Chapter 6
The four apperntices burst through the gorse tunnel and staggered over to the steadily dwindling fresh-kill pile. Smudgepaw sighed with relief, as the burden of his prey was lifted from him, but he felt no better, they had to get Ravenpaw out of here, fast. A few hearbeats after the last mouse had fallen into the pile, Smudgepaw noticed that the camp was empty. The cats all seemed to be in their dens. He lifted his head to the sky and saw the swirling black clouds that promised a tremedous storm.
"it's going to rain, we'd better hurry." Before he could agree with Graypaw, Smudgepaw heard a chilling wail rising above the tumult of the cfoming storm. Smudgepaw gasped and sniffed the air. He caught the scents of Spottedleaf and the sour stench that brought him back to his first visit to the Thunderpath. Of course! It was ShadowClan! He heard a sharp intake of breath from Firepaw, for he knew his friend felt more for Spottedleaf than just friendship.
Smudgepaw watched desperatly as the ginger tom shot toward the bushes from which the sound had risen. Smudgepaw looked at Graypaw, he didn't know what to do, and he hoped his gray friend would rise to the occasion and take charge. Graypaw sighed.
"You can go see what that's all about, and I can take Ravenpaw." Smudgepaw nodded and bolted after Firepaw without a backward glance.
The bushes opened up to a horrible scene. Firepaw writhed on the ground under the weight of an enormous brown ShadowClan tom, while Spottedleaf crouched nearby, her eyes glazed with fear and pain. Smudgepaw wasted no time in rescuing his friend, and he leaped upon the attacker and sank his teeth in.