Chapter 13

   As the the patrol of Flamefur, Silverheart, Thunderclaw, Crowpelt, and Flowerpaw entered the forest, they could hardly scent the fox, rabbit, and bird smell. They saw the camp, but stayed out. They all hid behind a bush, watching closely what was going on inside.
   Flowerpaw scented her brother, as alarmed as ever, she searched frantically for him. Then she saw him, with two ForestClan warriors, both toms and a bit bigger than most cats, standing beside him, as if guarding him. As if making sure he wouldn't run away...
   "You weren't even with a warrior? And you trespassed on our territory?" Thornstar, the leader of ForestClan asked Stonepaw.
   Trespass? He wasn't trespassing! Stonepaw wouldn't do that! Flowerpaw thought with fury. She watched how Stonepaw would reply.
   "I wasn't trespassing! I was on DuskClan territory! These two were trespassing! And I was with my mentor!" Stonepaw cried out, sounding brave, but with a bit of pleading in his tone.
   Thornstar looked disgusted. "I told you to never come back! You're exciled from our territory, remember?" He hissed. "And don't you know it's against the Warrior Code to trespass?"
   "Well, I wasn't on your territory!" Stonepaw meowed with despair.
   "I've heard enough! Mudfur, take him to the forest. You know what to do there," Thornstar said devilishly.
   Flowerpaw's eyes grew wide with horror. "They're going to kill him!" She said loud enough for only the patrol to hear. "All of that Thornstar said isn't true! Stonepaw is telling the truth! He didn't trespass."
   "She's right!" Thunderclaw meowed. "If we don't stop this now, he'll be crow food."
   Flamefur shook her head with frustration. "Come on," she growled angrily.
   She stood and led the cats to the camp. All of the eyes of ForestClan trailed on the patrol, and their fur bristled.
   Flamefur walked to Thornstar, in a rapid pace. "We're not here for a battle. We're here to explain."
   Thornstar looked evil with denial. "No, don't try to defend this foolish apprentice of what he's done."
   "You've been fooled!" Crowpelt spat out. "Mudfur and Nightblade are the one's who are guilty!"
   Mudfur and Nightblade's fur bristled as they growled. Thornstar, though, didn't get angry. Instead he just hissed, "Well if I'm such a fool, why am I the one with the Clan who doesn't trespass!"
   Crowpelt nearly pounced, but Flamefur held his ground, "Steady, Crowpelt," she whispered to him.
   "I'm his mentor, and I told him to go hunting as a test. He vanished the second I laid eyes off him. He couldn't trespass that quick, don't you think?" Thunderclaw's tone was calm, but angry inside.
   "They brought foxes with them! You don't find foxes in the forest! Only in DuskClan will you find foxes!" Silverheart mewed with confidence.
   Thornstar looked a bit uneasy as he wondered who was right. He felt his confidence fade. "My warriors wouldn't disobey the warrior code. And maybe the fox they found was just a few trails off from your territory."
   "You don't understand! We have the scent trail to prove it!" Flamefur announced.
   Thornstar looked frustrated now, as his muscles relaxed a bit he sighed. "Show me the scent trail. I'd like to smell it myself."
   As they were about to exit camp, Flowerpaw caught Stonepaw's glare for a brief moment. She saw how tired and in pain he was. She even noticed he had scratches on him. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach.
   "And you, Stonepaw. You're coming with us!" Thornstar yowled.
   Flowerpaw turned and saw him weakly limp with the patrol. She slowed a few paces to speak with him. "My goodness, Stonepaw," she sighed and licked him gently. "Where did they hurt you?"
   He didn't reply. He only shook his head.
   "Stonepaw? It's all right, you can speak to me," Flowerpaw felt for the first time, that he was slowly dying. His lack of energy brought herself to think he was fading away from her. "Stonepaw!" she cried.
   He looked at her. "I'm fine, Flowerpaw," he said with frustration.
   Sadness grew in her. The fact that he wouldn't admit to being hurt, worried her. She knew he was slipping away from her without a medicine cat. He is dissapearing in the sight of her own eyes.
   No words were spoken after that.