River Of Blood (The Forest In The Sky (book 1))

Chapter 32

Brackenpaw's pov

As the cat pushed Brackenpaw off, she looked to Hamsternose who was flicking her tail vigorously as she looked over at Grasspaw who was underneath the claws of a ginger tabby tom. The tabby tom had dug his claws into Grasspaw's side. Brackenpaw lashed an unsheathed paw at her opponent, hitting them square in the eyes. She ran over to Grasspaw. Hissing, she sprung onto the tabby. He yowled furiously and twisted around in hopes of shooing her off, but she dug her - tinted-red - claws into his shoulder fur. He screeched and went spastic as she kept digging them further in.

"Get. Off. Me!" He screeched. Grasspaw latched onto his forepaw and knocked it out of the way so he lost balance and tumbled onto his flank. Brackenpaw jumped off him and tore her claws into his stomach, making blood pool uncontrollably.

"TIGERKESTREL NO!" A night black cat's voice rang out through the forest. Brackenpaw stopped dead. Her claws were still inside his stomach and blood kept pooling out. The night black she cat charged at Brackenpaw. She squeaked and dragged her claws out of his belly and then sprung off him.

"Yarrownight stop!" Another identical ginger tabby she cat yowled out. Yarrownight kept charging at Brackenpaw. Brackenpaw felt her heart drop as she jumped. But she didn't make it as a large furry creature sprang over Brackenpaw's head and grabbed Yarrownight in it's jaws. Blinded by the fur that sprayed off of it, her eyes watered. She blinked the water out of them and when her eyes dried she found herself face to face with a fox. But it was a familiar fox. It was indeed the fox that they had fought when they came back from The Aurora Pond. She didn't bare move a muscle as the fox ripped Yarrownight to shreds. Night-black fur was spraying up everywhere, and the fox stopped and looked around. Grasspaw- who was still laying on the ground and covered with tiny scratches - was staring wide eyed at the fox.

A snarl came from the fox, sending the other intruders to flee. They left Tigerkestrel behind. Tigerkestrel was deeply breathing as he tried to breath and stop himself from dying.

Why is AuroraClan sending us bad luck? Brackenpaw thought annoyedly.

"Yo-you are seeing this now aren't y-you." Weedpaw was mewing, his uneven.

"No, it was the fox we fought and killed Dawnblaze!" Brackenpaw said, her eyes widening but inside her heart was twisted.

"Yeah, hadn't realised...." Sparrowpaw mewed sarcastically.

"It's okay." A deep rumble shook the earth and the fox loomed over them. Brackenpaw's heart stopped. Looking up, she saw the massive red coloured fox. "Hello, they don't know this but i can talk." The fox looked at the others who were gathered in a small group.

"Who are you!" Sparrowpaw shouted to the fox. "And why are you....speaking...." Sparrowpaw dropped his head to look at his paws, slightly embarrassed.

"You can hear the fox speak!" Unitedpaw yowled.

"Yes and i can too!" Brackenpaw lifted her tail a little.

"Hello, i'm a fox." The fox said, making Sparrowpaw burst out in laughter.

"We already know." His gaze returned and his laughter turned into seriousness - but funny seriousness -.

"Who are you and what do you want...."

"Me? I'm asking you." The black eyed fox returned Sparrowpaw's gaze.

"Oh umm, i'm uh Sparrowpaw," he looked slightly confused as he said his name.

"I'm Brackenpaw, we were just out hunting—"

"I'm guessing they need to know our names." Spat Grasspaw annoyedly. "i'm Grasspaw if you wanted to know." Grasspaw kicked up dust with his paw and it blew away in the wind.

"Hi......fox, i'm Hamsternose, this is Shadowstep, Unitedpaw, Grasspaw and Weedpaw." Hamsternose introduced everyone.

"Such weird names....." the fox said and looked up to the stars.

"What did they say?" Shadowstep asked.

"Said we had weird names." Sparrowpaw looked offended.

"Excuse me?!" Unitedpaw growled. "I do not." Unitedpaw sweeped his tail against the ground angrily.

"Especially yours.....Unitedpaw, i've known other cats with better names like Halfmoon or Jayfeather or Loftcloud or Hazelnut or Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, uh Fallensnow, how else, oh yes of course Free—"

"You know Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jayfeather and Fallensnow! Freedomstar!" Brackenpaw suddenly cried a little louder than normal. She then stopped talking immediately.

"Of course, i know all the cats that roam the forest, i know your leaders and deputies, medicine cats, Jackdawbright i know Lilacmist and Jaypaw or hmm, Sunsetshine, i know all of MysteryClan." The fox responded, and sweeped their large tail over the ground.

"What are they saying?"

"The fox knows all our clanmates...."

"How!" Sparrowpaw yowled over the rising wind.

"Oh how? i don't know, i've been around a while, ya know?" The fox's deep voice shook the earth.

"We should go now." Weedpaw called to Brackenpaw. "We have a clan to feed."

"Oh right." The fox growled in a friendly tone.
"I'll see you guys later, maybe."

"Wait, but what's your name!?" Sparrowpaw asked.

"My name? Well, i don't know, well if i was here since the start of SilenceClan," SilenceClan? Okay..... "and was here from FreeClan too and also the start of MysteryClan, maybe you'd say i was called Earth Rising?" He rumbled.

"Oh, what a weird name." Sparrowpaw said sarcastically, repeating what the fox had said before. The fox growled. Sparrowpaw flinched slightly.

"Goodbye Earth Rising." Brackenpaw mewed and hopped back to let the big - tom-fox - turn around. About to leave, his head turned. "I know you and i think your names are weird because in FireflightClan and FallenClan they have normal names like Olivestar and Starlingpaw and other names like Dirtmuzzle, anyways, I'll go, goodbye." Leaving his bad stench behind he leaped through the bush and disappeared.

"Weird......."

"Hurry up let's hunt, no time for thinking about fox's and stuff feather-brains, c'mon!" Weedpaw bounded through the trees but slowed down - probably realising the wounds -. Brackenpaw padded after them, her flank heaving with exhaustion.

Earth Rising i will keep you in mind.