Story Part 16 *Is This How It Ends?*

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Lilypaw's cry pierced the air.
Snowstar slashed her attacker a final blow and leaped toward the cry. She seemed to fly through the air as she leaped over cats and foxes toward her daughter. I'm too late! she screamed in her head. Her paws landed. She leaped again, but the black fox's paw was coming down, claws flashing, toward Lilypaw's neck. Her heart sank.
Then a flash of flame and gray darted at the fox from opposite sides. The black fox howled in agony, and Lilypaw was able to scramble away to the safety of the medicine cat den. The two cats, who Snowstar had seen as the flash of flame and gray scrambled away from the black fox as it reared up, turned, and swiped at it, but the fox bowled them over and attacked another warrior. Snowstar was blocked by another fox and as the battle continued she lost sight of the black fox.
The battle continued for what seemed like forever to Snowstar. She saw a seemingly endless wave of scarlet foxes. The sky started to darken. Dark clouds covered the sun, blocking its rays. Snowstar heard thunder rumble in the distance. Then, a black shape came to the front of her mind. The black fox that had almost killed Lilypaw was there in front of her. Rage and anger blinded Snowstar for a second, but she shook it away and jumped in the air, skillfully avoiding a lunge. She landed on the fox's back and raked her hind claws down its spine. It howled, but then rolled over and crushed her against the ground. She pushed with all her might, and the fox gave way. She rolled out smoothly and quickly, landing on her paws once more. The fox struck like lighting, knocking her off her paws once more. Can I beat it? she wondered, then shook her head, Of course I can. I'm fighting for everyone. My kits, my Clan, and I have StarClan on my side.
She scrambled once more to her paws, this time she struck the fox like lighting. The fox staggered backwards a few paw-lengths, then braced itself and smirked, at least, she thought it looked like a smirk.
"You'll have to do much better than that to beat me," the fox spit.
"What?" Snowstar exclaimed. She had thought she had been doing very well.
The black fox didn't answer. It only struck her once more like lighting and she was swept off her paws. She began to get wearily to her paws once more, but a heavy weight on her chest stopped her. She tried to draw in a breath, but found hardly any air. A sneering face pushed against hers.
"You shouldn't have tried to fight us. You didn't stand a chance," the black fox spoke once more in cat tongue.
Snowstar gasped out an answer. "I - had - to....."
"You'll pay for it," The black fox's head lunged forward and met her throat.
Snowstar felt her body jerk, and she hurt like never before. She drew in a deep breath as the paw came off her chest, but that breath never left her. All she saw was darkness.