"Skypaw? Skypaw? Wake up!" Thrushpaw prodded Skypaw gently.

"Huh? Wha-- Oh, what is it, Thrushpaw?" Skypaw mumbled hoarsely, slowly blinking up at her friend, then closing her eyes again.

"Ashpelt wants you and me for a dawn patrol."

"Dawn patrol? It's nearly moonhigh, Thrushpaw!"

"Moonhigh? Skypaw, are you all right?" Moonhigh was hours ago, and the sun was clearly shining, casting a relaxing reflection on the pond in the center of the CloudClan camp.

Skypaw then blinked open her eyes and looked up at her best friend, then the dawn sky. "Oh no. I'm sorry. It's just, I had that dream again."

"You've been having that dream for several nights now. No wonder you let that squirrel go when it was practically jumping into your paws yesterday at hunting. Maybe you should talk to Snowstar about it. It could be an omen, you know. And I can go tell Ashpelt you can't go on the patrol, if you'd like." Snowstar was the great, leader of CloudClan. He was bound to do something about the strange dream Skypaw was having over and over again. If the dream kept coming, it must be something StarClan are concerned about for the clan.

"No, that's all right, Thrushpaw. I'm coming," Skypaw mewed as she got up and stretched in her nest.

The two apprentices headed toward the camp entrance, where Ashpelt was waiting. "Ready?" the warrior mewed as they greeted him. The two apprentices nodded and made out of the camp, into the rich, fresh forest. Ashpelt renewed the scent-markings while the she-cats scented for anything curious.

"Thrushpaw... do you... do smell that?" Skypaw mewed to Thrushpaw quietly.

Thrushpaw stuck her tongue out and scented the air for a few moments. Briefly after, she mewed, "No, I don't smell anything. Why?"

"I'm not sure what it is... I'ts unfamiliar. I'll tell Ashpelt." She headed to where the gray warrior was sniffing a clump of bracken nearby. "Ashpelt?"

"Yes, what is it?" he answered.

"I've scented something farther up west. It's fresh, too. I'm not sure what it is, though. I've never smelled it before." At the mew of that, Ashpelt scented the air to investigate.

"Why, I do believe... oh StarClan, no."

"What is it?" Thrushpaw trotted up to where the others were.

"Fox. And it's near. Thrushpaw, go back to camp and fetch a couple more warriors. Hurry!" Thrushpaw immediately sprang off towards the camp, which fortuantly wasn't very far way. Moments later, she came hurrying back with Cloverheart and Thornfur by her side.

"Where's the fox?" Thornfur hissed as soon as they came to where Ashpelt and Skypaw were.

"Somewhere over there, I'm sure. Come on!" Ashpelt raced to where Skypaw scented the creature earlier. Once there, they looked around and spotted the fox crouched near a tree, sniffing for prey. "When I count to three, attack! 1... --" Ashpelt barely got to two when the fox looked up and spotted them. "Three! Now!" And the cats sprung into action, Thrushpaw scambling ontop of the enemy, Cloverheart nipping wildly at the tail. Skypaw had never encountered a fox before. She'd heard stories about them, and how they'd do some dirty work to a cat if one got in the way. She managed to bite down on the fox's ear, but that just made it jerk its head, throwing Thrushpaw off balance and tumbling to the ground. The fox went straight for Thrushpaw, and bit her at the shoulder. At that, Skypaw flung herself onto the fox and clawed at it until it let loose of Thrushpaw. "Thanks!" Thrushpaw panted quickly to Skypaw.  Skypaw began to lick the bite the fox gave on Thrushpaw's shoulder, it was indeed a nasty bite. Then, she heard a viscious screech from Thornfur, who was pinned to the floor by the fox. Ashpelt was clawing at the evil creature, desperately trying to jerk it away from Thornfur. The fox wasn't threatened by the gray warrior, it just kept nipping at Thornfur, who had a terrible bite mark on his flank. Skypaw took a break from caring for Thrushpaw's wound and pounced on top of the fox, and gave it a good scruff shake, and finally it let go of Thornfur, blinky dizzily. Cloverheart and Ashpelt then started clawing the fox, and at last, their enemy let out a howl of dislike, and raced into the forest, hopefully away from CloudClan territory.

"Thornfur! Are you all right?" Cloverheart panted, looking at Thornfur, trying to lick his awful wound on his back. "Go and see Leafear right away. Thrushpaw, you should probabaly go with him. Go on." Thrushpaw limped to Thornfur and the two padded uneasily to the camp to see the medicine cat, Leafear. 

"Are you both all right?" Cloverheart hissed. Skypaw and Ashpelt nodded.

"I'm going to go see to that the fox has gone. Cloverheart, come with me, in case," Ashpelt mewed to Cloverheart. "Skypaw, head back to camp and tell Oakfur what's happened." Skypaw padded back to camp, her tail stinging after the fox bit her.

She slid through the damp, gorse tunnel entrance and headed to find the CloudClan deputy, Oakfur.

"Oakfur!" She mewed to him as she approached the muscular, tabby tom near the warriors den.

"Skypaw, what in the name of StarClan happened?" He mewoed when he first saw her come up to him, bleeding. 

"Fox. Thornfur and Thrushpaw are wounded. We managed to drive it off, and Ashpelt and Cloverheart went to make sure the fox left our territory for good." She breathed, gasping for air all of a sudden.

"Fox? That's not good news! I'm sure you must have frightened it off, due to the fact that it had five cats battling against it. I hope-- Skypaw? Skypaw, are you all right?" Skypaw's breathing got heavier, and she found herself gasping for breath.

"Oakfur--" she tried to take a breath, but ended up collapsing onto the ground.

"Leafear! Come quick!" Oakfur yowled uneasily, shifting, not knowing what to do as the apprentice in front of him gasped for air.

StarClan, what's happening? I can't... can't breath! StarClan help me!  she sent a silent praire to StarClan, the great, warrior ancestors that have died, and are watching over every cat in the forest.

When Leafear didn't come within only a few seconds, Oakfur sprinted off to the medicine cat's den, yowling for Leafear. "Leafear," he gasped as he found the spotted tom treating Thrushpaw in his den, " come quick! Something's happening to Skypaw! She can't breathe! You must help!" Right away Leafear sprang up from Thrushpaw and grabbed some herbs, Coltsfoot and several poppy seeds, and dashed to where Skypaw was laying, gasping and shuddering. By the time he reached her, a crowd of warriors had formed, all crying and yelling worriedly. Leafear pushed through and vigorously chewed up the Coltsfoot, then prodded it into Skypaw's mouth. He rubbed her throat soothingly to help her swallow, and finally, it went down her throat. She gagged and gagged, and then lay panting on the ground, wide eyed. She shuddered and gently, Leafear pawed the poppy seeds to her mouth. She ate them, and then calmed down. Then, suddenly, all the warriors watching let out a relieved sigh and licked Skypaw as she rose, breathing.

Then, right when they all thought she would be fine, she collapsed and yowled, but her breathing was steady. She kept yowling and yowling, she sounded as if she was afraid something would get her.

No, please! StarClan! Help! What can we... can we do? She heard loud squawks and wings beating up in the air, it was just like her dream! The beasts gapping around in the air, it was horrible.

Moments later, her vision stopped and she stopped yowling and sprang up from where she was squirming. "I must see Snowstar! Now!" And she raced off, a panicked look on her face. Thrushpaw was right! This must be an omen from StarClan! Something dreadful will happen... I must tell Snowstar! she said under her breath as she made way for Snowstar's den. Everything that happened earlier that day, she ignored. She was too intent on this omen.

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