"Foxes!"
Hollystar jumped to her paws at Oakpaw's yowl from the entrance to the camp. Nightfall raced in behind him.
"At least three of them!" he panted, "They're headed this way!"
Everyone was already in the clearing, "Nightfall, Oakpaw, Blackpelt, Badgerpaw and Firepaw, Prepare to attack!" Hollystar ordered, "Snowstorm and Dawnpaw, get your herbs ready, we'll need them."
They followed Nightfall and Oakpaw to where they saw the foxes. They skidded to a halt as three foxes jumped in front of them.
"Apprentices, claws unsheathed, this isn't a training session!" she hissed, "Attack!"
It seemed like the foxes had a plan because two of them stayed behind while the other stepped forward, but the one thing that the foxes didn't expect was the cats' strength. Every cat pounced, each of them scratched deep into the fox's flank, but Blackpelt lunged for its neck and killed it with a swift bite. Screeching with fury, the other two lunged at the cats. As they were fighting, another fox comes from behind them and tries to snap its jaws around Badgerpaw.
"Badgerpaw, no!" before anything could happen, Hollystar jumped in front of the fox and it bit down hard on her shoulder. She could tell that she was about to lose a life, "keep fighting, don't give up, I'll be back soon," she murmured to Badgerpaw as he leaned over her.
Then she was in StarClan's hunting grounds, "When will I get back?" she demanded as Silverstar bounded over.
"Soon," she promised, "but I suggest you don't go wasting your lives doing that."
"Badgerpaw's my kit!" she hissed, "I had to save him!"
"You didn't have to do anything," Silverstar growled, "you chose to."
"So?" Hollystar spat.
"You shouldn't have."
"He's my kit!" she repeated, "and isn't it part of the warrior code to defend my clanmates even at the cost of my own life?"
"Yes," She sighed "but your clanmates need you more than that apprentice."
"How dare you say that about my kit!" she turned and stalked away and waited until she returned to her clanmates.
She woke up to see her kits laying beside her with Nightfall while Snowstorm put ointment on Hollystar's bite. When Nightfall saw that she was awake, he jumped up and started covering her in licks.
"Calm down, Nightfall," Dawnpaw mewed, "she needs rest."
"The foxes?" Hollystar's meow was barely more than a whisper.
"All dead," Firepaw answered.
"I'm sorry!" Badgerpaw blurted out, "it's my fault you lost a life! I should have known the fox was there!"
"It's not your fault," Hollystar soothed, "you didn't know, and that's not your fault."
"Yes it is!" he insisted.
"Whether it's your fault or not, don't blame yourself," Oakpaw mewed to his littermate.
"Stop trying to hide the truth!" Badgerpaw hissed, "It's my fault and you all know it!" he ran back to camp not even looking back when Nightfall called his name.
