Hemophobia

THE TRANQUILITY OF THE AIR
could not be any more perfect than it already was. A small breeze - nice and chilly with a tang of leaf-bare -, a gentle sunshine - warm and inviting -, and soft, crooning birds - calm and subtle yet lovely and enchanting.

Mossjump quickly followed the departing BrookClan border patrol. Her pawsteps were soft and quiet as if she was trying to not disturb the soothing mood hanging in the air. The patrol restlessly crossed countless streams, rivers, and creeks using stepping-stones, fallen trees, and the sheer power of their legs with a well-aimed kick-off from the dirt.

Mossjump slowly, unanimously floated to the lead of the unreasonably small patrol. She took to some stepping stones in front of her which crossed a furious river. Pawstep by careful pawstep, she silently jumped the stones with ease.

Mossjump's focus wandered to her peripheral when she reached the other bank. She found that the new apprentice - Rustpaw, who requested to join the patrol - was having some trouble with the slippery surface of the stones. She appeared to not be having severe troubles. Mossjump tediously hooked sticks with her transparent claws and sketched doodles in the dirt, strewn with twigs, leaves, moss, and clumps of soft soil.

Mossjump was distracted, she didn't notice the tail of the patrol reaching the bank where she sat. She jumped when they approached, whirling around and whipping her claws out to face her supposed attacker.

"Whoa whoa, easy there. No need for that just yet." Goldenpatch crooned.

Rustpaw hissed under her breath, "Save it for those EbonyClan idiots," which earned a well-aimed ear-cuff from Robinwing.

Robinwing huffed, "Let's just go. We're almost there."

The patrol trotted along Mossjump in silence. The formed a sharp triangle, with Goldenpatch in the lead. They looked like some cliche battle formation told in elder tales. The patrol broke up as a thick line of trees and undergrowth separated the two Clans. Past the trees lyed a small hilly terrain, which BrookClan lost to EbonyClan in a recent battle. They were still looking to take it back soon, only when they had recovered from internal issues.

The patrol began to quickly mark the border, uneasiness settling in as they drew closer and closer to enemy territory. EbonyClan was on edge, super sketchy. They had pointed out how BrookClan was so on edge two sunrises ago at the Gathering, they were clearly planning something. They also won the support of HollowClan and RubbleClan, deadly allies to the enemy Clan if it were to come to that.

The furious thundering of heavy pawsteps shook the cats. Their heads all simultaneously lashed over their right shoulder. A few cats stepped back in fear.

A furious batch of apprentices were beating down on the earth. One of them - the leader of the mock patrol - had an expression on his ugly face that could kill.

"Hey! What are you doing on our territory!" The "leader" furiously boomed.

"Thanks for noticing, bud, that we're still on our territory." Rustpaw sneered. Robinwing cuffed her ear again, muttering, "stupid medicine cat."

One of the older apprentices hissed.

"Our territory ends where you measly dung-balls are standing, bud." The older apprentice sneered.

Mossjump's eyes were wild, they were whipping back and forth in fear.

Were these cats going to fight over this! I didn't sign up for this!

"Creekpaw and Puddlepaw, ain't ya? The two dolts that started that fight at that gathering, huh?" Robinwing meowed bluntly.

"Yeah, and those stupid little RubbleClan cats learned their lesson after we got through with them," one of the younger apprentices in the back sneered.

"Will we have to do the same with you?" Another jeered.

Rustpaw's claws flashed out of their sheaths, and her lips curled back to reveal a menacing row of white teeth.

She growled through gritted teeth, "I'd like to see you try."

Mossjump longed to step in and break the fight, but they were on their own territory. These apprentices just mistook information on where their territory ended, it wasn't their fault. She prayed to StarClan that a fight didn't break out.

The BrookClan patrol wasn't seeking a fight, but the fact that apprentices we're trying to fight them was pushing them off the edge.

"Come on then. I'll give ya that unnecessary edge, your move first. I could slash through all four of you," Robinwing crouched down and curled his lips, ready to take on a lunging apprentice.

Creekpaw hissed and lunged. Robinwing casually rose to his full height and swung his sheathed paw, tossing the apprentice away like a fly. Creekpaw landed on his feet two tail-lengths away and hissed. His tail lashed back and forth faster than Mossjump could blink. Creekpaw lunged again, and this time Robinwing willingly took the blow. Creekpaw nailed Robinwing straight in the muzzle.

Robinwing returned the blow by swatting Creekpaw away again. This time, he slipped in another paw and raked it down Creekpaw's ears. The apprentice screamed in agony.

Mossjump shivered and shrank back at the sight of the red liquid trickling down the apprentice's ear as he crouched. She held her breath in and took a cautious step back, daring to not breathe in. She gave in, the pungent scent of blood filling her senses. She turned and felt her meal from the previous night threatening to spill. She frantically backed up into some brush, a good length away from the fight.

"STOP!" The cats stopped and turned their heads as a taut orange tom dashed across the small moor. His ears were pinned flat against his head and his whiskers were plastered against his face.

"What are you two idiots doing!!!" The tom roared.

The BrookClan warriors - and apprentice - locked themselves in place. They refused to move a muscle and let the tom handle the apprentices.

The tom was well-built, with strong muscles but not too hefty. His pelt was matted and dirty, with small burrs and patches of mud staining it from its crystal orange. His white muzzle was wildly patched with spots of dark brown and green, and his jagged dark stripes were torn by the grime of his pelt and the substances that invaded it. His jaw was locked, and he kept his ears pinned. His tail swished around wildly.

The tom furiously groaned.

"You....!! Ugh!!!!!" The tom was lashing his claws through the dirt.

"Back to camp, NOW!! You can explain your sorry selves to Swiftstar and we'll see if you come back after he's through with you!"

Goldenpatch hissed madly and pinned her ears.

"You EbonyClan cats need to learn how to control your stupid apprentices!"

Robinwing, who only suffered the most minor of scratches across his chest, huffed.

"Better take control of your apprentices. Teach them how to fight too while you're at it," Robinwing fluffed out the fur on his chest to display his "injury".

"Yeah yeah," the tom stuttered, "will do. Sorry about that."

Rustpaw snorted, "Just don't let it happen again, or else we'll put a claw through their head."

The tom looked at Rustpaw with a confused expression.

He must realize Rustpaw is the medicine cat apprentice.

"Yeah yeah, sure thing...... bye?" The tom stuttered slowly. The apprentices had already left, dashing off across the moor. By now, they were out of sight in the dark forest ahead. The tom awkwardly turned around and ran after them, his slender orange form vanishing out of sight shortly after.

The cats turned around quickly and began to walk back to camp. With every tense pawstep, Robinwing's scratch began to ooze a little blood. Mossjump lingered in the back of the patrol, jumping at every small sound that came from the surrounding earth.

Goldenpatch turned to the patrol when they reached the river where Rustpaw was having trouble. Robinwing was the first to speak.

"I would've shredded that little idiot's ears off if I had a second longer."

"I'm sure you would've, Robinwing," Goldenpatch rolled her eyes.

"Let's not tell the rest of the Clan. They've got enough to worry about anyways," Goldenpatch sighed, her gaze dropping to her feet.

"So that's how it's going to be then?" Rustpaw sneered, "We're going to hide a victory against a rival to our own clanmates? We've been trying to beat EbonyClan for moons, and we just got a step closer! Why would we not tell them!"

Goldenpatch let out a long sigh, "Yes.... Rustpaw. This is how it's gonna be."

~~

YEET! Okay, that chapter was a little too long, sorry about that. I was so excited to get this out!! I'm having so much fun writing this. The plot for this chapter was simple, but I expanded by lengthening it with details, but I'm super pleased with it. 1400 words, yeah!