Ashstar's Reign - The Silver Storm - A Warriors Fanfiction

Forbidden

Riverpaw bounced into camp with his mentor, Leafshadow. She gave him a smile, and he raced away to the fresh-kill pile.

He crouched down and began picking around for his favorite food, a thrush. Finding it under a rabbit, he carried it to some ferns to eat. It filled his empty belly and gave him his much needed energy. Groaning with delight, he finished his meal and went to find his mother. Bearthorn was resting in the shade with Lightthunder, Skybright was sharing a rabbit with Mousetail, and Treestorm was grooming himself under a tree. Riverpaw strolled around, looking in the dens, He found Amberleaf washing her paws in the stream.

"Hi!" he exclaimed, padding up to her.

Amberleaf touched noses with him.

"Hello there, precious," she greeted him.

Riverpaw pressed himself into his mother's fur.

"Leafshadow taught me the leap-and-hold today!" he explained, showing her a little demonstration and crashing to the ground.

Amberleaf smiled.

"I'm glad! You're my little warrior, aren't you!"

Riverpaw ducked his head. "Yes!" Then he yawned. "I'm going to bed now," he said.

Amberleaf licked his head. "Good night, sweetheart."

Riverpaw padded to the apprentice's den to find his brother, Lightningpaw, already curled up in his nest. He blinked and raised his head as Riverpaw came in.

"Hey," he murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Hi," Riverpaw said. "Goodnight."

The next morning, Leafshadow woke Riverpaw quite briskly.

"You have a solo task today," she mewed, flicking her tail back and forth. 

Riverpaw brightened. "Yay!"

Leafshadow continued, "You will hunt until midday along the MarbleClan border, and bring back your prey."

Riverpaw bounced with excitement. "I won't let you down," he promised.

In a couple of minutes, he was sniffing the air, a couple of fox-lengths away from the MarbleClan border. Then an unfamiliar scent caught his attention.

I wonder what this scent is... Riverpaw thought, deciding to go after it. He put his muzzle to the floor and tracked the smell to a clearing. Warily, he creeped into the clearing, looking behind him. Suddenly the scent wafted over him, as fresh as it could be. Riverpaw whipped his head around and saw an odd animal that looked like a mixture of a cat and a dog standing there, facing the other side of the clearing. It had neat, pointy ears and an orange coat. It was a fox! The fox was bigger than Riverpaw, and it looked dangerous - and hungry.

"Oh, no," Riverpaw whimpered, pressing himself to the ground as much as he could go.

The fox sniffed the air, its auburn fur glinting in the sun. Suddenly the fox spun around, her hazel eyes fixed or Riverpaw. Trying to get his frozen paws to move, he tried to creep away. He couldn't move! He could only watch, horrified, as the fox licked its lips and stalked forward towards him. She then sank into a crouch, tensed her muscles, and leaped right at him. Riverpaw half-closed his eyes, knowing there was nothing else left to do. Suddenly a streak of black flashed across his vision. He then realized the death blow had not come and opened his eyes.

A ruffled young black she-cat was fighting the fox, snapping at it with all her teeth and claws. What amazed Riverpaw was that she was doing it silently, no battle cries needed. She was such a good fighter! The fox was already having second thoughts about being there, but to make sure it left, Riverpaw got to his paws and hurried forward to help. He unsheathed his claws and gave the fox a couple of strong blows on the flank. She whimpered and, after one last snap of her teeth, backed away, blood flowing from her wounds. Riverpaw stood still, letting go of his shock. The black she-cat turned to him, her paws red with the vixen's blood.