Lavenderpaw's Destiny

Chapter 5

Turtlefoot woke to a raindrop dripping onto her nose. She shook it off quickly and sat up, looking around the warrior's den. It was still dark outside, and the rest of the warriors were all fast asleep. Turtlefoot had just begun to lay back down when she noticed that her mate wasn't in his nest. I don't remember him being on guard duty tonight. Worried, Turtlefoot got to her feet and stuck her head out of the den entrance. It was almost pitch black, but she could just barely make out her mate's ginger pelt shining in the moonlight. He was sitting in the middle of the clearing, staring up at the full moon. Turtlefoot slowly padded towards him, concerned. 

"Rowanroot? Are you okay?" She mewed quietly. 

He sighed, turning to face her. "Do you ever want kits?" 

This again. Turtlefoot thought with a huff. "I just became a warrior. I don't want to think about kits right now".

"That wasn't the question. Do you ever want kits?" 

Deep down, Turtlefoot knew she didn't. She didn't want to have that kind of responsibility and she didn't want to give up warrior life, even if it was only temporary. Reluctantly, she shook her head. "No. No I don't". 

Rowanroot took a step back, as if she'd clawed him. "And you waited until now to tell me? You've always known that I want kits. How could you not tell me that you don't?" 

"Because I love you! I couldn't stand the thought of not being with you and I knew that not wanting kits would be a dealbreaker!" 

"You're right," Rowanroot hissed. "It is a dealbreaker". 

He turned around angrily and stalked away, heading back into the warriors den. Turtlefoot stared after him in shock, trembling with grief. Not knowing what to do, she raced through the log entrance, heading into the forest. The guard on duty, Graystream, called after her. 

"Turtlefoot, where are you going? You can't go into the forest at night alone! What about the fox?" 

Ignoring him, Turtlefoot pushed on. She ran until her lungs were burning and her paws hurt. She thought about stopping, but she didn't want to be overwhelmed with the image of Rowanroot leaving her. Suddenly she felt her paw catch on something and a searing pain ran up her hind leg. Turtlefoot crashed to the ground, her heart lurching as she did. Did I break my leg? She wondered in horror. 

Slowly, she turned her head to inspect her hind leg. Turtlefoot thanked Starclan when she saw that it wasn't twisted or deformed; she must've just wrenched something. Gently, the she-cat tested her weight on the leg. Pain shot through her leg once again and she yowled, falling back to the ground. 

Beginning to panic, Turtlefoot tried to think of a way to get back to camp. She thought she might be able to limp back, and tried to haul herself onto her other three paws. Before she could, she heard a rustle in the bushes near her, and a pungent scent hit her nose. She gasped quietly, recognizing the scent. Fox.

Ready to fight, Turtlefoot hauled herself onto her three good paws. She spotted the fox's nose poke through the bushes, and its beady eyes followed. Soon the fox was standing in front of her, snarling. Turtlefoot growled, trying to sound as fierce as possible. The fox circled her and lashed its claws out, slashing through Turtlefoot's flank. She screeched in pain, stumbling sideways. 

Regaining her balance, Turtlefoot ran her claws down the fox's muzzle, drawing blood. The fox recoiled in pain, then crouched low to the ground. Turtlefoot backed up slowly, realizing it was going to pounce. She knew she couldn't run, so she stood her ground, preparing for the attack. 

The fox leapt through the air, bowling her over. She shrieked and writhed beneath its weight, pummeling its stomach with her good hind leg. The fox dug its teeth into her shoulder and Turtlefoot yowled. She began to feel weak, the pain of her injuries getting to her. The fox stared at her menacingly, then lunged towards her throat, gnashing its razor sharp teeth at her. Turtlefoot closed her eyes, waiting for the fox to rip her throat out.