Chapter Twenty Three

"Echoshine watch out, there's a fox behind you!" Pricklenose called out.

Echoshine whipped around to find that there was a large, ginger fox standing in front of her, it's teeth bared in an angry matter. Oh StarClan, it's the one that killed Leafshine and Redflame. She stood there, frozen in fright until Pricklenose leapt at it, his claws unsheathed. The fox retaliated quickly, grabbing him by the scruff and shaking him until he managed to grip it's throat and rake his claws down it. The fox yelped in pain, dropping Pricklenose to the floor, he was covered in his own crimson blood. No! A wave of relief washed over Echoshine as her mate staggered to his paws and pounced into the fox's back, gripping onto its neck until finally it snapped and the fox fell limp. "You killed it!" Echoshine gasped. "Pricklenose?" her mate was laying on the ground next to the fox, blood was pouring from a wound in his neck.

"What's happened here?" Emberstep came racing out from a cluster of bushes, flanked by Dappleleaf, Mouseleap and Crowfang.

"Pricklenose?" Dappleleaf raced to her son's side, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Echoshine cried, panic was beating at her chest.

"I'll grab Petalwish," Mouseleap turned around.

"N-no," Pricklenose stuttered, "don't get Petalwish."

"But Pricklenose your neck has a massive wound, you're losing lots of blood," Emberstep meowed.

"I'm well aware Emberstep, but my time is over," Pricklenose meowed weakly.

"What about our kits?" Echoshine wailed, "I won't let them grow up without a father!"

"I would do anything to live with them and see them, but this is my destiny," Pricklenose told her, "take care of them and love them very much, I'll be watching over from StarClan."

A tear ran down Echoshine's cheek, "So this is it?" she cried.

Pricklenose managed to nod, "Goodbye, my love i'll meet with you again one day."

Just as he finished his sentence, his body slipped into a spasm until finally, he fell limp and his amber eyes rolled back into his head. "No!" Echoshine wailed.

Dappleleaf rested her tail on Echoshine's spine, "There's nothing we can do now, he's gone."

Echoshine rested her chin on Pricklenose's neck, "Why did you have to leave me?" she whispered, "you were so young and we had so much to fulfill together, as mates."

That's only the start of my revenge. A voice whispered in Echoshine's ear.