Aspenpaw raised her head from her paws and glanced around. Shadowpaw was in her nest again. During a cold spell over leaf-bare, she had awoken to see him shivering, his thin pelt no match for the icy winds that blew into the dens. She had simply shifted to one side and fluffed out her fur and waited for him to climb in beside her. Ever since, he had spent every night curled close to her. New-leaf had arrived but still he curled into her nest each night. She didn't mind that much. In truth, she had gotten used to it, to the point that she couldn't imagine him not being beside her. His tail had entwined with hers during the night. Part of her wondered if she should say something to him about it, but she found that part of her didn't want to untangle herself from him. There was something charming about him, in his own awkward way, and she couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm for all that he did, and his eagerness to make those around him happy. In spite of the way she had felt slightly nervous in his company in the beginning, she had found herself wanting to be in the presence of the young tom more and more recently.

It had been four moons since Tigerfang had begun telling Silverstar that she was ready for her assessment. Each quarter moon, he requested it again. Each time he had asked, the leader had refused.

She glanced around the den. Icepaw was curled tightly in his nest, his plush coat fluffed up and collecting moss from his nest. He had re-joined them in the apprentice den only a moon ago. While his movement was much better, his speed and strength were not what they had been. His back legs were weak still but every day seemed to make him a little stronger, even if it did leave him exhausted. Badgerpaw was sleeping in the nest in the centre of the den, stretched out on his back and snoring loudly. He was almost fully grown now, and his fully-grown size was massive. He was broad and tall and mostly muscle. Even when he curled up at night, he was almost too big for his nest. Across the den, Drypaw was grooming her plumed tail. The she-cat had not grown much since the day she had arrived. She was still lean under her fluffy pelt, and quite dainty in her movements, but the apprentices knew that she could outrun any of them, and even some of the warriors.

She caught Aspenpaw's eye and glanced at Badgerpaw as he snored before rolling her eyes. Aspenpaw gave a snort of amusement before getting to her paws. Beside her, Shadowpaw made a little snuffling noise as he opened his eyes.

"Oh. Awake, are you?" Aspenpaw mewed good naturedly.

"Evidently." He mumbled with yawn. "Your services as a nest warmer are no longer required."

She gave a purr of laughter before bopping him on the nose with her paw. "I'm going to get something to eat. Drypaw, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." The tri-coloured she-cat hopped out of her nest and padded after Aspenpaw. As soon as they were out of the den, she nudged Aspenpaw's shoulder. "In your nest, again?" she mewed, her tone light and teasing. "Isn't he warm enough now leaf-bare's over?"

"Well someone's got to keep away his bad dreams." She replied, drawing a chuckle from Drypaw. "I don't know." She mused as they walked towards the fresh-kill pile. The dawn light was just creeping into the camp. The patrols hadn't left yet. "I can't explain it." She whispered. "I sort of... like when he's close to me. Is that weird?"

"Not at all." Drypaw's tail tip flicked. "You've got yourself a little crush."

"I do not!" scoffed Aspenpaw. "That's totally ridiculous."

Drypaw shrugged. "There's no mouse droppings without a mouse." She said picking up a blackbird from the pile. "Do you want to share this?"

Aspenpaw nodded settling down beside her friend. "Maybe I should tell him to go back in his own nest." She mumbled taking a bite of the bird.

"Nah." Drypaw mewed flippantly. "You may as well get into practice for when you're mates."

Aspenpaw practically choked on the mouthful of flesh. "Mates?" she spluttered. "Don't be silly."

"Well why not?" Drypaw gave her a look feigning ignorance. "What's wrong with him?"

"Well he's... he's... he's an annoying fluffbutt!" she said, slightly flustered. "He just follows Badgerpaw wherever he goes. He's just average in everything. He's not fast, or strong, not the best hunter. Why would I want to be mates with a cat like him?"

"And yet your heart cries out to him!" Drypaw mewed melodramatically.

Aspenpaw gave her friend a shove, purring with amusement. "Shut up."

"It's so perfect it hurts." Chuckled Drypaw. "I mean, he's been practically in love with you from the moment he came onto the territory."

"He has not." Mewed Aspenpaw defiantly. "We're friends, Drypaw, nothing more."

She rolled her eyes as other cats began leaving the dens and stretching. Ravencall went to call the dawn patrols together when Silverstar left her den and hopped down to him, stopping to talk to him.

"Uh oh... here comes trouble..." mewed Drypaw, stroking her whiskers. "What's going on do you think?"

"No idea." Aspenpaw replied, watching as the leader and deputy talked. After a moment, he looked quite surprised but nodded. Silverstar sat down and waited. Robinblaze and Creekshadow went over to Ravencall, who quickly assigned them to a hunting patrol.

Drypaw rolled her eyes. "I better go wake Badgerpaw." She muttered dashing away. "I'll see you at sun-high."

Shadowpaw left the apprentice den as Drypaw hurried into it. He looked around for a moment, then spotted Aspenpaw and trotted over to her. "The one thing about being apprenticed to the deputy is that you're always waiting until the end of patrol assignments." He mewed sitting down next to her. "Where's Tigerfang?"

"Haven't seen him yet." She replied looking towards the warriors den. She wasn't fully paying attention to where Tigerfang was. Her skin felt prickly thinking about what Drypaw had said. She watched Shadowpaw out of the corner of her eye. Did she like him? It wasn't impossible she supposed, but was unlikely. The dark tom was fluffing out his short pelt in the early morning breeze, closing his eyes as it blew in his face. He got such enjoyment out of such simple things. She felt herself smile again.

The patrols began to leave when Silverstar and Ravencall got to their paws and padded towards them. "Good morning both of you." Mewed Ravencall as they approached. "Silverstar would like to see how you are getting along with your training and so has asked to go on a patrol just the four of us."

The two apprentices exchanged a glance. This seemed very out of the ordinary. Why would Silverstar insist on it being just the four of them rather than taking both apprentice's mentors out?

"Come along then." Mewed Ravencall jovially, though it was clear from his tone that he thought something was amiss too. "Let's get out there before sun-high." He trotted towards the entrance of the camp. Shadowpaw hurried after him, Aspenpaw close on his heels, neither one of them wanting to walk alongside the leader.

"We're going to head towards some of the older territory." Called Ravencall as he padded along. "Up towards the stream and back down to the lake.

The apprentices nodded curtly. Aspenpaw barely trusted herself to speak.

"This is finally your chance." Whispered Shadowpaw. "You can finally show her what you're made of."

"Warriors should not be gossiping when they should be focussed on their patrol." Silverstar's voice was icy behind them. Shadowpaw quickly straightened up and kept padding forward after his mentor. Aspenpaw tried to keep pace, but he kept going just a little too quick for her.

After only a short while, they emerged into a small clearing. "Now." said Ravencall. "Both of you have a look around. Silverstar had me hide a rabbit somewhere in this clearing. Let's see who can find it first."

Shadowpaw sprang forward, snuffling at the ground. Aspenpaw headed straight for the ferns at the edge of the clearing, her mouth open, letting the scents of the forest wash over her. She could scent all sorts of things. A mouse had been near here not long ago, and there was a patch of catmint growing not far away...

Then another scent reached her.

She froze, feeling her fur stand up on end. She padded forward a little, the scent getting stronger. She felt herself tremble slightly at the reek that was coming towards her. She turned and dashed to where Ravencall and Silverstar were stood. "There's something over there." She whispered. "I think it's a fox."

Almost as soon as she said it, an auburn shape burst from the bushes, running full pelt across the clearing, it's jaws snapping, eyes wild. Ravencall threw himself in front of Aspenpaw, his pelt bushing up, hissing and spitting. It quickly changed target, instead sprinting straight at Silverstar. She puffed up her fur, slashing at it when it sank it's teeth into her shoulder. She screeched and swiped at it again. It released her for only a second before sinking its teeth into Silverstar's neck.

"No!" yowled Ravencall, flinging himself forward. He slashed at the fox's face until it released the leader. She flopped to the ground, blood pouring from the wound in her neck.

Aspenpaw dashed forward and grasped her mother's scruff, dragging Silverstar to the side of the clearing. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe." She murmured, trying to sound encouraging. The silver she-cat's eyes were wide and filled with pain and confusion as she watched Aspenpaw dart back into the fray.

Shadowpaw was darting in at the fox on one side while Ravencall did it on the other, both of them bushing up their pelts and hissing and spitting. Aspenpaw quickly imitated them on another side of the fox so that the three of them were surrounding it, keeping it away from the injured leader. The fox was staring around at them, whining in frustration. Aspenpaw noticed that it was almost skin and bones. This fox was being driven by hunger. In some ways, this was more dangerous that a territory dispute.

The fox bared its teeth, snarling, it's tail lashing. Ravencall darted in to swipe at it again when it lunged at him, it's teeth grabbing him by the neck and shaking him hard. The deputy gave a screech of terror, his eyes wild with fear. Then his limbs drooped and he fell, completely limp.

The world seemed to spin around Aspenpaw as she watched the fox toss the deputy aside. The black tom did not stir as he hit the ground, lying awkwardly where he landed. "No..." she whispered. The fox had turned its gaze again on the leader and was prowling towards her. "No!" the apprentice screeched, throwing herself in front of her mother. "Shadowpaw, run! Find help!" she yowled as the fox lunged at her. She darted out of its way, clawing at its ears as its head drew near her.

Shadowpaw wasted no time, sprinting out of the clearing and away into the forest. Behind her, Aspenpaw could hear her mother's guttering chokes. "Come on then you great ugly brute!" she yowled at the fox, darting towards it and swiping at its muzzle before drawing back and fluffing out her thick pelt which still made her look twice the size that she actually was. The fox swiped at her, his claws sailing through her puffed up fur. She pummelled the top of its head as it passed her before sinking her teeth into the fox's foreleg. It gave a howl of pain before flicking her away.

She rolled away, feeling one of her paws twist painfully. Pain shot up her foreleg but she dashed back in front of Silverstar, her pelt still standing on end, hissing and spitting at the snarling predator. Its beady eyes were wild with rage as it moved in for the kill. She hissed at it again, hoping that it would at least be quick.

A battle screech rang out and the bushes parted. Robinblaze and Creekshadow burst into the clearing, closely followed by Badgerpaw and Drypaw. The brother and sister flanked either side of the fox, leaping in and out while Drypaw darted forward, sinking her teeth into the foxes back paw.

"Where's Shadowpaw?" Aspenpaw asked urgently as Badgerpaw appeared briefly beside her as he circled the fox.

"He's gone for more help." Badgerpaw explained quickly. "He said we needed Poppydust."

Aspenpaw nodded before darting forward again and imitating Robinblaze and Creekshadow, darting in and swiping before darting out of the angered fox's reach again. She watched as Badgerpaw sprang into the air, landing squarely on the fox's back, clearly trying to repeat what he had done in the incident with the badger all those moons ago. The fox felt him land and quickly flipped onto it's back. As it got up, Badgerpaw seemed to lie stunned for a moment. Creekshadow stepped in front of her apprentice, not letting the fox near him as he staggered back to his feet.

The fox snarled and turned instead towards Robinblaze who was hissing furiously, his hackles raised. The fox lunged forward, his jaws reaching for the dark tom's neck when there was a yowl and a flash of orange, grey and brown knocked its head sideways.

Drypaw was stood defensively in front of her mentor, her pelt puffed out, her eyes wild with fury. She swiped again at the fox's muzzle before she took off running. The fox snarled and sprang after her.

"Drypaw!" Aspenpaw wailed, moving as though to follow her when the smaller apprentice vanished into the bushes, leading the fox with her.

At that moment Shadowpaw appeared in the clearing, Poppydust and several of the senior warriors behind him. They took in the scene before them before Poppydust flung herself towards Ravencall's limp form.

Shadowpaw hurried to Aspenpaw who was still standing, the pain in her paw all but forgotten. She looked at him, then at where Badgerpaw was struggling to his paws. "Come on." She mewed firmly. "We need to help Drypaw."

Shadowpaw gave a firm nod, while Badgerpaw shook himself roughly and hurried after her. "Let's go then." He growled taking off in the direction that Drypaw had run.

The three of them ran, their jaws slightly parted, trying to scent the direction she had taken. After a few tree lengths, Aspenpaw paused. "She's zigzagging." She mewed. "She's trying to tire it out."

"Well where exactly is she planning on leading it?" mewed Badgerpaw, but Aspenpaw already knew.

"The river." She mewed. "She's going to try to get it across the river. Come on." She sprang forward rushing towards where the stream separated the territory.

She could feel her lungs burning for air as she pushed forward, could taste the fear scent on her two friends, but none of them stopped as they dashed along. They suddenly burst from the foliage, onto the banks of the fast flowing water. Badgerpaw and Shadowpaw stared around. "Where is she?" mewed Shadowpaw.

Aspenpaw's gaze was already fixed on a ledge a little further upstream. Drypaw's plan was obvious to her. "She's going to spring off that ledge to get to safety." She mewed. "The fox won't be able to jump like that and fall in."

Badgerpaw was panting as he gazed up at the ledge. "That's why she's the smart one." He muttered.

There was a rustling behind them. Through the leaves, they spotted Drypaw's pelt, closely being followed by the russet pelt of the fox.

"Go on, Drypaw!" whispered Shadowpaw, his eyes wide as the she-cat dashed up the ledge and sprang.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Drypaw's front paws reached for the opposite bank, her back paws arched gracefully behind her. The fox clumsily leapt off the ledge behind her, its snarling teeth snapping at her. Aspenpaw felt her heart hammering... then the bottom fell out of her stomach as the fox's teeth met in Drypaw's tail and it began to tumble towards the raging water, dragging the apprentice with it. Drypaw let out a wailing screech, her paws scrabbling at the air as she plummeted down. The two of them hit the water and disappeared beneath it.

Drypaw vs Fox CTA Meadow Leon Flower (Thankies XD)

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Oh nooo!

Creekshadow belongs to Hannah Rowe

Drypaw belongs to Meadow Leon Flower

Badgerpaw belongs to Nicholas Mullen