Warriors: A Dawn Rising

Chapter Five

           Grass swished underneath Dawnpaw, her ears were pricked forward, paws light. There was a small, white mouse just a few tail-lengths ahead of her. She padded forward slowly, testing the breeze. Downwind, perfect.

               Suddenly, a twig snapped, confusedly, Dawnpaw glanced at her paws. She was standing on solid ground. Had she imagined it? Looking up, the mouse was gone. "FernClan won't find us! Calm down, Lightpaw." A voice hissed, rage burned in Dawnpaw's mind. ThornClan trespassing into our territory?! Their voices sounded near, and the wretched scent was carried towards her. She lept onto the closest tree, climbing up and settling on the lowest branch. Claws digging into the bark, she observed down below.

           A small patrol of three cats were stalking through the bushes, their skinny bodies sliding easily through the forest. Dawnpaw felt a low growl rise up in her throat, if these cats thought they were safe, they had another thing coming. "FernClan is dumber than they look." The biggest cat, a tortoiseshell she-cat, meowed.

            "Are we going to find their camp?" A young, pale gray she-cat asked excitedly. Dawnpaw knew this to be Lightpaw, the energetic she-cat apprentice she had met at Gatherings.

            "At this rate, we won't find it until moonhigh." The tortoiseshell she-cat meowed, Dawnpaw bunched her haunches, leaping off the branch with her claws unsheathed as she landed on Lightpaw. Pinning the she-cat down, her claws were on her throat.

            "Well, look what we have here." Dawnpaw spat, Lightpaw was frozen underneath the apprentice's claws. "I'm going to give you a warning, leave now and nobody is harmed." She threatened, glancing at Lightpaw.

            The two ThornClan warriors were stuck in surprise, fur bristling. "Dawnpaw," a voice meowed, Robinstar slid through the bushes with Spiderclaw, Foxheart, and Leopardpaw not far behind. "let Lightpaw go. As for you, Spottedwing, I suggest you leave." He growled, Dawnpaw leaped off the apprentice, joining the patrol. The tortoiseshell she-cat motioned for her patrol to follow her as they left. "Spiderclaw, Foxheart, make sure they leave the territory." Robinstar meowed as the two warriors took off after the ThornClan cats.

         Robinstar led the apprentices back to camp, but Dawnpaw suddenly halted at the horrid stench. She turned to see the sleek body of a red-furred fox leap out of the bushes at her. Yowling, she rolled out of the way, stumbling to her paws. "Fox!" She shouted, running after the patrol, the fox at her heels.

         "Dawnpaw! Help!" Leopardpaw yowled, Robinstar had run ahead as the apprentice stopped. She turned, seeing the fox pinning the black apprentice down, snarling. "Please!" She pleaded. I can't let a Clanmate die, even if she is a no-good bully! She thought, as the fox bent down to bite her neck, Dawnpaw threw herself at it. The force slammed both of them back into the thorns, her claws tore blindly at fur, hissing.

          The fox kicked her back, slashing her muzzle open. She yowled, backing away. The fox turned, it's yellow eyes angry. She lashed out with her paws, trying to drive it away but it only drove her back towards the camp. Maybe it'll give up if I go into camp! She thought, turning and fleeing through the bushes. As she got into camp, she realized with horror that the fox had followed her, the kits rolling near it's paws. "No!" She yowled, leaping in the way as the fox made an attack.

         It's claws tore through her flesh, opening a fresh wound on her ear. She hissed in pain, ready to attack but several warriors were already drawing the fox back into the forest.

             "Dawnpaw!" Leafpaw's desperate mew sounded in the clearing, she rushed over, inspecting her sister. Blood was running down the side of her face, her ear torn badly. Leafpaw was placing cobwebs on her sister's ear. "Any other injuries?"