Lemonsplash's Acceptance (#Wattys)

Chapter 7

Author's note: I just wanted to say a huge thank you for those who have read this book this far! From this chapter onwards is where the real story begins!

It had been half a moon since Lemonpaw had first become an apprentice, And her training was really beginning to come on.

She enjoyed going hunting with Sycamoretail and one day the pair of them had come back with a huge rabbit, that took the both of them to drag it back to camp!

"How did you manage to catch that?!" Toothblade was astounded as the massive piece of prey was tossed onto the fresh kill pile.

"With some great difficulty my friend," Sycamoretail answered. "It was team work, wasn't it Lemonpaw?"

"Yup!" She mewed, nodding her head proudly.

As Sycamoretail thought back to the earlier days of training with his aprentice, he realized that there was one thing that bothered him. Hopeflight, Lemonpaw's mother, never came to congratulate her or see what she had caught. In fact, Lemonpaw rarely spoke to her mother, despite them living in the same camp.

Sycamoretail noticed that this saddened his apprentice, so he tried to keep her enthusiasm up by taking her out of the camp to take her mind of things. But, he knew that this was never going to change her mother's inconsolable absence to everything around her!

He managed to keep his apprentice entertained, though he knew that the thoughts of her mother ran threw her mind.

That sunhigh, Sycamoretail saw Lemonpaw a few fox lengths from the fresh kill pile, outside the elders' den. Twigpaw was sitting between Lemonpaw and an elderly she-cat. The elders were whispering of times of the past, while Lemonpaw and Twigpaw listened intently to their stories.

Sycamoretail's ears twitched as he heard Smokecloud, an old black battle scarred tom, tell the apprentices stories of the clans.

"And there was this other clan called Sandclan that live many forest lengths away from here. Some say that it was cats from Sandclan that founded Treeclan, though many say it is hard to believe. Although, I did once meet a Sandclan cat in my youth, and he couldn't have been any older than I was. I was around the same age as you, young ones! Ah I must say..."

"Come on, Twigpaw and Lemonpaw!" Sycamoretail interrupted, "Sparrowwing has insisted on some extra patrols! You two are coming with me, Bluewave and Toothblade on a patrol along the Roseclan border!"

"Aww! Can't we just listen to the rest of the story?" Twigpaw pressed, digging his claws into the ground.

Sycamoretail signed, remembering that just a few seasons ago, he was an apprentice too. He remembered the times when he was just like these apprentices.

Toothblade and Bluewave had appeared just behind them, two tail lengths away.

"There will be plenty of time for stories later, duties, such as patrols are more important." Toothblade turned as the head of the patrol, and flicked his tail, giving Twigpaw no option but to follow his mentor. Bluewave lept after them.

Lemonpaw and Sycamoretail brought up the rear, as the five cats set out into the forest.

Sycamoretail relaxed, as he breathed in the fresh scents of the forest. He could hear bird song and the gushing water of the creek. A few small clouds dotted the sky as the cats raced along, through the dappled sunlit trees.

Toothblade had set a brisk pace and the others had to run to catch up.

"Slow down a little, Toothblade! We'll all be tired before we reach the border!" Bluewave panted to the younger cat in front of her.

Sycamoretail grinned and over took Bluewave; Lemonpaw bounded up beside her mentor, her yellow eyes shining.

"Aw, come on Bluewave! Unless you want to join the elders!" Toothblade cried, while Twigpaw struggled to keep in pace with him.

Bluewave rolled her eyes and tried her best to keep up with the young cats.

As the patrol reached the border, Toothblade and Bluewave stopped to renew the scent markers.

"Good, it looks like Roseclan are keeping to their part of the forest!" Toothblade purred.

Sycamoretail lifted his head to sniff the air.

"Roseclan patrol coming!" He declared.

The moment Sycamoretail had spoken, he was thrown aside by a large black-and-white she-cat.

Mosswing, the current deputy of Roseclan, had heard Sycamoretail, announce their presence. She had decided that this was the perfect opportunity for Roseclan to reclaim their territory.

"Our border now lays past the birch tree!" Mosswing yowled, scratching her claws into Sycamoretail's flanks.

Sycamoretail ducked and rolled onto his side, unsheathing his claws.

"Mudstar just told us to reset the markers!"

I wonder why Mudstar picked her as deputy... She always seems keen to be leaping into battle! Sycamoretail thought to himself, before turned and pounced on Mosswing, swiping her muzzle and sending her backwards.

Toothblade and the others had heard the commotion, and they jumped into battle alongside Sycamoretail.

Twigpaw and Lemonpaw took on a Roseclan apprentice that was a few moons older than them. Twigpaw battled the she-cat apprentice valiantly, landing swipe after swipe on the older apprentice.

Lemonpaw decided to try out her latest battle move that she had learned and she lept onto the apprentice's back. A few heartbeats later, Twigpaw and Lemonpaw sent the cat fleeing into the bushes.

Toothblade was battling a brown she-cat and Bluewave was fighting a small gray tabby tom.

A large ginger tom with deep blue eyes turned onto the two young apprentices, and tossed Twigpaw aside slamming into his left flank, leaving him winded among the leaves.

Before Lemonpaw could react, the tom then pounced on Lemonpaw tearing his claws through her shoulder. Blood trickled out of the wound and stained the grass below. Lemonpaw let her body go limp so she could slide away from the tom's grip. The warrior was quick however, and he managed to twist and pin Lemonpaw down tightly. He then raked his back legs along her long soft belly fur, causing her white belly fur to be tainted red with her blood. Lemonpaw was bleeding heavily from her wounds as she struggled to remain standing.

"Treeclan retreat! This battle isn't worth it anymore!" Toothblade announced before fleeing into the bushes. He waited hidden in a gorse bush for the others.

Bluewave followed, and Twigpaw stumbled to his feet before tumbling after her.

Sycamoretail spotted Lemonpaw lying motionless in the grass, blood still spilling out of her wounds. He pressed his paws to her chest and felt her slow shallow breaths.

"Toothblade!" He yowled, agonizingly searching for cobwebs to stop the bleeding.

Lemonpaw opened her eyes slightly and tried to move.

Sycamoretail pressed his paw lightly on her back to try to keep her still. "Lemonpaw is severely injured, send Scarletfall! Quick!"

Toothblade dipped his head from the bushes and raced back to camp. Bluewave and Twigpaw limped after him on unsteady paws.

"I'm not leaving you, Lemonpaw, Scarletfall will be here very soon. Just keep very still."

Sycamoretail looked onto his apprentice as she fell into unconscious.