Smokepaw blinked open her eyes, confused at first. Sunlight reached in through the gaps in the reeds, cutting through and striping the den with light. The den still had a few apprentices sleeping, but many were gone. She sharply inhaled, scrambling to her paws. Sunrise patrol! I'm late! She darted out of the den, managing to step on a tail on her way out, her eyes desperately scanning for the patrol. They're gone...! The gray she-cat quickly passed through the entrance to camp, and she checked the air.

Several scents were fresh and hanging thickly at the camp's small opening. Dawn patrol, early risers, sunrise hunting patrols... one of the trails had to be her patrol, but she had no idea who was leading it or who was on it. I can scent Eelpaw..? Her eyes lit up. Eelpaw must've taken my spot on sunrise patrol. She paused, eyes looking down into the valley that spanned below. I can't remember the last day that wasn't jammed with training, patrols, and duties. Maybe... maybe I should just.... Smokepaw shook her head. No. I have a patrol to be on.

Without giving herself a second to reconsider, she started streaking through the lush RiverClan territory searching for the patrol.

It didn't take too long to find them, they had only just made it to the river. At the head of the patrol, Pearlfrost stood with his white tail high. Behind him were five other cats, plus Eelpaw. The white deputy raised a brow.

      "Smokepaw. Didn't expect you to be here; Eelpaw said you had other duties." His muzzle was strong, and his green eyes were hooded and piercing. His pelt was long, thick, and the color of snow. Eelpaw looked right to Smokepaw, eyes full.

      "Ah-- er.. cancelled." Pearlfrost purred.

      "Glad you could make it then. You didn't have to come; Eelpaw filled your spot for you." He continued checking the scents, the rest of the patrol fanning out along the river's edge to remark.

      "Yeah...," she narrowed her eyes in though. This is a huge patrol. And Pearlfrost is on it, that's strange, he's the deputy, he's rarely on patrols like thes-- oh. Oh. "Is this... this is where Finchwing's patrol got attacked, isn't it?" Smokepaw's eyes glossed over the neighboring territory. Tall oaks shaded it's contents, thick and overwhelmingly dense undergrowth covering anything that could be roaming it's grounds. Earth was turned up in patchy places, revealing rich soil and loose rocks. Pearlfrost gave her a look, breathing in deeply.

"Just a bit further up is the battle site."

"That's why this patrol is so beefed...," Eelpaw whispered in realization. "That's why you didn't want me to replace Smokepaw."

"Eelpaw, you should go back to camp. We have no idea if ThunderClan is going to pop out, we can't risk you getting hurt." Smokepaw meowed, standing straighter, senses suddenly much keener as she started paying more attention. The sleek black apprentice shook her head.

"No-- I'm nearly a warrior, I can take care of myself in a fight."

"ThunderClan nearly killed all the warriors on the patrol yesterday. They showed no mercy."

"Pearlfrost!" A tortoiseshell called from a bit ahead. The three looked up and down the river's edge. Newtstream, the tortoiseshell had wide eyes, her tail high. "Come look at this!" Smokepaw squinted, seeing a massive shape of something on the water. They made their way over, and her heart seemed to stop. Tree roots thickly intertwined and made their way across the river, providing a safe and sturdy bridge. ThunderClan scent was overwhelmingly dense, making her want to vomit.

"Wood elemental cats...," Pearlfrost's voice was barely over a whisper, his eyes instantly scrutinizing the woods. Wood element... that's an element of cat exclusive to ThunderClan blood.

"What do we do?" The other warriors on the patrol gathered around. Pearlfrost grimaced before swishing his tail.

"Eelpaw. Go back to camp and send word to Miststar. She'll get another patrol. Go, be fleet of foot." Eelpaw nodded sharply, and started off.

But then it happened.

The earth shook.

A straight line of an underground mount, like a molehill, ripped through, ending with a pillar of hard earth two tail-lengths high right in front of Eelpaw's nose.

"Ah. If she had run a little faster, it would've shot up right under her." Smokepaw whipped around to see a cat stalking out of the bushes on the ThunderClan side. Smokepaw's heart dropped. She looked to Pearlfrost, hazel eyes desperate. I've trained my whole life for this. I've been pushed beyond my limits just so I could be ready for this. I know I can do this. But... this guy isn't here to just give me a warmup. They're here to do real damage, to really kill me.

"Pearlfrost--" Smokepaw started, her eyes wide. He took a step, slightly shielding her and Eelpaw, his feathery white tail raising high.

"I remember you. You're at gatherings often; can't think of the name though...," Pearlfrost tipped his head up slightly, examining the pale brown she-cat.

"Mm. Maybe you'll know it once you have to report who killed your apprentices," the brown she-cat brought her paw up, striking the earth. Pearlfrost swiftly side-stepped, his eyes meeting Smokepaw's with a knowing sharpness. Do it.

      Adrenaline flooded her, pupils turning to slits. She could see the mound crushing through underground again, just as it had done earlier. Unsheathing her claws, the water flared up, ready to do her bidding. Bringing both paws ups, she struck the ground with unsheathed claws, just as the earth attack drilled through the ground. The water, in response to her movement, shot down on the pale brown warrior. Faced with a direct hit and finishing her own attack, the ThunderClan earth cat dodged aside last moment, High Pressure Spray spiking down on her hindquarters.

      Smokepaw smirked with satisfaction, swishing her tail and looking to Pearlfrost.

      "Get off our territory; stop playing games." Pearlfrost growled simply.

      "Your territory? I think you mean our territory. We want it and you don't deserve it." The pale brown she-cat growled, standing up straight. Smokepaw started to scoff, but then a heavy force smacked into her right side.

      She hit the ground, all sound becoming a piercing high tone. STARCLAN WHAT THE--. Her shoulder barked in pain, her ears ringing. She blinked open her eyes, letting out a groan. ThunderClan cats flooded in from the bushes, their teeth showing. Pearlfrost mouthed something, his fur fluffed out. Smokepaw's eyes widened, her breathing quickening considerably. I can't hear--! I can't-- The white tom was at her side in an instant, nosing her up. Slowly, her hearing came back, and she stumbled to her paws.

      "Hey, HEY! Smokepaw, can you hear me? Smokepaw!" She gave a faint nod. Chunks of earth were scattered around where she had been hit, and the RiverClan cats bunched together back to back. She pulled into the circle by Pearlfrost's side, slowly able to hear everything. ThunderClan cats had stopped streaming in, a little less than a dozen warriors.

"What do we do?!" Eelpaw meowed, amber eyes rounded and fur on end.

"We stick together. We survive. Eelpaw, center of the circle." Pearlfrost instructed the non-elemental apprentice. "We don't want to do any close-combat. It's too dangerous to get close to these guys." The ThunderClan cats began crossing the river. Smokepaw grit her teeth and brought up a paw, slamming it down, though not nearly as forcefully as she anticipated; her shoulder muscle ached from the hit she had received. The river followed her movement, though, a wave rising and sloshing across the root bridge. Two lost their footing at the sudden hit, one falling into the river and the other hanging onto the bridge. But then the ground started to shake as the light brown earth she-cat leaped and pounced into the ground with all her might. Sharp peaks of golden-brown earth, as tall as a cat, started ripping through, cutting right for their defensive huddle.

"Move!" Smokepaw barked, her paws already jumping aside. The peaks stopped right where they had been standing in an even taller pillar. Smokepaw looked out. Her clanmates had been scattered, some on one side of the peaks closest to the river, the others, including herself, on the opposite side.

"Eelpaw, run. Run back to camp, don't stop running. Get help. I'll cover you." Eelpaw flicked her tail anxiously before nodding. Alright river. We have an actual job to do. We have clanmates to actually protect. Eelpaw started off, and two ThunderClan warriors hated after her as well, the scent of poison thick on their pelts. Smokepaw curled her lip and started off as well, water flaring up behind her. Mid-run, she spun half-way around on one paw, tail swishing behind her. The water did as it was told, curving and spiking down on the ThunderClan cats. Both hit the ground, their eyes picking up to the dark gray she-cat. They said something inaudible to each other, and broke apart. One followed Eelpaw, the other charged at Smokepaw.

      Alright. This is okay. Eelpaw mkgt be able to handle herself. I can definitely-- they were fast. Their movements were quick, swift, and before she knew it they were too close. Water didn't have very strong or useful close-combat moves. The poison tom was on her though, his jaws gaping and teeth dripping with venom. The black tabby attempted to finish the gap of space between them, bringing himself up onto his hind legs to strike her with front claws. Smokepaw narrowed her eyes and crouched low to the ground, balancing on her forepaws, sweeping her hindlegs under the tom. He started falling, but easily caught himself.

"You're not too bad for a kit," he growled, green eyes bright.

      "And you're not too bad for goose dirt." He started to charge at here, but she dodged to the side, spraying up water at his face in the process. He snapped his jaws in annoyance, and she glanced up to where Eelpaw was battling it out with the poison tom several fox-lengths away. So far, she didn't appear poisoned, but it wouldn't be much longer until Eelpaw's opponent would have an opening to bite.

"You know, I think--" the poison warrior started.

"Hey. Stop talking." Smokepaw growled. He curled his lip, and lashed out his claws, and she started to jump aside. She yipped in surprise as the blow connected, his movement too fast to dodge. His claws raked her chest between her front legs, a little too high for comfort. If I was any slower he would've cut through my neck. Her breathing quickened, and she regained her footing. Water was scattered across the grass in pools, and behind her earth ripped up and cats screamed in pain as fighting continued. Blood welled up on her chest wound, the fur parted and revealing flesh, bright red blood dripping out.

"This is your first battle, hm? That's alright, we all have our firsts. This will, however, be your last," he opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, green-tinged poison dripping off his fangs.

"I don't plan on dying today, thank you." Smokepaw meowed simply, watching him slowly make his way toward her. She struck her paw to the ground, claws unsheathed. The water, which layer in puddles, shot upward with force, right where the tom was standing. He howled in pain as it relentless pummeled his stomach. "High Pressure Spray tends to hurt, I can't imagine how it feels on soft belly fur." He curled on the ground eyes shut tight, dark tabby fur drenched.

She streaked off towards Eelpaw without a second thought, eyes locked onto the poison tom that had just gotten Eelpaw defenseless on the ground.

"Hey, snake!" Smokepaw barked as she approached at full speed. The poison warrior, a gray tom, looked up in time to receive a face full of water and the long-haired apprentice barreled into him to boot. "Eelpaw, start running!" She called, avoiding the writhing and snapping jaws of the warrior she was on top of. Eelpaw got to her paws hastily and shot off towards camp once again. Smokepaw looked down at the warrior under her, who had stopped moving.

      "You made a pretty big mistake," they whispered. Smokepaw narrowed her eyes in confusion, and struck the side of his face with her claws.

      "No, you did the second you messed with our patrol yesterday." He scoffed, and Smokepaw went to strike him again when she felt a sharp pain in her hind leg. She froze, looking back. The first warrior. The dark tabby held her back ankle in his jaws, eyes full of pain and determination.

      "You've got to be kidding me...," she whispered, a sickening feeling in her stomach. Is it a strong poison? Is it a weak poison? How will it affect me? Her leg went numb, and slowly the rest of her body started going numb. Her pupils dilated, and she started breathing fast. "What did you--" The gray tom she had pinned wriggled free, and as she struggled to stay on her paws he started lashing his claws out at her. Shoulder. Ears. Muzzle. She could barely feel each hit, her entire body numbing and refusing to do as she told it to. I can't-- I can't do what I want to do I can't call the water I can't--!! She let out a screech in fear, over and over with every hit, unable to properly defend herself except nearly fall over with every attempted dodge. She shut her eye tightly. Then nothing.

      It was cold. She opened her eyes. A sharp peak of ice was shot up from the ground. She tried to turn, to see what had happened, her hind legs collapsing under her. On the ground, she tipped her head up to see a white blur of fur attacking the gray poison tom, ice and water flaring around it. Pearlfrost.

      "Come on, Smokepaw, let's go!" Newtstream grabbed her scuff, though she couldn't feel it, helping her up.

     "I can't feel anything--" she whimpered, and Newtstream gave her a nudge.

      "We've got to try and walk anyway." Blood spattered the tortoiseshell's muzzle, a cut crossing her lips and muck covering her pelt. "Come on, we have to go now." The other five warriors on the patrol came stumbling as well, bloodied and muddied, one being dragged by two others.

They started off, Pearlfrost defending their flanks with shards of ice flying. The ThunderClan cats didn't heavily pursue, most hanging back and only a few half-heartedly trying to get past Pearlfrost's offensive onslaught.

Newtstream pressed close to the apprentice, helping her stay upright. Smokepaw kept her eyes shut, her entire body refusing to move the way she wanted it to, fear pounding in her ears. I want to be back in camp. I hate battle. I hate the fear, I hate forcing myself to move so I don't die. I don't even know if I'll ever be able to fight again with this poison. Whether or not I'm okay with that.... Smokepaw whimpered, and Newtstream touched her ear gently to urge her on. I'm scared.