Blazefrost and his loyal littermates Sparrowflight, and mute medicine cat Twigwhisker lead a happy life in ThunderClan, as the sons & daughter of the Clan deputy, Thorntail, and Ivyfall. But when mysterious things begin floating around the camp, rum...
"Hey, Blazefrost! Why'd you stop?" Sparrowflight turned to see her brother sniffing at a birch tree some four fox-lengths behind them. "You find anything . . . suspicious?" It was the duo's first day out of Thunderclan camp as warriors, on a border patrol with Dawnshine and Willowlight, and it seemed that they had found their first scent of danger-one that would hand them a big pawful of reputation- and not the good kind.
"Well, you furball, while you were running like a speedy WindClan warrior, you overlooked this half eaten rabbit," Blazefrost snarled, for some reason extremely angered by the thought. "How could you not see this?!"
Normally, the two were tight as pine sap on tansy- and with just enough space for their medicine cat brother, Twigpaw, to squeeze in (he was still a 'paw because medicine cat apprenticeship took a longer time than warrior training). Unlike other siblings, they never squabbled, which made their parents, Ivyfall and deputy Thorntail, extra proud of the three. But now, Sparrowflight batted Blazefrost's orange tipped tail with a lithe, acorn-brown paw- not exactly light and playful, though.
"Mousebrain! You're an insolent brat- breaking ThunderClan's warrior code and. . .and. . . eating this squirrel," here the she-cat's sleek, close-cropped fur bristled and she took a deep breath, "...eating it without offering it to our Clan first. Wait 'til Dad hears about THIS!!!"
"Um, cover up much? I DIDN'T do this!" Blazefrost yowled, clearly startled by his littermates unusual outburst.
"Then. . . who did?!" marveled the she-cat, cats from every clan that she'd met so far running through her head. "No other cat has been around here lately, with all the controversy with ShadowClan . . . I do smell Foxstrike, though!!!"
"You know, have you ever thought that it might be because I'm directly behind you?" drawled a voice floating behind her head. Sparrowflight turned around and let out a brief mewl of shock, before she covered up and stood tall and defiant in front of the fiery, red pelted tom. For some reason, he was always following the two around, ever since they had first become apprentices. It could be because his father was unknown, possibly a rogue, or even kittypet, and theirs was one of the most respected toms in the Clan. But Foxstrike still always had the risk of being half-clan- not exactly a good spot.
"Yeah, you two are in BIG trouble now! Your first day, and the kits of the clan deputy himself selfishly broke the 'all important' warrior code," Foxstrike carried on.
"Wait, you've got it all wrong! We were just . . ."
"Oh, forget it. Nobody will ever figure out that . . ." Foxstrike trailed off, realizing he'd said the wrong thing, just as Willowshine burst through the bushy ferns into the small clearing under the birch trees in which they were talking.
"Oh, Ivyfall! Just the cat I was looking for! Your beloved little kits here, who you worked so hard to teach right and wrong to, have broken our code already! You see this squirrel here?" He nudged the long, bushy tail, ripped apart by some fearsome animals' sharp teeth. "This has been torn and swallowed by these two. . how terrible!!"
"I-I. . ." muttered Ivyfall, clearly befuddled. "I don't know what to think!"
"I think these lowly traitors should speak to Hazelstar, becasue they clearly deserve some sort of punishment!" Foxstrike murmured into Ivyfall's silver-furred ear.
"But-but. . ." the two innocent cats protested, then fell silent, yet wore faces filled with mutinous looks as Ivyfall, their own mother turned to them and nodded her tiny, sleek head- she was turning against her own kits, and agreeing with that mange-pelt!
"Foxstrike, I know you're only a young warrior, but your courage to step up for what's right is amazing. You'd make a good deputy- or even leader - someday! Now, you two," she swiveled her head back around to stare at them coldly, "Follow me. You need to explain yourselves. For real".
The warriors, feeling like young kits in the nursery again, flinched, swallowed, and followed her slowly receding footsteps, leading towards the camp as she spoke to smirking Foxstrike in hushed whispers. "That pile of mouse-dung is really out to get us. I don't know why, but something's got into his little head of his- and I don't think he has the wits to shake it out!" Blazefrost mumbled into Sparrowflight's ear fur, scared to look up, for fear of seeing the power hungry gaze in Foxstrike's malicious eyes staring at the innocent pair.
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