To guest reviewer, Mistleaf:

Really? Necessary romance, drama, adventure and intensity? I'm...flattered. I don't usually get in over my head when I write my stories, but hearing that made my day! I try making them unique in their own way. ^^

And I will most certainly take Dove's personality into account. Thank you for reviewing. ~ Kyubi

Chapter 6

"Trespassing."

3/11/17

Later the next morning, Nightpaw, Snowpaw, Acornpaw and Featherpaw were assigned to hunt for prey in the forest. They've rounded up three squirrels near the Ancient Oak. They move on to the gorge with prey in their jaws when they hear voices.

With the two she cats being the oldests, Snowpaw and Featherpaw told them to remain quiet and approach the source of the voice, and hide behind a bush of ferns.

"See anything?" Snowpaw asks her sister. Featherpaw peers over the ferns and her light blue eyes widen.

"Nightpaw, Snowpaw, you went to the Gathering. Do you know this cat?"

The two named she cats peer through the ferns and see a familiar light brown and patched fur with two older cats.

"Isn't that Cheetahpaw?" Snowpaw hisses to Nightpaw.

"Yeah."

Featherpaw frowns and looks at Acornpaw. "Go back to camp and find your dad and Darkstar, now."

Acornpaw bristles her fur. "But I want to fight-!"

"This isn't up for debate!" Featherpaw hissed quietly. "You're the fastest next to Snowpaw, I'm counting on you."

Acornpaw grimaces before nodding. She turns around and took off in a brown blur for the direction of the gorge.

Nightpaw sees Cheetahpaw and the two warriors grabbing a piece of ThunderClan prey and padding away.

"Their leaving! By the time Littlefalcon and Darkstar arrive, they're gonna get away with stealing from us!"

"We still…"

"Featherpaw." Snowpaw says to her sister. "Even if they do arrive and we let them leave, it'll be one word against the other. We need to confront them - now and stall them."

"I volunteer." Nightpaw says pushing through the ferns. Featherpaw's fur bristles with tension.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Nightpaw recognizes the two WindClan warriors, Grassclaw and Violetbloom, carrying squirrels in their jaws and Cheetahpaw holding a rabbit.

"Is ThunderClan so desperate for warriors that they made a kit an apprentice?" Grassclaw sneers, sizing up Nightpaw.

"I'll have you know, I'm six moons and six days old." Nightpaw sniffs.

"Now I couldn't help but notice that you got some tasty looking food."

Cheetahpaw drops her rabbit and smirks. "Yeah. The fattest prey we've found."

Nightpaw fights the urge to smack her arrogant face off.

"That's lovely. And I think they will do just fine for us to feast on. After all, they are ThunderClan prey for a reason."

Violetbloom glares at her before putting her squirrel down.

"What makes you think we'll give this to you? We caught it, fair and square."

"I don't like the looks on their faces. It's three against one, and Nightpaw hasn't learned how to fight yet." Snowpaw told Featherpaw.

Darn it all. Where are you, Acornpaw?

Featherpaw sighs and forces her fur to lie flat. "We'll have to step in."

Before Snowpaw could protest, Featherpaw already steps out and stands next to Nightpaw.

"Oh, look! The kit's brought herself reinforcements!" Grassclaw snickers. "Who else is with you?"

Snowpaw closes her eyes and slowly pads from her hiding spot. Cheetahpaw glowers with glee.

"It's the rabbit defender! Violetbloom, this is the apprentice I told you about!"

Cheetahpaw looks at Snowpaw. "Have you come to save this little bunny. Here."

Cheetahpaw throws the rabbit's body on Snowpaw's paws, making the white-silver flecked she cat boil with frustration.

"Have your little bunny friend!"

Featherpaw flattens her ears. "That is enough. Just drop the squirrels, turn around and don't come back."

Violetbloom growls. "And who will make us? Three apprentices?"

Nightpaw doesn't like how the three WindClan cats were glaring at them.

Acornpaw you are not this slow! You ran to and from the nursery in two seconds to get a piece of prey!

Cheetahpaw lunges first at Nightpaw, but Snowpaw head butts Cheetahpaw in the stomach and rolls on the ground with her.

"Get off of my apprentice!" Violetbloom hisses.

Nightpaw glares at her.

"You should have more control over your apprentice!"

Snowpaw feels Cheetahpaw's claws slice over her right ear and eye before she claws the WindClan apprentice's face, leaving claw marks on her eyes and nose.

"Violetbloom! Grassclaw! What is the meaning us this?!"

Snowpaw kicks Cheetahpaw off of her, making her hit the ground.

Brackenfall and Spiderpaw were running through the stream and slowing down near the warriors. At the same moment, Littlefalcon and Darkstar arrive with Acornpaw keeping up with them.

Nightpaw giggles and said. "Busted." Cheetahpaw glares at her and lunges for her until Spiderpaw quickly grabs her scruff and pushes her back.

"What are you doing here?" Brackenfall demands the two warriors coldly.

"That's what I like to know." Darkstar puts in.

Littlefalcon notices the two squirrels and rabbit and looks at the three WindClan cats.

"I sincerely hope for your sake that those animals died when you came here." Darkstar said.

"We-!"

"Silence!" Brackenfall hissed at Grassclaw. "I was honestly hoping that Spiderpaw made a mistake when he said Cheetahpaw talked you two into trespassing, but you two are still rabbit brained morons!"

"I mean, you're warriors and you listened to the words of an apprentice who obviously hasn't shed their kit fur yet!"

Darkstar remains quiet as he watches the heated WindClan deputy scold his warriors. The brown and white tom sighs and dips his head.

"I'm sorry this happened, Darkstar. I promise you that these three will be punished thoroughly."

"... That sounds nice. Until then, I would like the three pieces of prey for the time being."

Brackenfall quickly glared at his warriors, daring them to protest. Violetbloom, Grassclaw and Cheetahpaw bow their heads.

"Let's go. Come, Spiderpaw."

Spiderpaw gives Nightpaw a lingering stare before following Brackenfall across the stream. Darkstar sees Snowpaw padding toward him with a bleeding scar.

"We should probably have Hailstone look at that."

"I'll bury that stupid WindClan brat!"

Snowpaw winces hearing Rosefoot snarl outside of the den. Hailstone is carefully applying the cobwebs on Snowpaw's scar, she's actually amazed how focused he is despite an angry, ranting she cat just outside his den.

"How dare they attack my kit?! Don't they know who they're messing with?!"

"Mom!"

Rosefoot pokes her head inside the den.

"It wasn't a warrior, it was just an apprentice. She didn't even hurt me that bad."

"Did you at least claw her back?" Rosefoot asks.

"Yeah, pretty badly."

Rosefoot smiles. "That's my girl ~." The pinkish she cat pulls back and Windstorm looks in.

"Is Snowpaw going to be okay?" He asks Hailstone.

"Yes. When the scar heals it won't be too noticeable, it won't get infected."

Windstorm sighs with relief. "Good."

Spiderpaw watches Violetbloom and Grassclaw become demoted to apprentice duties. Violetbloom was even stripped of being Cheetahpaw's mentor and given to Hollyclaw.

That she cat is super strict. Cheetahpaw won't get away with her usual nonsense under her watch.

"And Spiderpaw, you will be sentenced to two moons as a kit for attacking your Clanmate."

Spiderpaw gasps in shock. "What?! I did not-!"

"You were supposed to protect your Clanmate, but instead you attacked her."

Spiderpaw glares at Creekstar. "Cheetahpaw was on the warpath! She attacked a cat and was about to do it again to another one all because they called her out for trespassing!"

"You defend your Clanmate with your life."

"The warrior code also says to never trespass in each other's territory!" Spiderpaw counters.

"Creekstar." Brackenfall said. "If Cheetahpaw continued to attack, Darkstar would have taken that as a threat and we all would have been in trouble."

Creekstar remains silent as he listens to his deputy.

"We are already on thin ice with ThunderClan. Even if Spiderpaw is too young to understand why, he did us a favor by stopping Cheetahpaw."

Spiderpaw wills for the stubborn WindClan leader to listen. Creekstar nods slowly.

"Very well. I won't punish him. Instead," Creekstar addresses the Clan. "I'm putting WindClan on punishment. No one is to trespass into anyone's territory, especially ThunderClan's. The only cats who can do that are the medicine cats.

"There will also be night guards, and if anyone is caught sneaking out, they will be punished by taking away their warrior name and train as apprentices until they get some common sense. Understood?"

The rest of WindClan murmur in agreement. Creekstar waves his tail.

"This meeting is dismissed."

Spiderpaw sighs with relief as cats went back to work. Cheetahpaw glares at him from a distance before turning to Hollyclaw.

What is her problem?

"Spiderpaw."

The black tom looks at a fluffy, pale grey and white she cat, his sister, Softpaw.

"I'm glad you haven't been punished. I have a feeling Cheetahpaw would have taken full advantage of berating you if Creekstar went through with it."

"Tell me about it."

Spiderpaw hasn't been able to talk to Softpaw since she became Hazelheart's apprentice. The solitary life of a medicine cat would have driven him insane.

"Actually… the cat Cheetahpaw was about to attack was Nightpaw. I saw her at the Gathering several days ago."

Softpaw blinks her amber eyes. "Really?"

Spiderpaw nods and moves in closer to his sister. "I can't really explain it, but I felt something when we locked eyes."

"Spiderpaw, don't tell me you've developed a crush on her."

Spiderpaw stares at her, and after a few heartbeats he narrows his eyes.

"No, it's not like that!"

Softpaw gives him a disbelieving grunt, and Spiderpaw shakes his head.

"I'm serious! It's not like that - we're getting off topic!"

Softpaw nods for him to continue.

"When we locked eyes, it felt as though we were denmates. I can't explain it perfectly, but it feels like she and I grew up together. And a voice is whispering to me when I saw her."

Spiderpaw shudders. "In fact, it wasn't the first time. I heard a voice telling me something cryptic. I keep seeing these creatures that look like dogs, but bigger and more vicious."

"That sounds interesting."

"Are you sure I'm not going crazy?"

Softpaw shakes her head. "No. In fact, me and Hazelheart are going to Moonpool tonight. If I tell her what you told me she might figure it out with the other medicine cats."

"What makes you think the other medicine cats have cats who are going through the same thing as me?"

"We won't know until we try." Softpaw says honestly. "I'll even go to Moonpool the next night to find out why they're sending you these dreams, Spiderpaw. You have my word as a medicine cat."