°|° Woodland °|° ✓

| Chapter 4 |

(Cat above is Leafsong or Leafpaw, however you decide to call him)

Berrypaw yawned. She uncurled from her soft nest and glanced at Cherrypaw. She was trotting out of the den behind Sootpelt. Off she goes! Berrypaw scraped at the ground irritably. Oakpaw brushed past her with Creampaw, the newest apprentice.
"Hi, Creampaw!" Berrypaw greeted. "How are you?"
Creampaw gave her dark cream fur a quick lick. "Fine. Petalnose is taking me to the RiverClan border."
"OK! I'll ask Hazelwing if we can join." Berrypaw bounded outside. Hazelwing emerged from the warrior den, pausing to meow something to Eelspark before glancing over at Berrypaw.
"Hey! Can we join Petalnose and Creampaw?" Berrypaw asked. Hazelwing nodded, her eyes bright. They padded over to the entrance, where Creampaw and Petalnose waited.
"Let's go!" Creampaw squeezed out of the camp with Berrypaw at her heels. "Race you to that tree!" Creampaw called as she bolted away.
Berrypaw raced after her, her ears pricked. I'm going to catch you, Creampaw! She purred to herself, stopping sharply as a terrible cry reached her ears.
"Creampaw!" Petalnose shot past into a yew  bush. "Creampaw!"
Berrypaw spotted a dark cream tail poke from the bush. Dread prickled her pelt. Creampaw! No!

Hazelwing joined Petalnose in the bush, there was a murmur, then the two cats dragged Creampaw into the clearing. A thorn lay deep in her throat, and deathberry juice stained her fur.

There was a rustle. Berrypaw turned, her back arched, relaxing only when Eelspark, Cherrypaw and Sootpelt leaped out of the undergrowth. "What's wrong?" Cherrypaw demanded. "The scent of deathberries brought us-"

"Hush, Cherrypaw." Eelspark's mew was soft as he touched noses with Petalnose, then Hazelwing. "Sootpelt, come forward."

Tension crackled in the air as Berrypaw moved towards her sister. "Creampaw.." Cherrypaw breathed. "No.."

Oakpaw flashed in Berrypaw's mind. "He was close to Creampaw, wasn't he?" She whispered to Cherrypaw.

"Who?" Cherrypaw's ears flicked.

"Oakpaw." 

Cherrypaw narrowed her eyes. "Kind of. I saw him hunting for Creampaw yesterday, and he also made her a nest in the den when she first moved in." Her tail flicked. "Why?"

"If Creampaw's dead.." Berrypaw meowed slowly, "Then Oakpaw will be..sad."

"Depressed," Cherrypaw corrected quietly. "Like you were over Leafpaw."

"That was different. I never realised he was in love with me, but I think Creampaw's kind of caught on."

"True." Cherrypaw twitched her tail tip as Sootpelt turned. "The wound seems to be clean. Cherrypaw, Berrypaw, can you run back to camp and grab me some marigold, cobwebs, dock and chervil?"

"OK!" Berrypaw whipped round, slowing to let Cherrypaw catch up, quarrel forgotten. "Let's also tell Oakpaw..maybe Coffeenose can come, too?"

"No. We should only tell Oakpaw, or the entire Clan will be over here before you can say 'fresh-kill'." Cherrypaw mewed. "It's more logical."

"Come on - I can see the camp." Berrypaw dashed past a surprised Alderwing to dive into camp. "Oakpaw!"

The brown tabby poked his head sleepily from the apprentices' den. "What?"

"Come! Creampaw might be dead!" Berrypaw raced into the medicine cats den. "Coffeenose! What herbs are marigold, cobwebs, dock and chervil?"

"Those." Coffeenose swished his long tail to four lumps of leaves. "Why?"

"Creampaw might be dead!" Explained Oakpaw, knocking Berrypaw aside and grasping a bundle of herbs. He is Sootpelt's kin after all, Berrypaw thought to herself as Cherrypaw helped roll the dock into a leaf wrap.