Chapter 13

"Outfoxed."

8/7/16

Everyone was rattled by the disappearance of Foxpaw. Thornstar was talking to the senior warriors to find the best solution to bring him back, but Duckpaw heard the whispers.

"Maybe he went willingly."

"It makes sense, considering Stormtail is his father."

"He might be trading our secrets with them!"

Duckpaw growled and shook her head. She knew Foxpaw. They grew up in the nursery together along with Rainpaw, Flamepaw, Stoatpaw, Squirrelpaw and Sweetpaw.

Foxpaw maybe hard headed and short tempered about his heritage, but he wouldn't betray ThunderClan for nothing.

Her parents, Snowspirit and Sparrowflight, always taught her to believe the good in every cat, especially cats like Crowstar.

Although in my opinion he doesn't deserve it.

"Psst! Psst, Duckpaw!"

The fluffy grey she cat flicked her ear and looked around near the fresh kill pile.

She thought she was hearing voices. Duckpaw grooms her tail when she heard a strange sound.

"Caw! Caw!"

She frowned and decided that someone was messing with her, then she felt a small rock hit the back of her head!

"Hey!" She hissed, turning around to see the mouse brain. She sees Stoatpaw ushering her from behind the medicine cat den.

She stared at him as he pads out the thorn barrier. Duckpaw made sure that Blackcloud was distracted and left as well.


She followed Stoatpaw's scent to the Ancient Oak. The other apprentices were there.

"Good, you came." Rainpaw said. Stoatpaw curled his tail triumphantly.

"See? I told you I'd get her here!" Duckpaw glared at Stoatpaw and cuffed his ears.

"You could have just asked instead of throwing a rock at my head!"

Flamepaw was glaring at Stoatpaw furiously as the white tom looks away, and kicks a pebble with his front paw.

"So you've heard about Foxpaw?" Duckpaw asks them.

Squirrelpaw nods.

"Yeah. Dapplepelt said that there hasn't been an apprentice taken prisoner since Hollyleaf."

"Why are they even talking?!" Flamepaw demanded, the fur on his shoulders standing up. "They should just raid ShadowClan and take Foxpaw back!"

"That kind of thing is what Crowstar expects." Rainpaw pointed out.

"Thornstar doesn't want to risk any lives as long as Crowstar expects it."

"Plus he might kill Foxpaw." Sweetpaw pointed out.

"He wouldn't do that," Stoatpaw said, although he sounds uncertain.

"I mean, Foxpaw's the deputy's only kit."

"I don't think Stormtail truly cares about Foxpaw." Rainpaw growled.

"He's just using that as leverage to cause a rift between our Clanmates, and prepare for another ambush on us."

Duckpaw was disgusted with this possibility. She was lucky to have a kind father like Sparrowflight.

"So, what should we do?" She asks.

"We take him back ourselves!" Flamepaw said, lashing his tail. Rainpaw rolls his eyes.

"We're going to have to be better than that."

"Let's sneak in the camp!" Stoatpaw suggested. "We can go through the stream to hide our scent and sneak in ~." Stoatpaw crouched low and stalked forward, his tail lashed about like a snake.

Squirrelpaw nods.

"That could work, but we'd have to know where Foxpaw is and be sneaky about it."

"Should we get Stealthpaw and tell her?" Sweetpaw asks.

"No!" Stoatpaw exclaimed, getting up from the ground. Everyone stared at him strangely, and Stoatpaw coughed.

"I-I mean, it's a very sensitive plan. Stealthpaw's fur might give us away since its so dark in ShadowClan territory, right Rainpaw?" He looks at the blue dappled tom for reassurance.

"The same would have to go for your own pelt, Stoatpaw."

"But that's fine." Squirrelpaw said, smirking at Stoatpaw's embarrassment.

"It'll be just like the old times."

Stoatpaw smiled. "Yup. The good," he nods to Rainpaw. "The bad," he nods to Flamepaw. "And the handsome ~." He said, puffing his chest.

"Why thank you." Rainpaw said. "But unfortunately, I'm interested in she cats."


The six apprentices cross the clearing, and dipped into the stream before heading into the pine trees. The pines block out the sunlight, it was almost hard to see anything.

Sweetpaw was the second best tracker in ThunderClan, next to Eaglecry.

She stops behind thick bramble bushes and nods to the others.

"Here, you should eat this."

"Yuck! I don't understand why you like eating frogs!"

Sweetpaw nodded. "That's Foxpaw." The tortoiseshell and white she cat peers through the thorns and sees Foxpaw's bright ginger pelt with the light grey and white dotted pelt of Specklefoot, ShadowClan's medicine cat.

"I'm sorry for this." Specklefoot said to Foxpaw. "If Whitestar lived, she wouldn't have allowed this to happen."

"Well she's not." Foxpaw retorted. He pauses and said,

"Thornstar won't allow this to happen, he'll get me out."

"I understand." Specklefoot replied.

"Maybe Specklefoot will go along with the plan?" Sweetpaw whispered to them.

"I don't know about that…" Rainpaw trails off hearing paw steps.

"Specklefoot! ThunderClan's deputy is here!"

"Eaglecry?!" Squirrelpaw hissed in a hushed tone.

"I'll check." Flamepaw leaves the others and climbs a nearby tree. He looks down and sees Eaglecry's dark brown pelt, Seabreeze's pale silver pelt…

And Stealthpaw's golden pelt.

Oh, fox dung!

Stealthpaw was gazing at the territory in awe, and scanned the treetops until her gaze landed on Flamepaw, and narrowed into slits.

Fox dung! Fox dung! Fox dung!

He silently climbs down the tree, and Stealthpaw was staring at him when he last saw her before running back to the others.

"Eaglecry's not alone!" He hissed urgently. "Seabreeze and Stealthpaw is too, and she saw me!"

"Seabreeze?!" Rainpaw exclaimed.

"No, Stealthpaw!"

"You guys know I can hear you, right?"

The six apprentices saw Foxpaw's amber eyes peering through the thorns.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you." Squirrelpaw replied.

"Why? Don't you think I'm a traitor? I'm with my father's Clan." Foxpaw spat out the word 'father' like it was poison.

"That doesn't matter." Duckpaw said calmly. "We grew up with you, we know you're a loyal ThunderClan cat, just like Hawkstorm."

Foxpaw gave a dry laugh.

"... You guys are the best, you know that?"

He suddenly gave off fear scent as he said,

"Someone's coming, stay out of sight!"

The six apprentices backed off as a very small, pale brown she cat roughly pushed Foxpaw on his paws.

"Get moving, runt!"

"You're hardly one to talk, Harewhisker!" Foxpaw spat.

"What did you say?!" Harewhisker moved in for a bite, but Foxpaw used his paws to shoves her muzzle in the sand before running out.

Duckpaw exclaims, "Let's go! We can't lose sight of him!"


Foxpaw dodged every warrior until he was standing next to Eaglecry.

The two warriors who were chasing after him skidded to a halt under Eaglecry's piercing yellow glare.

"You can't take away my son!" Stormtail said, stalking toward Eaglecry.

"He's my kit!"

"And my nephew!" Eaglecry countered. Stormtail pads toward Foxpaw, but he swipes an unsheathed paw and rakes Stormtail's muzzle, leaving a scar.

"I hate you!" Foxpaw yowled.

"Because of you, I'll never know Hawkstorm! You already ruined my life in ThunderClan enough! Stay out of my life and never threaten my Clanmates again!"

Eaglecry smirks at Stormtail.

"I believe that's settled. Come on, we're going home."

The six apprentices were watching the patrol leave with Foxpaw.

"Yes! Foxpaw's free!" Sweetpaw cheers.

"Yeah, but," Rainpaw's fur bristled. "We still gotta beat them back to the camp!"


Stealthpaw didn't miss the six apprentices return to camp sneakily, but luckily the warriors did. Everyone was holding back on greeting Foxpaw back, mostly because of guilt, but Mousepatch was nuzzling Foxpaw's head, repeatedly apologizing for not being there for him.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, meet me at High Rock!"

All of the cats gathered around High Rock. Thornstar gazed down warmly at Foxpaw.

"Our apprentice has returned home, and I can't think of anything better to do than to give him his warrior name, along with Duckpaw, Rainpaw, Sweetpaw and Flamepaw."

The named apprentices talk to each other excitedly.

"Foxpaw, please step forward."

The ginger furred apprentice pads forward with pride.

"Foxpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect your Clanmates, even if it costs you your life?"

"I do." Foxpaw's voice was clear.

Thornstar puts his nose on Foxpaw's head.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Foxflame. May it remind you of your passion and dedication, as we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Foxflame licks Thornstar's shoulder and steps down next to Mousepatch.

Rainpaw was called next, and Thornstar recited the same words to him.

"I do." Rainpaw was confident as usual. Thornstar touches his nose on his forehead.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Rainstorm. May we accept your knowledge and wisdom, as a full member of ThunderClan."

"They got different last names." Stealthpaw told Seabreeze.

"That's what makes it special." Seabreeze replied. "We have different last names that say who we are, and we have something to be proud of."

Stealthpaw focuses her attention to Thornstar as he names Flamepaw, Flameclaw.

"May it be a reminder of your strength and bravery, as we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Flameclaw licks Thornstar's shoulder and sits next to Swiftclaw. Duckpaw took her place and recited her vow.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Duckheart. May your compassion and inquisitive nature be welcomed as a full member of ThunderClan."

Duckheart licks Thornstar's shoulder and sits next to Blackcloud. Sweetpaw skips in her steps and stops in front of Thornstar.

"Sweetpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even if it costs you your life?"

"I do!" She chirped. Thornstar touched his nose on Sweetpaw's head.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Sweetflower. May your optimism and loyalty be welcomed, as a full member of ThunderClan."

Sweetflower licks Thornstar's shoulder and sits next to Leopardstrike, who looked genuinely happy for his apprentice.

"Foxflame! Rainstorm! Flameclaw! Duckheart! Sweetflower!"

Stealthpaw feels fur on both sides, and notices Squirrelpaw and Stoatpaw.

"That'll be us up there one day." Squirrelpaw promised her and Stoatpaw.

Stealthpaw looks at Stoatpaw. She sees something in his eyes that moved the ground from her paws.

Whoa… What is this?

"As tradition states," she heard Thornstar say. "New warriors must keep a silent, night vigil."

"Have fun!" Stoatpaw called. "We'll be sleeping in soft, warm nests, and we'll be thinking of you!"

Flameclaw scoffed and looks at Stormfoot.

"You don't mind if I train Stoatpaw one of these days, do you?"

"Not at all, I'll let you know." Stormfoot replied.

Flameclaw gave Stoatpaw a look of pure triumph. The white tom gulped and quickly ran into the apprentices den.