Alright guys, here it is! Chapter 10! In this chapter I introduce a few members of one of the clans, and eventually we will move on to the rest. I will also start to include O.C's from here on out, so look for yours if you submitted one! That's about all there is. Enjoy~
Chapter 10
Fox Blood
Echopaw quietly padded through the dense forest, the cool chill in the air nipping at her fur and freezing her to the bone.
Ever since Evendawn had left Echopaw by the alder tree three sunrises ago and hadn't returned even after she had waited all night, Echopaw told herself that she had to keep moving. Where exactly she was going? She did not know, but she knew that she had to get away from the fox… Away from where Evendawn had… She sighed.
In her heart, the little she-kit wanted to believe that Evendawn had beaten the foul-smelling, red-furred creature, but she had a sickening feeling that hung over her like a dense cloud and make her chest feel tight and heavy.
"Maybe I'll run into Evendawn again?" Echopaw thought to herself naively, staring up at the treetops. The sky was a dark slate gray, the immense cloud cover made everything seem so much darker and colder.
Echopaw glanced around with downcast eyes, head tilted down. She began to notice that almost all the leaves on the trees were gone; lying in crumpled brown heaps in the soil, void of their green or yellow colors, and now left a murky brown. Small flecks of frost began to build up on the foliage and ground whenever Echopaw woke up, and not as many birds were around.
A shrill noise broke the she-cat away from her thoughts. She spun around, ears pricked up as she listened carefully. Her eyes darted around the forest uneasily.
"H-Hello?" she called out in a scared voice, ears flattened against her skull.
It was just then that she spotted a pair of glowing amber eyes shining out from the darkness of the undergrowth, staring at her. Then, a low growling noise emerged from the surrounding foliage, sending a multiple series of icy shivers down the brown she-kit's spine, causing her fur to stand on end.
A shape began to take place as the owner of the eyes moved forward out from the cover of the dense shadows. A long, pointed snout was the first thing she saw, followed by a rounded head with triangular ears, a sleek body, and a long bushy tail. A fox.
Echopaw mewed, cowering back in fear as she caught a glimpse of a long, jagged scar that curved precisely through the fox's left eye, which was now becoming infected and glossy. The fox also had many small scrapes along its narrow body, definitely from sharp, piercing thorns. Its fur was matted and tangled, and a deathly familiar scent caught up with Echopaw's nose as she eyed some crimson red stains around its muzzle.
The she-kit swallowed hard, her tiny heart pounding against her frail body so greatly she swore it would pulse right out from her tiny chest. Her eyes darted around frantically as her instincts screamed at her to turn and run.
The fox slowly started creeping forwards, a sickly sounding noise escaping its throat as it swayed back and forth on its paws. There was a crazed look in its feral eyes. A look that was thirsty for blood and hungry for flesh to sink its sharp fangs into.
Echopaw began to cry, scared stiff and standing still, frozen on the spot. "Run! Run now! Go!" the voices in her head chanted all at once. "But I can't… I can't run. My legs won't move. My body won't listen. What's going on?" Echopaw thought to herself.
The fox continued its leisured approach, swaying like a tree in the wind. The sick, wheezing, whine-like noise that sounded more like a cackle then anything else droned on, becoming louder and louder as it got closer.
"H-H-Help… Help…" Echopaw choked out, shivering in spite of herself.
The fox stopped its swaying steps as its maw parted into a bone-chilling growl, the fur on the back of its neck rising on end. Its claws sunk deep into the earth, gripping the soil so tightly Echopaw swore that the earth beneath it would open up and swallow them whole. And then, it jumped.
Echopaw cried out in terror, scrambling at the earth as she took off, the sound of the fox's jaws snapping closed and missing rang out like a clear bell. Echopaw ran through the forest madly, the sound of the fox approaching behind her was the only noise besides the pounding of her own heart.
Echopaw took a sharp turn in an attempt to outsmart the fox but that only made things worse as she tripped on a large tree root that jutted out of the ground like a deathly claw.
There was no escaping this savage beast now. Not now that she lay on the cold, hard ground, listening to its deep, gasping breaths. It wouldn't be long now. Soon the fox would have its way and would kill her right then and there. No one would know what happened to her, and she would simply die an unforgiving death that would matter to no one but herself.
She shut her eyes tightly and turned to look away, refusing to look into the eyes of that sickly smelling animal that had not only killed Evendawn, but would now kill her.
A loud shriek reached Echopaw's small ears and she flinched, shutting her eyes tighter. She felt a dark shadow slowly descend down on her as another series of violent screeches, accompanied by the ear-splitting sound of the yelps also carried towards her. Then, after a weak gurgling noise, everything went silent.
Echopaw cautiously opened one eye and glanced in the direction of the fox, terrified of the unknown or what she might see standing there instead. But what she saw only confused her more…
Laying not a few rabbit lengths away from her was the fox; now limp with a rapidly growing puddle of crimson flowing forth from deep and brutal wounds. Echopaw sat up to get a better look at the animal. There was nothing else around, so what exactly had killed it? Her attentions was pulled away from the fox's still, torn up and bloody body as she noticed a few long, black feathers sitting in the pool of blood and getting stained a deep crimson color.
"Wow!" came an excited voice, which made little Echopaw gasp.
A small, yet energetic looking gray she-kit with shimmering charcoal colored markings stood in the bushes a few fox lengths away. Her eyes were wide with amazement and her fur stood on end slightly. She was clearly captivated by what she had just seen.
"You killed that fox?" She asked in disbelief, her tail flicking from side to side excitedly.
Echopaw didn't know what to say. She was at a loss for words. Had she killed that fox? She knew she clearly hadn't, but if she hadn't, what had?
Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes as a pale beige colored she-cat bounded out and landed right in front of the gray she-kit. Her bright eyes narrowed sternly and she spoke in a very firm tone. "Ashpaw! What in Starclan's name do you think you are doing this far from camp by yourself?" She wanted to know, her tail thrashing from side to side.
"I'm not that far from the camp, Templeripple." The energetic gray she-kit stated, ears lowering a little. "And besides," She glanced back at Echopaw and the dead fox and grinned smugly.
The pale-beige and brown furred she-cat followed Ashpaw's gaze and gasped, eyes widening in shock. She quickly skirted over to Echopaw and stood in front of her for a moment, quickly glancing at the fox, then back at her.
Echopaw began to back up a little, her underbelly dragging against the dirt floor. She mewed a little and tucked her bobbed-tail as far as she could under herself.
Templeripple smiled a little, her expression softening slightly. "Come on, dear." She cooed, gently picking Echopaw up by the scruff of her neck and carrying her back to a still incredibly fascinated Ashpaw.
Ashpaw smiled a little and followed at Templeripple's heels, glancing back at the dead fox one last time.
"Let's get you some food and a warm place to sleep." Templeripple murmured through Echopaw's fluffy brown fur. "Does that sound good, dear?"
Echopaw nodded sheepishly, a thick wave of exhaustion washing over her as her eyelids slowly close and the smooth rocking motion of being carried lulled her off to sleep.