Dawn light shone through the entrance to the den,warming Brokenpaw's fur. She stood up,stretching and yawning. Cherryflight was by the prey-heap. "Brokenpaw! I was just about to come get you. We're going on your first dawn patrol!" "Yayyy..." Brokenpaw mumbled sleepily. "Can I eat first?" She said,suddenly awake at the smell of fresh-kill. "Sure. But make it quick!" Cherryflight mewed,padding away to sit with Mudstar and the deputy, Thunderstorm. She quickly ate a shrew and gathered by the entrance with the rest of the patrol,which consisted of her,Cherryflight, Moonlight,Sparrowpaw,Birchwind,and Tigerlily. Birchwind led the patrol,taking them first to the Ghostclan border to renew the scent markers.
Brokenpaw sniffed the air,cringing. "Yuck! What's that smell?! Cherryflight smiled. That's the boundaries. It let's us know to stay off GhostClan territories,and so they know to stay off ours.." as her mentor turned away to continue,Brokenpaw thought she heard her mutter "but not much lately.." Brokenpaw sniffed at a bramble thicket nearby. Cherryflight was right. A clump of brown fur was on a thorn,and it smelled like GhostClan's markers. As she added her scent to the jumbled borderlines,a group of four cats could be seen approaching.
Brokenpaw took a cautious step foward,trying to get a good look at the approaching cats. "Hey! What're you doing over here?!" The cat,a pale grey tom,snarled. "Renewing our scent markers. We have as much right to be here as you do, Stonefoot." Birchwind replied calmly. "Not on our territory,you don't!" Stonefoot growled. "That's right!" A small flame colored she cat stepped up beside him. "None of our cats have crossed into your territory." Birchwind said,his voice reaching a threatening tone. Stonefoot walked foward til he was nose-to-nose with Birchwind. "How come your challenging a deputy? You don't have the authority." Stonefoot taunted.
"That's it!" Sparrowpaw flung himself at Stonefoot,leaping onto his back and digging in his claws,blood seeping out where Sparrowpaw had grapped his flesh. Stonefoot thrashed around,rolling over and almost crushing the apprentice under his weight. "No!" Moonlight yowled,ready to run to her apprentice's aid,but Birchwind held her back. "This is not your battle." Birchwind told her,racing foward and knocking into Stonefoot,and Sparrowpaw loosened his grip,and flung himself back over the border where he sat,panting,slumped on the ground next to the stunned patrol.
Their shock was reflected in the eyes of the GhostClan cats,who watched in horror as Birchwind pummeled their deputy's belly. Stonefoot pushed Birchwind off of him,revealing long jagged scratches on his shoulders and neck. "This isn't over!" He gasped as he linped away,supported by two of his clanmates,the little flame she cat twisting her head to look back at them.
