Dawnflower's Sorrow

Chapter 5

"What? What's your fault? Is this about Blackfoot? I thought we were over this." Tigerpaw said, an annoyed edge to his voice. "What do you mean?" Dawnpaw asked. She wasn't able to fathom that he would actually say that. "You were doing so good and now you let a stupid nightmare get to you." He said as he glared at her and his voice was laced with anger. Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes at the brown tabby tom. "I thought you were my best friend, but I guess not." She snapped. She then ran out of camp, leaving Tigerpaw behind.

When she was sure she had gotten far enough away from camp, she slowed and just walked aimlessly around. She let her paws guide her wherever they wanted to go and she bumped into a wall. This is what happens when she trusts her paws. She shook her head and looked around. She growled when she realized where se subconsciously went; to Tigerpaw's hideout. She yowled angrily and slumped to the ground and ended up sobbing.

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She woke to the sun high in the sky. She forgot where she was for a moment and then remembered what happened during the night. She scoffed and got to her paws. She stretched with a yawn and felt her stomach growl. She padded to the tunnel and made the not-so-short journey to the top. Once the blinding sun gleamed on her pale orange and white pelt, she sniffed the air for the scent of prey. She immediately smelt mouse and she padded to the scent. Once she got closer to the scent, she crouched and continued to search, stopping every few seconds to listen to the sounds of the forest beneath her paws.

She soon saw the mouse and she crouched lower, keeping her tail above the undergrowth and made herself invisible to the mouse. As she got closer, she shifted her weight into her back paws and she wriggled her hips and lunged at the mouse and killed it on impact. She smiled proud and laid down to eat.

As she ate, a strange scent travelled to her nose. She got to her paws and sniffed the air. The fur on her back rose at the familiar smell of fox hit her hard. She heard rustling and out jumped a red flash that tackled her. It snarled and bit at her throat. Dawnpaw was taken by surprise but soon regained herself. She unsheathed her claws and slashed at the fox's muzzle, drawing blood. She paid attention to it's eyes and because if it couldn't see, that was better than one that could.

The fox snarled and while it was dazed, Dawnpaw took the opportunity to climb onto it's back. She raked her claws down it's back and it tried bucking her off. To her dismay, it succeeded with doing so. As Dawnpaw lay on the ground, regaining herself, the fox was quicker and it smacked her into a tree with it's paw and with all it's force. She crashed into the tree with a loud thud and fell to the ground. An image of Blackfoot and the badger came into her mind and she slumped down with a wince after trying to get up. The fox approached her with it's teeth bared and saliva dripping from it's jowels. It looked so evil and it looked like it was smiling.

A voice screamed in Dawnpaw's head to get up, to fight, to do something. "I'm sorry." She whispered as she braced for the fox to kill her. Everything happened so quickly; leaves rustled, cats bursted through the undergrowth, the fox ran off after being attacked, Tigerpaw yelling at her to get up, then darkness...

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She woke in the medicine cat den and looked around. "Oh thank StarClan you're ok. It's a miracle you came out of that virtually unscathed." Flamepaw said as she hurried over to her sister. She nuzzled Dawnpaw and purred. The orange and white apprentice had virtually no emotion at that point. Tigerpaw rushed over as well and started yelling questions at her, his neck fur rising. "Why didn't you fight!? You were just going to let that mouse-brained fox kill you! Why, Dawnpaw, why!?" He yelled angrily. "Tigerpaw, please." Flamepaw hissed as she backed him up away from her sister. "Here, eat these." The orange medicine cat apprentice said as she padded to her storage and returned with herbs and berries in her mouth. She dropped them at Dawnpaw's paws and she looked down at them with distaste.