Warrior Cats: Into the Unknown.(1/3)

Chapter 5

Fernpaw sprang off the ground, but her paws landed on nothing but the soft forest floor. She hissed in frustration as the mouse shot under a nearby hazel thicket. "You're too distracted, Fernpaw. Do you want to tell me what's on your mind?" Icefeather asked, coming up behind her. Fernpaw swung her head around and bared her teeth. "No!" She snapped. Icefeather's eyes widened while Frogpaw, Swiftpaw, Stormcloud stared at her with astonished eyes, but Ambermoon had an angry but a worried look on her face. "Sorry, but no thanks. I'm fine." Fernpaw muttered and shook her fur. They were hunting around the Sky Oak. Three days had passed since Ambermoon told Fernpaw why she was so mean to her. But Fernpaw's dreams had been dark, but fortunately, she hadn't been yowling out in her sleep and waking everyone up.

"The mouse was basically between your paws." Frogpaw mewed. He'd been mewing about it all the way back to camp. Fernpaw felt the fury rising up inside her. "Even a kit could have caught it." Frogpaw added, lifting his chin high. Fernpaw closed her eyes as she tried to stop herself from leaping on the dark brown tom. "Come on, Fernpaw. You've been an apprentice for more than a quarter moon! Cloudtail says he caught a shrew when he was 3 moons old. Maybe you'll never become a warrior because you can't catch prey for your own clan!" Frogpaw mewed, pressing his body up to hers just to flare up her anger. That's where he crossed the line. Fernpaw let out a screech before spinning around and raking her claws over his nose. Frogpet let out a yowl of surprise, anger and pain. He snarled at her before leaping onto her. Fernpaw let out a grunt as he slammed into her flank, sending her flying into a holly bush. She scrambled to her paws and strode out. She heard and scented Stormcloud racing toward them along with Icefeather. Fernpaw took her chance and sprang of the ground and twisted in the air and landed squarely on his shoulders. If she'd be bigger, Frogpaw would've collapsed. Frogpaw reared up onto his hindlegs before falling backwards. Fernpaw gave out a shriek of pain as the apprentice crushed her beneath him. Frogpaw sprang to his paws and pinned her down. A blur of grey and brown flashed before her vision as Stormcloud barreled into him and threw him off his daughter. Frogpaw let out a yowl as he thrashed under Stormcloud's heavy weight. Fernpaw scrambled to her paws and was about to leap toward them, but Swiftpaw sprang out of the undergrowth and blocked her from going to her father. Icefeather and Ambermoon burst from the undergrowth. Icefeather sank her teeth into Stormcloud's scruff and hauled him off the dark brown tom while Ambermoon planted her paws on Frogpaw's haunches and shoulders. Stormcloud wriggled away from Icefeather's grip and scrambled to his paws, his flanks heaving with a few clumps of fur hanging from his body. "What's going on here?" Icefeather snapped, her eyes blazing with fury. Fernpaw shrank back behind Swiftpaw's shoulder. "It's alright." He murmured, touching her shoulder with the tip of his tail. "He just attacked me!" Frogpaw yowled as he thrashed furiously around under Ambermoon's firm grip. Fernpaw could see that her claws were sheathed. Icefeather swung her head around to face Stormcloud. "Is that true?" She snarled. Stormcloud crouched and bared his teeth at her. "I would never have attacked him if he hadn't attacked my daughter." He growled, his ears flat to the back of his head. Icefeather snapped her head up to stare at Frogpaw. "Did you attack Fernpaw?" She asked in astonishment. "No, of course not! She was attacking me!" Frogpaw yowled furiously. Fernpaw sprang forward. "Because you told me that I could never be a warrior!" She raised her voice in a furious yowl. She dropped into an unsteady attack crouch, preparing to spring. But before she could, Swiftpaw sank his claws into her haunches and dragged her backward. She let out a yowl of agony and twisted around to bat at him. Swiftpaw easily dodged her clumsy blows, and planted a paw on her chest. Icefeather's nostrils flared. "I don't know what to do with the three of you, that will be Bramblestar's problem." She mewed, her voice tight with fury. "Come on." She snapped before flicking her tail and stalking into the undergrowth. Swiftpaw stepped off Fernpaw and she scrambled to her paws, wincing at the wounds on her hindquarters. "Sorry." He mumbled as she twisted to look at her scratches. Tiny drops of blood trickled out of them. "Thanks." She muttered with a cold sarcasm in her voice. She waited until Ambermoon had stepped off Frogpaw, and the apprentice sprang to his paws. He snarled at Ambermoon, but she curled her lips and revealed her sharp teeth. Fernpaw felt a surge of satisfaction inside her when she saw a flicker of fear in the apprentice's eyes. He whipped around and bounded after Icefeather, with Ambermoon and Swiftpaw hard on his paws. She snapped her head around when she felt warm breath on her ear, and fur brushing hers. Her eyes met her father's, and she could only see warmth in them. She buried her face in his neck fur. "I'm sorry." She murmured, closing her eyes. Fernpaw felt his tongue rasping over her ear, and she felt herself relax. "Nothing to feel sorry about." Stormcloud purred, drawing himself away from her. "You know I would do anything to protect you and your siblings." He mewed. Fernpaw felt a surge of love for her father. She touched her nose to his. "Thank you." She purred. Stormcloud turned to the forest and flicked his tail. "Come on, let's get back to camp." Fernpaw bounded after him and together they walked back to camp.