Swilstar woke up, her nose filled with the scent of up coming new leaf. She slowly got to her paws the sun slowly sinking into her fur. She padded out of her den, the dawn patrol getting ready to leave. Every other day a dawn patrol would set out to renew the borders. She quickly padded over to the patrol dipping her head to shadow heart "I will take this patrol" she meowed "Get Stonepool and Brambletail for the patrol, I need to show them the borders, stay with tiger kit and then take our apprentice out later." she meowed.
Shadowheart nodded and went of to get the other warriors. She returned later with Brambletail and Stonepool by her side. They dipped there heads toward there leader.
"We will be going around the territory today" she meowed "You will learn where our borders are and when other cats are in our territory"
The two warriors nodded and followed Swirlstar out of the clearing and into the forest, she kept to the sides of the border heading to the edge of there territory where a stream ran.
They got to the stream, Swirlstar carefully dipped her head down and lapped from it's cool water, fish swimming around in it. The lifted her head up her muzzle dripping with water, she shock her head and the water droplets landed on the rocks around the stream.
"This is one of our borders" she meowed gesturing with her tail to the other side of a stream where a odd looking rock stood that reached into the sky in a triangle shape. "If we continue along the border there will be many more rocks like that to show where are border is however the scent will give most of that."
She leaped over the stream and padded over to the rock renewing the border. She nodded towards the toms and they padded on, Swirlstar calmly following them. As they went around the border many more stones were along the border.
As they got to the end of there patrol Swirlstar lifted her nose and a strange scent filled her nose. She looked around and spotted a large hole in the ground, she carefully moved forward sniffing around the edges.
"I have never smelt this scent before" she meowed to the two toms. "Have you ever smelt it?" The toms looked worried at each other "That scent is fox scent, big orange creatures with bushy tails and sharp teeth. Danger to any cat." meowed Brambletail.
Swirlstar looked at them in horror "It smells like there is more than one" she replied slowly. "That might mean danger to every cat, we need to go and talk to Shadowheart"
They rushed back to camp, skidding down the entrance to find Shadowheart sitting beside the fresh kill pile. "Shadowheart" she said in quick breaths. "Foxes!" Brambletail explained what foxes were and horror rose on Shadowheart's face.
"We will need to get more protection around the camp entrance" Shadowheart meowed "I will make sure that happens" she added. Swirlstar nodded her thanks. "No need to worry the kit but explain what is happening to flame paw" Swirlstar meowed.
Shadowheart hurried off and Swirlstar turned to the toms. "I want you two to collect bramble and place it around the camp entrance more firmly. The more bramble around the more it will catch it's fur and hurt it so it might give up before the fight starts and if there are more of them that might scare them off."
The toms padded off to strengthen the border. Her heart was beating fast at the new threat awaiting the clan, she had nine lives but if it went wrong she could lose her clan mates.
She shook the thought out of her head and went over to flame kit who was laying in the sun, happy as ever. She smiled down at the she cat, if it wasn't for this clan she could have been starving out in the forest now or even dead.
Swirlstar stared up at the kit "Starclan please help us, make sure the foxes don't attack and every cat comes back safely." Her mind filled with hope but the thought of what could happen if it went wrong was at the side of her mind still worrying her.