Warriors; MoonClan: Fire [ 1 ]

Chapter Eighteen

Raven wailed as he limped into the WindClan camp, his face matted with blood. Firefrost screeched in horror and Lizardpaw popped out of the apprentices' den, Maplepaw at his side. Warriors' eyes stretched in shock and horror as their trusted friend let out a screech of pain and collasped, tears filling his only eye. "It hurts! It hurts!" he screamed. Firefrost was instantly at his side.

Featherdust was soon at his side with bundles of herbs in his jaws. The herbs were plastered inside of his eyelid and they were cobwebbed shut.

"Why? Stay! Stay a little longer! Please!" Pleads erupted from the camp. Raven had announced he had to leave, and the sooner the better. Featherdust picked out a leaf and a rabbit. "To line your nest in ShadowClan." Raven nodded and took the leaf and rabbit. Lizardpaw bounced up to him. "Don't go!" he begged. Raven shook his head solemnly. "I must go."

Maplepaw ran up and skidded to a stop beside Lizardpaw. "DON'T LEAVE!" she screeched sadly. "I'm very sorry," he meowed loudly. "But ShadowClan is waiting for me, no matter a response." He nodded to Grass-star, who blinked and returned the nod. "Goodbye, Raven!" Firefrost's eyes were filled with sadness. She padded up to him. "Please don't leave," she pleaded. "I must." Raven sadly mewed.

"Then I am coming with you," she responded defiantly.

"Don't, WindClan needs you," Raven objected. 

"Then I feel bad for WindClan."

"What do you mean?" How could she address her Clan like that?

"I'm leaving if you stay in ShadowClan. I want you to get there safely."

"Fine."

Firefrost announced to WindClan that she would be a protector for Raven. Fury bubbled inside of him. He didn't need a protector. Murmurs raged through the camp. "Let's go," Raven half meowed, half hissed, through clenched teeth. Firefrost nodded and padded out. Scents flooded Raven's nose. His mouth watered as he scented squirrel. ThunderClan has good prey, he noted. He walked on, and by the time he reached the trees his paws itched to catch something. Firefrost stared at the trees. "You lived here?" she spat. "Good hunting," Raven informed her.

Firefrost winced as she crunched a leaf. "I can't do this," she murmured, loud enough for Raven to hear. "Pine needles are better," he reassured her. Raven scented the air as Moonpaw's scent flooded his jaws. "Get down!" Raven ordered Firefrost, and plunged into a bush. Moonpaw and some other cat, an apprentice, he presumed, padded by. Moonpaw sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, he must have walked through here," Moonpaw hissed and walked on with the apprentice.

He head the apprentice's squeal. "Who's he?" he meowed. "Someone you don't want to meet, now move! We have to get back!" He has true mentoring skills. Raven poked his head out and glanced around. "Let's go!" he muttered and emerged from the bush with Firefrost beside him. "How do you manage with all of these scents?" she asked. "You'll get used to it."

Firefrost padded ahead. Where's she going? Raven ran to catch up to her. He stopped in a bushed beside Firefrost.

Four cats' pelts were easy to make out through the leaves. Yew-wing, Moonpaw, Weaselpaw, and Grayfoot. "...be a warrior after your next assessment, if you pass...." Yew-wing mewed. "It's now or never," Raven muttered to Firefrost. Moonpaw jerked his head over to Raven's direction and he padded out of the bush.

"Hello, Moonpaw," Raven mewed. Moonpaw's fur bristled. "I see your eye has healed," he hissed. Weaselpaw raised his haunches. "Oh no, just passing through," Raven mewed. "We will be out of your fur in no time." "We?" Yew-wing cocked his head to one side. Firefrost slunk out of the bush.

She flicked her tail and surveyed the cats. "Grayfoot," she mewed, dipping her head to the ThunderClan deputy. Grayfoot's eyes flickered from Raven to Firefrost. "Hey!" he meowed suddenly. "I remember you! From that one battle! Over the prey? Yeah, that's right!" Firefrost nodded. 

"I remember that battle," Raven mewed. He was a young apprentice then. He had learned barely any battle moves so far, and only reported to ShadowClan once, so he had been denied a spot in the battle patrol. WindClan had out numbered them, but ThunderClan fought with force and speed, and miraculously won. "We'll go now," he added. "Yew-wing, Weaselpaw, escort them to the border," Grayfoot ordered. Raven felt Moonpaw's eyes on his pelt before they disappeared through bushes.  "Why are you here?" Yew-wing meowed suddenly. "I was a spy," Raven answered.

"Why are you returning, after that whole thing we heard about?" Yew-wing pressed. "They need me," Raven responded. "Will you retake your warrior name?" "Perhaps," Raven mewed. The pines lumbered in front of them. "This is it, thank you!" Raven meowed. Yew-wing and Weaselpaw exchanged glances, but Firefrost and Raven crossed before they could question them any longer. A patrol was coming from camp, formed of Hickorysping, and black tom, and a small apprentice. Hickoryspring's eyes widened and she threw herself at Raven and started licking him down.

"You're so dirty!" she mewed. "Oh," Raven responded. "I come back, and I all get is 'You're all dirty?' Yes, I missed you too." Hickoryspring was a ginger she-cat with a tinted brown to her pelt. "Come! You've missed too much!" She got up and glanced at Firefrost. "Who's she?" Hickoryspring hissed. "Firefrost, who decided to come with me from WindClan." Firefrost nodded, "I presume she's your mother?" Raven mewed his yes. "Come, come!" Hickoryspring demanded.