Warriors, The Next Chapter; Spiderpaw's Journey

Chapter 16

Sparklight could feel the rain soaking through her pelt. She was on a hunting patrol with Foxsnap and his apprentice Wrenpaw and Ratskip.

Ratskip had led his patrol deep into the forest where they normally had prey but the rain had soaked the forest and very little prey was still wandering the trees. Foxsnap turned to Wrenpaw, "Can you smell anything?"

Sparklight tasted the air with the apprentice.

"Nothing," Wrenpaw mewed.

"Wait- I smell badger- fresh badger-," Sparklight mewed.

Ratskip sniffed the air, "Your smelling things, there's nothing here. Honestly Sparklight your a worse warrior then Wrenpaw sometimes."

"Let's head back to camp," Foxsnap agreed, "I'm soaked!"

Sparklight followed them back with grudgeful silence. She hurried to the warriors den and curled up in her nest, falling asleep like the others that didn't have a moonlight patrol. She heard a hiss from Rockyspots. "Sorry," She realized she had stepped on his tail on her way to her nest.

As she slept that night, Sparklight couldn't stop worrying about the badger smell, was she really that bad?

***

Two days had passed since the patrol. Sparklight was curled up, happily asleep, when she heard a screech from the elders den. She jolted awake, worrying that it was Mothwood, but when she reached the clearing, she saw Raccoonleap and Springpuddle snarling and hissing. She peered through the darkness and spotted the huge shape of a badger.

She began to bound over to help but Shrewface was there first, slashing at the badger. Blackleaf and Loudmuzzle ran to the young tom's aid. Sparklight spotted more warriors emerging from their den and four more big, bulky badgers walk into the camp. The first was attacked by Ratskip, Flowertooth, and Rookwing with the help of the apprentices. Pricklestep, Nettlepath, and Buzzardswoop leapt for the second. Rainyflight led Honeyshine, Birdflutter, and Newtflight after the biggest badger. Cloudytuft, Quailspeckle, and Hootstep ran to help Shrewface with the badger attacking the elders. Meanwhile, Petalberry, Primroseshine, and Rockyspots launched themselves at the fourth badger.

Sparklight was ready to join the others in the battle, but she soon saw another two badgers lumber into camp. The smaller of the two walked toward Dappledstar's den. Needleshadow leapt past Sparklight to help his leader but Sparklight watched as the other badger ran toward the nursery.

She ran toward it, slashing at it's flanks when she arrived. Lakeshimmer slashed at its muzzle but the badger tore one of the support twigs from the den and the branches began to rattle. Cherryspirit and Blossomwing curled tightly around their kits. Tawnyflower gave them her kits to defend and hurried to join the fight. With the help of the brave queens, Sparklight fought the badger back a bit. The creature swiped it's massive paw at Lakeshimmer but missed, instead knocking down a section of branches. The den shuddered, then collapsed. Bramble bushes rained down and Sparklight realized there was some cat pushing them down!

Sparklight fought the badger, her claws slashing, but without the support of Lakeshimmer and Tawnyflower who were covered in branches, the badger began to overwhelm her. Flowertooth broke away from his fighting group and hurried over, landing blows to the badger. The black and white creature began to retreat. The cats began to finish the battles and soon, the badgers were leaving camp with Ratskip, Blackleaf, and Needleshadow making sure they left.

Sparklight helped Flowertooth pull away the branches, desperately searching for the queens. They quickly uncovered Tawnyflower, the she-cat was bleeding but not too badly hurt. Flowertooth soon found Cherryspirit, Blossomwing, and the kits. While Tawnyflower helped her tear away the rest of the branches, Sparklight found Shimmerpelt. The nursery queen was laying still, no breath rising from her flanks and her chest still. Blood gushed from wounds on her head and belly, staining the grass red.

"No!" Tawnyflower wailed, "Someone fetch Sparrowpaw, Wrenpaw, and Lionpaw."

Flowertooth went to find the apprentices while Tawnyflower and Sparklight dragged Shimmerpelt into the clearing.

Shrewface was standing over another dead figure, "So Plumflower wasn't the only cat we lost."

"Definitely not," Halfwhisker dragged the limp form of Rainyflight into the clearing beside the others.

Springpuddle padded out of the elders den, "Raccoonleap and Mothwood are alright."

Lionpaw arrived first, he wailed over the dead body of his mother. When Sparrowpaw and Wrenpaw arrived, they were heart-broken too. Dappledstar came out, "We lost three brave cats today. Shimmerpelt, Plumflower, and Rainyflight will walk StarClan."

The cats hung their heads, sitting around the bodies of their clanmates.

Ratskip and Foxsnap sat in front of Dappledstar when she asked, "How did this happen? Did no one smell the badgers coming?"

"Sparklight scented them on our patrol in the rain, we didn't though so we didn't want a false report put in," Foxsnap admitted.

"Shameful. Shameful of you, both of you," Dappledstar mewed, "Sparklight, I understand."

As Sparklight dipped her head, she couldn't shake the feeling that the badger attack was only the start of MoonClan's misfortune.