By the time the group got back, Skykit, Volekit, and Tumblekit were waiting for them, and immediately assaulted Emberpaw and Frostpaw with questions until Fernflower ushered them back to the nursery. "You'll get to do it in two moons." 

"But that's too long!" Volekit complained grumpily, as Fernflower pushed them along with her tail. Mapletail nudged the two apprentices, looking after the kits. "You know, they'll make a pain in the tail for apprentices." he remarked. Emberpaw nodded. "I wouldn't want to have them for apprentices, that's for sure."

As Emberpaw curled up in the apprentice den, her muscles relaxing on the soft moss that Flamepaw or Willowpaw had put down. But one thing pricked her side like a thorn as she drifted off to sleep: A river dousing embers...Maybe she should ask Petalear or Nettlepaw, but she had a sneaking suspicion that if StarClan wanted them to know, they would've told them. 

But her restless thoughts were betrayed by her tired limbs, and Emberpaw drifted off to sleep...which was undistrurbed.

Emberpaw sat up quickly, barely missing Flamepaw's ear. "Come on!" Flamepaw yowled. "Silverclaw's got us on dawn patrol." 

"Alright, keep your fur on." Emberpaw muttered, giving her coat a few swift licks. She slipped after Flamepaw into the gorse tunnel to join Mapletail and Duskfur. 

Several fox-lengths outside of camp, Emberpaw scented prey. A blackbird! Dropping into a hunter's crouch, Emberpaw slowly stalked the bird as it nibbled a stray seed. Suddenly Emberpaw heard a crack under her paws. One of the brown leaves of leaf-fall.

"Mouse dung!" Emberpaw spat. The blackbird started to take off, but Emberpaw leaped high and caught onto the bird as it started to fly up. Emberpaw raked her claws against the bird and killed it. "Well done!" Mapletail praised her. Emberpaw took one huge bite out. "Want some?" she asked Flamepaw. "No thanks." Flamepaw replied curtly, running to the front to join his mentor Duskfur.

"Stupid furball." Emberpaw muttered, staying back with Mapletail. Why did Flamepaw act like he was too good for everyone else? Just because he was a couple moons older he acted like he was a senior warrior. 

The patrol made their way to the edge of the Thunderpath cutting the border between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Suddenly Duskfur froze and hissed. "The borders have moved. The scent markers are literally fox-lengths into our territory." Mapletail appeared calm, but his apprentice could tell how worried he was. "I don't know how you can scent anything over the reek of these monsters." he meowed.

Suddenly Emberpaw caught a whiff of something she had scented at the Gathering. "ShadowClan!" she hissed, neck fur bristling. Mapletail stepped foward to talk to a group of unfamiliar cats. "Toadheart, can you please explain why the borders have moved? We have a Thunderpath." Toadheart sniffed. "A Thunderpath that scares off prey. We're taking territory because we need some, and you can ask Marshstar." 

A cat that looked like the cat ShadowClan had yowled for the previous moonhigh, Beetleeyes, stood with Toadheart, as well as a red tabby. Duskfur growled a low growl. "Fox-heart!" he spat, lunging at Toadheart. Mapletail leaped on the red tabby, letting out a furious yowl before yowling again, "Flamepaw, get Silverclaw!" before he disappeared under the tabby's belly. Flamepaw looked back at the fighting cats for a moment before tearing off towards camp.

"Redfern!" Beetleeyes yowled, speeding towards Mapletail, who was gaining the upper hand against Redfern. "Well, only one thing to do." Emberpaw muttered.

Letting out an earsplitting screech, Emberpaw leaped high into the ear and landed on Beetleeyes's back just as she had practiced, locking her teeth into his scruff. Rearing, Beetleeyes ducked and rolled over, crushing Emberpaw's foot just as she tried to escape. With claws unsheathed, Emberpaw tried to raise her head up and just manage to rake Beetleeyes's shoulder. Beetleeyes immediately let up before proceeding to pummel Emberpaw with his hind paws, before getting back up to rake at Emberpaw's ears. Just as Emberpaw was going to realitate, a flurry of fur flew out of the trees.

The pelts of Mistfang, Hawkfeather, and Silverclaw hurtled on top of the ShadowClan warriors, easily overwhelming the dawn patrol with sheer numbers. Flamepaw managed a rake over Redfern at the back of the pack before the three fled. 

"This isn't over!" Toadheart hissed. "ShadowClan will get what they want, and Ri-" before Redfern, bleeding out of one shoulder, slapped his muzzle with his tail. "Quiet!" he hissed. Toadheart shot one last lingering glare at the ThunderClan warriors before trudging back into ThunderClan territory. "Thank you," Mapletail mewed exhaustedly, "just in time." Silverclaw dipped his head. "No problem, but you should probably set the scent markers where they belong before having another try. 

Hawkfeather looked over the three's injuries. Mapletail had a trickle of blood coming out of his tail, and Duskfur's shoulder was matted with blood. Emberpaw herself had some blood coming out of her flank where Beetleeyes had managed a scratch, but Hawkfeather simply told Duskfur, "You should go see Petalear. No argument." Duskfur's neck fur bristled, but he bit back a sharp retort, following the three back towards camp. 

Flamepaw was the only untouched cat left. "Took you long enough, mousebrain!" Emberpaw snapped, although her fur wasn't bristling. Flamepaw glanced at her. "Let's just finish this patrol." 

After the scent markers were put back in their proper places, the group of Flamepaw, Emberpaw, and Mapletail headed back to camp.

Oooh...ShadowClan....

This one is a little shorter than I would like it but I couldn't find anywhere less than a thousand words away that was a fitting end to the chapter. 

So there'll be another update soon. (Nvm my computer hates me)

EZ out.