Warriors: Setting Sun: Returning Sky #2

Chapter 3

Nightpaw gasped as she saw her brother, Mudpaw, suddenly leap from the undergrowth. He landed on Spirepaw, his claws unsheathed, and the ShadowClan apprentice stumbled over with a pained yowl.

Mudpaw slashed at Spirepaw, blood spraying in the air. Nightpaw gasped, rushing forward. "Mudpaw! Stop!" She cried. What's wrong with him? Spirepaw wasn't even across our border!

Mudpaw kicked Spirepaw away, his claws striking the apprentice's ears. "Look how scared you look!" He mocked, slashing at Spirepaw's nose. Blood spattered on the ground, staining the snow.

"Stop!" Nightpaw cried, rushing forward. She leaped on Mudpaw, trying to pry him away from Spirepaw, but the tom knocked her away with a powerful swipe.

Nightpaw stumbled back across the ShadowClan border, her tail lashing. 

"Give me back that prey!" Mudpaw hissed. He leaped on Spirepaw, then started pummeling his belly, making blood and fur litter the snow. He leaned forward, snatching the mouse from Spirepaw's jaws, then leaped away. Mudpaw glared at Spirepaw, lashing his tail. "Run away!" He growled.

Spirepaw got up shakily, blood dripping down his face from a badly torn ear. One of his eyes was closed from blood leaking into it, and he was holding up a paw. Blood was dripping from his stomach and staining the snow red. "For you being Nightpaw's brother, I thought you'd be a lot nicer," he whined. His eyes locked with Nightpaw's eyes, and then he turned and ran, leaving behind a bloody trail in the snow.

"That'll teach you for stealing," Mudpaw spat, turning to Nightpaw. "What's wrong with you, giving ThunderClan prey to ShadowClan scum?" He hissed.

"What's wrong with you? He wasn't even stealing the prey, I was giving it to him!" Nightpaw argued.

"It's Leaf-Bare, we need prey more than ever. And then you go and give a piece of prey to ShadowClan. And besides," Mudpaw growled, looking at his claws. "He couldn't even land a scratch on me."

"He's only been an apprentice for a few days, and we've been apprentices for a moon and a half now!" Nightpaw growled. She could feel anger bubbling up inside her. "And why did you even fight him like that? With all those injuries, you could've killed him!" Nightpaw yowled. "You might have just caused a war."

"Yeah right," Mudpaw sighed. "Even if they started a war, they wouldn't win. ThunderClan has many cats, many more than ShadowClan," he pointed out. 

Nightpaw hung her head, her tail drooping. Please, Spirepaw, be ok. She saw that Mudpaw snatched up the mouse, his yellow eyes dark. His eyes were so much more different than when he was a kit. Her brother narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing speaking with a ShadowClan cat anyway?"

Nightpaw glanced at her brother. "I saw him by the border and he told me that sickness was in the Clan, and Ebonyfur was killed. I felt bad so I handed over my mouse, since they have two new litters of kits," she explained. But that's not entirely true. I wanted to meet with him.

"Why should we care about what happens in ShadowClan? They have their own warriors and apprentices to hunt for them, and their own medicine cats to take care of them," Mudpaw growled. "Don't let a stupid ShadowClan apprentice distract you." And with that, Mudpaw leaped into the undergrowth, disappearing.

Nightpaw hung her head. How dare he attack Spirepaw! She sat down, her paws trembling. Where is the old Mudpaw I used to know? Mudpaw was always eager to learn, and he was so kind, but now in these past few days, his ego has taken over.

Suddenly, there was rustling in the undergrowth, and Nightpaw could smell ShadowClan scent. Turning, she saw a patrol consisting of Dawnpelt, Stonewing, Flowerstem, and Hollowpaw. 

"How dare you attack my brother!" Hollowpaw yowled, leaping on Nightpaw. She could feel claws sinking into her skin.

"That wasn't me! I haven't done anything!" Nightpaw growled, not wanting to hurt the apprentice. She slithered out from under him.

"That's enough, Hollowpaw. It wasn't her, it was some cat called Mudpaw," Flowerstem hissed. She glanced at Nightpaw. "Isn't Mudpaw your brother?" She asked

"Y-yeah," Nightpaw stammered.

"For apprentices, you'd think they'd learn to control themselves," Stonewing grunted, flicking his tail. 

"Well then, apprentice, tell Squirrelstar that you won't get away with this!" Dawnpelt growled, unsheathing her claws.

"We should claw her up to show them that we aren't joking!" Hollowpaw growled, lashing his tail.

Nightpaw shrunk back, her ears flattening. I haven't done anything, so why am I getting shamed? She glared at the ShadowClan warriors. They think they own everything, arrogant furballs! 

"You need to learn how to control your brother, and your Clan also needs to learn that keeping important secrets is wrong," Flowerstem spat. 

"Spirepaw was injured so terribly that our three medicine cats think he won't make it!" Hollowpaw growled. Suddenly, he leaped on Nightpaw. "If my brother dies, it's your fault!" He hissed, slashing Nightpaw's cheek. Her blood painted the snow.

"Hollowpaw, I told you to stop!" Flowerstem growled. 

Nightpaw had no choice but to fight back. She kicked the black tom away, her claws unsheathed. "Mudpaw is to blame, not me, you frog-brain!" She yowled, slashing the tom's nose.

Hollowpaw growled, leaping forward. He lashed at Nightpaw's face, but she dodged and slipped to the side, her paws skidding in the snow. Nightpaw felt claws rake her chin. 

"She attacked me, help!" Hollowpaw hissed, his paws lashing towards Nightpaw.

Nightpaw backed away, her heart pounding as she saw Flowerstem lunge forward. Are they going to kill me? She turned and leaped up in a tree, her claws striking the weak bark. She scrambled towards a thin branch, feeling scared. 

"Look at her, trembling up there!" Hollowpaw laughed.

"That's enough!" A loud yowl sounded from the undergrowth, and Needlehawk, Blazeburn, and Foxleap padded from the undergrowth. 

"Is ShadowClan so eager to fight that they're bullying apprentices now?" Needlehawk hissed. "Get out of ThunderClan territory!" She hissed.

"And look, there's blood staining the snow, they hurt Nightpaw!" Foxleap growled. He lunged at Flowerstem, clawing at her muzzle. "Get back over your border!" He hissed.

Dawnpelt glared at the ThunderClan cats, her paws digging into the snow. "Tell Squirrelstar that ThunderClan is going to pay," she spat, turning and running away. The rest of her patrol followed her through the pines, but not without Hollowpaw glaring at the ThunderClan cats.

"What do they mean that we're going to pay?" Foxleap hissed, lashing his tail.

Nightpaw climbed down the tree, her paws shaking. "Mudpaw attacked Spirepaw earlier, injuring him badly. He attacked for no reason though, so I understand why they're mad."

"Why in the name of StarClan would Mudpaw attack him for no reason?" Needlehawk growled, lashing her tail. She padded up to Nightpaw, sniffing her wounds.

"I don't know, but Mudpaw is different than he used to be. He seemed eager to fight," Nightpaw mumbled, looking at her trembling paws.

"Well, I have noticed a slight change about him," Foxleap grumbled. "He argues with the elders now, and hates doing chores for them. I'm not sure what's gotten into him," he mumbled.

Nightpaw then remembered back to the day that Crowfrost told them that he was their father. Is that what's troubling him? The day after they had learned the secret, Mudpaw hadn't been acting like this, so it couldn't been that. I hope he knows that he can talk to me.

"Well, let's get back to camp and get your wounds treated," Needlehawk meowed, resting her tail on Nightpaw's shoulders. 

Nightpaw trudged through the snow, her scratches burning. The coldness only worsened the burning in her cheek. Mudpaw, whatever is going on, this isn't you.