𝖋𝖆𝖜𝖓𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖕'𝖘 𝖋𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖍 | 𝙬𝙘 𝙛𝙖𝙣-𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

ii

Fawnleap felt her eyes flutter open in a vast clearing, full of vegetation and a billowing of pearl-white skies up ahead. Hazy blue mountains lay ahead of her, thousands of fox-tail lengths away.

A gust of gale flew her fur to the side. The she-cat swiftly turned, to see a starry cat in front of her. Its eyes were glowing with white, clouded eyes.

"Hello?" Fawnleap breathed, her eyes widening. It looked as if you could see the past, present, and the future in its gaze. Fawnleap couldn't make out who it was, but she could tell it was a StarClan cat.

"A wave you've never seen before is going to crash down on the wolves and wipe out everything in its way. As a pack, they must work together to guide to the path. The buck shall lead by the will of the Stars: a diamond in the rough that was once cursed with its democracy will be the savior." The voice echoed in a coo, its eyes were narrowed.

"What?" Fawnleap mrrowed, stepping forward into the grass.

The starry cat spoke no more, except it just pointed with its muzzle to behind Fawnleap. She peered her eyes across the familiar-looking view, it's cast printing a memory in Fawnleap's head. A clearing that seemed like it was just past GorgeClan, a large tunnel on the side of the gorge that dug up through the dirt. Fawnleap seemed like she was standing in the middle of the river that fell into MeadowClan's lake.

"Remember the tunnel."

The she-cat blinked away the image that bonded in her head as she woke back into consciousness. A hushed hiss breathed in her ear, and with a groan, she picked up her head to the scent of the noise to see Pearlwhisker.

"You were mewing in your sleep." Her sister informed in a perturbed tone. "Sorry..," Fawnleap cooed.

"Don't be sorry, just do it." Pearlwhisker  groaned, turning and thwacking her puffy, prickly tail across Fawnleap's cheek. The cream-and-black she jerked her head to the opening of the den, seeing Vipernose approach her. Fawnleap felt an unsettling ache burn in her stomach and eat her out as she saw the tom stumble his way towards her.

"You're awake?" He mumbled. "Unfortunately." The warrior quickly responded. "Good. You're coming with me, Chestnutspots and Freckleface for the bear's—"

"Okay." Fawnleap cut the tom off before he could finish his sentence. She hated being told stuff she already knew. Heaving herself to a stand, she arched her back with a crack and stretched out her paws, recoiling back and padding her way across the clearing.

"How bad is prey to where we have to resort to this?" Freckleface complained as the two approached. "What do you think?." Vipernose spat, brushing his way past the pretty she-cat. "You young cats think you know everything, always rumbling about everything and yapping...," The old tom bitterly grumbled under his breath.

Freckleface looked at Fawnleap, the two exchanged glances and started snickering. "You young cats think you know everything." Freckleface mocked in a high-pitch, hushed tone, whispering into Fawnleap's ear.

Her and Freckleface didn't really talk much, but all of these patrols they had assigned together pretty much forced them to talk. I don't even know if Freckleface likes me very much.

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The bear's nest was tucked away through plenty of undergrowth and patted shrubs, deep in the mountains, much farther towards the edge of ForestClan. The bear's nest was a stocked pile of crackling fall leaves, with deep, sanken spots where the brown beast would lay with its kits huddled close. She would usually leave prey left behind to eat later, and it would always be drool-worthy. The stench of the fresh-kill would always adrift its way to camp.

"Mother bear must be out." Chestnutspots reported, his eyes piercing through the undergrowth. "I can smell the hawk from here." Vipernose grumbled, his nose scrunching.

Hearing those words, Fawnleap confidently pulled herself up, brushing past Chestnutspots and Vipernose into the open. Fawnleap opened her mouth agape, tasting the air of the fresh-kill. She tasted the odor of a dead hawk, no surprise there, but she could also smell a rather musky stench.

Suddenly, Fawnleap quickly turned her head around with her ears upright, fur standing.

"She's— she's coming back." Freckleface stammered, her eyes avoiding the cats' gaze. "Her scent is growing stronger." Chestnutspots meowed in agreement with Freckleface.

"Fawnleap, what are you waiting for?" Spat Vipernose, the cranky tom standing up.

"Get it."

A void of hesitation fogged Fawnleap's gaze, but she didn't want to refuse Vipernose's orders. Get it? Does he hear himself? Ragged old root!

Fawnleap hunched herself to the ground, her paws creeping across the crunchy-leafed flooring; her belly brushing the earth. The RigidClan warrior felt her heart jump as she ducked underneath the nest leaves, leaping through the pile to get to the hawk. Its feathers blend in well with the Fall-colored nest, however its odor and flies gave it away. Fawnleap opened her maw and clenched down on the hawk's wing, tasting its blood trickling down her chin.

Her ears bolted rigidly upright as she heard heavy paw steps of a large mammal, its huffs being heard throughout the whole woods. Bear. Fawnleap thought, her heart skipping a beat.

"Fawnleap, hurry!" Hissed Vipernose from behind the shrubs, his face peaking by the side. Fawnleap immediately began jumping through the nest, causing leaves to cling to her pelt, hanging on by a thread of fur. A wave of relief flooded through her as she felt her paws thud against the grass. As the she sniffed, she felt her fur on one end.

A bloodcurdling screech of a roar that shooed away the crows echoed throughout the mountains. "Fox-dunph!" Cursed Fawnleap through muffles, feeling sweat curl down her fur as she suddenly raced across the clearing. "Everyone, go! I'll hold him off." Ordered Vipernose as Fawnleap passed the shrub the rest of the hunting patrol was hiding behind.

Fawnleap's paws skirted across the dirt as she looked back at Vipernose, who pounced himself bravely ontop of Bear. The tom was standing on her forward, mercilessly scratching at her face. Muzzle, nose, eyes, everything.

Blood drizzled down Bear's eyes, her lip drowning back into a snarl for a wrath of fury, She liften her unsheathed paw, swiping it across Vipernose's back, knocking the tom to the floor. Bear flung her talon-like claws across the warrior again, the crimson liquid sizzling down his neck, causing his mouth to gurgle with an iron taste.

He could hardly stand. Fawnleap could sense the weak in his knees as the tom shook to get up. "We have to help him!" Cried Chestnutspots. "We can't do anything!" Freckleface protested, her voice shaking.

Fawnleap stood. She didn't know what to say, or even what to think. She knew, deep down in the pits of her heart, Vipernose was going to die, one way or another.

A sputtering pain purged throughout Vipernose's veins, and with one last whoosh of Bear's life-suckling paw, he collapsed to the floor.