Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or any of Erin's awesome characters besides Tasselkit, Birdpaw, Minnowpaw, and Willowpaw.
Thanks to Ulquihimefan1, Oci Oceana, Pumpkinfur, and I am Sky daughter of Zeus for the reviews and lovely name suggestions! I have decided on a name that I made up with a friend. ;3 You'll be able to see what it is when Willowpaw's warrior ceremony comes 'round. ^^
Mousewhisker padded beside Birdpaw and behind Berrynose and Cinderheart. The forest scents filled his nose with every breath; damp moss, decaying leaves, the faint scent of squirrel, blackbird, and mouse, and the ferns and other plants that could be found at the feet of the tall, strong trees that cast their green leaves over the sky, letting bits of sun through that dappled the cats' pelts.
Suddenly, Birdpaw let out an excited squeal. "I smell mouse!" she said. Turning to face her mentor she added, "Can I catch it? It would only take a few heartbeats... I'd be back soon enough."
Berrynose spun around to face the apprentice. "What a mouse-brain! No, we cannot hunt! We're on a dawn patrol, remember? You don't hunt on dawn patrols; you check the border! Leave it to the hunting patrol to take care of that mouse," he snapped.
"Berrynose!" Cinderheart exclaimed, her pelt beginning to bristle. "I will not have you talk to my daughter like that! Shame on you! She was only trying to see if she could help her Clan!"
Mousewhisker's whiskers twitched. "Berrynose does have a point, though, Cinderheart," he meowed, feeling the need to stick up for his brother. He turned his head and looked Birdpaw. "It was very nice of you to offer to hunt for your Clanmates when you scented prey, but the hunting patrol is probably already getting set up. Right now, while we're on the dawn patrol, we'll just concentrate on the borders. What if we ran into trouble while you were out stalking a mouse? We'd need as much help as we could get, and we would probably need someone small and fast to alert Bramblestar that we were in trouble. Do you understand?" When Birdpaw nodded solemnly, Mousewhisker faced his brother. "Birdpaw's an apprentice and still has quite a lot to learn. While most of what you said was true, you said it in the wrong way. Birdpaw is not a mouse-brain for asking if she could hunt. It was a harmless question; at least she asked. It would've been worse if she had snuck away."
Berrynose glared at Mousewhisker. "Fine," he mewed. He turned away from the rest of the patrol and raced ahead.
Cinderheart slowed her pace so that she was walking beside Mousewhisker and Birdpaw. "Honestly, Mousewhisker, I don't know what's gotten into your brother lately. I know he's a natural pain in the tail, but he's just gotten worse and worse."
Mousewhisker sighed. "I know Cinderheart, I know. I know as much about what's bothering him as you do: nothing."
The patrol was very quiet after that. They remarked their territory where their scent markers had smelled faint and they checked nearly the entire perimeter of ThunderClan territory for intruders or other dangers. There were none so far.
Berrynose silently rejoined the patrol. He had a few small scratches on his pelt and he smelled... strange. Mousewhisker looked at his brother, his eyes full of concern.
"Are you all right, Berrynose? You have a strange scent on your pelt and quite a few scratches as well."
"I just was following the scent trail of a fox and I wasn't paying attention and I walked straight into a thorn bush," Berrynose said, eyes narrowed, the fur on his back slightly bristled.
"Fox?" Mousewhisker said worriedly.
Berrynose flicked his ears. "I, uh... It was stale."
"Oh, all right," Mousewhisker mewed, nodding his head with relief. The strange scent on his brother's pelt must be the stale scent of the fox and the scratches were from the thorns.
"Guys," a trembling voice said from behind the rest of the patrol. Mousewhisker turned and saw Birdpaw, shaking as she stared at the ground beneath her feet.
"What is it?" Cinderheart asked, racing over to her daughter and licking her head.
"I smell... rogues. And... And..." Birdpaw shivered and pressed herself into her mother's chest.
Mousewhisker stepped up and sniffed the ground, but he already saw what was on the ground. Cinderheart looked stricken with horror and Berrynose let out a gasp. The ground was coated in a thin layer of blood. Cat blood.
Mousewhisker took a step back. "We have to inform Bramblestar that there are rogues on our territory and that it appears that either they're hurting each other, or they're hurting Clan cats."
Berrynose, Cinderheart and Birdpaw nodded. "Let's go," Cinderheart mewed, flicking her tail in the direction of camp.
They raced through the trees, brambles ripping at their fur whenever they got too close to one of the prickly bushes. Their paws crunched on the brown, fallen leaves and they startled the woodland prey as they pelted for camp. Birds flew into the air, crying their alarm and mice and voles scrambled into their holes. Finally, the cats could see the bramble entrance into camp. They started down the rocky cliff when Daisy ran in front of them, forcing them to stop.
"Daisy! Move out of the way! We have something urgent to report to Bramblestar!" Cinderheart said, trying to get around the queen.
Daisy stood rooted to the spot. It was then that the patrol realized her eyes were clouded with grief.
"What-" Mousewhisker began, but Daisy interrupted her son.
Turning to Berrynose she said, "Cherryfeather was attacked when training with Minnowpaw. She's badly wounded and in the medicine cat den."
Berrynose looked down for a few moments and then pushed past Daisy and went straight for the cave that served as the medicine cat den.
Daisy turned to Mousewhisker slowly. "Mousewhisker," she said, her voice cracking. "I am so, so sorry."
Mousewhisker's paws shook and his heart beat fast. He already had guessed what his mother was going to say. No... No... StarClan, no...
"Blossomfall has died having her kits."
"Mousewhisker's whiskers twitched." BEST. SENTENCE. EVER. XD Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! C: And no flaming me for killing off Blossomfall, please. X3
