A new kind of love

Chapter 2

Even more relief washed over the yellow she-cat. She could recognize that semi monotone voice anywhere. Maddie tried to dart after it, but Ashpaw stood his ground, blocking her way. She could even hear a low growl leave his throat as he stared her down.
“Show yourself!” The blue-gray warrior demanded angrily, narrowing his green eyes in the direction of where said voice came from.
“Not until you let her go!” They replied, filled with fury.
“And what happens if we don’t?” Ashpaw taunted, lashing his tail defensively while he unsheathed his claws.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” The she-cat mumbled under her breath. Ashpaw whipped his head around and glared at Maddie, and she felt her pelt prickle with discomfort. “You think am scared of a couple of kittyp-”
A blur of blue hit Ashpaw like an explosion, and he was thrown sideways into a clump of nettles. Twisting and yowling, he tried to throw off the attacker that had fastened itself to his back. It was gripping him with incredibly sharp claws, and they wouldn’t let go. Thrashing fiercely, Ashpaw managed to wriggle free. Without looking back, he sprinted towards Sunpaw, but tripped while doing so. Riverpelt lunged at the attacker, knocking them onto the ground. With his forepaws, he gripped their shoulders tightly. He struggled to keep the creature pinned as they thrashed around, trying to shake him off while baring their teeth in frustration.
Maddie turned over to see Sunpaw running over to the grey tabby’s side, helping him up. Ashpaw arched his back, trying to hold in a yowl of pain as Sunpaw started to lick his scratches.
“Just let me deal with her!” He grunted, curling his lips back into a snarl, looking coldly at Maddilyn.

"Deal with me?!" Frightened by his hostility, she took multiple steps back and skittishly ran towards Riverpelt. How in the world would they get out of this one?
“Ple-please let her go! Sh-she really meant no harm!” The yellow she-cat stammered pleadingly, standing beside him, looking down at her pinned friend. Ivy shot Maddie a concerned look, and her friend could tell she was searching her pelt for any kind of wounds these wild cats could have given her, but she was fine. Just a bit shaken up… Before Ivy could even mew anything back at her, Maddie returned her gaze with a silent plea for her to hold her tongue. While tentative, she twitched her ears briefly in understanding and looked back at Riverpelt.
“Do you know this intruder…?” The tom questioned, now focusing his attention on the yellow kittypet. She flinched as he turned his gaze on her. His piercing green eyes made her feel even more vulnerable. Maddie then shifted her trembling paws nervously before giving a response. “Iv- Ivy is my friend! Again, she meant no harm! She just went to go hunt something…”
“Ah. Well then… I uh, guess neither one of you realized that you were both trespassing, and stealing our prey.” He figured.
"We were trespassing and stealing your prey?" Maddie meowed, her eyes wide. Did all this land belong to just three cats? She thought. What even gave them the right to own it?
“Wait a sec…” Ivy hissed. After pondering for a few heartbeats, realization struck her harder than Riverpelt had. “Your one of those forests cats!” The she-cat hissed to the tom under her breath. He only replied with a solemn nod.
She scoffed at this. “You all must think your so tough and brave, believing you can chase any cat out of your precious territory instead of just letting them off with a warning!” Ivy paused to spit angrily, wanting to continue. But Riverpelt prevented her. He chuckled quietly before giving a response to her words.
“The life of a warrior is not only that of chasing intruders away, nor striking fear into the hearts of others.” The blue-gray warrior assured her coolly. Ivy rolled her eyes at his words, while Maddie seemed very interested in them. From what she had been told, these so-called “wild and ferocious” cats had lived in the forest for many moons. They were portrayed as ruthless savages by the cats who had told her tales about them. She was so desperate to leave her old home that she, and perhaps Ivy to had forgotten about their very existence here in the woods. But either way, they really didn’t look like they were bad cats. They were, just a bit on the strange side. To Maddie at least.
“Perhaps you’ll see that once we take you both to our camp.” He added in with an amusing purr.

“You're taking us to a camp? Do you all live there?” Maddie muttered curiously over to Riverpelt.
“Yep! Every clan has a camp. The rest of our clanmates live there too." It was Sunpaw who answered this time, and Maddie turned to meet her blue gaze. How many wild cats are in this forest then? She shook the thought out of her head and instead replied with; “Oh. I didn’t know…”
“Of course you wouldn’t!” Ashpaw snorted, staring the she-cat down once more, the tip of his tail flicked from side to side. “Kittypets don't have to ever worry about surviving out here, or knowing basic clan information". Your twolegs do everything for-”
“That’s enough Ashpaw.” His mentor meowed, finally getting the brash apprentice to stay silent. The tabby just lashed his tail around. Despite being annoyed, he respectfully replied back with a "fine" to Riverpelt, much to the pleasure of both she-cats.
Afterward, he finally let Ivy go. She quickly heaved to her paws and then leaped over to Maddie, and the two happily touched noses with great affection for a while. Yet the idea of them both having to go into the camp of these wild cats worried her. She just went along with it, and luckily, so did Ivy.
Riverpelt led the way back. He kinda forced Ivy to stay by his side so he could keep a close watch over her, which left Maddie to walk besides Sunpaw and Ashpaw. She could sense the tom glaring coldy at her, but she simply remained quiet, with her head hung low as they all walked through the lush birch forest.
What did we do to deserve this much trouble…? I mean, it doesn't look that bad, but I don't know what these cats could do to us if things don't go so well inside their camp...