It couldn't catch him. It couldn't.
Fox's paws pounded on the deserted Thunderpath. The panting was so close behind him.
Moon, Lily, he thought desperately. Now!
Right on cue, two kits burst out of the bushes and started taunting the dog, and it paused, considering on who to pounce. . .
"On the dawn patrol will be Fernpelt, Buzzardwing, Badgerface and Foxpaw," called out Heatherpelt, snapping Foxpaw out of his sleep.
What a nightmare.
"Foxpaw, we're on the dawn patrol, so get up," said Badgerface.
"Okay," yawned Foxpaw, stretching and blinking in the sun.
Foxpaw picked a smallish rabbit from the fresh-kill pile and padded over to his mentor. He stifled a yawn as he walked. The nightmare really didn't help him sleep.
"Sleepy? mewed Heatherpelt when he couldn't help yawning. "Do you want me to get someone else to do the patrol?"
"No," he mewed hurriedly. He had to show he was tough enough to at least do a dawn patrol. He didn't exactly need to fight the dawn patrol. Well . . . if it was from another Clan. But he wouldn't fight his own patrol!
Foxpaw needed to show how strong he was. Ever since he learned he wasn't Clanborn, he felt like he needed to prove something.
Blearily, Foxpaw followed the patrol around the boundary. He was glad he wasn't a tunneler. It must be freezing down there.
Twice, he nearly fell asleep on his paws. So it was no surprise he missed the RiverClan border. Since the border was a gorge, that was not a good idea.
Thankfully, at this point, the river was only a foot from the surface and relatively slow moving. But considering he couldn't swim, that wasn't a huge help. Foxpaw just managed to catch on to a gorse bush overhanging the water and pull himself out, shivering. He was awake now, that was for sure.
"Watch where you're going," reprimanded Grassfeather.
Foxpaw flicked his tail. "I know," he said, anger kindled. Grassfeather only became a warrior a moon ago, and he was acting like he was SO much older than him.
Grassfeather's ears pressed back against his head at the tone, but he retained a smooth voice. "Wouldn't want RiverClan to think we're stealing."
"Oh, you wouldn't, would you?" came a voice across the gorge.
Foxpaw and the rest of the patrol whipped around to see a RiverClan patrol staring at them.
"Is that a confession, by any chance?" the voice continued musingly. "Are you stealing fish from us?"
Foxpaw recognized Pikepelt, the relatively new, arrogant RiverClan warrior. To his surprise, he noticed he had an apprentice. He seemed to remember her from the Gathering. What was her name? Right- Mistypaw. That might have something to do with his arrogance.
Badgerface flicked his tail and called back: "No! Who'd want to eat those slimy, scale-covered things, anyway?"
"RiverClan, evidently," muttered Grassfeather, earning an amused purr from Goldenheart beside him.
Foxpaw was not sure that insulting RiverClan's diet was the wisest move. He had a feeling that Pikepelt's accusation had something to do with actual prey stealing.
"Oh yeah? So why are there paw-prints on OUR territory smelling of WindClan?" The challenge came from Waterpelt, her pelt bristling. Her apprentice looked up as if to add something, but decided against it. Foxpaw looked at her curiously. She seemed familiar. Had he met her at a Gathering? She was studying him curiously as well.
"It wasn't us!" insisted Badgerface. "We don't even know how to fish!"
"Then who did?"
"Not us!"
"Someone did!"
"Maybe it was a rogue that walked through our scent markers!"
"So you're admitting you welcome rogues in your territory?"
"No! But it's a possibility!"
"It was you! I know it!"
Foxpaw was slowly backing away from his yowling mentor and Grassfeather. They each looked ready to launch themselves over the border and attack.
Suddenly, Waterpelt's apprentice shushed the other RiverClan cats. "It could be a misunderstanding. There is no reason to attack until we are sure."
Foxpaw stared at her in awe. He never would have dared to silence his Clanmates like that.
"I could barely even smell WindClan in those prints, anyway. The rogue possibility is the most likely," she continued.
Slowly, her Clanmates calmed down. Badgerface and Grassfeather still looked relatively hostile, but their hostility faded, replaced by awe at the apprentice. Grassfeather was openly gaping at her. When he realized that, he quickly snapped his mouth shut.
The RiverClan patrol slowly walked away, continuing down the border. WindClan continued in the opposite direction.
"Come on," called Badgerface to Grassfeather, who was still staring at the RiverClan patrol.
Grassfeather's head snapped back to Badgerface and he nodded. Obviously, the silver apprentice was still on his mind.
Foxpaw was thinking about her too. She seemed really familiar, but not just saw-her-at-a-Gathering familiar. So what was it about her? Who was she?
