Fan Fiction ❯ Warriors Into the Tundra made from the Warrior book series ❯ The Raccoon ( Chapter 2 )

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A loud shriek made him see that Rainpaw had also checked out what was watching them. “Rainpaw what are you doing here? I thought you were going hunting.”
“ Yah I was going to go hunting when I smelled that stink of a crowfood, she hissed pointing at a brownish-gray creature with a dark mask over its eyes as well with stripes on it’s tail.
“It’s no cat or badger that’s for sure” Cheetahfur nodded he had never thought he would see the day when he would actually agree with Rainpaw. “Maybe it’s a mix of a cat and a badger, she laughed” Cheetahfur also laughed but he didn’t see how this large fluffy thing could even be related to a badger. “We need to get a better look at it,” she hissed getting ready to spring at it. “No”
“ You mouse-brain, growled Cheetahfur. “ We have no clue what that thing is and or can do. If you wish to die though I insist you go.” For once Rainpaw’s blue eyes were wide with fear as if she hadn’t known it could have been a fatal mistake. “Ok, she sighed , relaxing her shoulders.
“ Though you are a bossy furball I’ll listen to you. So don’t say anything you’ll regret!” She showed her claws as if giving a threat. “What are we going to do then. You aren’t just going to do nothing and let it eat us after all an owl will get you before you even get to that thing the speed your going!”
He halted. The scent of the creature had gotten closer to them. “Well, spat Rainpaw emptiness in her wide and fearful eyes? He followed the scent of the creature, his ears were alert in case it tried to ambush them. “Rainpaw you make sure you get back to camp, he hissed. “ I can’t just leave you when an innocent cat could die you mouse-brain,” she snapped. He realized that she meant him as the innocent cat. “ Besides why can’t you go and get help Cheetahfur?” He glared at her and enough to make her scramble up to where the path to the camp lied.
“ Why doesn’t she hurry,” he gulped trying to hid the fact of his fear-scent. Trying to be silent he glided over to where the scent had first been found. “It looked more like a cat then a badger,” he mumbled.
The scent smelled exactly like rotting flesh and also a strong scent of Twolegs cloaked the fur of the animal as well. “So, whatever it was, was probably a dog that the Twolegs left,” he whispered.
Wait why would Twolegs leave their dogs in the forest at night. It had to be something the clan had never seen before for even Rainpaw fear had overwhelmed her.
It was half the size of a badger but almost twice the size of a cat. What could it possibly be?
Fear hit him like a streak of lightning. Was it possible he was getting himself into danger as well as the clan for trying to find the creature to see the truth. “Hurry Rainpaw,” he growled padding silently toward the river once more. “Odd”
“ Why would it stop near a tree? Was it a badger then since they have been known to dig burrows near trees in forests.” The sound of his heart pounding was the only thing he heard and he hoped that the creature didn’t also hear it for his fear was overcoming him once more. If he ran through the forest it could pick him off then kill him right in the spot. A loud hissing like sound made his ears prickle. The creature he had been looking for stood a few fox-lengths away, it’s beady eyes filled with a murderous look.
Climbing down from the tree it’s claws left deep marks on the bark of the tree. It’s teeth shined as it curled it’s dark lips.
Cheetahfur couldn’t make out what it was saying even though he thought he heard the words crush, and run. The animal was unlike any badger he had ever seen it was walking on all fours a lot higher then a badger usually did but not half as wide as one.
Though he hated to admit it, a badger is more likely to kill a cat then run into this strange creature. It made a laughing sound then stood up on to only two legs. It couldn’t be a cat then if it could stand thought Cheetahfur.
He wished he hadn’t looked for the creature now because it now was hunting him down.
A small flash of white scrambled past him at first he thought it was just a hallucination but he saw that it was Rainpaw. Her eyes stared with hatred swarm. She went into a crouch then she leaped onto it.
The animal flashed its large claws at Rainpaw and her grip loosened.
Cheetahfur ran over to the animal as she had done. He could see that she was falling off of the creature. “What is that crazy furball thinking,” he snarled lashing his tail. “Rainpaw you idiot. What in Starclan’s name do you think your doing?”
The white apprentice landed on her feet, yet the dripping of scarlet drops covered the ground. Her flank left a large patch of red on her white fur. She tumbled to the ground in pain, her blue eyes wide with fear of what will happen next.
Cheetahfur hissed at the large creature. “No one hurts my clan mates. So prepare to die!” His spotted fur shined under the light of the moon. Cheetahfur leaped onto the animals back. Though he was surprised it was not too bigger then him.
His teeth gripped at it’s large neck, the fur was think and dirty. I mustn’t let go he thought to himself. Not if it kills me.
A blur of white headed in their direction yet he thought it might be Rainpaw once more. Turning his head he saw Rainpaw was on the ground, probably fainted from the pain of her injury.
“Skytail!”
“Is that you, he meowed?”
“ In the flesh kid, meowed Skytail, his chest hair fluffed out. I also brought Silverstorm and Moonbrook. The silver and pale cat looked like a blur to him know that he was loosing conciseness.
The last thing he heard was the sound the river and the breeze of the air and he fell and blacked out.

“Hmmm,” yawned Cheetahfur opening his eyes to realize where he was. “Are you ok Cheetahfur,” asked Meadowbrook the medicine cat. She stood over him prodding a huge amount of cobwebs onto his wound. “Your wounds are about as fatal as Rainpaw’s,” she mewed happily. Her blue eyes stared gently into his as if testing his feelings.
“Well that’s what you get for trying to kill a raccoon. “ A raccoon,” he repeated. “What is that?”
“ A raccoon is a deadly animal much like a badger but different. They sneak into Twoleg’s thrash at night and eat it. They never care what they eat as long as they can eat. Do you get what I am saying?”
“They can climb trees as well as cats, and probably better. Raccoons also wake up only at night to eat while they sleep at day.”
Cheetahfur snorted. “Their not so much like us if they only eat at night,“ he spat remembering the cold look of hatred from the raccoon last night. “I think their a shell of a badger, he hissed twitching his tail nervously.
“Here are some herbs to help with the healing of the wound as well as make it less painful, “ Meadowbrook purred giving a small sigh. “ Young Rapidwind’s pale kit has been named. They have named him Aquakit, for his gray fur and blue eyes. The other kit also has a name for she also opened her eyes yesterday. Her name is Lilacpaw for the beautiful fur and her dark blue eyes.”
“May I go and see the kits now,” asked Cheetahfur trying to ignoring the pain they gave him. “Yes but first eat your herbs. For I must also give some to Rainpaw,” she sighed.”
“Rainpaw”
“Is she alright?”
He was worried though he still thought she could have dealed without trying to kill the raccoon. “Well may I check on Rainpaw then, he asked?”
“Sure I guess,” mewed Meadowbrook pointing her tail at the herbs before she left him. His eyes looked at the herbs that sat on his paw.
Biting each herb left a foul taste to his mouth. His eyes watered at the taste of the bitter herbs.
He got up from his nest in the medicine cat’s den. Looking around the den he noticed that Rapidwind’s kit Lilackit was curled up in a reed filled nest, her fur lay flat.
“Lilackit are you ok?”
“She will be fine,” meowed a voice. “At least that was what Meadowbrook said when she took her from me last night to check for ticks.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Rapidwind,” Cheetahfur whispered as he looked at the soft scrap of fur sleeping in front of him. “I hope she will be alright.”
“May the best of wishes and the hope of Starclan go with you today,” purred Rapidwind. She gave his ear a quick lick then turned to face the small kit she had dropped to watch Lilackit. “Be still young Aquakit,” she mewed curling her tail around the kit.
Before Cheetahfur left he stared at the young kit, it’s blue eyes closed as it nuzzled it’s mother’s warm milk. The scent of the kit made him feel better then the herbs, though he was no medicine cat he felt the pain other cats did as well as the pain of battle and Twolegs and their monsters.
There was no end to strange ways the Twolegs drove around in shiny monsters, walking dogs with a long vine like thing, and worst keeping cats as kittypets. Feeding them crowfood and touching their large paws to the cats they had called pets. Cheetahfur shook the thought out of his head after all he was part Thunderclan the thought clung to his fur as he remembered his mother was a Riverclan cat and his father a no good Thunderclan cat, though it was Shadowclan he hated he couldn’t help but feel sorrow for his father having to be far away from him in the other clan.
He was much stranger then any Riverclan cat since Leopardstar, the painless leader who allowed Tigerstar to control her own clan for longer then a moon. Firestar another cat who had been leader at the time was a young and noble leader for he had been a Thunderclan cat, he also had been a kittypet as well.
The cats all loved Firestar and though he was a kittypet he was one of the greatest leader of all time. Cheetahfur sighed the leader he had was Bronzestar, she also had looked like Firestar at some times but her small size made Firestar look twice as big.
What was to come to the forest now that the powerful Starclan was not specking to them. Meadowbrook had refused to say anything when her leader had commanded it. Did it mean something horrible was about to happen or was it just that she had nothing to say?
Either way he found it had to be alone without hardly any friends then to have no hope.
His paw steps echoed as he padded over to where the young white apprentice slept deep in thought. “Rainpaw are you ok?”
The apprentice opened her eyes, then shook her head. “What do you mean am I ok,” she hissed looking into his eyes?
“Well you fainted in the battle with that raccoon,“ he sighed relieved that she was ok after the large injury she had received. “I’m fine, why do you look so worried,” she mewed glaring at him as she started licking her white fur.
“Well you are my clan mate, even though you are annoying we need to be able to trust each other, he meowed distraught filled her eyes. “What do you mean by that Cheetahfur,“ she asked? “I mean I can trust you when your not being a bossy mean furball. But I know you are really dependable at sometimes and well I guess you were right to worry about me. After all that bonk on the head must had made me forget what I felt like in the battle.”
Cheetahfur nodded. For once she wasn’t so hard to understand. Her tail touched the tip of his nose. “Beside you still can’t catch me,” she laughed biting down into the herb that lay beside her. “And your fishing still stinks,” he mewed back in defense.
“That’s all you can come up with?”
“Yes,” he growled back agitated. Her eyes stared in confusion then her face brightened.
“I see someone’s grown up.”
He hissed at her. “Yah, and someone still needs to grow up.”
She batting his ear with her paw then she bit the rest of her herb and swallowed it. She got up and arched her back.
“Well I better go and find Silverstorm and than him for saving me last night.”
“ By the way,“ Cheetahfur.
“ I have yet to thank you as well for saving me.”
She ran off the nest and ran out of the den, she energy slowly gained by each second.
“Young ones today,” laughed Rapidwind licking Lilackit with her long pink tongue.
“Well I better get going Rapidwind, he purred pausing once more to look at the two kits once more. “I better get going now”
“Yes it is getting late, you slept in so late, but I guess it was for the better after all you were injure,” mewed Rapidwind glancing away from her kits.
Cheetahfur shook his head then stalked away from the medicine cat’s den his fur bristled at the sight of the clouds covering the setting sun.
“Well look it’s the stupid furball himself,” laughed Tallfoot his head held high. “You’re a real sight for sore eyes,” he purred giving his friend’s ear a small nip.
“What do you want know,” growled Cheetahfur. “Well did you know today when I was on patrol, Tallfoot purred? Cheetahfur shook his head. No, I don’t know what happened today. What? Was it that stupid raccoon again?”
His friend let out a loud purr laughter. “No, no, no. That’s not it at all. I was creeping over by Windclan territory and I caught one of those fleabags trying to steal our fish. Me and Silverstorm along with Sepiaclaw slashed their ears off then they ran, tail between their legs back into their own territory, he laughed.”
“Oh, how interesting, snorted Cheetahfur mad he missed the excitement. “What is wrong with you today, growled Tallfoot his eyes wide with confusion. “You usually love to hear my stories. What are you so worried about anyway?”
Cheetahfur shook his head and glanced at the sun once more barely in sight. He took a deep breath then padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Tallfoot followed his eyes wandered around a group of cats he passed.
“Silverstorm is always so nice since his kits are doing so well,“ mewed Tallfoot glaring at the older warrior. “What do you mean by that,” spat Cheetahfur. “All cats are proud to have their own kits. Including others from different clans.”
He sat down beside Rainpaw and Bramblefur. There pelts touched each others fur. Tallfoot halted and sat down beside him next to Bramblefur. Rainpaw bite down hard into her small piece of prey. Bramblefur did the same with his large rabbit he shared with his mate Moonbrook. Moonbrook shyly bite down on the rabbit then gave her mate a quick lick.
Cheetahfur looked away and finished his mouse. Rainpaw stared blankly at him and Tallfoot. “Why are you so silent? Are you feeling alright Cheetahfur?”
Her eyes seemed to touch Cheetahfur but he didn’t reply all he did was look down at his paws.
Tallfoot shook his head to answer Rainpaw’s question then she got up and whispered something into his ear. He did the same back.
Cheetahfur got up from where he stood then padded over to the shady marsh where they slept. He curled up in his nest then tried to close his eyes to go to sleep.