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(A/N)Sorry about not posting for a while! Enjoy!

"Hawkstrike? Hawkstrike!" The tortoiseshell gasped. The DawnClan warrior stood menacingly before her, his breathing heavy and labored. A long, bloody cut ran from his shoulder to his paw. "I'm so sorry, Hawkstrike-"

"It's fine." He hissed.

"Listen, Hawkstrike." Lionfang slowly crept up to the cat. "She didn't know it was you, ok? Now, let's get back to camp, and-"

"I just want to know what she is doing here." He growled, turning to the trembling warrior. Minnowsplash shrank back, her ears flattened against her head. The she-cat had a few small cuts on her belly, and one large cut curving over her nose.

"She's a friend." The tortoiseshell mewed nervously, trying to meet Hawkstrike's amber gaze.With a gulp, the DawnClan warrior shrank back. "She wanted to know how Icepaw was doing."

"A pretty suspicious thing to do if you ask me." Mothpaw smiled smugly, nudging Swiftpaw. The tabby apprentice's eyes were glazed over, as if he was in his own little world.

"Swiftpaw!" Mothpaw swiped at her friend, causing Swiftpaw to jump back in surprise. The apprentice shook his fur and narrowed his eyes at Mothpaw.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble." Minnowsplash started back into the brush, but Hawkstrike hissed at her.

"You need to be taught a lesson," He unsheathed his large claws and turned towards Minnowsplash. "Don't ever come so close to our border again-"

Hazelflight's heart started to pound in her chest. She couldn't let him hurt Minnowsplash, but she didn't want to betray her own Clanmates. She cast a worried glance over at Lionfang, but the large warrior had a conflicted look on her face. Their apprentices would be no help either-Mothpaw would never trust a ShadeClan warrior and Swiftpaw seemed to be lost in his own world.

"Hawkstrike..." Hazelflight mewed softly, stepping towards the large cat."Minnowsplash wasn't doing anything wrong. If you want to blame any cat, blame me, ok-" A loud, ear-piercing scream came from the tree tops. The tortiseshell's fur stood on end, and she could feel her heart stop as fear and alertness surged through her paws.

"Hazelflight, what was that?!" Mothpaw shrank back in between the warrior's legs. Hazelflight could tell that the apprentice was trying to look brave, but her flattened ears and tucked-in tail betrayed her.

"AIIIEEEEE-" A black and orange blur fell from the tree, latching onto Hawkstrike's back. The crimson cat yowled, slamming his attacker against a tree. The small animal dropped off the warrior's fur, landing with a small thump on the ground. As the cat stood up and shook his fur, Hazelflight recognized the attacker. As an audible gasp escaped her fangs, she leaped in between Hawkstrike and the small cat.

"Berry!" The she-cat hissed, her voice tinged with surprise. The former loner wasn't supposed to be out of camp. "What are you doing!"

"Icepaw and I are out collecting herbs for Blazepool." Berry replied nonchalantly. "I heard you guys yowling. So, I came over."

"So I guess Blazepool's got another apprentice?" Lionfang purred. The tiny cat shook his head.

"Nah," He replied. "Just 'helpin out." In a flash, Hawkstrike shoved himself in between the two, his lips curled into a snarl.

"I knew we made a mistake when Snowstar allowed you to stay," He growled.

"Yeah!" Mothpaw yowled in agreement, but was silenced by a quick glare from her mentor.

"Listen, rouge." Hawkstrike growled. "Go back to collecting weeds or whatever." He flicked his ears. "And leave us be."

"Good riddance!" Mothpaw laughed.

"I'm glad he's gone." Hazelflight scowled at her apprentice. How could she be so abrasive and insolent? Her mother, Silverfur, was kind and sweet-maybe she had picked up something from the new queen, Brambleflower.

"I guess we should say goodbye to you as well, Minnowsplash-" Hazelflight turned to look at the silver she-cat, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"She went into that bush a while ago." Swiftpaw yawned, lazily blinking his eyes.

"Ugh, well that's just great." Hawkstrike hissed, lowering his head. Turning back to look at his fellow warriors, he whipped his tail back and forth. "Are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah..." Hazelflight mewed nervously. She trotted after the large black cat, her tail tucked between her legs. They wove through the long ferns, following the scent trail back to camp. Every few fox-lengths, the tortoiseshell would turn back to her apprentice and whisper advice, pointing out scent-markers or good hunting spots. As they reached the camp, Hazelflight could hear the calming sounds of her Clanmates going about their business.

"Snowstar needs to know about this." Hawkstrike hissed, whipping his tail back and forth.

"I'll go," Hazelflight volunteered. Hawkstrike cast a curious glance towards the she-cat, but remained silent.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Hazel?" Lionfang asked. Nudging her friend aside, Lionfang hissed, "What has gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" Hazelflight answered innocently.

"You know!" Lionfang huffed. With an annoyed sigh, she continued. "You usually would rather swim than face Snowstar!"

"Well, I mean, it's fine, I'm not-well, we're not-"

"It's just so, not you!" Lionfang's voice sounded more amused. "Besides, even if you did confront him, you would probably say something stupid."

"I would not!" Hazelflight retorted.

"I GOT IT!" The huge tabby yowled suddenly. "I know why you're acting like this!"

"Oh really?" The bob-tailed warrior rolled her dull green eyes.

"You have a crush on Hawkstrike!" As her friend spoke, Hazelflight could feel her face getting warm. She didn't have a crush on Hawkstrike! How could Lionfang accuse her of having one! Then again, the way his jet black fur swayed in the wind, and how his light brown eyes glowed under the sun...
Ugh, what am I doing?
I'm acting like a love-stricken apprentice!

"Hey!" Hawkstrike mewed, his voice heavy with boredom. "Are you two done yet?" With a nod, Hazelflight slunk over to the handsome tom and began to walk with him towards Snowstar's den.

"So..." The sleek warrior mewed softly, her eyes focused on her paws. She quickly glanced up at the black tom, but averted her eyes back towards the ground. "How was your day?"

(A/N) Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter of Journey of Four! Please comment and vote :3