This is my first one-shot with my warrior clans! Hope you like it! Please R&R and give me ideas for my next one-shots!
Title: Frostpaw's Fox Adventure
Characters: Frostpaw, Bumblepaw, Fogfrost, Nettlefang, Fernfeather, Steamstar.
Clan(s): Pineclan
Romances: FogfrostXNettlefang just a little
Genre: Adventure!
Summary: It's Frostpaw and Bumblepaw's first day of training as apprentices! Frostpaw can't wait! But what happens when her errand with the medicine cat takes longer that expected because of a dangerous obsticale? AND worst of all: What if she's late for training!
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Frostpaw bounced around the Apprentices' Den as if her pelt were on fire.
"Just go back to sleep," Bumblepaw muttered.
"But Bumblepaw, we're apprentices!" Frostpaw mewed enthusiastically.
"Watch it!" growled Hawkpaw, who had just gotten his tail trampled. The just-woken tom glared at Frostpaw.
"Sorry, I'm just so excited!" she squealed.
"Whatever," Hawkpaw muttered, turning away from Frostpaw and closing his eyes.
"You coming?" Bumblepaw called back to Frostpaw with a yawn. He was padding groggily out of the den and into the sunlight.
Frostpaw dashed out of the den behind her littermate.
"I dunno about you, Frostpaw, but I'm eating before training," Bumblepaw muttered. He grabbed a squirrel from the fresh kill pile and headed over to a group of warriors to eat it.
Frostpaw rolled her eyes. Since a couple of days ago, when the two siblings had been named apprentices, Bumblepaw had been acting like he had been named a warrior instead.
Fogfrost and Nettlefang, their mentors, had been planning to start their training earlier, but had been occupied with all of the patrols Steamstar had insisted on. A fox was spotted in Pineclan territory a couple of sunrises ago, and the number of patrols had increased since then.
Frostpaw craned her neck and gazed around the clearing to see if she could spot her mentor's foggy-grey pelt. No luck. Frostpaw sighed. When would training finally start?
As Frostpaw was turning in the direction Warriors' Den, so she could peek inside and see if her mentor was asleep, she bumped into Fernfeather. Fernfeather was the unusually young Pineclan medicine cat, due to the unexpected death of Darkmist, their former medicine cat.
"Hey, Fernfeather!" Frostpaw purred. "Need any help?" Frostpaw had not been able to hang out with her friend much lately, because Fernfeather was just too busy.
"Well, it would be nice if you could help me gather some herbs," she replied.
"I think that would work. You see, today's my first day of training as an apprentice, but I think Fogfrost is on a patrol" Frostpaw stated proudly.
"I hope you have a good time later," Fernfeather said with a smile. The two cats headed the side of the ravine the clan camp was located in. They climbed up the sloping rock path and out of the tunnel of brambles. They padded through the forest, searching for herbs.
"Has anyone seen Frostpaw?" Fogfrost mewed, obviously annoyed. "I told her last night that we would be starting training today."
Nettlefang trotted over with Bumblepaw at his side. "Found her yet?" he asked.
"No, I haven't seen her and nobody else here seems to have seen her, either." Fogfrost sighed. Frostpaw had seemed so excited to start training, so why would she disappear?
"Do you know where she is?" Nettlefang accused Bumblepaw.
"No, I swear it! I walked out of the den with her, grabbed some fresh kill, and headed over there!" Bumblepaw pointed his fluffy yellow paw in the direction of the group of warriors he was sitting with. "She didn't follow me, so I just thought she must've taken her fresh kill and eaten somewhere else." By the time Bumblepaw had finished his voice had risen.
"Calm down," said Fogfrost sternly. "She's probably just with Fernfeather." Fogfrost turned and headed towards the cave of the Medicine Den. When she was a kit she had always considered becoming a medicine cat because of the sparkling little waterfall that trickled into a pool by the entrance. She had quickly decided against it, though, when she learned that all medicine cats did was take care of sick cats.
"Frostpaw," Nettlefang called peering into the den.
"Fernfeather? Frostpaw?" Fogfrost mewed. She looked over at Nettlefang with a concerned gaze. The light in the cave was dim and his vibrant green eyes glowed with concern that reflected her own.
Nettlefang peered back into the den, but Fogfrost kept her gaze trained on him. His eyes were so beautiful. His grey fur shone silver in the dimness.
"Is she here?" Bumblepaw mewed loudly.
Fogfrost looked away from Nettlefang and gave herself a little shake. "No, Bumblepaw, she's not here."
"Then where could she be?" he asked.
"Well, since Fernfeather and Frostpaw are gone we can suspect they left together," Nettlefang commented.
Fogfrost smiled a little. It was so cute how Nettlefang pointed that out. Fogfrost blinked and shook herself a little, again. What was she thinking? She had to find her apprentice, not daydream about Nettlefang.
"Should we go ask Steamstar?" asked Bumblepaw nervously.
"No, I don't think we need to," replied Fogfrost. Noticing the den's low supply of herbs, she said, "They probably went out to collect some more herbs."
"That makes sense," Nettlefang mewed. "We can just follow their scent trail."
Fogfrost led the way up the path on the side of the rocky crevice and out the bramble tunnel. The three cats followed the scents of Frostpaw and Fernfeather for a while, until they disappeared.
"Fernfeather! I think I found some borage leaves!" Frostpaw yowled across the clearing.
"Really? Perfect!" Fernfeather murmured.
Frostpaw sneezed. The two cats had been walking through clumps of herbs practically the whole way and the strong scents, that had been hiding their own, had been making Frostpaw sneeze.
"Are you alright?" Fernfeather asked.
"Course I am," Frostpaw responded, wiggling her nose a little.
"We should probably be heading back, Frostpaw. You don't want to be late for your first day of training!"
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that! Let's go!" Frostpaw grabbed a clump of herbs with her jaw and started trotting back the way they came. Fernfeather followed.
"Shouldn't we be there already?" Frostpaw mewed quietly.
"Well, I don't know. I think all of the herbs are messing up the scent trail. How bout we just rest a moment, okay?"
"Okay," mewed Frostpaw, setting down her load of herbs.
Frostpaw took a deep sniff of the air and smiled. She could scent again. All of the herbs had been messing with her nose. Frostpaw thought a second, looked around suspiciously, and sniffed again.
"Fernfeather?" she whispered.
"Yes?" Fernfeather answered, oblivious to the dangerous scent.
"I smell fox," Frostpaw replied. She had smelt it once when a patrol that had just killed a fox walked into the camp. They still had its smell clinging to their pelts.
Fernfeather gasped as a full-grown, blazing orange fox stepped into the little clearing they were resting in.
The fox snarled, and Frostpaw leapt at it, claws extended. She yowled and the top of her lungs and dug her claws into the pelt on its back.
"I think I heard Frostpaw yowl!" Fogfrost mewed, quickening her pace. "And I smell fox!
"What?" Bumblepaw yowled. "Fox?"
"You heard her," Nettlefang yowled. "Now hurry up!"
Fogfrost and Nettlefang dashed through the forest, with Bumblepaw trailing behind. When they stopped to make sure they were on the right scent trail, Bumblepaw was breathing heavily.
"Are you all right?" Nettlefang asked him, trying his hardest not to smile.
"I think... I'll be... okay," Bumblepaw replied, panting.
"Well that's good," Nettlefang smiled. "Come 'on Stumblepaw."
"Hey!"
They continued on through the pine forest and stopped once they reached Frostpaw, Fernfeather, and the fox.
"Help!" Frostpaw squeaked. She was trying her hardest keep her grip on the fox's flank, but his snarling and bucking hadn't seemed to help much. Fernfeather was attempting to nip at the fox's tail, unsucessfuly.
Bumblepaw's eyes widened at the scene.
Nettlefang leapt onto the fox's muzzle, leaving deep claw marks that were gushing blood. Fogfrost joined in right behind him. Bumblepaw let out his most menacing battle yowl (which wasn't all that menacing) and jumped in, too.
Blood splattered and ripped-out tufts of fur littered the clearing, most clumps red. Moments later, the fox yelped in pain and dashed out of the clearing, and out of the territory.
The clearing reeked of sweat, blood, and fox. The soft green grass was speckled with sticky, warm, red fox blood.
Fogfrost smiled at the two exhausted apprentices. "Nice job, you two." Turning to Frostpaw she commanded, "Frostpaw, don't you ever be late for training again."
Frostpaw smiled, knowing she wouldn't dare.