Rainpaw padded up beside Badgerpaw. "Do you think Olivepaw is hurt?" She asked nervously.
"I don't know," Badgerpaw mewed. "I hope not. But knowing ShadowClan, probably…" Rainpaw shivered.
Soon Blackice stopped. Badgerpaw stumbled, but stood up again and gazed questioningly at his mentor. "I lost the scent trail," Blackice meowed. "The ShadowClan scent is too strong."
"We must be getting close to camp," Wolfwhisper mewed. "Oh, I hope he's alright!" Blackice's eyes grew wide.
"There's a ShadowClan patrol coming!" He hissed. Wolfwhisper's ears flattened with guilt and fright.
"Do we run?" Rainpaw asked, eyes shining with pure fear. Blackice shook his head.
"No point, they've smelled us," He mewed. Despite his warning, Wolfwhisper turned and bolted back towards ThunderClan camp.
Badgerpaw's muscles tensed. He saw the bushes ahead of them rustling and a lage, white ShadowClan cat stepped out, followed by an equally large tabby warrior, what had to be a ShadowClan apprentice, and a smaller gray warrior. The white cat spoke first. He must be the leader of the patrol, Badgerpaw thought.
"More ThunderClan cats on our territory," the white cat growled, hostility shining in his eyes. "Guess we'll have to dispose of them like we did the first." He flicked a signal with his tail and the cats behind him attacked the intruders.
The tabby tom leaped at Blackice, the gray she-cat pounced on Cactustail, and the apprentice faced off against Rainpaw and Badgerpaw. His white fur bristled and he snarled at the ThunderClan apprentices. Rainpaw leaped at him, her claws outstretched, but the ShadowClan apprentice shook her off easily.
As Rainpaw got shakily to her paws, Badgerpaw struggled as the white apprentice pinned him down and began raking his claws down Badgerpaw's unprotected belly. Badgerpaw yowled in pain and rage. "Don't fight back, Badgerpaw, you'll only provoke them," Blackice warned. He had managed to get the tabby tom off him. "If you leave them alone, they may give back Olivepaw." He grunted as the tabby tom bowled him over again.
"Snowcloud!" He yowled. "Call off your warriors! We don't wish to fight, we only want our apprentice back!" Snowcloud hesitated. Why doesn't some cat just rip out his throat? Badgerpaw thought angrily. He's not doing anything!