Chapter 5

Graytail heard yowling in the distance. She chased after them. They raced past Wolfear and Sagepaw.

"Sagepaw, go back to camp." Wolfear told him. Sagepaw ran to camp as Wolfear tagged along with Graytail.

"Oh, she could be dead!" Wolfear whimpered.

"That fox-hearted warrior!" he growled.

"Bunnypaw seemed scared. We have to get her!" Graytail replied.

They saw Needleclaw stop, pinning Bunnypaw to the floor. She struggled.

"Stop! Get away from her! You piece of… of fox-dung!" Wolfear sprang onto Needleclaw's back and pinned him down with a paw to the neck.

"Wolfear! Retreat!" a voice called in the distance.

Carvy pelted into the clearing, Foxpaw at his side. Bunnypaw got up, but fell over again.

"What in the name of Moonclan are you doing?!" The icy blue eyes, once again, burned through all of them.

"We caught this mouse-brained fool attack Bunnypaw!" Wolfear growled in Carvy's face as Foxpaw helped Bunnypaw up.

Carvy took a step back, away from the strong warrior. He looked at Needleclaw with a look full of hatred. Needleclaw spat back, his amber eyes blazing. Carvy then looked at Bunnypaw, and walked over.

He sat down and asked,

"What did he do to you?"

Bunnypaw hesitated, then calmed down when Wolfear and Foxpaw blocked Needleclaw away from her.

"He claimed that he was going to help me train," Bunnypaw started.

"That's true." Graytail commented, giving an angry look to Needleclaw.

"But then he grabbed me and he ran off. And you all know the rest." Bunnypaw finished.

Graytail felt hurt inside.

How could he do this?

"Bring him to the clan as a prisoner." Graytail meowed, but Needleclaw had already ran off.

Wolfear cursed under his breath, then meowed,

"I'll go after him. I'll teach him a lesson."

"Please don't go! What if he comes back?" Bunnypaw begged.

"No, I should go after him." Carvy said.

"What about Foxpaw's training?" Graytail asked.

"Take her for me, will you?" he replied.

"You stay in the camp." Carvy told them.

"And you," Carvy looked at Graytail , "Report to Yellowstar."

Without a last glance, the silver-gray warrior stalked away.

Graytail looked at Wolfear, she was ready for payback,

"You're a mentor now. You have an apprentice to train." and she walked away, with Bunnypaw and Foxpaw at her side.

"OHHHHH!" Bunnypaw laughed.

"Nice one!" Foxpaw purred.

"Don't tell Yellowstar I said that though." Graytail meowed in amusement.

Wolfear flicked his ear in amusement.

Graytail had just finished training with Bunnypaw and Foxpaw, until she heard a yowling. Wolfear and Sagepaw were play-fighting again.

"Wolfear! What in the name-" she was cut off by the meowing laughter of both toms.

"Having fun! What do you think?" He gave one more mreow of laughter as he aimed for Sagepaw's soft belly. Wolfear's huge paw's clamped down on Sagepaw, claws sheathed and harmless.

"Come join us, Bunnypaw!" Sagepaw's sky colored blue eyes looked intently at his sister, but she shook her head.

"Okay, just finish playing around. But get training soon. I have to tell Yellowstar about… the incident."

Bunnypaw shivered. Graytail felt sympathy for her.

"Sure." Wolfear laid down on his back and stretched his massive body, "I'll let Bunnypaw join us, and Foxpaw can come too." Wolfear signaled his tail to Bunnypaw as he layed on his side, and she ran over, and rubbed her cheek against Wolfear's, then her brother's, who purred in greeting. Sagepaw playfully pawed softly at Foxpaw's right eye, where it slashed shut because of a thorn incident. The scar was permanent, so she'll never open the eye again. She didn't mind though.

"Are you sure? Three apprentices are a lot, will you need help?" Graytail asked, and Wolfear nodded under the swarm of apprentices play-fighting.

Graytail knew Bunnypaw and Wolfear would be great for each other in the future.

But she got that of her mind and walked away to the leader's den. Behind the lichen wall, she called out,

"Yellowstar?"

"Come in." a deep voice answered.

Graytail stalked into the den and sat down with the wise leader.

"Well, how are you?" Yellowstar asked.

"I'm well, Yellowstar. I just have some…uh… surprising news." Graytail didn't want to tell her leader what happened with Needleclaw. After all, the kind leader trusted Needleclaw with all the nine lives he had in him.

Graytail hesitated, then meowed

"Needleclaw attacked Bunnypaw this morning." Graytail tried not to flinch when she saw the shocked look on Yellowstar's face,

"Needleclaw told me that Shootingwhisker needed to see me, but when I came back, that Shootingwhisker never said anything, Bunnypaw was gone. Wolfear attacked Needleclaw, but then Carvy stopped them as he, well, I think, came back from hunting. He went after Needleclaw when he ran off, and hasn't come back yet. Before he left, he told me to come and report."

Yellowstar looked like he was about to yowl in pain, but he just stared at Graytail in grief.

"I'm sorry, I know you trusted him, and-"

She heard the screeches of cats outside.

As she and Yellowstar pelted outside, Needleclaw came in view, his jaws dripping with blood.

And Leafheart was in the middle of the camp, motionless.