Overshadowed

An Eye for a Life

Chapter 3

Graypaw shook out her wet fur, grunting. Frostheart had set her on gruesome training for the past two moons. The river was flowing lazily, but it didn't seem so when she went in for a dip. She settled on the pebbly shore, letting the sun warm her fur. Moonpaw still had received continuous attention, charming everyone with her voice and looks. She opened one eye partly, stiffening as she saw Firestorm's patrol in the distance, consisting of Moonpaw, Robinstar, Rowanflame, and Ambergaze. Thanking her sharp eyesight, she leapt to her paws and hurried to the edge of the river. She glanced back, raising her paw a bit. Thrusting her paw down, she deftly hooked out a fish, quickly ending its life on the shore. She felt the fur on her shoulders bristle as the patrol pass behind her.

Robinstar stopped and twitched an ear at her, "Hello, Graypaw. What are you doing?"

She replied gruffly, "Fishing." She trained her eyes on the water, watching for the sight of a fish. Silver scales flashed in the sunlight, quickly, she hooked out a trout, noticing the faint red line on the side of its body.

Robinstar meowed, "Meet me and Frostheart at the entrance of the camp; we're going to hold your first assessment. You might as well join the patrol while you're at it." Graypaw jumped to her paws, picking up the fresh-kill.

Robinstar raised her tail to stop, "This isn't a hunting patrol, we may share these two fish." Graypaw dropped the trout, taking a small bite from it. Ambergaze and Firestorm shared the trout with her; they took bite while she nervously nibbled at it, not wanting them to think she was greedy. Nervous about patrolling with clanmates that didn't like her, she only ate about two mouthfuls before backing away from the trout. Once they finished, they set out toward the MarshClan border. She watched Moonpaw grimace as she walked through the thick mud, getting her silver fur dirty. She thanked her own odd paws, which were wide and broad with webbing in-between the toes, so she could walk and run on mud easily. She sniffed at the ground, looking for any intruding scent.

Her ears pricked up as Robinstar yowled. She looked behind her, realizing that she was straying from the patrol. Horror swamped over her as she noticed them being attacked, and sunken deep in the mud. Yowling ferociously, she leapt onto the back of a young warrior. He yowled, jumping off from where he was clawing Robinstar's back. Stretching her front legs, she pulled out his legs, causing him to collapse and face-plant into the mud. She winced, seeing that the patrol was being beaten back. She yowled, "Stop!"

The MarshClan cats froze, and a she-cat screamed in fear. Graypaw growled, "Leave or he's dead." The she-cat sprang at her, yowling. But, with her strong paws, Graypaw batted down the small she-cat, who became winded. Knocking out the cat she had pinned, she stalked over to the she-cat and growled in her ear, "Leave." The she-cat nodded in fear, grabbing the tom and dragging him over the border, and the rest of their patrol followed.

Ambergaze, who was lying sideways-half-sunken in mud, hissed, "A cowardly way of ending a battle."

Graypaw growled, "I wasn't about to let them chase you off. Robinstar might be losing a life right now if I didn't do that!" Ambergaze curled her lip, struggling to her paws. The rest of the patrol rose, following Robinstar back to the camp.

~ROBINSTARS P.O.V OOOH~

Robinstar shook her head, spinning with exhaustion. She had overheard Graypaw, would she really have died if Graypaw didn't get that tom under her claws? She glanced back at the patrol, bloodied and battered, except for the apprentices. She looked at Moonpaw, her own apprentice. Her silver fur was unmarked by claws, her paws were coated in mud, but that was all, her eyes glazed with fear. She glanced at Graypaw, the scarred apprentice was unscathed, her paws covered in blood and amber eyes dark with anger. She couldn't help but shudder at the memory of their birth.