Eelpaw's eyes flickered open. Crouching in front of him was Egretpelt, her white fur fluffed out and her blue eyes twinkling. She reached out a single paw and gently tapped Eelpaw's shoulder, then stood up. Nodding, Eelpaw jumped to his paws, then grinned at the medicine cat apprentice and darted out of the apprentices' den.
The young cats trotted side by side out of the ShadowClan camp, free of their training responsibilities for the moment. Overhead, the early-morning sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky.
The pair of apprentices finally stopped in a small clearing. Eelpaw scooped up a fallen leaf and playfully tossed it in the direction of Egretpelt, who batted at it with soft paws before throwing it into the air and watching it drift down.
The two had been friends since kithood - Eelpaw was the most patient with the deaf Egretpelt, while Egretpelt was the most willing to spend time with shy Eelpaw. Since Egretpelt had chosen to be a medicine cat their relationship was strictly platonic, but close nonetheless. Most cats had said they were like brother and sister.
Eelpaw pushed through the undergrowth, looking around, then gestured with his tail to a short, leafy plant, tipping his head questioningly. Egretpelt sniffed at it for a moment, then nodded and mimed a cat coughing. Eelpaw took it to mean that this herb was indeed useful, so he stepped aside and let Egretpelt pick the leaves.
Out of the corner of his eye, Eelpaw thought he saw a flash of black fur. He turned around, ears pricked, but saw only the empty clearing, with a gentle breeze pushing dead leaves from the branches.
Then he heard a low, soft growling noise from nearby. His eyes widening, he turned to nudge Egretpelt -
Suddenly he felt a sharp, intense pain at the back of his neck. Cringing and crying out, he fell forward, reaching out with claws extended as he struggled to stand. Strong paws pushed his face into the leaves and a snarl emanated from above him. He heard a shriek from Egretpelt, and fought harder to break free - he felt an overwhelming stinging at the back of his head, and suddenly everything went black.
