"Remember what I taught you!" Nightmask hissed. He ran forward and grabbed onto the foxes shoulders, ripping and tearing.

Too many... The fox sighed. She ran out of the camp, howling.  She threw the cat off her back, who made a perfectly wonderful thud noise as it's body hit the ground. I will be back....

(( *Stabs air* Die ebil fox! ))

(( Fox attack xD))

[[Pffffine.]]

Crowdance watched aghast as the fox ran off. "Nightmask, are you alright?" He asked, quickly running to the other tom. Crowdance spat in disappointment. Why couldn't he get that fox before it ran away? It was frustrating.

---

Daypaw and Nightpaw stood side by side. "That ended as quickly as it started." Daypaw said in a bored tone. Nightpaw rolled her eyes. "Always the sarcastic one, dear sister." She said to Daypaw, who huffed. "Should we go chase the fox?" Nightpaw asked the older warriors. 

Goldwhisker whipped his head around and glared at the two apprentices furiously, his amber eyes slit. "Of course not," he hissed. "Don't be mousebrained. That fox could rip both of you apart. That wasn't just a dull-witted male fox. It was a vixen, sly and cunning and a large one at that. Think."

He could tell he was being harsh on them, but evidentially the battle hadn't woken either of their senses. There's no point in leaving them tender and innocent in their first battle. They need to know what it's actually like.

~

Dustpaw scoffed. "That's not a very smart idea," she pointed out mildly a heartbeat before Goldwhisker crashed down on her two friends angrily, a tide of reproach and rebuke, amber eyes boring into them.

"And besides," she continued when Goldwhisker had finished his tirade. “You’ll most likely end up dragging Brindlepaw into this and I’d rather she doesn’t get killed in some harebrained scheme you two have thought up.

~

Hearing her name the tabby she-cat perked her ears up and padded over to them, avid curiosity shining in her dark eyes. “Anyone call me?” she asked enquiringly. Tilting her head in that peculiar way of hers the small apprentice gave out a small purr.

“That battle was petrifying,” she admitted shyly. “I mean, all that yowling and screeching and did you Nightmask? He…his actions, they really startled me.”

~

Licking a small cut on his shoulder Marshpaw sighed deeply. “I wish there had been more to that battle,” he meowed anxiously, watching a bead of blood swell gently in the gash on his shoulder and then burst, the scarlet liquid trickling down and staining his fur a dark burgundy.

“I didn’t get to do much,” he lamented in a soft voice, lowering it accordingly when he heard Goldwhisker begin to berate Nightpaw and Daypaw.

~

Webpaw snorted. “Please Marshpaw; did you see the size of that beast? She was huge compared to an average fox. I wouldn’t go near one even if you offered to do my chores for a moon.”

The apprentice shuddered delicately and shoved his brother’s face lightly, licking his cut. “I’ll deal with this,” Webpaw purred, his tongue rasping soothingly over the scratch.

"I'm fine." Nightmask growled. "Stupid fox...." nightmask hated fozes. They were just... horrifying. "Goldpaw... about that training... are you still up for it?" He grunted.

Dusk watched as the Clan cats hurried to eachother, meowing excitedly. I better get out of here..... Dusk swiftly walked out the hole he'd made. After a few sharp tugs, he realized he was stuck. "Oh wonderful..." He said to himself. "Way to show off your rear end."

Smirking Kestrelwing padded up to the caught tom, green eyes glittering angrily. "Well well, looks like this rogue has gotten into a spot of trouble. You look a little tangled," she meowed in a flat voice. "What are you doing on our territory? If you answer isn't satisfactory you'll leave with a clawed hind-end."

Tail lashing slightly she skirted around Dusk while glaring at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't move a muscle," she warned with a slight hiss coloring her voice.

~

Padded up to his sister Blackfang shook his head irritably. "Kestrelwing, don't get so worked up," he mewewd calmly. "Just because this cat here is a rogue doesn't mean we treat him with hostility. By StarClan, he's stuck in a bramble bush. He's not troubling us, now is he?"

"People?" Kestrelwing inquired curiously. "Is that some rogue-word?" Staring at Dusk blankly she shook herself after a few moments. "And I am not staring at your hindquarters. That's disgusting. I'm watching your face, harebrain."

Scowling deeply she brushed away the soothing tail that Blackfang had lain on her shoulder irritably.

"Yes, Goldwhisker." Daypaw said in her usual obedient voice, though her eyes betrayed the fact that she didn't really care. Nightpaw, on the other hand, looked down at her paws. "We're... sorry, Goldwhisker! I just wanted to help." Daypaw gave her sister a bored look.

---- 

Iceweb cuffed Marshpaw lightly on the head. "Come on, Marshpaw. We don't want a fight, not now at least. You better go to Fernpaw or Bloodmist to get that wound checked out. And I'm going to have a word with Goldwhisker. He's being too harsh on those poor little apprentices." Iceweb stalked off to stand behind the senior warrior. 

"Goldwhisker!" Iceweb said sharply. "You're being too hard on Daypaw and Nightpaw. Has it ever occurred to you that they couldn't reach the fox on time? I saw Nightpaw yowling at her sister to get to the fox. Besides, we can't have all the warriors and apprentice piling and attacking onto the fox at the same time." Iceweb lashed her tail impatiently. "If that first fox was just a distraction, the two apprentices would've done well by staying behind a bit to watch out for any more trespa-ssers." She ached to say 'think before you speak', but Iceweb knew she should not be too rude with Goldwhisker. 

Goldpaw didn't respond, she was too busy licking Silverpaw's flank. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Goldpaw mewed patheticaly. "I'm FINE. Go check on the Queens." Silverpaw spat. Goldpaw hung her head low and stalked off. She padded into the nursery. "Everyone okay?" she mewed, but where was Starfrost? The scene played in her head. Starfrost lunging up, swatting at the fox. The fox slashing her away. Oh StarClan, no! Goldpaw looked around furiously. "Starfrost?" She whimpered, easily finding the queen laying in some brambles with a horrible gash on her shoulder. "Help!" Goldpaw yowled.

Snowflare stood up stifly, still a bit dizzy from the fox attack. He limped out of the brush, no one was hurt. Thank StarClan. But, everything was quiet.....He could see his friends talking, but he coulden't hear them. He turned his head so the other ear was facing them, he could hear. What?

Wildpaw whimpered, slinking out of his den. Apparently, he was slept through the whole fox attack. "Is everyone okay?" He mewed. "Did anyone get hurt?"

Nodding sullenly Marshpaw slinked out of the battle area, heading back towards camp, his tail dragging on the ground. “I was only trying to help,” he muttered to Webpaw, who had followed him. Shaking his head in confusion the large tabby tried to lick his cut again, but Webpaw was already shoving him towards camp urgently.

“Don’t argue,” his brother hissed angrily, eyes slit with annoyance. “You’ve caused enough trouble with Iceweb. Just…go get yourself fixed up. Please, don’t argue Marshpaw. Just do it. Now.”

Webpaw’s voice was firm and as unyielding as a rock as the smaller tom started pushing his littermate closer to camp. Marshpaw didn’t bother to struggle; he simply went with the flow and padded up the thin old two-leg pathway back to Bloodmist and Fernpaw.

After a few more foxlengths the two found themselves just outside the gorse barrier. Flicking his tail and hissing with ire, Webpaw slipped past Marshpaw and into the clearing. “Hurry up,” he commanded with a sigh, shuffling a few pawsteps to the side to allow room for Marshpaw to get inside.

“Whatever Webpaw,” Marshpaw meowed with a sigh, jostling the other apprentice aside as he crept towards the Medicine Cat’s den, where Fernpaw lay sunning herself.

“Fernpaw!” he called out loudly.

~

Grunting in bewilderment the small she-cat lifted her head and mewed a friendly greeting to the two apprentices. “What brings you here?” she meowed timidly, dipping her head in a sign of welcoming respect to her once-denmate.

“You aren’t hurt, are you? Oh—“ Her voice was cut off by a gasp of horror at the appalling wound on Marshpaw’s shoulder. It was slowly stopping its bleeding but the flesh was hot and swollen, tightening the skin around it painfully.

“That looks bad. You need a yarrow poultice. Come inside now.” Fernpaw’s typically timid voice took on a firm cast as her natural medicine cat skills shone through, compelling the argumentative apprentice to follow her inside the Medicine Cat’s den.

~

Standing outside looking slightly perplexed at this quick exchange Webpaw shook his head with a sigh and sat down in the dust, curling his striped tail around black paws with a tired air about him. At least Marshpaw is getting treated finally, stubborn furball, he thought with a snort of ironic amusement.

~

Sighing Goldwhisker shut his muzzle. “Well Iceweb,” he mewed in a dangerously soft voice, eyeing her with a look of reproach glinting in his amber eyes. “They might not have been fast enough to catch up to the vixen, but she could have easily turned back to search for any wounded we might have left behind. Then what?”

Flicking his long golden tail in the air the tom narrowed his eyes at Daypaw. “Just watch how and where you tread, little one. Someday you might make an unforgivable mistake.”