Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or Hetalia.
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Frostpaw yowledterror as she plunged into the hungry waters of the river. Despite it now being new-leaf, the water was still remembering the frigid leaf-bare, as it was freezing. The cold felt like a thousand tiny thorns pricking her all at once. She panicked, thrashing and trying to get a paw-hold on something. Anything.
The river, however, kept her from doing so, as it carried her downstream. Her lungs ached for air, and several times she felt the searing pain of a sharp rock or stick hitting her. And just as she thought she could hear StarClan whispering to her, strong jaws clamped onto her scruff and she was yanked from the water.
Frostpaw collapsed onto the sun-warmed grass from exhaustion, and she took in deep breaths, grateful for the oxygen. Then she became aware of her surroundings. The four DuskClan cats from a little while ago stood around her. Three of them were obviously concerned, while the fourth was annoyed.
"This is what happens when apprentices are ignorant! If you had just listened, Blossomtail wouldn't have had to save you!" the black and white tom growled. The white tom hissed at him.
"Stop acting like clan leader! She just nearly died, for StarClan's sake!" he mewed.
A white and light brown she-cat intervened, " Whitethorn, you know that that is simply his way of expressing worry. Plus, what we need to focus on right now is this apprentice. I say we take her back to camp, there's no way we can walk her back to her territory now, she's exhausted. And I'll bet Stonestar would like to know what she was doing."
"Ve~, Blossomtail's right. " a brown she-cat agreed. There was a weird curl on the left side of her head. A lot like Frostpaw's own sister's.
When the two of the four cats lifted her to her feet, Frostpaw made a weak attempt to get away, but it was to no avail. The DuskClanner, Blossomtail, was right. Her legs were unsteady, and she swore there was something stuck in the pad of one of her forepaws. Seeing this, the two cats stayed at her sides, and supported her as they walked through the forest.
Frostpaw's belly was being clawed with anxiety. She did not like the current situation. She was in a territory that was unfamiliar to her, and at the mercy of cats from another clan.
'I suppose I should be grateful that they didn't maul me in my weakness, but who knows what their leader will do,' Frostpaw thought.
Then came the enormous hedge. There was what appeared to be a tunnel among its roots, large enough for a cat to get through. It looked dark, and Frostpaw did not care to know what was on the other side. But the other cats did not hesitate to keep on walking. When Frostpaw halted, Blossomtail gave her a shove. Not strong enough to harm her, but enough to get her moving.
Frostpaw gingerly made her way through the tunnel, moving fast, yet cautiously. And when she came back out, she hissed at the strong scent of DuskClan. This was the camp, no doubt.
"Keep moving. We're taking you to Stonestar." Noblefall mewed.
Feeling the eyes of cats burning her pelt, Frostpaw padded behind the black and white tom with her head low, and her ears pinned to her head. She felt humiliated, especially at the sound of snickering. She could already imagine what her sister, Snowfeather would say if she saw her now, but she really didn't want to.
Upon entering what she assumed was the leader's den, a gray tom looked up from grooming his pelt. Frostpaw recognized him from Gatherings, this was Stonestar.
"Who is this young cat?" Stonestar asked, standing. His eyes held confusion, rather than anger, much to Frostpaw's relief.
"We found her on our side of the river, in a tree. She fell, and Blossomtail had to rescue her. We thought it best to bring her here, first." Noblefall meowed.
Stonestar turned his sky-blue gaze to Frostpaw, and held it for a few heartbeats, before telling three of the warriors to go about their business. The only one that remained was the brown tabby, Poppycurl.
"So, what were you doing on my clan's territory…" Stonestar trailed off, expectantly.
Realizing what that meant, Frostpaw spoke up.
"Frostpaw, my name is Frostpaw," she mewed, "I was chased across the Stone Bridge, by a fox."
"A fox." Stonestar imitated.
The apprentice nodded, "Yes, I was fearing for my life, and the stones where right there. I wasn't thinking in my panic."
Stonestar seemed to understand that much, "Alright, and how did you find yourself in a tree?"
"The fox followed me, and I saw the tree, so I climbed. I'm guessing that the fox was still a pup, because it got impatient and left as soon as I was out of reach. I was still calming down when that patrol came."
They stayed in silence for what felt like moons to Frostpaw, then the leader spoke.
"Right then. Poppycurl will to take Frostpaw here to Blackfish, in case you've got a hidden injury. And after that, I'll have some warriors escort you back to your territory." He mewed with a dismissive tone.
"Ve~, is that why you told me to stay?" Poppycurl asked.
"Yes. That, and I know Noblefall and Whitethorn would harass her, and Blossomtail would accuse her of prey-stealing." Stonestar explained.
"That's right, ve~. Well, come on, Frostpaw!" Poppycurl mewed, turning and exiting. Frostpaw followed her with slight hesitation. This time, there were less cats watching her, thankfully.
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It was odd for Frostpaw, being treated by a cat that wasn't Pouncewhisker. It made her a bit uncomfortable, even. But the DuskClan medicine cat seemed to be just was caring as Pouncewhisker was. Maybe it was normal for medicine cats to be nice.
'But Pouncewhisker does get snappy sometimes,' Frostpaw remembered. She then hissed, as the medicine cat she came to know as Blackfish, pulled a sharp pebble from her paw pad.
Blackfish ignored the hiss, and gave the pad a few licks to clean it of blood. After doing so, he turned and began to chew on what looked to be marigold.
Frostpaw waited patiently, as the older cat chewed the plant in poultice. When he was finished, Blackfish spat it out and rubbed some onto her wounded pad. And as a final touch, he wrapped a cobweb around her paw.
"There, the marigold will help your pad heal, and the cobweb will help protect it and soak up any remaining blood. I suggest not licking it too much when you return home, for it will slow the healing process." Blackfish advised.
"Alright. Thank you for treating my pad, it feel better already." Frostpaw meowed. She had always been told to respect and be grateful for a medicine cat, and this one was no exception.
Blackfish nodded, and lead her out. Back in the clearing, a white and black tom bounded up to them. A dark gray she-cat followed calmly.
"Hey, you must be that MoonClan cat we're supposed to escort, right?" the tom asked. Giving him a good look, Frostpaw guessed that he was the clan deputy, Braveheart. He seemed to fit the description that Greenpaw once gave her.
"Yes, that's me." Frostpaw replied.
"Okay, then come with us. This is Cinderflame, by the way." Braveheart mewed, flicking his tail at the gray she-cat. Cinderflame rolled her eyes.
"Now that we've had introductions, may we go? I want to get back here as fast as possible, and standing here is just procrastinating." She meowed irritably.
Braveheart faced her, "Hey, I'm the deputy here, and we'll do what I say. And I say we do what you just said."
This time, Frostpaw rolled her eyes with Cinderflame.
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"Here we are, the Stone Bridge. The water seems to have calmed a bit now, so you should be safe. But we'll watch you cross just in case. If you fall in again, I'll get you out. I'm the hero." Braveheart mewed.
"You heard him, the relevant part, anyway. Go along, young cat. And don't go looking for foxes again, you were just lucky this time." Cinderflame warned. Frostpaw would have retorted that she hadn't been 'looking for foxes', but she was too eager to get back to her home.
She quickly leaped onto the first large, pale gray stone, and then to the next one. With a couple more leaps, she was on MoonClan land. Looking back, she saw the two DuskClanners leaving.
Frostpaw twitched one ear in silence, and then turned to start back to camp. She trotted happily. It was good to feel the dampness on the soil as she made her way through the tall cattails and reeds that guarded the bank. Then there was the long green grass, countless ferns, and sorrel that she knew would bloom in green-leaf. Beneath her paws were small, flat pebbles that she was accustomed to. It felt good to be back home.
She padded into camp, and was immediately encountered by Greenpaw and Ashpaw. The littermates pelted her with questions. "Where were you?" "Why were you gone so long?" "Why do you smell weird?"
In one breath, she answered each question.
"I was in DuskClan. I got chased by a fox and ended up on their territory. Some DuskClanners spotted me and short story later, I was in their camp being treated for my paw. What you smell is probably the river, since I fell in."
Her denmates stared at her for a few heartbeats, taking in the information. Then Greenpaw mrrow-ed with amusement.
"Must've been fun, getting caught like that. I'm sure I could've gotten away if it was me." He meowed.
Ashpaw cuffed his ear, "Stop that. She must be tired after that ordeal. And it's no laughing matter."
Then, with a blur of white, Snowfeather was upon them. Frostpaw struggled away from her sister's distressed licks.
"Where in the name of StarClan did you go? You were gone so long, and I got worried." Snowfeather meowed, still licking.
"Stop it, Snowfeather! It may have been okay when I was a kit, but I don't need it now." Frostpaw mewed.
Reluctantly, the older she-cat ceased, "I was so worried."
"I know, I'm sorry." Frostpaw apologized. She knew her sister cared for her deeply, since she'd been the cat to nurse her since their mother's milk suddenly stopped flowing.
Snowfeather regained her stoic expression, and stated calmly, "I need to know where you were. As does Copperstar. Come along now."
Though she stayed silent as she followed Snowfeather, a groan echoed in Frostpaw's mind. Copperstar may be leader, her sister's mate, and her fellow apprentices' father, but he kind of annoyed her. At times, he could be mistaken for a kit simply by the way he acted. It was a wonder how Snowfeather had ever fallen for him.
The white and brown leader was busy speaking to Hollowmask, clan deputy and Frostpaw's mentor, when the two she-cats approached. Copperstar did a double-take, and looked at Frostpaw with confusion and curiosity.
"Frostpaw? Where have you been? I just sent three cats to try finding you again." He mewed.
Before the apprentice could answer, Snowfeather spoke first, saying that it'd be best if they went into Copperstar's den to discuss Frostpaw's temporary disappearance. He nodded in agreement, and flicked his tail for Hollowmask to come as well. Probably since the deputy had as much right to know, as he was Frostpaw's mentor, after all.
Once inside, Copperstar sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. He looked at Frostpaw expectantly. Taking a breath, she told the story again.
"You see, Copperstar, I was out hunting by the river, and scented a fox. Before I could get away, though, it appeared and began to chase me. I saw the Stone Bridge, and didn't think as I ran across. It followed me, and I climbed up a tree to escape. The fox left soon after, but then a DuskClan patrol came by. One of them ordered me to come down, but I was still too frightened from the fox to obey. The branch beneath me broke, and I fell in. The patrol rescued me, and took me to their camp to see their leader. Afterwards, DuskClan's medicine cat helped me with a wound on one of my paws, and then I was escorted back here. That's everything."
"Uh-huh, so this was all because of a fox?" Copperstar asked.
Frostpaw nodded.
The leader stood, stepping up to her, "I suppose that because you have done no harm, you don't need a punishment. But I do have to say this: no leaving camp for three sunrises."
'What?! Why?! You just said I didn't need a punishment!' Frostpaw shouted in her head. And it seemed that Copperstar could read her mind, as he explained.
"It's just to make sure you keep safe. Plus, you did say that your paw was wounded, so this will do good. It is not a punishment, I assure you," He meowed, "Go about your business now."
Frostpaw exited the den with a disappointed and frustrated feeling. She didn't want to spend three whole sunrises stuck in camp, unable to do her duties. Surely this would hold back her warrior ceremony, which was not at all desirable.
'Stupid fox,' she thought bitterly.
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A/N: This chapter has a word count of 2,276. It took about five days to finish. So please, review. Because I will cry if you don't. :'{