|☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁| FiveClan Moonstone |☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁|

Palepaw tilted his head. "What made you change?"

"Palepaw," Cedarstar tone had some scolding to it for the young tom to not pry into Bumbleskip's past. When Palepaw looked at him, Cedarstar was going to say more, but he paused. Something in the air felt off. Cedarstar looked around the terrain. The grasses and trees along the ground below were still, but he noticed how quiet it was. No birds chirped and he didn't hear the squirrels in the trees.

Palepaw blinked at Bumbleskip in surprise. He flattened his ears. He couldn't imagine going through something like that. He was going to say something when Bumbleskip talked to Cedarstar. Palepaw stilled and looked around.

Cedarstar shook his head. "Something doesn't seem right. It's too quiet even with the weather." He looked at Bumbleskip. "Let's pick up the pace."

Cedarstar's eyes grew wide when he recognized the stench that lingered in the air. He blocked Palepaw. "Prey Maulers. Get to the--" Cedarstar cut off when a prey mauler walked out of the mothermouth. It was just sniffing the air at first, but when it spotted the cats, it howled. The yips of other prey maulers came from the cave.

"Back the other way!" Cedarstar twisted around and nudged Palepaw to get moving. "Now!"

Moonpetal stepped back to turn down the path. Her eyes widened with fear at the sight of the prey mauler, this being her first time seeing one. "Hurry, Sunpaw," she said to her apprentice.

The first prey mauler charged at Bumbleskip, its jaw snapping wide.

Cedarstar hesitated when the older warrior stood his ground. "Bumbleskip! You can't fight them. We have to go!"

"Come on," Moonpetal led the apprentices down the path with panted breath. She glanced back at the two. "Hurry!"

Palepaw raced after Moonpetal with ears pinned back. "Those were prey maulers!" He exclaimed with fright. "Wasn't that the mothermouth? What are they doing there?"

With Bumbleskip on his heels, Cedarstar sped up to run beside Palepaw. He glanced over his shoulder, the prey maulers were following them down the path. "Into the forest," he shouted, looking where their rocky path met the tree line. "Head for the trees and start climbing!"

Moonpetal lightly winced. She had missed her lesson on how to climb trees.

Cedarstar glanced back when he heard Bumbleskip yelp. His eyes widened and he twisted around to go to Bumbleskip's aid.

Moonpetal led the apprentices into the trees.

Cedarstar slashed out at the prey maulers with a claw before charging after Bumbleskip. "Hurry, to the woods!"

Moonpetal glanced back at the apprentices. "Hurry, up a tree!" she paused by one as Palepaw tried scoring the trunk; however, as soon as gripped the trunk, two prey maulers came barging after them. Moonpetal put herself between them and the apprentices.

Cedarstar bared his teeth when he saw the prey maulers closing in on Moonpetal and the apprentices. He picked up his pace.

Moonpetal hissed bravely at the two prey maulers coming upon her and the apprentices. When she lashed out at one, the other went for Palepaw on the tree. Moonpetal cried out, but wasn't fast enough.

Cedarstar tackled the prey mauler in the face before it could touch Palepaw. He sunk his teeth and claws into the prey mauler's face.

Palepaw yelped and pushed himself up the tree, but he yelped. In his fright, he gripped the trunk tightly. "My claws are stuck!"

"Uhh..." Palepaw tensed with fright. He glanced back at his father on one of the prey maulers. Cedarstar fought ferociously and Palepaw didn't want to appear a coward in front of him. He nodded rapidly to Bumbleskip. "O-Okay."

Cedarstar jumped from the prey mauler before its jaws could clamp down on him. He landed between the beasts and Palepaw and when the prey mauler charged again, Cedarstar bravely slashed at its eyes with his claws.

Moonpetal flashed Bumbleskip a grateful look and tried taking advantage of the prey mauler reeling back. She charged forward and slashed at it's face. However, the mauler that had chased Bumbleskip down the cliff path burst into the woods. Moonpetal saw it too late and the beast clamped its jaws on her back. She screamed and flailed, unable to fight back. The prey mauler darted off.

"Moonpetal!" Cedarstar cried out in shock when the prey mauler took her off. Realizing one of the cats had been grabbed, the other prey maulers ran after the one that took Moonpetal. Cedarstar grit his teeth. "Bumbleskip, get the apprentices up the tree, then I'll need you!" Cedarstar darted after Moonpetal.

Palepaw partly whined when Bumbleskip pulled him free, but his claws popped out of the trunk. He climbed further up the tree, careful about how deep he sunk his paws.

Cedarstar raced as fast as he could after the prey maulers. He kept yelling, trying to get the prey mauler with Moonpetal to turn around.

Palepaw looked back at Bumbleskip. "But my dad! And Moonpetal. We can help!"

Cedarstar skidded to a stop when one of the prey Maulers suddenly turned on him. Cedarstar narrowly avoided it's jaws, but it swung its head and threw Cedarstar into a tree.

Palepaw hesitated, but he turned and scrambled up the tree, keeping care for his claws. He wanted to be there for his father, but he knew Bumbleskip's skills would better help his father. With a glance at Sunpaw, Palepaw perched on one of the lower branches. He tried seeing where his father might be, but the prey maulers and Cedarstar had run too far off.

Cedarstar stumbled after hitting the tree. His eyes grew wide when the prey mauler lunged at him again. Cedarstar ducked, but the tip of his left ear was snapped in the jaws of the prey maulers. He dived to get away from the prey mauler, the loss of part of his ear causing him disorientation from a shift in his balance and blood seeped from his ear.

With Bumbleskip's intervention, Cedarstar was able to get his bearing back. He pinned his bleeding ear back in determination and darted forward. He tucked his head toward his shoulder and threw his whole weight into the legs of the prey mauler to knock it off its paws.

Cedarstar shook his head, keeping his eyes on the current prey mauler so it couldn't catch them off guard. "I'm not sure. I chased them, but this one turned on me." He was relieved that Palepaw and Sunpaw were out of harms way. He glanced at Bumbleskip, panting. "See if you can pick up their trail. I'll keep this one busy. When you find it, let me know and we'll go after her."