Warriors: A Dawn Rising

Chapter Fifteen

             "I thought you were done with Tigerheart?" Dawnflight gasped, shocked. Sunfrost was bristling in alarm at having a ThornClan cat over the border.

            "You don't understand, Dawnflight! You've never been in love before, you can't just stop loving someone." Leafshine meowed in her defense, standing to her paws to face Dawnflight. "I've had so much pain with Flamekit's death lately, you're never around anymore."

           "He's ThornClan! Will you stop being mouse-brained? Our Clans are rivals, you-you can't love a ThornClan cat. His father killed our mother." Dawnflight spat, fury was going out of control in her emotions. Claws digging deep into the wet ground, tail lashing.

           "Medicine cats don't have boundaries, Dawnflight. You seem to keep forgetting that, our code is different than yours. You haven't even been a mother to the kits, it seems more like Amber picking up your slack." The tabby she-cat snapped, Tigerheart pressed his dark brown spotted fur against hers.

           "I have my warrior duties to fulfill, I can't waste time looking after kits that aren't even mine! It's ridiculous, I don't want to pretend to be mates with some tom I don't even like. Not when I could be doing more important things." Dawnflight hissed, Leafshine was silent. Pain was glazed over her green eyes, her muscles were tense.

           "Do the kits even know who their real parents are?" Sunfrost asked in the middle of the silence, all three cats looked at him, not one of them spoke. "I think we should all head back to our nests." He turned and stalked off, Leafshine followed and Tigerheart brushed past Dawnflight and headed towards the ThornClan border. Head back to my nest? Please! She snorted in her head, slipping through the undergrowth to meet Crowfang in the hollow.

           Seedpaw, Cinderfoot, Ashpaw, Webclaw, Claywing, and Ratflight were already gathered. Dawnflight slid into the clearing, taking her place besides Cinderfoot, gazing up at Crowfang's sleek black body. "Listen," he began as soon as Dawnflight sat. "we have two more cats joining us." Suddenly Hawkpaw and Snowpaw slid out of the bushes behind him. Hawkpaw's muscular, well-built dark brown tabby was better against Snowpaw's lean, white frame. Dawnflight curled her tail. Does Cedarheart and Icemask know their apprentices are sneaking out every night to train? "Webclaw, Claywing, Dawnflight, you three have yet to receive an apprentice. I am aware that Dawnflight has her own apprentice among ThornClan, Hawkpaw shall train with Claywing and Snowpaw shall train with Webclaw. I expect to see great improvement, I will be back before dawn." Crowfang suddenly vanished into the shadows.

          "What are you doing here?" Dawnflight asked the two FernClan apprentices. Snowpaw shrunk back in fear while Hawkpaw raised his head defiantly.

          "We want to become better warriors. Crowfang promised us that this would make us be respected." Hawkpaw answered, pushing past the she-cat. She felt dazed, as if the world was spinning just beyond her control.

          "Hello Dawnflight." She turned to see Cinderfoot's mischievous grin. "Long time no see, eh?"

         "Looking for a fight?" She snarled, fur bristling. The gray tom chuckled, unsheathing his claws. Dawnflight flexed her own in turned, she watched as Seedpaw and Ashpaw were watching with interest. Cinderfoot launched himself at Dawnflight, pinning her down. His claws were pressed hard against her shoulders, barely giving room for her to move her forepaws. She shifted her weight into her hind legs and pushed off so that her body was pressing harder against Cinderfoot, one claw on his flank and the other gripping his head tightly. Her tail lashed as she sunk her teeth into his shoulder, he kicked her stomach and she leaped back just in time. "You're weak." She spat.