See? I kept my promise! And, the next chapter is already typed up. I'll just have to proofread it and it'll be up tomorrow. After that, maybe I'll try to focus on some of my other stories. Well, I hope you like this chapter.
"Fawnpaw!" Fireheart called.
Fawnpaw looked up, pausing her play with her kit to look for her brother. The white kit wriggled under her paws but she purred and held him still.
Fireheart was standing by Brackenpaw. He had pretty much taken over the apprentice's training for Graystripe. Fawnpaw didn't know why Graystripe didn't train his own apprentice, but Fireheart didn't seem to mind taking over.
"Want to come hunting with us?" Fireheart called.
"Oh!" Cloudkit let out an excited mew, escaping the hold she had and standing in front of her, his blue eyes sparkling with hope. "Can I come too?"
"Not until your six moons." Fawnpaw licked his ear. "Why don't you go see if the elders have a story for you?"
Cloudkit sighed and nodded, padding away. "Fine." He flicked his tail goodbye.
Fawnpaw bounded over to her brother. "Okay, I'll come. Where are we going to hunt?"
"At the top of the ravine. Maybe we'll check out the Shadowclan border afterwards." Fireheart answered, leading the way out of the camp.
Fawnpaw nodded. It had been two days since the Gathering. She hadn't been there, as no apprentices, elders, or queens expecting kits could come. But she had heard much talk of it. She heard about the storm and Nightstar and the big argument about Thunderclan and Brokenstar.
Now, Thunderclan kept a close eye on Shadowclan in case they choose to attack.
Fawnpaw shook the thoughts away. Today was too good to be thinking of that. The day was bright and warm, with the floods going down more and more every day.
At the top of the ravine, Fireheart turned to Brackenpaw. "Okay, Brackenpaw. Have a good sniff. What can you smell?" He asked.
Brackenpaw stood, eyes closed and jaws parted. "Mouse," He started. "Rabbit, and blackbird, and... some other bird I don't know."
"That's woodpecker." Fireheart told him. "Anything else?"
Brackenpaw sniffed again, then his eyes shot open in alarm. "Fox!"
Fawnpaw tasted the air, and could smell it too. But as she focused on it, she noticed it was faint, it hadn't been here for a few days.
"Fresh?" Fireheart asked him.
Brackenpaw tasted the air. Then he relaxed, though looking slightly ashamed of himself. "No, stale. Two or three days old. I think."
"Good, Brackenpaw. Now, you and Fawnpaw head that way, as far as the two old oaks. Try working on partner hunting, this is a good day to try it out. I'll go this way."
Fawnpaw padded next to the tom as they entered the shadow of the trees. They stopped every few paces to taste the air.
They padded on, Fawnpaw keeping an eye out for a mouse or squirrel. But suddenly a sour scent came to her. "Brackenpaw." She turned to him. "Do you smell that too?" Her pelt bristled. Shadowclan! Was that Windclan too?
Brackenpaw concentrated, sending a confused look at Fawnpaw. But then he froze. "Shadowclan and Windclan!" He exclaimed.
"Be quite." Fawnpaw ordered the younger cat and they fell into a crouch, slowly following the scent. Staying low, they looked through the bracken and trees to see a large group of cats padding through their territory, trying to stay silent but kind of failing at that in this unknown and different place.
"We need to warn Fireheart." Fawnpaw tried to keep calm. Together, they ran back to where Fireheart would be hunting.
"Fireheart! Fireheart!" Brackenpaw called frantically. Fawnpaw wished he would quite down, but didn't say anything.
Fireheart leapt at a bird he was trying to hunt, but the bird had already flown up to a low branch, squawking with panic.
"What do you think you're doing?" Fireheart turned and looked angrily at the apprentices. "I'd have caught that-"
Fawnpaw cut her brother off, coming to stand by Brackenpaw. "Fireheart! Shadowclan and Windclan are here!"
"They're coming to invade our camp!" Brackenpaw added, eyes round with fear.
"Where?" Fireheart demanded, turning completely serious now. "How many warriors?"
"Over there," Brackenpaw pointed with his tail. "I don't know how many. They're creeping through the undergrowth."
"Okay," Fireheart paused before telling him, "Brackenpaw, go back to camp. Warn Bluestar and Tigerclaw. We need some warriors out here right now. Fawnpaw, stay here, you'll be needed for the battle."
"Yes Fireheart." Brackenpaw spun around and raced down the ravine.
Fawnpaw hurried after her brother, trying to keep as quite as possible. She pricked her ears, listening for the sounds of the intruding cats as she and Fireheart moved in the shadows the ferns. Her pelt prickled nervously as she moved.
A bird let out a call of alarm and Fireheart took cover behind a tree, Fawnpaw just crouching closer to the forest floor.
"Fawnpaw," He hissed softly. He motioned for her to follow. Fawnpaw hurried over and together they leapt into the tree. Fawnpaw winced as one of her back paws slipped and some bark was pulled off. The noise had seemed too loud and different in the quite forest. She hoped that the invading cats hadn't heard it.
She looked up at Fireheart, who had paused to make sure she was okay. She nodded and pulled herself onto the branch Fireheart was on, and balanced carefully.
She looked down at the forest floor. All was still. There wad a long moment of silence, then a flash of white. A dark head poked out from the undergrowth below the tree and the tom meowed softly, "Follow me!" Nightstar stepped out from the bracken and raced across the open ground. The warriors followed, and she felt Fireheart tense beside her.
Fawnpaw's pelt prickled uneasily. This would be her first battle, and it was Thunderclan against two other Clans. They weren't in the best situation.
A furious yowl came from the direction of camp and she heard Tigerclaw getting the cats ready for battle. Though she hadn't fully forgiven the tabby yet, she knew that they needed his courage and skill for battle and was glad he was in camp and ready.
Fireheart dropped from the tree and Fawnpaw followed, landing next to him. Together they raced toward the battle. When Fawnpaw broke out of the trees at the top of the ravine she hesitated. Wrestling and spitting cats where everywhere! Tigerclaw and Nightstar fought furiously. Darkstripe had a Windclan warrior pinned. Mousefur flung herself onto a Shadowclan warrior.
Fireheart leapt into battle immediately, springing at a Windclan she-cat as she clawed at Longtail. Longtail flead back down the slope, bleeding from his new wounds.
Fawnpaw looked around, unsure of what to do. But then she spotted Sandstorm, fighting against two Shadowclan warriors. The cats where pushing Sandstorm away from the others and into the open, making it easier for them to fight.
Fawnpaw ran over, jumping onto darker one's back. She was smaller than he was. She sank her claws into his shoulders and bit at the back of his neck, using her back legs to claw his back. The tom yowled and rolled over, but Fawnpaw jumped off before he could pin her down. She landed easily and turned, hitting the warrior across the nose as he tried to stand.
Suddenly, Sandstorm brushed against Fawnpaw. She must have drove off the other warrior. Together, they fought the tom. Fawnpaw ducked, nipping at his paws while Sandstorm swung at him, claws out.
Fawnpaw could see that the tom was just about to give up and run when suddenly something hit the back of her legs and pulled her away from the fight. Fawnpaw turned over and kicked out with her hindleg, hitting a Windclan warrior in the jaw.
The she-cat growled and pressed her into the ground, belly showing. The Windclan warrior used her back legs to claw Fawnpaw's belly. She gasped at the pain and clawed the she-cat's ears, ignoring the blood that squirted out and fell onto her.
The she-cat backed up onto her backlegs and Fawnpaw pushed her away. She leapt at the warrior and they fell to the ground, wrestling together, both trying to get a good hold. Fawnpaw felt a cut appear above her eye and one on her left back leg.
Then, she noticed that they had slowly made their way down the ravine. They where in the thickest of the fighting now, by the camp.
Bluestar called out, "They're pushing through the wall! Fall back- defend the camp!"
Fawnpaw kicked the warrior away and ran over to her Clan. They where in the tunnel now. She saw Fireheart in the middle, gorse clawing at his pelt. He turned and entered the camp. Fawnpaw leapt after him, dodging hissing cats and flying paws.
In the clearing she saw Willowpelt, Runningwing, and Sandstorm guarding the nursery. Longtail stood outside Brokentail's den, licking his wounds with Brackenpaw beside him.
Fawnpaw turned to see Nightstar and Onewhisker burst into the camp. They ran for Brokentail's den, Tallstar quickly joining them. More cats followed.
"Stop them!" Fireheart yowled. "They want Brokentail!"
Fawnpaw ran for the closest one and knocked him off balance. She got onto her back legs and used her front paws to drop all her weight on him. He fell onto the ground with a surprised yowl. But he easily turned and clawed at Fawnpaw's ears.
She hissed, backing away from him. She was slowly forced backwards, dodging and ducking as he swipped and ludged.
But then, more Thunderclan cats burst into the camp. Whitestorm, Mousefur, Runningwind, even Bluestar. The battle turned immediately and the invaders started to run from the camp, running for the tunnel and broken spots in the bracken. Then, the battle was over.
Fawnpaw blinked in surprise, sitting down. She panted slightly. Her wounds hurt, especially the one on her belly. But she opened her eyes and joined the Clan that was gathering around Bluestar. There was silence, there was no triumph in the victory.
"You brought this on us!" Darkstripe broke the silence. "You made us keep Brokentail here, and now we've been torn to pieces defending him. How long before one of us is killed for his sake?"
Bluestar looked troubled as she meowed, "I never thought it would be easy, Darkstripe. But we must do what we believe is right."
Darkstripe spat. "For Brokentail? For a couple of mouse tails I'd kill him myself!" Several warriors voiced their agreement.
"Darkstripe," Tigerclaw pushed his way through to stand by Bluestar. "This is your leader you're talking to. Show some respect."
For a heartbeat, Darkstripe glared at them both, but then he bowed his head. Tigerclaw looked at all the cats with his amber eyes, as if searching for someone.
"Fireheart, go and fetch Yellowfang." Bluestar ordered.
Fawnpaw sat down again, watching as Tigerclaw padded toward her. "Are you okay?" He asked, sniffing at a wound on her ear.
"I'm fine." Fawnpaw answered, glad that he cared and not wanting to worry him. "It probably just looks worse than it really is."
Cinderpaw hurried over, searching for the worst of the wounds. She had been announced as the new medicine cat apprentice just the other day, and Fawnpaw knew this was her first big chance for her to show her skill.
Cinderpaw started looking over Tigerclaw, but he caught sight of something and pulled away, heading for the camp entrance.
Fawnpaw looked over to see Graystripe. The tom's fur was sleek and unmarked. He was holding some fresh kill in his jaws.
"Where have you been?" Tigerclaw demanded, coming closer.
"Hunting." Graystripe answered, bewildered. "What on earth happened here?"
"What does it look like?" Snarled Tigerclaw. "Windclan and Shadowclan invaded, trying to get at Brokentail. We needed every warrior, but it seems that you weren't here. Where were you?"
"Well, how was I to know what was happening?" Graystripe started to look annoyed. "Or do I have to ask your permission before I set paw out of camp?"
Fawnpaw had been sitting still as Cinderpaw checked her wounds. But now she distracted Fawnpaw by poking at her with a paw and said, "Come on, let's go fix your wounds."
Fawnpaw nodded and followed the she-cat over to where the herbs were and where Yellowfang was working. Cinderpaw reached for some cob webs and started to fix Fawnpaw, starting with the bigger wounds and making her way to the smaller ones.
Fireheart limped over to get his own wounds seen to. Fawnpaw looked at him. None of his wounds where deep, but a good amount of fur had been torn out.
"Hmph! If they'd pulled out much more of your fur, you'd look like an eel." Yellowfang told him. "But none of the wounds is deep. You'll live."
Cinderpaw reached for some more cobwebs and pressed them on a scratch above his eye. She gently touched her nose to his, "You were really brave, Fireheart." She whispered, just loud enough for Fawnpaw to be able to hear.
Fawnpaw stood and padded away, as it seemed that Cinderpaw was done with her wounds and was focusing on the ginger tom instead.
Fawnpaw padded to the nursery and called inside, "Cloudkit!" She knew that he would be worrying about her.
Cloudkit peeked out of the nursery, then let out a loud purr and jumped forward to stand in front of Fawnpaw. "You're okay!" His tail waved happily.
"Of course I am." Fawnpaw licked his head, smoothing down his wild white fur.
"Tell me about the battle!" Cloudkit said excitedly, and began to list off all the questions he had.
Fawnpaw yawned, interruption the kit gently, "Not today." She told her kit. "Maybe tomorrow. I'm tired after all that fighting."
Done. :) Did you like it? I'm excited to post the next chapter! Reivew!