won’t leave you!” Jaypaw yowled. “I can fight!”
He heard the clack of teeth as the fox snapped at Brightheart. She hissed, her paws skidding as she dodged.
The fox’s pained screech told Jaypaw that she had caught it with a claw as it had lunged past.
A rush of air tugged his fur as the fox darted past him. He twisted, claws unsheathed, and prepared to lunge forward. The fox was scrabbling to turn on the slippery leaves for another attack. Jaypaw leaped, spitting, but something tugged him back.
His tail was caught in a bramble bush! He collapsed on the ground, dragged back by the thorns. A heavy paw landed on his back, knocking the wind from him. The fox had thundered straight over him, heading once more for Brightheart.
The one-eyed warrior screeched, anger and fear com-bined, and Jaypaw froze with terror.
Then he heard Thornclaw’s yowl only rabbit-lengths away.
The patrol had come!
The air filled with the battle cries as warriors and apprentices streamed into the clearing, ears flattened and claws unsheathed. The fox let out an angry yelp and raced into the trees, with Dustpelt and Hazelpaw pounding after it.
Jaypaw struggled to his paws, yanking his tail to unsnag it from the bramble bush.
“Jaypaw!” Poppypaw was at his side. “Are you okay?”
He wrenched his tail free with the sound of ripping fur.
“I’m fine!” he snapped.
“Did the fox hurt you?” Brightheart called.
Jaypaw was relieved to hear his mentor. He smelled no blood on her, and her voice was strong. The fox had not wounded her.
“Don’t tell me you tried to fight the fox?” Thornclaw demanded. “You should have run for help!”
“I couldn’t leave Brightheart alone with it,” Jaypaw objected.
“I thought you would have learned by now that you’re no match for a fox!” Thornclaw growled. Jaypaw curled his lip but said nothing.
“Is your tail okay?” Poppypaw asked sympathetically.
Jaypaw lashed it over the leaf-covered ground, ignoring the pain of the thorns still stuck in it. “It’s fine,” he muttered.
The whole patrol must have seen him struggling like a helpless kit, defeated by a bramble bush. A hot wave of embarrassment washed over him from nose to tail.
“Will Dustpelt and Hazelpaw be all right?” he asked.
“They’ll chase the fox away from the camp,” Thornclaw told him. “I don’t think it’ll turn on them. Not after the fright we gave it.”
“We should get Brightheart and Jaypaw back to camp and send a patrol after them,” Poppypaw suggested.
“Good idea,” Thornclaw agreed.
The rain eased as dusk began to chill the air. Jaypaw lay pressed into the same sheltered clump of grass where Brightheart had taken him that morning. He had wanted to be alone, and the thorny wall of the warriors’ den hid him from the rest of the camp. But now Lionpaw had returned with Ashfur; he could hear them in the center of the clearing.
“Where’s Jaypaw?” Lionpaw sounded worried.
Hollypaw answered from outside the medicine cat’s den.
“I haven’t seen him, but Brightheart’s back. He must be in the camp.”
“Shall we ask her where he is?”
Jaypaw didn’t want Brightheart to tell them what an idiot he had made of himself today. He slipped out and headed Hollypaw and Lionpaw off at the fresh-kill pile.
“There you are!” Hollypaw called.
“Hi,” Jaypaw muttered. He padded past them and pulled a mouse from the top of the pile.
Hollypaw followed him and picked up a sparrow. She dropped it on the ground next to Jaypaw while Lionpaw rooted among the prey until he found the fresh-smelling body of a vole. “I caught this myself!” he announced proudly, tossing it onto the ground beside Hollypaw.
“You caught prey on your first day?” Hollypaw sounded impressed.
“Well,” Lionpaw admitted, “Ashfur spotted it and showed me how to stalk it.”
“He probably held it down for you to finish off,” Jaypaw growled.
There was a moment’s silence; then Hollypaw brushed her
He heard the clack of teeth as the fox snapped at Brightheart. She hissed, her paws skidding as she dodged.
The fox’s pained screech told Jaypaw that she had caught it with a claw as it had lunged past.
A rush of air tugged his fur as the fox darted past him. He twisted, claws unsheathed, and prepared to lunge forward. The fox was scrabbling to turn on the slippery leaves for another attack. Jaypaw leaped, spitting, but something tugged him back.
His tail was caught in a bramble bush! He collapsed on the ground, dragged back by the thorns. A heavy paw landed on his back, knocking the wind from him. The fox had thundered straight over him, heading once more for Brightheart.
The one-eyed warrior screeched, anger and fear com-bined, and Jaypaw froze with terror.
Then he heard Thornclaw’s yowl only rabbit-lengths away.
The patrol had come!
The air filled with the battle cries as warriors and apprentices streamed into the clearing, ears flattened and claws unsheathed. The fox let out an angry yelp and raced into the trees, with Dustpelt and Hazelpaw pounding after it.
Jaypaw struggled to his paws, yanking his tail to unsnag it from the bramble bush.
“Jaypaw!” Poppypaw was at his side. “Are you okay?”
He wrenched his tail free with the sound of ripping fur.
“I’m fine!” he snapped.
“Did the fox hurt you?” Brightheart called.
Jaypaw was relieved to hear his mentor. He smelled no blood on her, and her voice was strong. The fox had not wounded her.
“Don’t tell me you tried to fight the fox?” Thornclaw demanded. “You should have run for help!”
“I couldn’t leave Brightheart alone with it,” Jaypaw objected.
“I thought you would have learned by now that you’re no match for a fox!” Thornclaw growled. Jaypaw curled his lip but said nothing.
“Is your tail okay?” Poppypaw asked sympathetically.
Jaypaw lashed it over the leaf-covered ground, ignoring the pain of the thorns still stuck in it. “It’s fine,” he muttered.
The whole patrol must have seen him struggling like a helpless kit, defeated by a bramble bush. A hot wave of embarrassment washed over him from nose to tail.
“Will Dustpelt and Hazelpaw be all right?” he asked.
“They’ll chase the fox away from the camp,” Thornclaw told him. “I don’t think it’ll turn on them. Not after the fright we gave it.”
“We should get Brightheart and Jaypaw back to camp and send a patrol after them,” Poppypaw suggested.
“Good idea,” Thornclaw agreed.
The rain eased as dusk began to chill the air. Jaypaw lay pressed into the same sheltered clump of grass where Brightheart had taken him that morning. He had wanted to be alone, and the thorny wall of the warriors’ den hid him from the rest of the camp. But now Lionpaw had returned with Ashfur; he could hear them in the center of the clearing.
“Where’s Jaypaw?” Lionpaw sounded worried.
Hollypaw answered from outside the medicine cat’s den.
“I haven’t seen him, but Brightheart’s back. He must be in the camp.”
“Shall we ask her where he is?”
Jaypaw didn’t want Brightheart to tell them what an idiot he had made of himself today. He slipped out and headed Hollypaw and Lionpaw off at the fresh-kill pile.
“There you are!” Hollypaw called.
“Hi,” Jaypaw muttered. He padded past them and pulled a mouse from the top of the pile.
Hollypaw followed him and picked up a sparrow. She dropped it on the ground next to Jaypaw while Lionpaw rooted among the prey until he found the fresh-smelling body of a vole. “I caught this myself!” he announced proudly, tossing it onto the ground beside Hollypaw.
“You caught prey on your first day?” Hollypaw sounded impressed.
“Well,” Lionpaw admitted, “Ashfur spotted it and showed me how to stalk it.”
“He probably held it down for you to finish off,” Jaypaw growled.
There was a moment’s silence; then Hollypaw brushed her
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