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

Chapter 26

Fernpaw bounded up the slope, always a few steps ahead of Jayfeather. "Wait for me!" He grumbled. Fernpaw stopped at the top and gazed up at the sky. Heavy clouds lay thickly together, with a yellowish tinge. The gray tabby medicine cat had asked her to help him gathering herbs before leaf-bare would settle on the forest. "What are we collecting?" She asked him, dashing to a clump of dock. "Chervil." He mewed, sniffing the air. Fernpaw flexed her claws. "What does it do?" She asked. Jayfeather sighed. "The juice is good for infected wounds, and the roots are good for belly ache." He murmured before giving a satisfying purr as he stopped in front of a tangy smelling plant. Fernpaw wrinkled her nose. "Help me dig up the roots." He mewed as he began clawing at the earth. Fernpaw bounded towards him before plunging her paws into the soft mud. Together, the two cats scooped up mud with their claws until their claws touched the hard roots of the plant. "There we go." Jayfeather murmured as he chewed through one of them. Fernpaw chewed through another one, and after a short while, they had gathered a good pile. "That should be enough to last out leaf-bare." Fernpaw mewed, licking between her claws to dislodge the mud and shaking it out of her paws. She placed her paw back on the earth, and let out a squeal of surprise when a large, cold, white flake landed on her nose. "What is it?" She asked, looking up at the sky. Jayfeather sniffed the air. "Snow." He murmured before grabbing a few roots in his jaws. Fernpaw stared up. More snowflakes than she could count were falling down from the sky. She fought the urge to leap into the air and bat and them down. Instead, she leaned down and picked up the chervil roots before following the blind medicine cat. As they padded back home, Jayfeather was was quieter than usual. Fernpaw could barely smell anything apart from the roots she held between her jaws. Then, someone came crashing through the undergrowth. Fernpaw dropped the burdock root, and a horrifyingly familiar scent crashed into our nose. "Jayfeather, run!" She yowled, but it was too late. Three hauntingly familiar shapes burst out of the bushes. Fernpaw dropped into an attack crouch as she faced the trinity. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Renegade told us we would find you again, and she was right." Twinkle snarled. Jayfeather let out a hiss and Fernpaw spat furiously. "Renegade is a fool if she thinks I'll fight for her." Pixie out a yowl before lunging at her, teeth bared. Fernpaw reared up before she could crash into her and spun around. Sparkles sprinted toward her, but Fernpaw leaped into the air, twisted and landed squarely on her shoulders. She let out a hiss of pain as Twinkle dug her claws into her haunches before hauling her off. To her relief, she saw Jayfeather shooting away into the undergrowth. She flipped onto her back and lashed out with her hind legs with an explosive kick that caught Twinkle under the chin and sent her reeling back. But before Fernpaw could get back to her paws, Sparkles had planted her paws on her chest. Fernpaw chewed through her thick fur until she met Sparkles's soft belly. She bit through it, and felt blood flush into her mouth. The white she-cat let out a yowl, but before she could escape, Fernpaw kicked up with her hind legs, curving her belly. Sparkles lost her balance and fell onto her side. Fernpaw gritted her teeth and twisted around and freed her tail from Pixie's grip. She let out a yowl when Twinkle dug her claws into her shoulder and dragged her onto her side. "Help!" Fernpaw screeched. She wailed in pain when Pixie slashed open her cheek. "Sparkles, go to Renegade and tell her we got Fernpaw." Twinkle ordered her sister, and the blue-eyed she-cat pelted away. Fernpaw writhed on the ground in an attempt to escape. Twinkle stepped in front of her face, and Fernpaw took her chance and clamped her jaws shut around her leg. The white she-cat let out a yowl of pain and reared backwards, but Fernpaw held her firmly and twisted her head, unbalancing the great cat. She let out a shriek as Pixie raked her claws down her flank, and she felt blood gush out of her wound. Fernpaw's eyes widened in relief when she heard a distant battle cry. Pixie had heard it too and sprang off her and nudged her sister to her paws. But before they could run away, Nightpaw, Berrynose, Pigeonwing, Icefeather and Badgerpaw burst out of the bushes. The two remaining sister let out yowls of shock and fear as they disappeared under a sea of pelts. "You!" Pixie let out a furious screech as she batted Badgerpaw away and kicked at Pigeonwing with her strong hind legs before striding over to Nightpaw. "Traitor!" She yowled before lunging at the massive black tom. He reared up onto his paws before stepping aside as she flashed past him. He quickly wrapped his paws around her body before she could escape and flipped her onto her back. Badgerpaw bolted up to them and skidded to halt at her side. He dug his claws into her cheek before chewing through her ear. Pixie let out a yowl of pain. Icefeather, Berrynose and Pigeonwing were already chasing Twinkle away. "Let her go." Fernpaw croaked, stumbling to her paws. Nightpaw let out a growl of frustration before stepping off her, and the white she-cat shot away into the undergrowth, wailing. Jayfeather stepped out into the open and looked at Fernpaw before murmuring. "And the war against the rogues begins."