Warrior Cats Book 1: A Dark Path- Dusk of the Clans

Chapter 11

Shadowpaw woke up the next day, and memory surged through her. Shadowpaw felt an icy chill tingle along her spine, it scared her that she didn't feel guilt. She knew she should feel guilt but she just... Didn't.

Shadowpaw shook her head to clear the thoughts from her troubled mind. Shadowpaw prodded Foxpaw and Mintpaw awake, Bumblepaw and Swanpaw already gone on the Dawn patrol.

Foxpaw shook his pelt with a yawn, and Mintpaw groomed her pelt. "So Shadowpaw, would you like to go hunting with me?" Foxpaw asked.

Shadowpaw nodded figuring that hunting with Foxpaw will take her mind off of things, "Sure."

The rust colored apprentice smiled and stood, "Well then let's go!" Shadowpaw smiled and leaped to her paws, padding after him as he led the way out of the den.

Shadowpaw caught a glimpse of Mintpaw glaring at her with narrowed eyes. She ignored the other she-cat and sped up to limp beside the other apprentice.

Crowclaw was in the clearing, ordering patrols and Foxpaw called, "I'm going to take Shadowpaw hunting!" The deputy flicked his ear to show he had heard.

The sun glinted through the trees warming Shadowpaw's pelt as they padded out of camp. "Hey Foxpaw want a race?" Shadowpaw asked, grinning mischievously.

Foxpaw smirked, "You sure?" Shadowpaw laughed, "You'll be eating my dust mouse-brain" Foxpaw laughed, "Lets see."

Shadowpaw crouched, "Here to the stream by the great birch?" She asked, and Foxpaw nodded, crouching. Shadowpaw tensed her muscles, focusing intently ahead, "Ready, set, go!" She yowled, her paws kicking up dust as she propelled herself forward.

Foxpaw rushed ahead, and Shadowpaw was hard on his heels. She lengthened her stride, feeling the wind in her fur as she streaked up beside the older apprentice.

Foxpaw swerved to try and knock her into a tree, but Shadowpaw saw what he was going to do, so she slowed down at the last moment.

Foxpaw yelped in surprise and bumped into the tree, "Oh you little!" He laughed and darted after the black she-cat.

Shadowpaw zig-zagged to block his path as he tried to pass her. Shadowpaw spotted the great birch and river ahead, but her twisted paw caught on a fern and she yowled as she tripped and tumbled into the clearing.

Shadowpaw lay still, closing her eyes and thinking, I'm gonna scare the fur off him! She heard Foxpaw skid to a stop with a meow of surprise.

She heard him hold his breath as he placed a paw on her flank carefully.

"Shadowpaw? Are you okay?" He gently shook her and Shadowpaw let her head fall back limply when he shook her.

Panic was hinted in Foxpaw's meow, "Shadowpaw?!" She opened her eyes barely so he couldn't tell, he sun glinted off his rusty pelt, and his golden eyes were wide with fright.

Shadowpaw heaved up suddenly, leaping into Foxpaw and pinning him with sheathed claws. "Pinned ya!"

The rust colored apprentice narrowed his eyes, "You little!" He leaped up and the two apprentices rolled around play fighting and laughing.

Shadowpaw rolled and pinned him to the ground, "Pinned ya again!" Foxpaw laughed and Shadowpaw let him stand. The black she-cat grinned mischievously, "I got you so good didn't I?" The older apprentice laughed, "I must admit that you most definitely did."

The black she-cat caught a strange scent, "Do you smell that?" The other apprentice stood, narrowing his eyes, "Yes, I've smelled it before, what did my mentor say it was called?" A deep growl sounded from the shadows and a large creature stepped into the clearing, snarling and baring its huge fangs.

Foxpaw darted between the creature and Shadowpaw with a snarl. The giant russet creature growled again, hard muscles rippling under its pelt.

"Shadowpaw stay behind me!" Foxpaw hissed, unsheathing his claws. Fear sounded in his yowl as he lunged for the fox, slashing the predators muzzle.

Shadowpaw snapped out of her daze and snarled, unsheathing her claws and leaping onto the foxes side, raking its sides.

"Shadowpaw stay back, I don't want you to get hurt!" Foxpaw yowled, clawing the predators ears. "I can take care of myself!" She spat, ducking to avoid the creatures jaws, hearing them snap by her ears.

Shadowpaw's mind worked quickly, and she took a deep breath, the world moving slower around her, but she could still move fast.

She saw a nick in the foxes shoulder from a previous fight, and hurled herself at its hard muscled shoulder, sinking her fangs into the nick.

The fox shrieked in pain and shook her off, she lost her focus when she hit the ground, things moving normally once again.

Shadowpaw shook her head and yowled when she saw the fox lunging for her. Suddenly Foxpaw was in the way, knocking her back.

Then fox sank its teeth into Foxpaw's neck and he shrieked in pain. The fox threw he apprentice to the side like he was a piece of prey.

"Foxpaw no!" Shadowpaw screeched in horror, fury blazed through her and she snarled fiercely, rocketing into the fox.

A red mist of fury covered her gaze and she slashed at its shoulder, hissing as its claws raked her side.

Shadowpaw darted in front of it and slashed her claws down its chest. The fox yelped and turned, running off.

Shadowpaw blinked the haze from her eyes, what did I just do... Then she remembered Foxpaw.

Shadowpaw darted over to the apprentice, relieved to see the unconscious tom breathing slightly. Shadowpaw pressed her paws to his neck to slow the bleeding, panic rising in her chest. "Help!" She yowled as loud as she could.

Shadowpaw's heart almost leaped out of her chest from relief when she heard cats thundering toward her. Swiftfoot appeared with Quailfeather and Crowclaw hard on her heels, the she-cat yowled in surprise and skidded to a stop beside Shadowpaw, looking at her apprentice with wide eyes. "Quailfeather, Swiftfoot get Foxpaw to the medicine den now, Shadowpaw what happened here?" Crowclaw meowed, his voice calming.

The two warriors carried off the rust colored apprentice, and Shadowpaw turned to Crowclaw, "There was a fox, it was going to kill me but Foxpaw knocked me out of the way..."

Crowclaw nodded slowly, "What happened to the fox?" Shadowpaw shifted her paws, "I chased it off after it did that to Foxpaw." The deputy looked surprised, "Even warriors have a hard time with that, let's get you to camp you had quite a scare."

Shadowpaw didn't disagree, the fox had scared her, and she was worried sick about her friend.

Crowclaw led the way back to camp, Shadowpaw lost in thought. They padded into camp, and Shadowpaw ducked into the medicine cat den.

Ivyleaf was crouched over Foxpaw, pressing cobwebs to his wound.

The medicine cat stayed focused and she meowed, "You can go ahead and lay down in an empty nest, I'll be there once I do all I can here."

Shadowpaw didn't argue as she settled down in the nest, her mind wandering to what happened. Why am I so different from everyone?

(I hope you guys liked this chapter! It seems pretty long to me, comment your thoughts and opinions! I'll write the next chapter when I can! <3 Jade)