A/N: I hope you guys weren't really excited for my weird cliffie haha cuz I just wanted to stop writing and honestly Mudpaw's plan isn't that exciting. Just didn't want you guys to get your hopes up.
"What do you have in mind?" Crystalpaw asked.
"If we go to the battle and help them and do a good job," Mudpaw explained excitedly. "Then we'll be promoted to warriors!"
Daisypaw rolled her eyes. "And how exactly do you plan to be able to sneak out of camp without Mountainstar noticing us?"
"We can say we're all going out on a hunting patrol at the Iceclan border so they won't suspect anything. Then we run to the Darkclan border and watch the battle. Then we all go in and help and then we'll win and then we'll become warriors for our bravery in battle!" Mudpaw mewed.
Lilypaw shook her head. "I'm not doing this. It's a mouse-brained plan, flawed too." Mudpaw gave her a confused look.
"Listen," Lilypaw mewed. "First off, Mountainstar won't let a bunch of new apprentices go off and hunt all by themselves. He'll want a warrior or one of our mentors to accompany us." Realization began to hit Mudpaw. "Secondly, even if we were to help and win, they won't make us warriors. We're too young and we don't even know how to fight or recognize the difference between an invasion to our camp or a clan leader wishing to talk to Mountainstar." Lilypaw took a step back. "I'm not going, but I won't stop you from going. But you'll most likely get in trouble for putting yourselves in harms' way and interfering in a battle that could've killed you." Lilypaw left the den.
Daisypaw watched Lilypaw go. "Well, isn't she a downer?" Daisypaw purred. "I'll come with you Mudpaw." Mudpaw gave her a grateful look.
Silverpaw stood up. "I'm not going either. I think I'll stay with Lilypaw."
Daisypaw glared at her. "Fine, but when we become warriors, don't forget that we gave you a chance. Also when we're warriors, we'll be allowed to boss you around." She turned to Volepaw, who was watching Silverpaw leave the den. "Come on, Volepaw, let's go with Mudpaw."
Volepaw looked out the den, seeing Lilypaw and Silverpaw talking quietly. "I uh, I think I'm gonna-"
"Come on, Volepaw! We gotta go." Daisypaw mewed impatiently, Mudpaw nodding in agreement. She sunk her teeth into his scruff and forcefully dragged him out of the den and towards Mountainstar.
Mudpaw padded up to the brown tabby and swung his tail to point at Daisypaw, Volepaw, and Crystalpaw. "Mountainstar, is it alright if we go to the Iceclan border and hunt? It's no use staying here at camp while the warriors are out fighting, and we thought we could go practice our hunting skills on actual prey and catch some home."
Mountainstar narrowed his eyes. "It wouldn't be smart of me to send out four untrained and new apprentices out to hunt by themselves at an enemy border, risking the chance to provoke Iceclan if and when you accidentally cross the border." He looked around camp to find a warrior to go with them, but Mudpaw cut him off.
"We'll be careful, Mountainstar, I promise. You've got to trust us. We'll be warriors soon and you have to trust your future warriors." Mudpaw mewed, his expression unwavering.
Mountainstar narrowed his eyes even more. "No," he growled. He nodded to Cloudrock. "Cloudrock will come with you four to make sure you behave and don't get yourselves into trouble." Cloudrock nodded.
Mudpaw surpressed a hiss of annoyance, but held his tongue and followed Cloudrock out of camp.
Cloudrock led the way, but Mudpaw fell back to Crystalpaw. "Crystalpaw," he mewed quietly. "You've got to distract Cloudrock while Daisypaw, Volepaw, and I go continue with the plan."
"Why do I have to?" Crystalpaw hissed.
"You're more likely to get in trouble in battle anyway. Besides, you're really good at distracting cats." Mudpaw half-heartedly replied.
"Those are the worst excuses ever! There's no way that you're leaving me out of this." Crystalpaw retorted.
Cloudrock turned around. "Hurry up, you two." He noticed their position and narrowed his eyes. "What are you two talking about? Catch up, or you'll get left behind." He continued bounding along the trail and disappeared past the bushes, shortly followed by the apprentices.
The four apprentices began to hunt, and Mudpaw and Crystalpaw made eye contact. He gave her a look and Crystalpaw sighed and rolled her eyes. She walked over to Cloudrock, slightly limping and crouched down a bit, as if she were sick.
"Cloudrock," Crystalpaw mewed feebly. "I don't feel so good."
Cloudrock studied Crystalpaw carefully. He drew back. "What's wrong?"
"I have a really bad stomach ache," she mewed before letting out a small wail.
"Come," Cloudrock placed his tail on her shoulder, leading her back to camp. He turned to the other apprentices. "You three behave. I'm going to take Crystalpaw back to camp so she can get some herbs and feel better. You three better still be here when I get back." He yowled before taking Crystalpaw back to camp and disappearing from the forest.
Mudpaw pricked his ears, listening intently and waiting until he couldn't hear the pawsteps of Cloudrock and Crystalpaw. When all was quiet, he gathered the other apprentices and ran out of the forest, towards the border. The moon had risen by that point, and the apprentices struggled to find the border through the darkness before they heard yowls and hisses and followed the sounds. The squad of apprentices watched with wide eyes at the chaos of the battlefield. They could barely see Frostwind and Barknose fighting two Darkclan warriors. They heard Emberclaw let out hisses of fury as she was double teamed by two apprentices. They saw the other warriors fighting furiously and saw Antroot being attacked by both sides by two warriors. Daisypaw let out a gasp and launched herself towards her father and began to furiously claw her way through. She fought ferociously, clawing and biting at every chance she got until she reached Antroot and pounced on a Darkclan warrior and bit down on his tail, making him screech in pain and flee. Mudpaw and Volepaw ran in, joining the fight and helping Sunfeather and Petalflower. Daisypaw and Antroot fought off the final Darkclan warrior before he turned towards his daughter.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at camp!" Antroot mewed loudly over the sounds of battle.
"We came to save you!" Daisypaw replied.
"You shouldn't be here," Antroot yowled. "You'll get yourself killed! You haven't been trained how to fight."
Daisypaw leaped over Antroot's head, landing on a Darkclan warrior trying to sneak up on them and running her claws down her spine. She let out a yowl of pain and rolled on the ground, squashing Daisypaw. Antroot leaped in, biting down on the Darkclan warrior's shoulder and throwing her mercilessly at a tree. The warrior hit the tree hard and went unconscious.
Daisypaw turned back to her father. "It doesn't matter whether we've been trained or not. We have instinct as wild cats and that's all we need." She was cut off by a yowl from Darkstar as the Darkclan warriors retreated.
The Mountainclan warriors let out cheers of victory and watched as the Darkclan warriors ran off.
Daisypaw looked around and saw Mudpaw and Volepaw, both with minor injuries but pride shining in their eyes. She let out a triumphant yowl and puffed her chest out proudly. The battle had been won, with the help of the apprentices. We're sure to get our warrior names now! She smirked inwardly at the expression on Silverpaw's face at her future warrior ceremony, how she would become a warrior and Silverpaw still an apprentice because she was too cowardly to help. Daisypaw padded back to Mudpaw and Volepaw and purred happily, patiently waiting to head back to camp and become warriors.
A/N: And that's chapter 3. Just wanna clarify that the summary isn't flawed. They've been living there for ages. The leaders' names don't necessarily mean that the clans are new. Also I just realized you guys might've thought that "Cloudrock, I don't feel so good" was a reference to Marvel and it wasn't xD I don't watch Marvel. Hate me if you want, but I don't really care.