Burningpaw awoke the next morning to find her mentor, sunpelt, prodding her with his paw.
"Come outside and help me strengthen the wall around the camp." He meowed gently.
"Ok." Burningpaw mewed sleepily. She got up, stretched then headed out the whole in the bush that the apprentices den was. The whole camp opened up in front of her, on one side of her camp was a big stone wall with the medicine cats den, a open cave, right were the wall began, farther down, was the tall tree where moonstar addressed the clan, and nearby on a ledge, her den. With the other fallen tree that laid a few tail lengths away from the leaders den nearby served as the elders den. The nursery was under a thick bush, opposite to the elders den, with extra brambles and leaves woven in to make it warm and dry. The warriors den was right next to the entrance and was a bush exactly like the nursery, only much bigger, and not so many vines, brambles and leaves woven into it. The apprentices den was closer to the nursery and elders den, and also a strong thick bush. Then the rest of the camp was a big hollow and the walls were made of brambles, woven over and over again to keep the wall strong.
She looked up; the sun wasn't even up yet, though everyone was busy doing something around camp. Even the queens were up; usually they would still be sleeping with their kits. Even Nighteyes, the sweet sleek black queen who was expecting kits was helping smokecloud, her mate; drag in some pills of thin branches to weave into the wall around camp. Then she saw her best friend, Brightpaw the medicine cat apprentice, come in with a patrol with her mouth full of sticky cobwebs. Burningpaw could tell by the look on her face that Brightpaw was just as worried as Burningpaw.
"I know your really worried." A voice said behind Burningpaw that made her jump. She spun around to see Moonstar staring at her with soft understanding eyes. Burningpaw wondered if she was worried to, that this was just going to spill blood, not solve anything about the water.
"Everyone is worried about their first battle." She mewed, then put her tail on Burningpaw's shoulder licked her ear the trotted off to help strengthen the nursery. Moonstar who was Burningpaw's mom's sister had been so gentle with her and her brother ever sense their parents had died, but she didn't get it. Burningpaw sighed then headed off to help Sunpelt. She wished that what Moonstar said was the only thing that was bothering her. She knew that no one could win this battle.
Sunpelt came up behind her, "Burningpaw, I can tell you are out of it, you won't be any help if you're distracted, why don't you go and hunt to see if you can find some fresh kill." Burningpaw nodded and trotted off to the entrance, she thought that some time in the forest would clear her mind, and was grateful that her mentor had suggested the opportunity.
Sunpelt stared at his apprentice. Usually Burningpaw would hiss at the suggestion that she wasn't fit to do something. He was worried, Burningpaw had always found a way to brighten his day, but she didn't seem to know how to brighten her own. He would have to do something about that.
Burningpaw swiftly went to her favorite hunting space, a maze of bushes that twisted and turned every which way. Most of her clanmates, hated that place, seeing as they would get lost and have to trample over the bushes to find their way out, alerting all of the prey in the area. Though Burningpaw had always liked the challenge and has now been able to find her way no matter where she is in the maze of bushes.
So as Burningpaw shifted through the grass she saw a mouse. She silently stalked over; closer, closer, and……pounce
Got it! She put her head up with the mouse hanging limply from her mouth. She went back a little bit to where she always buried her catch. Sunpelt had forgotten that a warrior was supposed to go with her, but she didn't mind. As she had thought she needed the time to clear her head.
She noticed the wet dirt that usually laid there was drier. Then she went to get a drink from a pool that lay father up the path, she noticed, that the water level was lower than usual. Moonstar was right; they couldn't afford to share water with both of the clans. Unless Treeclan used the river in there open territory but ever sense the twolegs poisoned the water two seasons ago Treeclan never dared to try to drink it again. All of a sudden she heard something, prey? No, it sounded too big. She opened her mouth and drank in the scent.
Grassclan!
She stalked over to some bushes and dived in. They were crossing the border! She had to warn the clan! So she sprinted off. "They can't get to the camp before me," she thought quietly to herself.
Then she saw she was wrong they seemed like they were just fine. The cat who was leading must be able to go through the territory well. She sprinted harder, she can't get there after them! She was almost there then stopped. She was close enough to see that there were two other cats not from her clan hiding in the bushes. If she tried to get in they would tackle her. Where was the guard?
"Well too late for that," she thought hastily. She had to think quickly she could warn the clan with a yell but she knew as soon as grassclan heard her they would head straight for her. Burningpaw didn't know if she could handle it, but that was the only thing she could think of under all this pressure, she could already see grassclan trotting toward the entrance. She had to let the clan know! So she yowled loud and clear with her head raised to the darkening sky. Then when she looked back to the invading clan she could already see three warriors headed right for her. At first she panicked, then she realized she knew all the moves, learned them perfectly, and was ready to show them that Treeclan was not going to me pushed around by some other clan.