The patrol padded through the forest along the WindClan border. Poppyflower went along the stream to refresh the scent markers while the other three scented for rogues. Beechpaw had disappeared through the bushes to scent out the trail of the cats. Slinking along, she noticed a fresher scent laced over the rogues. Screwing up her nose, she raced back to the patrol.
"Anything?" Hazelclaw meowed.
"I followed the scent trail," she reported. "And there's another fresher scent over it. Fox, maybe."
Hazelclaw growled and beckoned with her tail to Poppyflower and Coalpaw. "We'll check it out and maybe chase it out ourselves."
With that she let Beechpaw lead the patrol into the brambles to the scent trail. Poppyflower was the first to find the trail and helped Beechpaw weave among the bracken bunches. The red tabby bent and sniffed at a clump of ferns. The scent was fresh with fox.
"This way," she meowed. The patrol trotted steadily after her until the stench was strong and rank.
Beechpaw glanced at Coalpaw. "I can see it's fur over that log," she murmured.
Hazelclaw flicked her tail to tell the rest to stay back while she slunk forward and peered over the fallen tree. The fox was facing away, but the wind shifted suddenly and the cats were upwind. The fox spun around, and with an angry yip began to bare it's teeth.
"Attack!" yowled the ginger she-cat and she cleared the log. Poppyflower shot after her, leaving the two apprentices to scrabble over.
Once Beechpaw landed gently she looked at the fox. It had already begun to lunge at Hazelclaw, but the strong she-cat came at it head on and ran her long claws down it's muzzle. The fox barked and snapped a hairlength from the warrior's ear. Poppyflower skirted behind and nipped at the fox's hindleg, sending it spinning around to grab her. The red tabby yowled in pain and surprise as the creature's jaws clamped right over her tail.
"No!" screeched Beechpaw, and with that she bounded to the fox and leaped onto it's haunches.
The creature howled, letting go of Poppyflower as Beechpaw dug her claws in and nipped at it's scruff. With ease she clawed to the fox's neck, carefully avoiding the snapping jaws as Coalpaw and Hazelclaw swiped. With a deep breath, she jumped forward, landing squarely on it's head. The fox paused for a moment, confused at the weight on it's head before a spurt of blood from it's nose told him it was an enemy.
Coalpaw leaped at the fox as it reared back. "Beechpaw!"
But before the ginger apprentice could reply and warn him, the fox's weight crashed down. Beechpaw heard a sickening crack. The fox kicked out at Hazelclaw before shaking the frozen Beechpaw off. With that, it bolted into the bushes in the direction of WindClan.
Horrified of how she would see the state of her friend in, Beechpaw crouched, her fur bristling and edged toward Coalpaw's limp body.
"Coalpaw! No," she whispered. She turned and saw a front paw twisted at an odd angle, and blood oozed from a gash on his cheek. Surpressing a whimper she began licking the blood from his cut. "Please don't be dead."
Poppyflower padded over and pressed her ear to Coalpaw's chest. She raised her head, her face solemn. Beechpaw's heartbeat quickened. Was he dead?
"He's alive," said the she-cat. "Barely."
Without another word, Hazelclaw helped her lift Coalpaw gently between them, and they padded carefully back to camp. Beechpaw hesitated before loping after them, the horror of seeing his body motionless fresh in her mind.