Into The Wild

Firepaw retraced his steps and headed back toward the stream. He thought of those eyes burning from the darkness of the ShadowClan territory.

Suddenly he caught a faint smell on the breeze.

A stranger! Perhaps that ShadowClan warrior…

Instantly a growl rumbled in Firepaw’s throat. The scent message told him many things. The stranger was a she-cat, not young and definitely not from ThunderClan. She carried no distinct scent from any of the Clans, but Firepaw could tell she was tired, hungry, and sick, and she was in an ugly mood.

Dropping low, Firepaw moved forward, heading toward the scent. Then he paused in puzzlement. The warrior scent was fainter now. He sniffed again.

Suddenly, with a lightning movement, a snarling ball of fur burst from the bushes behind him.

Firepaw screeched in shock as the she-cat slammed into him, knocking him sideways. Two heavy paws clamped down onto his shoulders, and iron jaws closed around the back of his neck. “Murr-oww!” he grunted, already thinking fast. If the other cat were to sink its fangs too deep, it would all be over.

He forced himself to go limp, relaxing his muscles as if in submission, and let out a pretend howl of alarm.

The she-cat opened her mouth to give a triumphant yowl. “Ah, a puny apprentice. Easy prey for Yellowfang,” she hissed.

At the insult, Firepaw felt a surge of fury. Just wait. He’d show this coughed-up furball what kind of warrior he was! But not yet, he told himself. Wait until you feel her teeth again.

Yellowfang bit down. Firepaw surged upward with all the strength in his powerful young body. The she-cat gave a snarl of surprise as she was thrown clear. She tumbled backward into a gorse bush.

Firepaw shook himself. “Not such easy prey, huh?”

Yellowfang hissed defiance as she tore herself free from the clinging branches. “Not bad, young apprentice,” she spat back. “But you’ll need to do a lot better!”

Firepaw blinked when he saw his opponent clearly for the first time. The she-cat had a broad, almost flat face, and round orange eyes. Her dark gray fur was long and matted into smelly clumps. Her ears were torn and ragged, and her muzzle was traced with the scars of many old battles.

Firepaw stood his ground. He puffed out his chest and glared a challenge into the intruder’s face. “You’re in ThunderClan’s hunting ground. Move on!”

“Who’s going to make me?” Yellowfang drew back her lip defiantly, exposing stained and broken teeth. “I will hunt. Then I will leave. Or maybe I’ll just stay awhile…”

“Enough talk,” Firepaw spat, feeling the stir of ancient cat spirits deep inside him. There was no trace of the house cat in him now. His warrior blood was up. He was itching to fight, to defend his territory and protect his Clan.

Yellowfang seemed to sense the change in him. Her fierce orange eyes sparked with new respect. Dipping her head and breaking eye contact, she started to back off. “No need to be hasty, now,” she purred in a silky tone.

Firepaw wasn’t fooled by her trickery. Claws extended and fur on end, he leaped forward, his war cry ringing out: “Grr-aaar!”

With a hiss of rage the other cat responded. Snarling and spitting, young cat and old locked together. They rolled over and over, teeth and claws flashing. Ears pressed flat to his head, Firepaw fought to get a grip. But the she-cat’s clumpy fur snagged in his claws, and he couldn’t break through to skin.

Then Yellowfang reared up on her back legs. With her filthy tail bristling, she looked even bigger.

Firepaw sensed Yellowfang’s huge jaws lunging toward him. He leaned backward, just in time. Snap! Bared teeth closed on the air next to his ear.

Instinctively Firepaw lashed out with a backswipe. His paw caught the side of Yellowfang’s head. The force of it sent shock waves up his front leg.

“Yee-ow!” Stunned, Yellowfang dropped onto four paws. She shook her head to clear it.

In the single heartbeat before the she-cat recovered, Firepaw saw his chance. He threw himself forward, crouching low, and clamped his jaws tight on Yellowfang’s back leg. “Mur-ugh!” The taste of the matted fur was horrible, but he chomped down hard.

“Reow-ow-wow!” Yellowfang screamed in agony and whipped around to snap at Firepaw’s tail.

Her teeth connected and pain lanced up Firepaw’s spine, but it only made him angrier. He ripped his tail from his opponent’s grip, and lashed it back and forth in rage.

Yellowfang crouched, ready for a fresh attack. Her breath seemed to wheeze up from her foul-smelling lungs. The scent blasted Firepaw’s nose. Up close, the message of desperation and weakness, and the aching void of the she-cat’s hunger, was almost painful.