Fate.

Chapter 11

Rubypaw padded back into camp. She saw Stormlily pad up to her, hissing to herself. "Where were you?! It's already Sun-high!" Rubypaw dipped her head, bristling her fur. "I'm so very sorry ma'am. It won't happen again." She said through gritted teeth. Stormlily nodded. "It better not. Now c'mon, we're going hunting."

Rubypaw groaned, her paws aching. "But I'm tired!" She whined. Stormlily waited til the both of them were out of camp. "Don't be such a kit. Your assessment is soon and I don't want you to fail." She snapped, lashing her gray tail. She sighed, murmuring an insult under her breath. Rubypaw flinched, following Stormlily. Stormlily glanced at the brown she-cat while they walked, twitching her nose and looked back at the path the two were walking on.

The gray she-cat glanced to her left. "How about we hunt? The clearing is pretty far away." She sighed, flicking her tail to the left as she padded deeper into the forest. Rubypaw sighed, the walk was silent for the most part, apart when Stormlily snapped at Rubypaw whenever she stepped on a twig. Her mentor stopped, flicking her tail in Rubypaws face. Rubypaw opened her mouth to argue, before she saw a patrol of rogue cats pad past them, barely noticing them from the vegetation in the forest. Stormlily snarled. "Get help." She hissed quietly. Rubypaw looked worriedly at Stormlily, then ran back to camp.

Rubypaw ran back to camp, using all her energy to leap over tree stumps, and snakes that slithered past her unsheathed claws. C'mon! Stormlily is counting on me! She ran faster, her throat burning as she saw the bramble entrance. She ran past, getting thorns stuck in her short fur. She didn't care. She needed to get help. Cats outside glanced at her, tilting their heads. Maplestar leaped from the mossy rock, narrowing her eyes. "What? What is it Rubypaw?" The apprentice caught her breath. "A group of rogues. Stormlily insisted on holding them off until I got help." Maplestars eyes widened, glancing at her warriors. "Opalwish, Hawkbark, Darkenedheart, Thrushclaw, Cherryblossom, Cowears, Moonshadow. With me!" She yowled, her claws unsheathed. Maplestar glanced at Rubypaw. "You come with too."

Badgerhiss brushed his tail with Opalwish and Rubypaw, watching them run off back into the forest to fight off the rogues. Maplestar leaped up into a tree, following Stormlilys pale scent. "We wait for them. I can smell them approaching." She mewed as the group leaped up onto the tree branches with her. Rubypaw sighed, glancing at her mother who looked absolutely terrified. "You won't catch me, you dirty rat-eaters!" She heard a voice mew. Stormlily! The deputy was running, spitting insults at the rouges who ran at her with claws unsheathed. Maplestar lashed her tail. "Pineclan attack!" She yowled. Rubypaw leaped off the tree, landing on a gray tabbys back. The rogue snarled as they tried to shake Rubypaw off their back.

She dug her claws into their back, finally leaping off as they tried squishing her into a tree. They snarled, turning. Rubypaw bristled her fur, leaping at the rogue and tore their ear. They yowled, finally having enough and ran away, their fur stained red with blood.

Rubypaw went to help Stormlily fending off two warriors, leaping on them and clawing their belly's. She looked around for her Opalwish, who was easily scaring away any rogue who came to close. Rubypaw chuckled, getting pounced on by a large tabby tom. She hissed as he tried to kill her. She raised her back legs, and kicked him off with her unsheathed claws. The tom sat up, spitting blood as his stomach was cut open from Rubypaws wounds. "We'll- THEY'LL be back. You'll all be dead! Dead!" They spat blood in the apprentices face, their eyes gone cloudy.

Rubypaw tilted her head, and heard a wail as the rogues ran off, gasping at their dead companion. Stormlily sat beside Maplestar, the calicos body limp. "Was that her last life?" She asked Cowears, who nodded and dipped his head in sadness. Rubypaw flicked her tail. Opalwish glared at her, shaking her head. Well I didn't know! Nobody told me! She glared back at the brown she-cat, scoffing and turned away.

Stormlily sighed, sitting up. She glanced at Cherryblossom and Thrushclaw. "Take her body back to camp." She mewed quietly. The young warriors dipped their head, carrying the limp body back to camp.

Sorry for the short chapter! Fortunately, a lot is going to happen in the next few chapters.