A Clan's Tragedy #1

Chapter 15 (COMPLETED)

   Chapter 15

"Icepaw! Icepaw!" The clan cheered for the newly made apprentice. She beamed proudly from the Tall Oak. Pebblepelt cheered the loudest from the crowd, yowling her daughters name. Frostail had been appointed as her mentor. They both jumped down from the tree.

   The other five kits scrambled over to their former denmate.

   "Wow! You're already a warrior!" Wolfkit mewed.

   "No, apprentice." corrected Icepaw. "And I will visit you!"

   "Icepaw!" called Frostail from across the clearing. "We are going to scout the territory now!"

   "Coming!" Icepaw called back and raced over to her mentor. They chatted for a heartbeat and then walked out of the camp.

   "Huh...." Hunterkit slumped. "There she goes off to have adventures while we're stuck in camp!"

  "Yeah, it's not fair!" agreed Cherrykit.

   Hazelfur heard her kits grumbling. "Hey, do you want to play 'find me that?'" The kits sqealed and raced over to their mother.

   "Okay. You each have to find me a ladybug, a fern leaf, a fly, and a warrior!" she told them. "And the first one back gets to those your fresh-kill! Go, go ,go!" Hazelfur waved them away and they bolted off, trying to find the items.

   Frogsplash padded over to Hazelfur with a mouse in her jaws. He dropped it by her feet.

   "Here, since you must be hungry." he mewed. "So you're the only cat in the nursery now- except your kits."

   Hazelfur nodded. "Yes. It will get lonely fast." She bent down and took a bite of mouse in her jaws.

   Frogsplash bent down with her so their eye level met. "Then you will be happy to hear that Cloudfur is expecting kits." He looked at her with happiness in his purplish gaze.

   Hazelfur swallowed and mewed, "That's great news! So you're the father?" He nodded. Feathersong's father had died in a fight with Cloudclan. He had been Cloudfur's mate, but he must've moved on. His name was Jumpingfish.

   "When did you find out?" she asked. Hazelfur ate the rest of her mouse as he told her.

   "A half-moon ago. But we weren't sure so we didn't tell anybody."

   "Oh." she looked at her kits. "When they grow up, I'm going back to being a warrior."

   "I missed you being a medicine cat. You were great." Frogsplash got up and walked over to his mate. Echokit was the first to arrive with her stuff in her jaws with Crystaleyes following her with a look of amusement.

   "I got all of the things!" She dropped the items at her mother's feet. "I win!"

   As she mewed that, a loud rumbling came louder and louder. Hazelfur instinctivly grasped her kit's scruff and carried her to the nursery. Three other of her kits came screeching over to her- barely audible over the rumbling. Horsekit was frozen looking at the entrance in horror. Hazelfur raced over to him and dragged him to her den. He recovered and started running to his mother.

   "Stay in here!" she ordered and shoved her kits deep in her nest. " I'll be back." Hazelfur cautiously glanced out of the den. Suddenly a large crowd of cats tore down the entrance and trampled it down. These cats were rogues and loners. She stood at the face of the den, hissing and clawing at any cat who tries to get in. The warriors quickly recovered and ran screeching at the attackers. Most of Rippleclans warriors were gone on partol. This thought made Hazelfur shiver.

   A dark gray and black tom leaped at her and knocked her backwards. He climbed over her and looked at the den for signes of kits. He spotted Wolfkit peek his head out and the tom sprang. Hazelfur crashed into his side before he could land on them. The impact took his breath away. Seeing this chance, Hazelfur rolled him onto his back and bit hard on his throat. The tom screeched in pain and ran out of the den, bleeding badly from his neck wound. Hazelfur quickly returned to her post. No cat tried to get in but a few scraped her cheek and face while they whizzed by. Hazelfur managed to trip a white she-cat and she landed on her face. Hazelfur took her up in her jaws and threw her back into the fighting cats.

   "Hazelfur." Frostail had appeared by her side. "Anyone get in?" As he asked that, he got a hard blow on top of a she-cat's head. She raced away.

   "Only one tom." she told him. "He ran fearing for his life. He got a glimpse at the kits so they might know they're in here." At once they both leaped on a tabby tom who staggered by. Hazelfur held him down while Frostail ripped his back to shreds.

   "Stop!" the pinned tom begged. "STOP!" They let him go and he looked at them with fear and raced back out of the camp.

   Suddenly a new wave of cats crashed through the entrance. They jumped on the rogues who were busy dealing with the other clan cats. Cloudclan had came to help them! A dozen of Cloudclan warriors helped Rippleclan battle the attackers. Behind them was a hunting partol, prey abandoned      in the fight. The rouges started to smooth into groups and the clan cats surrounded them. They began to see that they were beaten, and some raced out of the camp. 

   When a large black tom nodded his head at the cats, they barged through the clan cats and they raced out of clan territory. The two clans were left battered. Feathersong ran from cat to cat, treating the worst injuries. She eyed Hazelfur.

   "Can you help?" she asked the retired medicine cat. "I need you." Hazelfur was surprised at this but nodded and ran into the medicine cat den. She grasped some healing herbs and ran back out. She treated a black tom from Cloudclan. He had a nasty scratched thoat. Hazelfur gently put on some marigold and gave him poppy seeds.

   "Gorsestar." greeted Rabbitstar. He dipped his head. "Thank you for the help. We are in your dept."

   "Don't thank us." snapped Gorsestar. "We just came by to ask for herbs and we heard your clan was in trouble. We have to have three clans- not two."

   Rabbitstar considered this, and then mewed, "Why so many cats to ask for herbs?" At this a wave of embarrassment flooded though him.

   "No reason." Gorsestar turned and called out. "Cloudclan, it is time to head home!" Cloudclan got up and walked in a neat group out of the camp. Gorsestar was behind them.

   "Greeneye, Thornpelt- go after them. But stay hidden." Rabbitstar ordered. "I think origanally they planned to attack us, so I want to keep an eye on them." They nodded and raced after them quietly.

   Hazelfur returned back to her kits. Cloudfur was calming them down. When they saw their mother, they scrambled out of the nest and surrounded her.

   "Did we win?" asked Hunterkit.

   "We could've fought!" mewed Echokit.

   "Yes we won. Are you hurt?" Hazelfur bent down and licked Horsekit's ears.

   Suddenly a cat's screech hit the air. Hazelfur pushed her kits back and walked outside. Treewish was crouched beside a furry white pelt. As Hazelfur crept closer, she saw that it was a cat.

   "Frostail's dead!" screeched Treewish. The trees and ferns around Hazelfur swayed and the ground came rushing up to meet her.