Warriors of FoxClan

Ch. 8

Icepaw breathed a sigh of releaf. Creampaw warned him that Redstar may not accept him into the clan. Icepaw nodded and showed them a way out if the camp by the apprentices' den.
"I've been planning my escape for days," he said. Fawnpaw wondered what made Icepaw who seemed to a loyal cat, want to run away from his own leader. After the foursome were outside the camp, Icepaw shot off into the night, taking a rabbit trail around camp. "There are tons of flowers and toadstool around this trail, it'll help hide our sent." Icepaw panted. Shadowpaw sneeze when he ran by some daisies. They made it to the shore when an angers yowl broke out from the distant camp.
"Quick! We have to use the stones!" Icepaw mewed. Fawnpaw and the others followed him to some large stones that crossed that water. "Be careful, these are really slippery."
Shadowpaw stepped on the first one and nearly fell into the swift river. Icepaw took quick, small careful steps. The OakClan apprentices followed his example. They could hear Hawkstar's angry yowls behind them in the forest.
They were halfway across when the first StormClan warrior leapt out of the ferns.
The StormClan warrior sounded the alarm. Growling it started for the stones.
"Quick! We have to hurry before Hawkstar gets here!" Icepaw wailed. Throwing caution to the wind, the foursome raced across the stones. Fawnpaw sighed a breath if relief, the apprentices had crossed safely. But they weren't out of danger yet, Hawkstar's followers were still chasing them. The warrior who had spotted them was now joined with at least half the Clan with Hawkstar. Fawnpaw finally got to see the cruel leader herself.
He was a shaggy brown tabby with ink black stripes. Most of his right ear was missing, and he had many scars along his flank. He had ice blue eyes and a black nose, he even had a splash of white on his chest. The spot was in the rough shape of a hawk mid-swoop. The fierce leader gave a battle cry that sent a chill up her fur, making her bush her tail out twice it's size.
The apprentice finally made it to the woods. They didn't stop running until they reached the OakClan border. Frostfoot, Redstar, Amberclaw, and a young warrior named Leafshine were at the border. "Come on! Let's get you back to camp." Frostfoot growled. Fawnpaw was not looking forward to the lecture that would follow.
"Wait, who are you?" Redstar snarled at Icepaw. Icepaw coward before the great OakClan leader. "He's with us. Hawkstar is a cruel leader. He nearly killed a cat because it brought him a vole instead of a rabbit." Shadowpaw chimed in, stepping in front of Icepaw. Redstar kept his furious eyes on Icepaw.
"He's still a StormClan cat!" Redstar spat.
"Yes, but think of the StormClan secrets I can tell you." Icepaw stepped forward around Shadowpaw. Fawnpaw held her breath, Redstar looked like he was about to shred Icepaw. After some time, Redstar muttered something then allowed Icepaw to follow them.
Fawnpaw followed Redstar and the others back to camp. She ducked her head under some hanging brambles and herd Icepaw hiss under his breath as his white pelt snagged on a branch. She slowed down and waited for him to catch up with the group. Fawnpaw noticed a burr hanging on to his tail.
"Was is really that bad in StormClan, so bad that you had to escape?" Fawnpaw asked quietly. Icepaw looked at her, golden eyes glazed with fear.
"He tormented me because of my fur. He said that a white cat couldn't hunt, that prey would see me before I saw them. He told her that I was useless, then he..." Icepaw shut his eyes tight, shoulders shaking with terror. Fawnpaw didn't ask him to finish the story she flicked her tail reassuringly. "Redstar wouldn't do that, he protects all his cats. White fur or no white fur," she meowed. By then that had made it to the camp. Redstar entered first, followed by the others. When Fawnpaw stood in the clearing, Redstar had already called a meeting.
"When we rescued Shadowpaw, Fawnpaw, and Creampaw from the claws of StormClan, we also picked up a prisoner." Redstar yowled with a pointed look at Icepaw. The white cat shuffled his paws when all the cats turned their gaze towards him. "Icepaw, the StormClan apprentice, will remain prisoner until he proves his loyalty to us. When he is to be welcomed fully into the clan, his mentor will be Snowymoss. The meeting is over, I will speak with my senior warriors now." Redstar finished the meeting and leapt from the Great Stump to speak with his warriors.
Icepaw hung his head. "Well, at least he won't kill me," Icepaw muttered. Fawnpaw looked at him with pity, then walked over to the apprentices den. She was exhausted.
Fawnpaw opened her eyes and found herself in a strange black-and-white version of camp. She could see her breath appear in the chill of leaf-bare. Sitting up, she fluffed out her short pale yellow coat. Then the shadow cat came.
"Come, train with me Fawnpaw. You will learn much more than old Frostfoot could ever teach you," the shadow cat purred with a voice as sweet as kittypet milk, but Fawnpaw could detect a tone of darkness. She only glared at the shadow, it's glowing white eyes were as blank as ever. It took a small step closer, sliding out its thin claws. "Don't be foolish young Fawnpaw, come, train with me or watch your beloved Clan perish!" the shadow cat hissed, the venom in its voice as deadly as an adder's bite.
"What if I don't want to train with you, after all your only a dream." Fawnpaw spoke boldly, but she remembered the tiny nick in her ear from her last dream with the strange shadow. She twitched the ear involuntarily.
As if the move gave a signal, a circle of white hot light surrounded Fawnpaw. She gave a yowl of alarm. As quickly as it came, the fierce light died away leaving a star covered cat in its place.
The cat shone with the light of stars on a clear night. It was massive compared to a badger. The star cat stood between Fawnpaw and the threatening shadow. Growling, the shadow cat raised the fur on its neck.
"Leave this apprentice. You have no right to trespass on a honorable cat's dreams." the star cat snarled. It lashed its tail and more starry warriors appeared around Fawnpaw. The shadow cat spat one last threat and disappeared. Then the other StarClan warriors faded away as well, but one.
"Fawnpaw, this is a message for you and you only," the StarClan cat turned to speak with her, "a battle between new and old is coming. Watch out for the one with red fur." Then the cat started to fade.
"Wait! How can I stop this battle? Who had red fur?" Fawnpaw yowled her questions at the spot where the noble StarClan warrior stood. Fawnpaw sat in the clearing to think when something sharp poked her flank.
"Fawnpaw! Wake up!" a familiar voice hissed, poking her with a black paw. Fawnpaw yawned and batted Shadowpaw way.
"Fawnpaw, hurry up! There are StormClan warriors headed this way!" Shadowpaw hissed. Fawnpaw jumped to her paws. Sure enought, the reek of StormClan was in the chilly air. Fawnpaw looked at Shadowpaw with wide eyes.
"Does Redstar know? Do you think they're here to take Icepaw back?" Fawnpaw anxiously meowed. She flatted her ears as she heard the enemy warriors' paws trample through the undergrowth.
"Yes, the whole clan knows they're coming. But we don't know why. Redstar ordered all the weakest cats shelter in the nursery just in case a fight broke out." Shadowpaw replied calmly, but Fawnpaw could tell he was just a worried by the way his tail was bristling. Fawnpaw followed Shadowpaw out into the clearing and stood between Frostfoot and Antfang.
"Remeber," Redstar ordered, "there is to be no fighting unless they attack first." The ginger leader gave a pointed look to a few of his warriors, then turned to face the camp entrance.
The brambles trembled to reveal the StormClan leader, Hawkstar. His shaggy coat was even more matted with burrs and thorns. As he stalked into the camp, his warriors streamed out behind him. They looked just as ragged as their leader, they must not be as accustomed to thick undergrowth as OakClan. Hawkstar stood a fox length from Redstar, the StormClan deputy a tail length behind. Fawnpaw noticed they had a poor battle formation, while her clanmates were in a line a couple rabbit hops in front of the nursery. "I believe you have one of my apprentices. He has disobeyed me and needs to be punished." Hawkstar growled. Several of his warriors hissed their agreement. Redstar glared cooly at the other cat. He swished his long tail and all his warriors hissed at the same time. Fawnpaw grinned when she saw some of the StormClan warriors flinch.
"I did no shuch thing, in fact your apprentice came begging to me." Redstar spoke cooly. Hawkstar glared at the red leader for what seemed like lifetimes, then he growled a command. Whirling around, Hawkstar stomped out of camp with his followers. Fawnpaw let the fur lie flat on her neck. Amberclaw ordered four cats to track the StormClan warriors back to the border.
Fawnpaw sat in the clearing to wait for the others to return. She was just starting to wash her paw when Frostfoot called her over. Standing, the pale yellow she-cat padded over to her mentor.
"Fawnpaw I need you can Shadowpaw to show Icepaw around the territory. And try to stay within clan boundaries this time." Frostfoot commanded. Fawnpaw ducked her head then left her mentor to get her friends. "Hey, have you seen Icepaw?" Fawnpaw asked. Shadowpaw shook his black head.
"No, why?"
"Frostfoot told me to tell you that we need to show Icepaw around the territory." Fawnpaw replied while glancing around the camp for the fluffy white apprentice. Shadowpaw stood up and flicked his tail.
"He's over there," the black cat tilted his ears. "Icepaw!" Fawnpaw called. The fluffy white cat jumped then quickly ran over to meet them. Fawnpaw quickly explained what was happening. Icepaw nodded his head blankly.
The trio started towards the twoleg path by Rock Field, where Fawnpaw fought a badger. Fawnpaw could see the flat stones through the trees and undergrowth. Shadowpaw was telling Icepaw about how she had tackled the badger. She slapped her tail across his moth to prevent Shadowpaw from telling about her fall into the claws of the badger.
They passed the rocks and moved onto the Tall Willow, a massive willow tree by the river which also served as a border. Icepaw froze. Then he kept into the bush ahead of them. The leaves rustled a bit, then parted as Icepaw returned with a fat mouse.
"Good catch!" Fawnpaw purred. The cat continued to show Icepaw the territory until sundown. By then they had each caught enough prey for the whole clan. Their clanmates welcomed them with cheers and purrs, Frostfoot was particularly pleased with Fawnpaw's squirrel.