They ran into the camp, screaming "Fox! Fox!" The foxes followed them into the camp, pleased they'd found a place surrounded by cats. Sunstar and Rosepetal screeched, calling for the clan to attack. Soon, all of Cloudclan began to attack the foxes.
"Remember what we taught you!" Vixenstep called to the apprentices. Just as she spoke, one of the foxes broke away from the mad, screeching mob of cats and pinned Gingerpaw to the ground, its jaws clamped around her neck. She uttered a cry.
"Help…me…" Tulippaw turned around, horrified at the sight of her friend being killed by a fox. Her fear was replaced by strength. She knew she had to be strong for her clan. Tulippaw hurled straight into the fox's flank, sending it straight into a tree. This knocked a bee's nest off of a limb and straight onto the fox's head. As the bees stung the fox, the fox whimpered and pawed away, with the nest still on its head.
"Ha! Who's slamming into trees now, fox?" meowed Gingerpaw, standing up with a show of bravado. With their partner gone, the two remaining foxes, sensing that they were clearly defeated, retreated back into the woods.
"And don't come back!" Vixenstep called after them.
"Oh don't worry, they won't," Rosepetal stated reassuringly.
All of a sudden, Moonshine and Cloverpelt flew out of the medicine cat's den, each with a mouthful of herbs.
"Who's hurt? I have cobwebs for bleeding and burdock root, oak leaves, and marigold if anyone's infected."
"We're all scratched up," Ivyblaze replied. "But Gingerpaw has the worst injuries."
"Gingerpaw's hurt?" called Waterpaw. She rushed over to Gingerpaw and started showering her with questions. "What happened? Did you fight the fox? Did it fight you? Did you see Starclan? Did you die?"
"Back away, give her some room to breathe," Moonshine chided. While Gingerpaw complained as the medicine cats fussed over her wounds with herbs, Sunstar climbed up to the Highrock to make an announcement.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Sunstar's silver eyes glittered as her clanmates gathered. "Today, even though we are a new clan, we won a great battle." Sunstar's voice rang throughout the camp. "We won because we are a clan worth fighting for," Sunstar continued. "And we will continue to be a great clan until the grass turns to dust and the forest is no more!" All the cats yowled in agreement. Sunstar lifted her head to the sky. The stars shone more brightly than ever, showing Starclan's approval. All was well in Cloudclan, if only for the moment. But that was only the beginning of their story…