Yay! Another update. :) Your welcome. Think of it as my Christmas present to you guys. I just realized that I left you on a serious cliffhanger. Sorry! I'll continue a little more in Beechleaf's POV for some difference. I won't make this long. In fact, I'll end right now. Bye!

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The scent smelled fresh, less than a sunrise old. Beechleaf knew her fear was true: the badger still roamed the Clans' territory. It was a live animal, needing food like any other, and would stop at nothing to get it. For all she knew, it could be a female with kits, which would later provide more deadly beasts. With RiverClan's own new kits, the clan would be worried.

She had to go tell Icestar right away. Yet, she didn't. Maybe I should return with a little more information. Where has this badger been hiding? She took a cautious step towards where more paw prints proceeded the first. Beechleaf followed them into the woods and along a thick bramble bush. She made a mental note not to run into that, if ever having to flee the badger.

Past the bush, a clearing opened up, strong with the smell of badger. About five fox-lengths wide, nothing but sparse grass covered the packed dirt. At the opposite side lay a small cave in the ground.

Beechleaf froze. It smelled distinctly of badger scent. Was the badger home? Pausing to listen, no sounds came to her pricked ears. She crept slowly, stealthily, forward, until the mouth of the small cave lay only a tail-length in front of her. Should she go in? Glancing around and pricking her ears one last time, she took a few more hesitant pawsteps forward, putting her just past the mouth.

Something that sounded like a rustling from inside the cave made the medicine cat jump. She didn't stay long to find out what it was. Whirling around, Beechleaf made a mad dash for the exit. She ran outside and speeded across the clearing. Remembering the brambles from earlier, she swerved around them, just missing a thorn. No sounds of loud crashing, signifying the badger, followed her, but she kept running.

She raced across the steam, slipping once in her frenzy and splashing the cold water onto her fur. Grimmacing, the medicine cat kept running. Racing through the trees helped dry any wet fur. Slowing down when padding through the entrance, the camp looked normal, which brought a sigh of relief from her mouth. Cats lay sprawled around the edges; Goldenkit and Thawkit played a game of mossball; Acornstream sat with Duskfur and watched the kits. No sign of Icestar, though.

Beechleaf frowned and quickly half walked half ran to the warriors den. Inside, Icewing and Mallownose lay, sharing tongues. "Have you seen Icestar?"

The two warriors jumped. Mallownose quickly composed himself, and replied, "No, I haven't. Is everything okay?" he added, seeing Beechleaf's expression. She bit her lip, glanced outside worriedly, and turned back to them, hesitant to say something.

Icewing quickly stepped in. "I saw her earlier in her den." Beechleaf passed a smile and a relieved look, and started backing out of the warrior's den. Mallownose frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Icewing silently set her tail on his back and gave him a look. He nodded and stayed quiet.

Beechleaf turned away from the den, and headed towards her leader's den, just as Icestar started out of it herself. "Icestar!" The leader turned and smiled.

"Beechpaw! Or should I say, Beechleaf." Icestar winked. "Anyhow, I'm glad you're back. How was the journey?"

Beechleaf managed a weak smile. "The journey up went fine. As you know, I had my naming ceremony. On the journey back though, I found something that you should know about." Beechleaf explained her experience of smelling badger and finding the cave.

"You were brave in venturing close to the cave. But I think it would've been a better idea to stay away and come for help first. Imagine if the badger had been there. We couldn't deal with loosing two medicine cats in such a short time," Icestar advised. Beechleaf nodded. She understood. There hadn't really been a need to go.

"For now, you should rest for a little while," continued Icestar. "Later, would you be willing to show me the cave?"

"Yes."

"Thank you! Have something to eat." Beechleaf nodded. She glanced hungrily at the fresh kill pile, grabbed a squirrel to chew on, and dragged it to the medicine den.

~~~~~

While Beechleaf ate and slept, Icestar relayed the badger message to Grasspelt and her senior warriors- Icewing, Pebblefoot, Mallownose, and Robinwing. "By the way," the leader finished, "it's now Beechleaf." She smiled.

"I'd say we should just get this over with," Mallownose suggested after Icestar briefly explained the situation. "Should I go get Beechleaf?"

"Wouldn't it be wise to wait until tomorrow?" Pebblefoot interjected, glancing at the sun, which sat well past sunhigh. "Badgers are nocturnal creatures, and it would be less active in the morning, when it has just spent all night up."

"True." Icestar nodded. "Let's go first thing tomorrow morning." Mallownose frowned but agreed and everyone else just nodded.

~~~~~

The next day before dawn, Beechleaf lead the way through the dew-filled marshy forest to the badger den, followed by Icestar, Flickerpaw, and Robinwing as the scouting troup. Rounding the bramble bush, they all spotted the large hole and stopped. Beechleaf quickly stepped aside and into the cover of undergrowth near the cave entrance. Icestar followed.

"Now what?" Beechleaf asked.

"Now," Icestar admitted, "I'm not completely sure. Let's just wait and see if anything happens." The leader and medicine cat sat back, while Robinwing slowly stalked up to the entrance of the cave. He sniffed about a bit, before hurrying over to the two.

"Scent is fresh. I'd say she came back home a little after moonhigh. She's out now. No cubs." He jumped into the shrubbery and settled next to Icestar, peering out at his apprentice, who stood opposite and facing the small hole, frowning.

They all stayed like that for several moments, when Icestar pricked her ears to here a faint ambling coming from her right. "Flickerpaw!" she hissed. He didn't hear her quiet voice. She tried again. "Flickerpaw! You need to get back..." her voice trailed off as the crashing grew to a noise easily heard by everyone, and Flickerpaw visibly froze in fear. When the badger broke through into the clearing, its small beady eyes immediately fixed on the apprentice and it growled menacingly. Flickerpaw only shrank back. Icestar leaped from her hiding place and bounded across the clearing, all but bowling into the brown and black tom. They rolled quickly away, until Icestar landed on top and glared at the could-have-been-former apprentice. She could feel him shaking against her paws.

He seemed to collect his breath, so Icestar stepped off him and faced the badger. It steadily approached them, a low growl resonating from its throat.

"Beechleaf! Go and get more strong cats for a battle. Run like your life depends on it!" Icestar commanded, "because it sort of does." She mumbled the last part to herself. When a scrambling came from the bushes, signifying Beechleaf's departure, the badger turned towards the sound. Icestar nimbly ran forward to nip its leg, hoping Beechleaf would be quick enough.