🍁🍃Warriors: A Poisonous Path🍁🍃

Chapter 9

Emberpaw, flanks heaving, watched the last wounded warrior limp rapidly towards the battered thorn barrier. Brindlestar looked furious, eyes glowing in the night. "I'll bet a moon of dawn patrols this was because of the skirmish yesterday." Hissed Graytuft, lashing his tail.

"I think you're right, Graytuft," replied Brindlestar darkly, "This attack was completely unprovoked. The WindClan cats seem to be trying to prove they are as strong as we are." That thought had also come to Emberpaw in the recent battle, and she sat down with a heavy sigh of exhaustion. In the battle, she felt as if she had the strength of hundreds of foxes, but now, she just felt like a defeated badger. Not very wounded, but exhausted to the bone.

"We should attack them back, see how they like being ambushed in the dead of the night!" Yowled Poppyclaw, one of the most aggressive warriors in ThunderClan. Emberpaw's opinions were divided. One, she thought this might have been a fair fight, or revenge, for the two cats caught on their territory, which had some reason. Two, it wasn't really fair to attack another clan with no warnings, no threat, just attack for basically nothing. WindClan got no territory, prey, no fear into their enemies. 

Her train of thought was cut off by Brindlestar, repliying to Poppyclaw and the many others who agreed with her. "WindClan will not go unpunished." The tabby leader vowed with dark meaning in her eyes, a confident stance and a look that said she'd do anything to protect her clan. Emberpaw looked at her with awe. I wish I'd be like her one day! 

"I have a battle plan. Dovedawn, Rainwish, Deerfang, Graytuft and... Emberpaw, please proceed to my den." As Brindlestar listed the names, Emberpaw's eyes widened into moons. Frogpelt muttered in disdain, while Robinsong twiched her tail in annoyance. Not wanting to stay in the clearing, Emberpaw shook out her fur and bounded up Highledge in skillfull jumps, wincing as a strike of pain shot through a wound on her hind leg. She paused for a moment, blood dripping from her claws and leaving smears of blood on the rocks. She continued, her lean muscles tensing at each leap. She arrived at the top to see the tip of Rainwish's tail disappearing into Brindlestar's den. Scrambling the last few mouse-lengths and panting hard, she stopped for a moment before quickly sliding inside after her mentor. The young vixen quickly settling into the circle formation, and stared around in surprise. Instead if the woven dens she was used to, this den was a sandy cave, with lichen dangling where she had pushed through at the entrance. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she noticed the den was quite cozy, equalivent to the bush-dens of the other cats.

"Alright, this is the plan." Brindlestar stretched out a claw into the sandy earth in the middle of the ring of cats and drew a long line. "This," she placed a claw on the side of the line closer to Emberpaw, "Is our, ThunderClan, territory. And this," she pointed to the other side, "Is WindClan territory." She deftly drew a circle on the WindClan side, and a curved line on the right side of the map. "The WindClan camp, and the lake. We'll approach from here-" she drew a line from the ThunderClan territory, leading to the WindClan camp. "And-" 

"Wait a moment, Brindlestar." Dovedawn interrupted. "What if we approach from here instead?" She drew out her paw and scratched a line from the lake instead.

"Brilliant!" Exclaimed Deerfang. "They won't be expecting an attack from that side."

Graytuft nodded. "I've been thinking. What if a patrol of about five warriors and apprentices attack from here," he pointed to the last line Brindlestar had drawn, "Another here, from the direction of Horseplace," he stretched out, scoring a third battle line from the opposite of Emberpaw. "Of about six cats. And also the patrol Dovedawn thought of." Rainwish nodded.

"I have an idea," whispered Emberpaw to him. "Am I allowed to say it?" 

Rainwish gave her a long look: "Of course. Speak all you need to." The fox apprentice turned her head back to the conversation. Brindlestar was talking.

"Okay. I think that's-"

"I have an idea." Emberpaw interrupted hesitantly. Brindlestar stopped, then nodded at her to continue.

"Well- if patrols attack from those sides you all suggested," her whiskers quivered from nervousness. "Then a patrol should also attack from here, to ensure they cannot flee." Emberpaw felt her confidence returning as she scored a fourth battle mark on the left side of the map. The cats in the den stared at her, and Deerfang slowly nodded. "That is reasonable." He admitted. "And- also," continued Emberpaw breezily. "We should attack the second dawn after the Gathering." She quickly thought it through. "So they will not be expecting trouble." Dovedawn dipped her head.

"That wraps it up." Brindlestar gave her a nod of approval. "We will attack the second dawn after the next Gathering."