{NEW STORYLINE SOON} Frostflower's Return

Chapter Four 🐾

    Unharmed. That was the word that described Frostpaw. Shadowclaw snarled and leaped at Frostpaw, knocking her backward. Shadowclaw unsheathed his claws and dug them into Frostpaw's exposed belly.

     "You need to obey me. If you don't, you will die." Shadowclaw growled.

     "No. I won't." Frostpaw hissed. Shadowclaw sank his claws deep into Frostpaw's belly. Frostpaw yelped, but didn't back down. She scraped Shadowclaw's belly with her hind legs and thrust him away. Frostpaw ran. She didn't know where to go, so she just ran.

🐾

     "Frostpaw! You're bleeding!"

     Frostpaw's belly hurt. She blinked awake. Summerpaw was standing beside her. She looked concerned.

     "Do you have a thorn in your nest?" Summerpaw asked.

     "I think so." Frostpaw lied. She got up, and padding out the apprentice den. She went to the fresh-kill pile and picked out a mouse to carry to the tree stump to eat. She saw her father watching the elders, Wintersoul and Cherrywind, carry Icefur to his burial place.

     "Frostpaw! Since you don't have a mentor, you can train with Dawnheart and Silverpaw." Oakstar said, noticing Frostpaw. Frostpaw sighed. She couldn't eat first?

     "First freshkill goes to the elders and kits. It's in the warrior code. Haven't you forgotten?" Silverpaw teased and giggled. Mintpaw, a three-moon older apprentice that was passing by, hissed warningly at Silverpaw. Silverpaw looked disappointed and padded after Dawnheart. Frostpaw placed her mouse back in the fresh-kill pile, looked longingly at it, and padded to Dawnheart.

     "We are going to take a tour of our territory." Dawnheart said, "Let's go."

     They padded outside. Frostpaw marveled at all the trees. They were so tall!

     "We are going to the Shadowclan border. Then we will tour the Riverclan border. Be wary of Riverclan. They are trying to take over Sunningrocks again. We had a battle over Sunningrocks when you weren't born yet." Dawnheart said.

     They walked until Frostpaw heard a rumbling sound. 

     "What is that?!" Silverpaw asked, startled.

     "The thunderpath. Be careful. The thunderpath marks the border between Thunderclan and Shadowclan." Dawnheart said as a long clearing opened up. In the middle, was a long path of hard, black rocks. Silverpaw tentatively placed a paw on the thunderpath. Dawnheart gasped and raced over to grab Silverpaw's scruff as a monster came racing over. Dust clouded everywhere, so she couldn't see a thing. A sickening crack echoed in Frostpaw's mind. Then, Frostpaw heard Dawnheart cry out in pain. Silverpaw raced out of the cloud of dust, grief and fear in her eyes.

     "What happened?" Frostpaw asked.

     "D-Dawnheart's back legs got crushed by a monster!" Silverpaw sobbed. 

     "Do you know the way back?" Frostpaw asked. Silverpaw nodded.

     "Get help. I'll take care of Dawnheart." Frostpaw decided. Silverpaw raced off in the direction of the camp. Frostpaw padded toward Dawnheart's body. It was still. When Frostpaw touched her body, Frostpaw felt warmth. Frostpaw's relief pushed away her grief. For now, all that matters is that Dawnheart's alive. Frostpaw grabbed Dawnheart's scruff and tried to drag her off the thunderpath, but failed. It took three tries, but she managed to drag Dawnheart off the thunderpath. Frostpaw couldn't do anything except keep Dawnheart warm with her fur.

     Soon, Frostpaw could smell Silverpaw with Peachflame and Irispebble, a warrior, running toward them. 

     "Silverpaw! Over here!" Frostpaw shrieked. Silverpaw appeared behind a bush with Peachflame and Irispebble on her tail. Peachflame immediately started sniffing Dawnheart's wounds.

     "Let's bring her back to camp. Irispebble, carry Dawnheart's scruff. Silverpaw, carry her tail. Frostpaw, lift her haunch." Peachflame instructed and picked up Dawnheart's back legs carefully, "She's unconscious." As Irispebble lifted Dawnheart's scruff, Frostpaw scrambled underneath Dawnheart. Silverpaw gripped her tail in her jaws and signaled to Irispebble that they were ready. They padded through the undergrowth toward camp. 

     When they arrived, several anxious faces appeared in the elder and warrior dens, mostly the cats that were close to Dawnheart. Dawnheart's mate, Blazetalon, took Frostpaw's place. Frostpaw sighed. When do I get proper training?  Frostpaw thought, I'll try to go hunt. Frostpaw padded outside and dropped into a hunter's crouch. Frostpaw scented mouse, so she checked her position, pinpointed it with sound, and stalked forward. When Frostpaw saw the mouse, it was nibbling a seed, unaware of a predator. When Frostpaw thought she was close enough, she leaped. The mouse shrieked and scrambled away. Right into Frostpaw's paws. She finished it off and instinct told her to bury it, so she did. Frostpaw thanked Starclan for the mouse and wandered further away from camp.

     Suddenly, an unknown scent hit her nose. Frostpaw decided to follow it, and what was at the end of the trail shocked her.