=Ravenstrike=

One moon had passed since the Gathering, and Ravenstrike was still in his mood. It wasn't that he liked being so damn angry all the time, but he couldn't help the temper that flared within him every time he thought of Briarsong. Or rather, every time he thought of how she must have gone back to her clan, only to let that red-head breed her.

In the course of the week, however, it seemed that his family was doing everything in their power to keep him busy. He wasn't stupid, after all. He'd noticed how Duskleap was always sending him out on patrol or asking him to do some type of repair, while his brother routinely suggested training Dawnpaw with Hazelpaw, whom had become Ravenstrike's apprentice. Then there was Berryspring. Ravenstrike loved his mother to bits, he really did; but she was wearing his already thin patience down to dust.

It seemed that the senior warrior decided that Ravenstrike needed a mate, now that Copperwind was completely settled into the role of a dedicated father. She'd constantly bring up the subject, usually pointing out good qualities in the young females of ThunderClan. Berryspring obviously hoped that her second-born would take a fancy to one of the girls and leave his bachelor status behind. Unfortunately, Ravenstrike had no interest what-so-ever in ThunderClan women. Not with his mind reeling over Briarsong, at least.

Shaking his head in frustration, Ravenstrike turned his attention back to Hazelpaw. The young girl was practicing her climbing, and wasn't doing so well. Dawnpaw was a good three fox-lengths above her, and steadily climbing on. But Hazelpaw was hesitating with each move she made, testing every branch before placing a hand or foot on it. It was almost humorous, since Hazelpaw was always filled with fire in her heart, but was nervous when it came to heights. Well, most apprentices were the same way when they first started climbing.

"Hey, quit being scared," Ravenstrike snapped, realizing too late that his tone was harsher than he'd wanted it to be. The damage was done, however, and Hazelpaw turned her head to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not scared!" she said with a pout.

Ravenstrike shot her a bitter smirk, "Well, you could have fooled me. You act as if the whole damn tree is gonna collapse if you so much as tear a leaf!"

Copperwind swatted at him, "Don't be so rash!"

Ravenstrike ignored his brother, keeping his eyes on Hazelpaw. The girl looked like she was trying to set him on fire with her eyes. She lashed her tail and hissed, "I'm not! Just watch me!"

With that, the girl turned back to the tree and began moving at a much faster pace. She was still slower than Dawnpaw, but she didn't hesitate to put her weight on a branch. Hazelpaw danced between branches, often choosing the thicker ones as she made her way up, her small muscles flexing with each movement. Her tail continued to lash all the way.

Satisfied, Ravenstrike watched his apprentice's progress. It'd be a while before she could move as swiftly as Dawnpaw, and an even longer while before she could descend with as much ease, but he had time. For the next six years, he'd be bringing her up as a warrior of ThunderClan. With Hazelpaw's fiery personality, he realized that it was going to be a long six years.

"You know, there's a reason for why I asked Oakstar to assign you as her mentor," Copperwind said, still watching the two apprentices like a hawk. Figures he'd do that, since Dawnpaw was his charge and Hazelpaw was his adopted daughter.

Ravenstrike snorted, "Why; to have the brat kill me by pissing me off?"

Copperwind gave him a look, "No. You two are perfect for each other. Your temperament is just as low as hers. You two should be able to understand each other and learn your own limits; that is, if you don't kill each other first."

"Tch, that brat isn't anything like me. You should know that as her father and my brother," Ravenstrike said with a scoff.

"So you don't like her?" Copperwind inquired, giving him a sideways glance.

Ravenstrike paused, "No, I don't hate the brat, if that's what you're saying. What I hate is her attitude."

"Like I said, she's just like you," Copperwind said pointedly, "She needs you to teach her some control, and you need to learn how to be patient."

"I don't need to learn shit," Ravenstrike snapped with a growl, pulling back his lips as he processed what his brother had said. Who in StarClan's name was Copperwind to decide something like that?

Copperwind blinked at him calmly, "You do. You just don't realize it yet."

Ravenstrike growled again, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked back up at the tree, and saw that Dawnpaw was coming back down. Hazelpaw was following, albeit at a slower pace. Crossing his arms, Ravenstrike watched them as he tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. Suddenly, Hazelpaw looked up from where she'd been focusing on her descent.

A spark of confusion and annoyance entered Ravenstrike, and he shouted up at her, "What are you looking at? Focus on getting down, dammit!"

Hazelpaw looked down at them, and Ravenstrike could see fear on her face even though she was so high up. Dawnpaw was close to the ground, and seemed just as confused as the adults.

"What is it, Hazelpaw?" Copperwind asked in a concerned tone.

Before the girl could answer, they all heard it. The sound of barking reached their ears, and Ravenstrike felt his tail bristle as he heard dogs racing towards them. There had to be at least four, he guessed, and they were large depending on the amount of sound they made as they ran. Copperwind acted first, quickly grabbing Dawnpaw and pulling her to the ground.

"Why don't you have her climb?" Ravenstrike asked.

"The tree's not tall enough!" Copperwind retorted. The man was in obvious flight mode, as he held Dawnpaw under one arm and looked up at Hazelpaw, "Get down!"

Hazelpaw's eyes were on them, but she seemed completely frozen in the tree. Her tail bristled with fear and her ears remained tilted towards the steadily approaching dogs. Ravenstrike realized that the canines were going to arrive fast, and they'd likely go straight for the camp if they weren't held off. He turned to Copperwind.

"Run to camp and warn them," he urged.

Copperwind looked at him as if he were crazy, "And leave you two?"

"Dammit, Copperwind, there's no time! Run to camp and warn everyone. Get Oakstar to send help," Ravenstrike snapped, grabbing his brother's shoulder and shoving him in the direction of the camp. Copperwind seemed to get the message, as he gave Ravenstrike one quick glance before nodding and racing off.

"Copperwind!" Hazelpaw cried, watching as her adoptive father sped away.

Ravenstrike wasn't going to waste time on assuring his apprentice. He lifted himself into the tree and hurriedly climbed up to meet her. The girl stared at him with wide eyes, and was about to say something when Ravenstrike grabbed onto her arm and yanked her from the tree, allowing himself to fall out of it. Hazelpaw shrieked in terror as they hit the ground, with Ravenstrike having used his body to break her fall. He'd worry about any possible injuries later, he decided absently. Quickly, he jumped to his feet. He swung Hazelpaw onto his back before bolting.

The dogs were far too close for comfort, and Ravenstrike could clearly hear them as they trampled undergrowth in their hunt. He wondered if this was what it felt like to be prey. Hazelpaw's arms were on each side of his neck, her sharp nails digging into his chest as she clung to him for dear life. His heart was pounding in his chest and his lungs ached from the exertion of his sprint. The dogs were getting closer, and Ravenstrike guessed that they had caught the scent of neko. The large canines had now begun to chase them, he knew that much just depending on how their paws pounded the earth.

Hazelpaw let out a high-pitched squeak of terror, and her mouth happened to be directly next to his right ear. The sound hurt, but Ravenstrike couldn't care less at the time. He stupidly glanced back, and saw that one of the dogs was now about five fox-lengths away and gaining on them. Its shaggy, off-white coat pressed to its skin as the dog ran. Its tongue hung from its jaws, and its eyes glittered as it focused on the prey before it. What caught Ravenstrike's attention, however, was the red coloration around its muzzle. Just as he noticed it, his foot hit a tree's root and he tripped, falling face-first.

His body hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from his lungs. Ravenstrike gasped from the fall, and he heard Hazelpaw scream bloody murder. Without thinking, he pulled the girl from his back and forced her to the ground, placing his own body over hers as a shield. He closed his eyes in preparation just as the dog reached them, and he hissed as the beast clamped its jaws on his tail. It pulled eagerly, and Ravenstrike turned his head to snarl at it, but refused to move from above his apprentice. He felt the fur being pulled from his tail, and the skin beneath it being torn. The dog seemed to be excited by the scent of blood and fear, beginning to yank even harder on Ravenstrike's tail. Was the damn dog trying to pull his tail off? That was most likely so. Still, Ravenstrike's hands and knees remained planted to the ground, and he wouldn't let Hazelpaw be harmed.

The other dogs were catching up, and Ravenstrike saw two of them racing forward. He hissed in warning, despite knowing that it'd do no good. The two dogs, one rust-colored and one golden, were larger than the shaggy one. It was only now that Ravenstrike realized that he might very well die, and so would Hazelpaw if help didn't arrive fast enough. Dammit, where was Copperwind?

"Ravenstrike!"

With his eyes widening, Ravenstrike looked up to see a group of his clanmates rushing over. Hawkspeck was ahead of the rest, his face showing a mixture of horror and fury. In all honesty, Ravenstrike never felt more relieved than when he recognized the expression. The dog noticed the group as well, letting go of Ravenstrike's tail and barking as if excited. The other dogs halted, and seemed to be re-thinking their choice in prey. By that time, the rescue patrol had reached Ravenstrike and Hazelpaw, and the last dog came bolting into view at the same time.

Hawkspeck grabbed Ravenstrike's arm and yanked him up without any hesitation. The dog growled and got ready to jump at them, but Darkwater and Snakestrike were quick to attack it first. The surprised yelps were more satisfying than they should have been.

"Thunderstrike and Moonspot, get these two back to camp," Hawkspeck barked, nudging Ravenstrike towards the former, "And the rest of you, get those dogs out of our territory!"

Ravenstrike watched as his clanmates charged towards the other dogs, fully prepared to risk injury for the sake of ThunderClan. He saw Moonspot hurriedly pluck up a still-terrified Hazelpaw, and felt Thunderstrike urging him to walk. However, Ravenstrike felt darkness creeping over his vision, and his mind became muddled.

Guess I overdid it, he figured as he lost consciousness.

"Hush, he's waking up!"

"Mmph," Ravenstrike groaned as he returned to the waking world. His head was throbbing with pain, and the light of day hurt his eyes. Still, he groggily turned his head to where Cedarnose crouched next to him. The older man smiled at him.

"About time you woke up," he said, "Your brother been pacing around more than your mother! And Hawkspeck seems pretty concerned, too."

That's not surprising, Ravenstrike thought. Such behavior was normal for Copperwind, and Ravenstrike had always shared a bond with his former mentor.

"Are you in any pain?" Cedarnose asked gently.

"My head hurts like a bitch," Ravenstrike grumbled. The medicine holder, who normally hated vulgarism, gave a relieved smile in response.

"I'm glad that you're the same as always. If it's just your head, then I can get you a couple poppy seeds. Besides, you'll need more rest."

Ravenstrike mumbled a 'thank you', and Cedarnose turned to ask Applepaw for the desired seeds. As the apprentice searched, Berryspring peeked in. The woman's face went from concerned to elated in less than a heartbeat, and she hurried to her son's side.

"Oh, honey, how are you? Are you hurting? Are you hungry? Are you—"

"Mother, my head is killing my sorry ass right now, so please do me a favor and stop asking questions," Ravenstrike snapped. However, he saw the hurt on his mother's face and immediately added, "Thanks for the concern, but I'm mostly fine."

Berryspring's face softened, "Good to know that you haven't lost any memory, honey. I'd honestly be more worried if you sat up and started being polite for once."

"Haha," Ravenstrike said dryly, lying back down as his head gave another aching throb. He took the chance to observe his injuries, and saw poultice on his chest. Vaguely, he remembered how Hazelpaw had clung to him and figured that she tore his skin without him noticing. His tail was in a similar position, with gooey ointment spread over the areas where fur was missing. He sighed, knowing that his tail would be patchy until his fur grew back in.

"Your back is cut up pretty bad, too," Cedarnose said as he returned to his patient's side. Ravenstrike raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement. He guessed such cuts had resulted from the fall from the tree. Groaning, he laid back once more.

Berryspring brushed her fingers across his cheek, and Ravenstrike felt comforted by the gesture. His mother had done the same thing when he was younger, and for a moment he was a kit again. The idea was ridiculous, since he was nearly a foot taller than Berryspring now, as well as broader and far more muscular. If such a circumstance came, he'd easily be able to beat her in a fight. Of course, Ravenstrike would sooner slam his own face into a rock than lay a hand on the woman that gave him life.

"Why don't you get some sleep, honey?" Berryspring suggested gently. Ravenstrike only groaned in response, gratefully swallowing the poppy seeds that had been offered.

"When you wake up, we can talk about how Snowflower was worried about you. She asked a lot of questions, you know. At least, a lot for someone as quiet as her," Berryspring said cheerfully.

Ravenstrike grimaced, suddenly wishing that he had been unconscious longer.

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A/N: For anyone who's asking, it was the ThunderClan group that chased the dogs to WindClan. So, yeah, they are unintentionally responsible for Addertail's injuries. :'D

Fun-Fact: Ravenstrike is right-handed, and Copperwind is left-handed. Addertail, however, is ambidextrous.

I will be on holiday vacation starting tomorrow (Hallelujah)! That means I'll be able to focus on the story a bit more, and get the first chapter up on "Path". I know that it's taking a while, but that story will certainly continue!

Oh, and this has nothing to do with the story, but I am hyped up for Friday! I'm going to watch "The Outsiders", which is a book that I absolutely love! Johnny and Ponyboy are such cinnamon rolls!

Happy Holidays~!

- Tina