Foxpaw awoke misty-eyed and confused. He was laying in a forest clearing, and it worried him. Am I in StarClan? he thought with unease. In a moment's time he realized that he knew this place and his anxiety faded. The clearing was on the way to the small stream where he had been last night! He looked around him. There was no wind, and the trees were silent, but the sound of chirping birds began to fill the crisp morning air. The dawning sky had just begun to shine light upon the forest. He got to his feet slowly and carefully. He noticed his wounds didn't hurt much, his body only ached, but to his dismay the wounds were still visible. He groaned. "How am I going to explain this to Dawnstar...or Dovepaw for that matter!?" he grumbled. A voice echoed inside his head, the voice of Maboroshi. Zephyire. The Cursed have healed you, and you owe them your very life. You will meet us in three sunset's time at moonhigh. Come to us at the same stream where you met your fate the last night...
When the voice faded from his mind, shivers went down Foxpaw's spine. It puzzled him how the familiar voice could sound so...threatening. He then trekked on through the forest, trying to think of how he would explain his wounds to the Clan. As he approached the camp, an idea crept into his mind. By now, the Clan was just starting to awaken, sky slowly brightening around them. He began to limp a little, padding lightly and weakly. The cats just exiting their dens turned their heads and their attention to his act. Dawnstar rushed from her den suddenly.
"Foxpaw, what happened to you!" she demanded, concerned. He gasped, playing up his injuries.
"I...I-I was atacked by a huge fox when I went out for a walk last night. It had wounds all over its body and looked enraged!" he yowled, acting like it pained him to talk about it.
"Oh! That must've been the fox Dovepaw fought last night!" a Clan member mewed from the crowd. Dawnstar nodded.
"I will lead a patrol to search for this fox, any cat wishing to come, gather around Shadowfang. She will choose who will go" the Leader ordered.
When the commotion died down, Foxpaw began to pad to the Apprentice's Den for a good rest. When he entered the Den however, Dovepaw was glaring at him fiercely. "Your injuries...are the same ones I gave the fox..." she whispered, a little upset. "I don't look like a fox, do I?" he snorted nervously. Dovepaw seemed to pick up on this. She twitched her ears.
"Actually, you kind of do" she pointed out matter-of-factly. He felt a rush of panic as she studied him.
"Assuming this, what are you trying to prove? It's silly!" he mewed defensively, though it came off harsher than he expected. Dovepaw was stunned.
"Maybe...you're right. I said something I shouldn't have. I just... I really care about you!" she cried out, then took off, running as fast as she could from the camp. Now Foxpaw was the one who was stunned. After he recovered, he took off after her, as fast as he could manage without reopening his wounds.
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