Sundown

Chapter Four(year one, moon three)

Her blue eyes were fixed on the ground, her claws unsheathed.

His gaze drifted across the clearing, pausing on Sleepypaw frantically stopping the rogue's bleeding.

He couldn't help but admire her skill in healing. He forced his admiration of her down and turned to Adderpaw.

"Want to go hunting?"

"Yeah. I'll go get our mentors."

As Lilypaw waited by the fallen log, his attention drifted back to Sleepypaw.

The way her stripes curled around the back of her ears, the swiftness of her paws, the-

"Lilypaw!"

He snapped out of his daze and looked over to where his mentor, a lithe tortoiseshell she-cat, was gesturing for him to follow

"Sorry."

"Got your eye on Sleepypaw, huh?" the older she-cat asked with a smirk.

He looked away, heat rising in his ears. "No. . ."

"It's perfectly fine, Lilypaw. Pearfleck has a mate and kits and it doesn't make him any less of a medicine cat."

"I know. . . I just don't want any distractions from my training," he murmured, kicking away a bit of leaf mold.

"It's not like you can avoid her."

"I can try," Lilypaw mumbled, ducking his head to scent for prey.

"Bumblecreek!"

The two cats turned their heads and were met with a muscular, ruffled tortoiseshell tom.

"While Adderpaw was catching a vole, I had a great idea! Let's have a competition!"

"Between apprentices?"

"Between all of us! Adderpaw is great at leaping, Lilypaw is great at tracking, you're great at stalking. It's a fair match!"

"Isn't it unfair to have the apprentices going against fully trained warriors?"

"Eh. Adderpaw's halfway through her training and Lilypaw is just a moon behind her. We've both worked on hunting a lot with them. They have a fair chance."

Bumblecreek looked to Lilypaw for his answer.

"Sure. Sounds fun."

"Well, if Lilypaw is up for it. . ."

The ruffled tom looked around. "Mouse-dung! Adderpaw snuck away to get a head start! Meet back at the fallen log in half a moon movement!" he called as he raced away in the direction of the kittypet place.

"Good luck," Bumblecreek mewed as she vanished into the trees.

Lilypaw followed the trail near the river, scenting for any trace of prey in the crisp night air.

As he slunk through the trees, he froze. Blood wafted toward him in heavy waves, the smell overwhelming.

Panic and fear shot through the large apprentice, but he forced himself to keep going, in the hopes that it was nothing but an old kill.

As he rounded a rather large tree, another scent hit him. BranchClan warriors.

Two warriors, one a marbled ginger tabby, one a ruffled tortoiseshell, lay twisted and strewn on the marshy ground, bloody injuries covering their bodies.

Lilypaw stood there for StarClan knows how long, just staring. He only jumped back to reality when the marbled tabby moved his tail.

He rushed over, pressing his ear close to his bloodied muzzle.

Soft breath stirred his ear fur. A good sign.

He did the same to the tortoiseshell, but her breath was much fainter.

Sensing there wasn't much time, he ran through the forest, jumping over logs and dashing around trees faster than he had ever done before.

He burst into camp. "Fidgetleap and Waspscream. . . injured. . ." he panted, attempting to catch his breath while still telling them what he saw.

"What? Where?" a slender ginger tabby demanded, her eyes wild with panic.

"By the river. . . I'll show you. . ." A rush of what was truly at stake shot through him, giving him the energy for a second run through the forest.

As he raced back through, Fawndawn, Dapplepaw, the ginger tabby, and Slategaze following, his paws started to feel heavy, but he pushed on.

He slowed to a half where the two cats lay, unmoving.

Fawndawn rushed past him and paused beside the tortoiseshell.

As he watched Fawndawn work, his breath hitched in his throat. BranchClan could lose two fine warriors tonight, not to mention that one of those warriors raised Lilypaw.

Dapplepaw crouched beside Fidgetleap, his eyes filled with sorrow at the possibility of losing his mother.

Though Lilypaw wasn't born to Fidgetleap, he felt like she was his true mother, even if Adderpaw teased him about it every day.

"Reed. . . wing. . ." Waspscream, the marbled tabby, rasped with half open eyes.

The slender she-cat leaned down near him. "What happened to you?"

"Foxes. . . So many foxes. . ." His eyes squeezed shut as if remembering the attack was physically painful.

"Foxes can do this much damage?" Dapplepaw asked in a scared whisper.

"They can do much worse. Especially if there are more than one," Fawndawn responded grimly, her paws stained red with blood. "Lilypaw, go find me more cobwebs."

—~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~—

Lilypaw's paws shook as he waited outside the medicine den for news about his mother.

Dapplepaw sat beside him, his eyes wide with fear and his tail shivering.

Fawndawn exited the den, her face solemn. "We think she'll live. She's steady for now, but. . ."

Dapplepaw sighed in relief, his tail falling limp.

"I was so worried," Lilypaw breathed with a small laugh.

Dapplepaw glared at him. "Why? It's not like she's actually your mother," he snapped.

He blinked in surprise. Lilypaw had been raised beside Dapplepaw since they were one moon old. How could he possibly doubt his loyalty to Fidgetleap?

Dapplepaw spat at him before marching into the medicine den.

"He's just upset, Lilypaw. He'll calm down soon," Fawndawn soothed. "I know for certain that Fidgetleap loves you as a son and I love you as a brother." She nuzzled his ear before retreating back into the medicine den.