Super Edition - Fernstar's Betrayal

Chapter 3

   A moon has passed since Fernpaw was named a warrior apprentice. Jaypaw had earned his warrior name, Jaysong. Ospreytail led his apprentice to the edge of the swamps, close to the forest. Fernpaw was only a mouse-tail behind him. Ruffles of small blades of grass could be heard nearby. The scent of a water vole was near. "Hear that?" Ospreytail spoke. "I want you to catch it."

Fernpaw was already in her hunting crouch. She listened for the vole's every move. It's scent was right in front of her. The black apprentice slowly creeped forward, then pounced on the vole, killing it with a swift bite to the neck. "Good job, Fernpaw." Ospreytail complimented his apprentice.

"This is a border patrol, not a hunting patrol," Sootflame called, flicking her tail back to the patrol.

"Every patrol should be a learning experience." The senior warrior retorted.
"I'll bury that vole for you." Stonepaw offered. The silver she-cat snatched the vole from her sister's jaw, then started prancing toward another patch of the ground.

"You're lucky you have someone to look after you," Marshpelt growled in Fernpaw's ear.
Ugh. Will I ever hear the end of this cat? Fernpaw huffed to herself. Soon enough, the patrol reached the wetlands. IcyClan's new deputy has been trying to take SwampClan's side of the wetlands for a few moons, and even succeeded once. Since the wetlands are right on the very border of the two clans. But they were quickly overthrown. Ospreytail then flicked his tail down and swept low, singling for the patrol to get down.

"I smell IcyClan." The senior warrior growled. Ospreytail then peered out of the shrubs and whiffed the air. "It's fresh. They must have been here recently." The glossy tom hissed.

"They weren't here recently, they're here right now." Fernpaw added, her fur bristling. "I smell them. They're surrounding the place." The patrol then slowly turned their heads behind them, only to hear a yowl from the distance.

"IcyClan! Attack!" The yowl came from Torrentfang, the IcyClan deputy. Suddenly, clusters of light-furred cats cane swarming in, claws all unsheathed.

"I'll go get help!" Galeface called, before disappearing. Fernpaw lunged at the first IcyClan cat she scented. The cat smelled like a young apprentice, maybe just seven moons old. Fernpaw scraped her claw down what seemed to be the IcyClan cat's chest. The tom yowled, then slipped under Fernpaw, raking her belly. The black apprentice then stomped on the tom, then pinned his shoulders down to the cold dirt below them. She then swooped near his eye, causing him to flinch. The tom slipped out from under her and scurried away.

Fernpaw suddenly felt herself being pinned. Another cat, who seemed to be an older warrior, scraped his claws down her back. The blind apprentice screeched for help. Then, she felt the weight of the warrior being knocked off her shoulders.

"Your welcome," Marshpelt spoke. "Without me, you would have been crow-food." The warrior snickered, before going back to battle.

"Retreat!" Ospreytail howled into the air. The fighting stopped, as the SwampClan warriors scrambled back to camp.

"We lost?" Fernpaw questioned. Ospreytail gave a slight chuckle.

"Who said we lost?" The senior warrior purred, as a larger patrol of SwampClan warriors charged at the wetlands. "We just faked losing. They'll never expect the second wave." 

Fernpaw lit up, as she and the rest of the patrol charged back at the wetlands. She threw herself at an IcyClan warrior and started nipping at her neck, as Stonepaw and Ripplefang bit down at her paws. The senior warrior yowled in surprise, then turned around to try to swipe at Ripplefang but failed. The senior IcyClan warrior shook the SwampClan warriors off and retreated.