Chapter 14

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Moonfrost woke with a start, her mind fuzzy with sleep, and she looked around the chilled den, blinking sleep from her eyes, and struggled to her paws. Something wasnt right, but she didnt know what. But she barely made it a pawstep before sleep crashed down on her and she collapsed back into her nest, falling back into a deep sleep.

Waking finally, moonfrost jerked to her paws, panting, her belly growling. Te air was cold and stale, the scent of her clan faint.

It smells as if they hadn't been here for days... Three or four? Moonfrost's mind was fuzzy and confused. What is going on?

Struggling forward, she stumbled out of the warriors den, and sniffed the air. But the scent of the whole clan was faint. The freshkill pile was empty, other than an old thrush, well on its way to becoming crowfood.

Belly yowling with hunger, moonfrost stumbled forward, unsure of what was happening. She followed the faint scent of the clan, but lost the entire scent as soon as she left the camp.

Despair settled into her body. Where have they gone? Why did they leave me? Moonfrost whimpered, feeling lost.

Head low, she padded into the forest, sniffing for the scent of prey and her lost clan. No scent told her where the clan had gone, but before too long she had a squirrel and a vole, taking them down eagerly as gulping them down.

Raising to her paws, moonfrost eased back to the camp. Perhaps there was some disaster? How many poppyseeds did i eat? Moonfrost tried to remember, but her mind was still fuzzy. I knew something was going on! The clan was acting so strange...

Curling up in her nest, moonfrost fell into a uneasy sleep.

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Two nights and three days later, moonfrost shook her head, giving up her hopes of her clan coming back for her.

Padding into the forest, the scents of growing things, and prey was strong, the scent of cat was faint, if there at all.

Not paying attention, moonfrost padded along the familiar paths, her memories taking her back to her apprentice days, runnin through the forest with her sister, and her friends and other apprentices.

Sudden movement surprised her, and her head shot up, seeing a fox, its black nose pointed into the air, and its berry bright eyes eager as it sniffed the air, catching a scent.

Catching her scent.

Panic flared through her, and she turned to run, or climb a tree, but the fox was too quick. Its teeth sank into her tail, making her screech in agony. Twisting, moonfrost sank her claws deep into the fox's muzzle, and jerked her paw backward, ripping the skin.

It yelped and let go, shaking its muzzle, then jerks forward, snapping for her again. Springing backward, moonfrost just barely avoided a killing bite to her neck, and yowled a challenge.

She dashed to the side, and sprang onto its side, claws sinking deep into its tawny fur, and the fox yelped again.

"Not so easy prey, am i crowfood eating beast?" Moonfrost spat into the fox's ear, then sprang away, halfway up a tree, and climbed up as quick as she could, leaving the fox confused and looking around for her. Silently, she watched as the fox took off the way it had come.

Stalking along the branches, moonfrost ignored the pain in her tail, and the throbbing in her muscles. gasping, she made her way further along, jumping stiffly from branch to branch, wincing with every landing, and stalking on.

Before she knew it, her legs buckled under her as she sprang from one branch to another, sending moonfrost crashing down onto the forest floor with a yowl and a whimper.

Despair hit her like a heavy blow, and moonfrost closed her eyes, not wanting to get up. Rusting in the bracken ahead of her caused her to stir, and lift her head, trying to struggle to her paws.

A sharp pain in her ribs, and a pain in her foreleg and agony on her hind leg had her falling back onto the ground.

Helpless and wounded, moonfrost looked up, ready for a fox or badger to end her misery.

Gasping, she looked into the blue and green eye of a large tom with ginger spots.

"Great starclan! Your wounded! What on earth are you doin here on lionclan territory? No, better yet just hold on, ill take you to crimsonfeather. Im icefur by the way, now hold on." And with that, icefur heaved mmoonfrost's large body forward, and carried her away into the bushes.

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