WarriorCats: Raised by foxes

Chapter Seventeen

A/N Well guys, it's here. For those of you who didn't give up, congratulations. There's some things that I want to get into before we begin. First off, the past. If this is the only thing you know of my account, you might not have realized it, but I did not log in from May 2018 to probably around December 2019. The reasons for this are complicated, but I explain it a little in the last chapter of my Random Book. You may then be asking, "that's three months since you came back, why did it take you so long to update?" Well, in that year and a half, I did not once attempt to work on this story. I thought that I was never coming back, so I wasn't motivated to. During that time, however, I became involved in many new fandoms and began writing more fanfiction that was more focused on humans. I used to write about cats and dragons all the time because I didn't know how to write about humans, but now I had the practice I needed to comfortably write about something besides animals. Now, the present. In the last year and a half, I have grown as a writer in so many ways. If you look at my chapter lengths now versus then, this chapter that I am posting is twice the length of any of the previous chapters. I look back on the previous parts of this story and I'm not proud of it like I used to be. I probably would've abandoned this story entirely if it weren't for all the comments of people saying how much they enjoyed it. The writing I share on this website isn't for me anyway, it's for the people who find enjoyment in it. That said, if you enjoy my writing and think that you would enjoy it even if it wasn't about cats, you can check my Random Book to learn where you can find more of it that better reflects my current skill level. Finally, the future. I will continue to update this story as long as people are interested in it. At some point, I would also like to revamp the earlier parts of this book. The pacing is really weird, guys. Like, half of the plot at this point is centered around this gathering/battle thing. Some of the early chapters are only 300 words. Anyway.

Sorry that was long, if you read it all, congratulations. 

Dazzle Heart had dragged herself into the bushes after fighting off her attackers. She was bleeding from several wounds, including a particularly nasty one etched deep into her shoulder. She licked it gently, wincing at the sting.

She no longer knew where any of the other members of her family were. She had lost track of them all once the battle had begun. She tried to get to her feet, to begin searching for them, but collapsed back onto the ground with a cry of pain.

"Hello?" a voice called from outside the bushes. They must have been alerted by Dazzle Heart's yelp. She couldn't see who they were through the thick leaves, but she didn't recognize the voice. It seemed slightly familiar, but she still couldn't place it.

"I'm in here," Dazzle Heart replied hoarsely.

A pointed snout poked into the bushes, followed by a pair of inquisitive yellow eyes. They examined Dazzle Heart's battered figure and drew back in horror. "By Renayr's whiskers, what happened to you?"

Now Dazzle Heart recognized him. It was Daring Spirit, one of the other initiates.

"There was a battle, in case you did not notice," Dazzle Heart replied dryly, not in the mood to be polite.

"You are really beat up," Daring Spirit continued.

"Yes, I am," Dazzle Heart snapped. "And if you are not going to be helpful, please leave me in peace." She went back to licking her shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry, I just haven't seen that much blood before. What do you need?"

Dazzle Heart could tell that he was flustered by the way the contractions had snuck back into his speech. She dropped her annoyed tone. "Have you seen my parents anywhere? Soft Heart and Russet Claw?