B E F O G G E D // Warriors

/ ii. /

Hemophobia

THE TRANQUILITY OF THE AIR
could not be any more perfect than it already was. A small breeze - nice and chilly with a tang of leaf-bare -, a gentle sunshine - warm and inviting -, and soft, crooning birds - calm and subtle yet lovely and enchanting.

Mossjump quickly followed the departing BrookClan border patrol. Her pawsteps were soft and quiet as if she was trying to not disturb the soothing mood hanging in the air. The patrol restlessly crossed countless streams, rivers, and creeks using stepping-stones, fallen trees, and the sheer power of their legs with a well-aimed kick-off from the dirt.

Mossjump slowly, unanimously floated to the lead of the unreasonably small patrol. She took to some stepping stones in front of her which crossed a furious river. Pawstep by careful pawstep, she silently jumped the stones with ease.

Mossjump's focus wandered to her peripheral when she reached the other bank. She found that the new apprentice - Rustpaw, who requested to join the patrol - was having some trouble with the slippery surface of the stones. She appeared to not be having severe troubles. Mossjump tediously hooked sticks with her transparent claws and sketched doodles in the dirt, strewn with twigs, leaves, moss, and clumps of soft soil.

Mossjump was distracted, she didn't notice the tail of the patrol reaching the bank where she sat. She jumped when they approached, whirling around and whipping her claws out to face her supposed attacker.

"Whoa whoa, easy there. No need for that just yet." Goldenpatch crooned.

Rustpaw hissed under her breath, "Save it for those EbonyClan idiots," which earned a well-aimed ear-cuff from Robinwing.

Robinwing huffed, "Let's just go. We're almost there."

The patrol trotted along Mossjump in silence. The formed a sharp triangle, with Goldenpatch in the lead. They looked like some cliche battle formation told in elder tales. The patrol broke up as a thick line of trees and undergrowth separated the two Clans. Past the trees lyed a small hilly terrain, which BrookClan lost to EbonyClan in a recent battle. They were still looking to take it back soon, only when they had recovered from internal issues.

The patrol began to quickly mark the border, uneasiness settling in as they drew closer and closer to enemy territory. EbonyClan was on edge, super sketchy. They had pointed out how BrookClan was so on edge two sunrises ago at the Gathering, they were clearly planning something. They also won the support of HollowClan and RubbleClan, deadly allies to the enemy Clan if it were to come to that.

The furious thundering of heavy pawsteps shook the cats. Their heads all simultaneously lashed over their right shoulder. A few cats stepped back in fear.

A furious batch of apprentices were beating down on the earth. One of them - the leader of the mock patrol - had an expression on his ugly face that could kill.

"Hey! What are you doing on our territory!" The "leader" furiously boomed.

"Thanks for noticing, bud, that we're still on our territory." Rustpaw sneered. Robinwing cuffed her ear again, muttering, "stupid medicine cat."

One of the older apprentices hissed.

"Our territory ends where you measly dung-balls are standing, bud." The older apprentice sneered.

Mossjump's eyes were wild, they were whipping back and forth in fear.

Were these cats going to fight over this! I didn't sign up for this!

"Creekpaw and Puddlepaw, ain't ya? The two dolts that started that fight at that gathering, huh?" Robinwing meowed bluntly.

"Yeah, and those stupid little RubbleClan cats learned their lesson after we got through with them," one of the younger apprentices in the back sneered.