Icepaw cautiously stalked a small brown mouse. It scuffled in the bracken, searching for food. Icepaw crept closer, careful not to be seen or heard by the small creature. After making sure nothing would get in her way, she cornered it. She stepped on a twig accidentally, making the mouse aware of her. It looked around wildly, searching for an exit. But after finding none, Icepaw pounced. The mouse gave a startled squeak before Icepaw took it's life by biting the back of it's neck. She smiled in satisfaction and buried it under some leaves so she could come back for it later.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose and picked out the different scents. Stale cat scent, the dawn patrol must have come by here a while ago. Clear water, I must be close to the lake. Ferns, trees, dead leaves, of course I'd smell those since I'm in the forest. Badger...wait...badger?! Icepaw's eyes flew wide open. She took another deep breath before relaxing. Oh, I forgot Dewstar and several others chased a badger out of the big hollow in the dead tree next to the border. I'd better make sure it didn't come back. Icepaw ventured close to the borer that separated Riverclan from Shadowclan. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a flash of silver fur. She didn't hesitate to jump into the shelter of a clump of brambles. She slowly lifted her head up to see a silver cat crouched on the ground on her side of the border. Suddenly, the cat turned to look Icepaw straight in the eyes. Icepaw ducked back into the brambles, calming herself. The cat looked much bigger than her, and with her little experience in fighting, the cat would most likely rip her to shreds. After a few moments, Icepaw peeked over the brambles, only to find the cat was gone. Surprised, Icepaw turned around to get out of the brambles, but came face-to-face with the silvery cat. Icepaw gave a startled yelp and she jumped back. The cat darted forward and pinned Icepaw to the ground, his breath hot on her neck.
"Were you spying on me?" the cat questioned her.
"I, um, well..." Icepaw trailed off, staring wide-eyed into his green gaze.
"Answer me!" he shouted.
Terrified, Icepaw mumbled a feeble response. "N-no! I just got here!"
"Then what were you doing?" he asked, tightening his grip on Icepaw. Icepaw squeaked.
"I-I was hunting! And then, I saw you! Y-Your on my territory!" she stuttered, realization flooding her. This was her territory! And the warrior code says 'challenge all trespassing cats'.
"Yeah. So? What's a kit like you going to do about it?" he sneered.
"This!" Icepaw swept her feet underneath the cat, making him fall next to her. She took this opportunity to roll away from him and stumble up. Icepaw nearly collapsed when she felt a paw slam into her back. She spun around to face her opposer. He growled and struck out with a paw. She twisted her body away and gripped his paw with her teeth, earning a yelp in surprise to escape his mouth. She yanked his paw roughly to the side, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the ground. Icepaw hit the ground when he barreled into her. A low growl erupted from his throat as he stood over her, Icepaw trapped in his grip again. This time, her legs were pinned together and forced against the ground. Icepaw's eyes were suddenly filled with fear as she realized there was no way out. She was trapped. Panic bloomed in her chest when the cat that loomed over her smiled wickedly. His eyes were filled with a maniacally evil glint that made Icepaw shudder. She felt like the mouse she had killed earlier. Trapped. She had nowhere to go and she knew impending doom was right in front of her, smiling wickedly.
The cat seemed to be enjoying her fear. His face lingered close to hers. His breath smelled like a badger. He grinned wider and opened his mouth, showing razor-sharp fangs that glinted in the sunlight. They clamped around Icepaw's throat, causing her to whimper before shutting her eyes. Suddenly all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep forever. Sleepy...she was so tired. Her body slumped as if she was asleep, but she was still conscious. Then, the cat gently whispered into her ear.
"Your not dead. You can't be. Wake up! Please..." his voice turned pleading. With her face remaining peaceful, inside she was frowning. What?
"Wake up! Please!"
Icepaw's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, gasping for breath. She glanced around wildly before noticing she was in a dark cave. The only light was coming from a crack in the dark wall.
"Your okay!" Icepaw heard a voice behind her, making her jump.
"Um, yeah?" Icepaw squinted before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could make out a brown cat. "Vineclaw? Vineclaw?" Icepaw's tone of voice changed from confused to relieved. Vineclaw was the medicine cat.
"Yes! Are you okay?"
Icepaw looked down at herself. She was covered in cobwebs and blood. Her throat stung and she smelled strangely of badger. Suddenly, everything came flooding back to her. She was caught in the middle of a badger attack on the camp. That explains the scent of badgers in my dream. "Yes. I'm fine." she replied, grateful. Thank you Starclan. For sparing me. I'm not ready to join you just yet.
