear of a young badger, be swatted across the clearing. It forced its way into the nursery and Squirrelflight’s eyes went wide with horror.

Cinderpelt’s in there! And Sorrelkit!

Before either of them could react, a badger, sensing their momentary confusion, leapt at them. Squirrelflight was the one to go down, and although Ashfur hissed and then clawed at the badger, it simply knocked him aside.

“Squirrelflight!” a familiar voice yowled. It was Leafpool! About time! Where’s she been, catching hares in WindClan?

She and the black cat she was with swiped at the badger. It bellowed in pain and stumbled backwards, nearly crushing Ashfur. As the pain began to set in and his head began to spin, he wished desperately that Squirrelflight would be safe.