Story Part 16 *Is This How It Ends?*

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Lilypaw's cry pierced the air.
Snowstar slashed her attacker a final blow and leaped toward the cry. She seemed to fly through the air as she leaped over cats and foxes toward her daughter. I'm too late! she screamed in her head. Her paws landed. She leaped again, but the black fox's paw was coming down, claws flashing, toward Lilypaw's neck. Her heart sank.
Then a flash of flame and gray darted at the fox from opposite sides. The black fox howled in agony, and Lilypaw was able to scramble away to the safety of the medicine cat den. The two cats, who Snowstar had seen as the flash of flame and gray scrambled away from the black fox as it reared up, turned, and swiped at it, but the fox bowled them over and attacked another warrior. Snowstar was blocked by another fox and as the battle continued she lost sight of the black fox.
The battle continued for what seemed like forever to Snowstar. She saw a seemingly endless wave of scarlet foxes. The sky started to darken. Dark clouds covered the sun, blocking its rays. Snowstar heard thunder rumble in the distance. Then, a black shape came to the front of her mind. The black fox that had almost killed Lilypaw was there in front of her. Rage and anger blinded Snowstar for a second, but she shook it away and jumped in the air, skillfully avoiding a lunge. She landed on the fox's back and raked her hind claws down its spine. It howled, but then rolled over and crushed her against the ground. She pushed with all her might, and the fox gave way. She rolled out smoothly and quickly, landing on her paws once more. The fox struck like lighting, knocking her off her paws once more. Can I beat it? she wondered, then shook her head, Of course I can. I'm fighting for everyone. My kits, my Clan, and I have StarClan on my side.
She scrambled once more to her paws, this time she struck the fox like lighting. The fox staggered backwards a few paw-lengths, then braced itself and smirked, at least, she thought it looked like a smirk.
"You'll have to do much better than that to beat me," the fox spit.
"What?" Snowstar exclaimed. She had thought she had been doing very well.
The black fox didn't answer. It only struck her once more like lighting and she was swept off her paws. She began to get wearily to her paws once more, but a heavy weight on her chest stopped her. She tried to draw in a breath, but found hardly any air. A sneering face pushed against hers.
"You shouldn't have tried to fight us. You didn't stand a chance," the black fox spoke once more in cat tongue.
Snowstar gasped out an answer. "I - had - to....."
"You'll pay for it," The black fox's head lunged forward and met her throat.
Snowstar felt her body jerk, and she hurt like never before. She drew in a deep breath as the paw came off her chest, but that breath never left her. All she saw was darkness.

Story Part 15 *Attack*

Snowstar raised her head from her paws, and looked around. She was in the clearing of the FrostClan camp. Then she saw the eyes. She yowled, "Attack!" and leaped towards the attackers.
*                *                 *
Etharpaw and Eaglepaw loped steadily through the woods, with Lionflame and Ashfire following close behind them.
"Here's the path to the camp," panted Etharpaw. "I hope they're not in trouble."
The four cats picked up the pace and sprinted into the camp, which was in turmoil. The cats of FrostClan were fighting for their lives against more foxes than Etharpaw had seen in her whole life.
"The trouble!" yowled Lionflame. "We're too late!"
"No, the battle has just started, see. Hardly anyone has been wounded yet, foxes and cats. There's still time to help!" exclaimed Ashfire.
Both cats leaped into the battle, fighting fiercest of all. Etharpaw and Eaglepaw battled a huge fox together, slashing with their claws, steadily driving it backwards. Then Etharpaw leaped on it and raked  her claws down its back. The fox yelped and ran. Etharpaw leaped off and flung herself back into battle. This time she found herself battling next to Eclipsepaw. Together they drove that fox off too. Eaglepaw found himself battling besides Redforest. They too drove off their fox.
The masses of fighting cats and foxes parted, and Eaglepaw saw Lionflame knock a fox over in one blow before the gap closed in again. What power! No wonder we were sent to find them. Then he turned and leaped at another invader.
Winterpaw and Lilypaw were battling on the other side of the clearing together. They clawed and bit, but their attacker would not give in. Lilypaw gasped as she saw Ashfire bring down a fox in one blow.
"Who's that?" she asked her brother.
"No idea." he replied, panting. Then he saw Etharpaw and Eaglepaw. "Lilypaw! They've come back! Eaglepaw and Etharpaw!" He threw in a last swipe before the fox had finally had enough and ran.
Lilypaw turned and looked. Sure enough, Etharpaw and Eaglepaw were fighting on the other side of the camp. Suddenly a searing agony tore into her shoulder, and she collapsed on her back. She looked up and saw a huge black fox pinning her down. To her horror, it spoke.
"Resist and die!" the fox howled in her face, drawing back its paw to strike the death blow.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" she howled.

Story Part 14 *What's going on?*

"I hope Snowstar isn't too mad at us for leaving her without any clues of what we were doing or where we were going." meowed Etharpaw.
"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Eaglepaw. "She'll be so happy we're back and safe she won't care about that."
"If I were you, I wouldn't take my homecoming that lightly, Eaglepaw." Lionflame put in.
Ashfire nodded at his brother's words. "It will probably be a combination of both of what you said. Let's just follow your tracks home, he said. You don't know if your Clan is in trouble now, or will be later. It's best to get a move on."
The four cats padded out of the clearing and into the woods back toward the FrostClan camp.
*            *           *           *
~ In the FrostClan camp~

Snowstar looked around uneasily. She had this strange feeling that she was being watched. That everyone was being watched. It was making her skittish. She let her gaze slide around the perimeter of camp again. Nothing, nothing, still nothing, she thought. I'll go crazy if I keep thinking like this. If only the enemy or whoever it is would show their faces, then I would feel better. I can't fight an invisible enemy, after all.
"Is something wrong Snowstar?" asked Winterpaw.
"Yeah, you've been looking around uneasily forever!" added Lilypaw.
"I'm sure it's nothing you apprentices need to worry about." Snowstar meowed briskly. "Why don't you feed the elders?"
The apprentices sulked and looked at their paws.
"That's an ORDER!" she yowled at them.
Lilypaw and Winterpaw jumped. "Yes, Snowstar," they squeaked in unison.
"Gee," Winterpaw mewed through a mouthful of mouse. "Why was Snowstar so grouchy?"
"I don't know," answered Lilypaw as the reached the elder's den and set her squirrel down. "It seems she  has something on her mind."
"You're right!" exclaimed Winterpaw. "I wonder-"
"Are you two gonna keep on yapping the day away or give us our prey!" came a yowl from inside the elder's den.
Lilypaw sighed. "We'd better give Shortwhisker her prey, or she'll claw our ears off."
"And don't forget Dawnshadow and Leafdapple." mewed Winterpaw.
Together, they entered the elder's den.
"Finally," came the irritated voice of Shortwhisker. "I thought all the apprentices forgotten about us elders over here."
Leafdapple purred. "Don't mind Shortwhisker. She's always cranky, even when the apprentices are on time."
Winterpaw wondered how Leafdapple and Dawnshadow survived in the elder's den.
"She's not as bad as you think," meowed Dawnshadow, seeming to read Winterpaw's mind. She stood up and arched her back. "Just between you and me," she whispered in his ear, "She tells us all sorts of crazy stories about how she did this and that when she was younger. That makes it worth putting up with her sharp words."
"My ears were sharp enough to pick up what you said, Dawnshadow," Shortwhisker meowed, but with a humorous tone in her voice. "Oh, and I think I have a tick in my fur. Can one of you apprentices take it out?"
"Fine," meowed Lilypaw. There was no point in arguing.
When she came back, Winterpaw was no longer by the elder's den. She sighed. He must have left her to do all the work. She paused outside the entrance to the den, and heard the elder's talking.
"Have you seen how nervous Snowstar seems these days?" asked Dawnshadow. She had formerly been Snowstar's deputy, but then had decided to retire and had moved to the elder's den.
"Yes, I  have noticed also," mewed Leafdapple, the former medicine cat.
"She seem edgy," announced Shortwhisker. "I wonder what's up."
"Perhaps she got a message from StarClan warning her of danger," suggested Leafdapple.
"Or she is just worrying about her kits," snorted Shortwhisker.
"That's nothing to joke about. She's really concerned for their safety," meowed Dawnshadow.
"Her kits are apprentices. They can take care of themselves." Shortwhisker retorted.
"You don't understand," Leafdapple meowed patiently. "You've never had kits."
"Neither have you," meowed Shortwhisker, tail twitching. "Medicine cats aren't allowed to have kits."
"Ah, yes, but when I was medicine cat to this Clan, the whole Clan were my kits," Leafdapple purred.
"Yeah, Yeah." Shortwhisker sighed. "Apprentices these days, they never were this slow when I was young. They knew how to respect their elders. When is Lilypaw coming with that mouse-bile?"
Lilypaw walked in. She wordlessly dabbed the bile on Shortwhisker's tick, which fell off quickly after that. Then she left. The elders' conversation had given her much to think about.

4 New Apprentices

Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath IceRock for a Clan meeting!
Mistpaw, Mintpaw, Moonpaw, and Maskpaw, please step forward. I Snowstar, leader of FrostClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand uphold your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Mistpaw, Mintpaw, Moonpaw, and Maskpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect this Clan, even at the cost of your life?
"I do."
"I do."
"I do."
"I do."
Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your new name. Mistpaw, from this time forth you will be known as Miststream. Mintpaw, you will be known as Mintpelt. Moonpaw, you will be known as Moonfeather. Maskpaw, you will be known as Maskfur. May StarClan bless you all as warriors.
Miststream! Mintpelt! Moonfeather! Maskfur! Miststream! Mintpelt! Moonfeather! Maskfur!

Story Part 13 *Help Has Come*

The flame colored cat leaped at the fox, with the gray one on his heels. The fox took one look at the four hissing cats, and turned tail and ran.
"Phew!" exclaimed Eaglepaw. "That was way too close for comfort." he turned to the two cats who had just helped them. "Thank you," he said, dipping his head in respect. "I am Eaglepaw, and this is my sister, Etharpaw."
The gray cat turned to the flame colored one and nodded. "I am known as Ashfire, and this is my brother, Lionflame. We both had dreams that two cats who looked like you would find us, and we would help you. The only thing we don't know, is what we will help you do."
Etharpaw gasped. "My brother and I also had dreams that we would find two cats that looked like you."
"Then I guess we all should get going back to wherever it is that you two need help," meowed Lionflame.
Eaglepaw thought for a moment. "Okay. Etharpaw and I will take you to the FrostClan camp. Maybe by the time we get back, the Clan will know what the trouble is. Then you can help us."