Warriors #4: Darkness Awakens

Chapter 15

Swiftkit's POV

I was shifting from side to side in my nest in the medicine den as the sun slowly began to rise up in the sky and the stars slowly started to fade away.

It was the dawn after my fox attack yesterday. I had been in the medicine den all night, and I was exhausted.

But what's new?

I felt as if I had only slept for a couple of heartbeats, but I wasn't able to go back to sleep. My wounds were practically killing me, and I was also overwhelmed with frustration that I had failed in my mission.

The situation was still picture-perfect in my mind, and I felt a heaviness inside of me as it replayed each time.

After I had wandered deeper into the forest, I had managed to catch a weird scent that didn't smell like a cat at all - it was extremely strong, with a bitterness to it. I had followed it for an incredibly long time, having no idea where I was going or if I was even still within ThunderClan territory.

Eventually, out of the corner of my eye I had seen a flash of red, and I turned to see the huge fox sniffing around some shrubs.

Complete and utter terror had welled up inside of me, and I couldn't believe what I was about to do. Well, I questioned as to whether I was going to do it for a few heartbeats.

But then, Tigerstar's and Ashfur's words echoed in my mind once again. I was reminded of how much they were counting on me to prove myself, and show them that I was capable of anything that they could throw at me.

So, without having given it another thought, I ran towards the fox, attempting a battle cry.

The fox had whirled around to face me, showing its teeth and letting out a bone-chilling growl.

I had frozen in fear, my claws digging inside the earth.

Before I could even process anything, the fox had leaped at me and thrown me to the side, his large claws digging into my flank. I landed on my back, sliding across the dry earth.

I attempted to get up again, but before I knew it, the fox was on top of me again. It raked its claws into my side once again.

I had let out a screech of pain, and an adrenaline rush enabled me to finally stand up and scratch my smaller claws across the fox's face.

That had seemed to bring the fox to a rage that I hadn't even seen in a cat yet. It growled again and its muzzle attempted to snap at my head. Not being able to bear the danger I felt that I was in, I turned around and attempted to run away, but I felt the fox's hot breath on my bristled tail.

I still ran though. But unfortunately, I saw that I was running straight for a tree. I knew that if I turned to either side, the fox could easily trap me.

Trying to built up more courage, I turned on the fox once again, the tree right behind me. But I immediately cowered back in fear, my bristling fur touching the tree.

That is when, thank StarClan, Goldenshine and her patrol had found me, and had saved me.

Of course, at first, I was grateful, and I knew that I would not have made it without their rescue, but not too long after, anger had begun to creep up on me. I was upset that I had needed to be rescued. How would Ashfur feel if he saw that I needed saving from my mother?

Goldenshine had rushed me to the medicine den, and here I was again. All I had been thinking about was how angry I was that things had happened the way that they did, and how disappointed my Dark Forest mentors would be with me.