Both apprentices rushed to the exit of the shelter and looked out onto the grass plains, three clear shapes visible not that far away from the shelter. Inky, Angel and

"Badger!" yowled Dewpaw, raising outside.

"Wait!" called Dawn, "Dewpaw! What about Flowerstem and the kits?" The cream tom skidded to a halt and look backwards and forwards between the badger and the shelter, clearly torn.

"You go to the badger," he meowed running back, "I will defend the den because, no offence, but I have more training than you." The she-cat cuffed him over the ears but ran out towards the badger, the kit's frightened mews ringing out the closer she got. The former apprentice leaped up onto the badger's back, drawing its attention away from the kits, and clawed its ears. The badger roared and spun around trying to find Dawn and almost swinging her off, but she managed to stay on. She scrambled to its head and scraped her claws along its eyes.

"Get back to the den!" she yowled at Inky and Angel, "Quick! Go while I distract it!" The kits nodded and raced away, paws churning up dirt and grass. The badger continued spinning around and Dawn soon became dizzy, loosing her grip and tumbling to the ground. It stopped spinning around and spotted the former apprentice on the ground, winded, and lifted one of its huge paws, ready to crush her. The she-cat rolled out of the way just in time, still gasping for air. The badger lifted another paw and Dawn leaped up just as it was about to crush her, digging her claws into its arm. The badger shook its arm hard, and the she-cat flew off, somehow hitting one of the few trees that grew on the plains. Despite a now sore back, the former apprentice leaped up and jumped onto the badger's muzzle, tearing out clumps of black fur. The badger roared in fury and pain, shaking the she-cat off and into a clump of rocks. Dawn's vision danced with stars and her head began to throb madly, but thankfully the badger had enough of battling the she-cat and turned away, disappearing down into its den.

The former apprentice lay at the rocks, trying to catch her breath and became aware of a trickle of cool liquid running down the side of her head. She turned slightly to look at it and saw bright red blood flowing down onto the grass, her blood. After seeing that, she because aware of how lightheaded she was and how everything seemed to be moving.

"Birdpaw?" came a voice from far away and a very distorted Dewpaw came into her line of vision.

"Dewpaw?" she meowed, words slurred, "You have two heads." The tom chuckled and crouched down next to her, barely flinching at the sight of her blood.

"Well," he meowed, "you have blood pouring out of your head. Can you stand up?"

"I'd rather not," she mumbled, "hey! Look! A butterfly!" She tried to raise her paws but just tipped to the side and fell off the pile of rocks, Dewpaw creating a soft landing.

"Thank you," she slurred, "at least you don't have two heads now."

"Come on," he chuckled, "off you get. Let's get you to Flowerstem. I am sure she will be able to fix you up."

"But I feel fine," protested Dawn, leaning heavily on the tom, "there is nothing wrong with me. I feel as though I could fly!"

"Well," purred the tom, "that is up to Flowerstem to decide. And – stop! Birdpaw! You can't fly! Just walk normally, like that, that's it." It was a long walk back to the shelter, mainly because the former apprentice thought she could fly and thought she kept seeing rabbits everywhere. But when they did eventually get back to the shelter, Flowerstem was on her feet instantly, smelling the tang of blood from miles away.

"Hey!" mumbled Dawn, "Its Flowerstem! She has two head as well!"

"What in the name of StarClan happened to you, Birdpaw!?" cried the medicine cat, hurrying over as Dewpaw gently laid the younger she-cat down on the ground before going to go watch the new kits.

"I flew," she meowed, eyes closing, "it was amazing."

"Hey!" sighed Flowerstem, shaking the former apprentice on her shoulder, "don't go to sleep yet! Why don't you tell me about your flying?" The younger she-cat began rambling on about her 'flying' while the medicine cat used what she could find in the shelter to try and stem the flow of blood from Dawn's head.