Chapter 2
"Sharpstar?" Hollypaw burst out. "I thought the twolegs took the dogs!"
"Once we find those dogs…I'll rip them to shreds!" Sharpstar's kit, Whiskerflight growled.
Tendriltail padded over to the cream colored warrior. "There is no need for that." He leapt up to Rock Pile and yowled to the clan, "My clan! Our strong leader, Sharpstar is now hunting in StarClan. Tonight I will go to Whispering Cave to receive my nine lives from StarClan, with the help of Frecklewish." He nodded to the young medicine cat.
Vinepaw padded up to Hollypaw. "Wow! A full moon life giving!"
"Why are you so happy?" This was the first time she had talked to the apprentice since his rant about going to Twolegplace. "Our leader died. I'm not saying Tendriltail won't be a good leader, but why does it matter?" She cried out. Before she let Vinepaw answer, she pelted off, up and out of the gorge. She streaked through the open plain, until she met a fence. A small den made of tree logs stood in the small territory, and a tendril leading inside it. Hollypaw squinted. Is there a cat in there? "Hello?" She called out. The tendril rustled. "Is any cat in there?" Or thing? A large nose, bigger than a cat nose, stuck out of the den. Then, it turned into a muzzle, snarling, and spit dripping down to the ground. Hollypaw took a step back. The thing lowered itself and leaped out.
"Dog!" She yowled. The brown pelted dog snapped at the fence. Luckily, the dog had a collar that was held by the tendril, letting it get about a fox length from the edge of the fence. Hollypaw hissed and swiped at the dog, claws unsheathed. The tendril began to tremble then…snap! The dog rammed right through the laced fence, to Hollypaw. "Help!" She swiped at the dog's face, then crawled up one of it's back legs to it's back. It lashed its head back and forth, trying to get the apprentice. Finally, Hollypaw lost her grasp and tumbled to the grassy floor of the field. The dog breathed two words before he made his final blow, "Kill cat." He swiped at Hollypaw's face, as the apprentice let out a terrified yowl.
Vinepaw looked down as his paws. In a distance, a faint scream echoed through the gorge. Cats poked their heads out of the dens, and Vinepaw pricked his ears. "Hollypaw's in trouble!" He yowled. He recognized her voice, even from the gorge.
"Hollypaw?" Tendrilstar, back from Whispering Cave echoed. He put a paw forward. "We cannot loose an apprentice." The new leader paused. "We cannot loose my daughter." He flicked his tail, and a couple of warriors leaped out of the den and down the path and followed Tendrilstar out of the gorge. Vinepaw itched to go with, but he knew that Treeear would make him stay back. He started pacing back and forth. What if Hollypaw was dead? Would I ever be able to tell her how I feel? Then he noticed that two warriors carried a cat's body a top their backs. It was Hollypaw. A large gash was up her stomach, and her face was torn up, blood splattered across her muzzle. Tendrilstar was keeping up Hollypaw's mother, Gorgedust, who was in tears.
"My kit!" She wailed. Mallardpaw and Shallowpaw rushed to Gorgedust's side, along with Vinepaw. The two warriors set down Hollypaw in the clearing, and Frecklewish bounded to Hollypaw's side. Vinepaw rushed to Hollypaw's side. Is she dead? Suddenly, her chest began to rise and fall. Gorgedust licked off Hollypaw's falling blood.
"You!" The medicine cat directed her attention to Shallowpaw. "Go get some cobwebs." Shallowpaw leapt to his paws and scurried to the medicine den. Hollypaw coughed.
"Gorgedust, Tendriltail?" She choked.
"Tendrilstar!" Vinepaw corrected.
"Ha…my father's leader. Thanks for the correction, fuzzy bird." Hollypaw smiled. Coughing slightly, Vinepaw watched the younger apprentice stagger to her feet.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to keep Hollypaw overnight." Frecklewish mewed to Gorgedust and Tendrilstar. "I don't know if there is a eye there anymore." Gorgedust winced. Vinepaw figured the grey speckled tortoiseshell she-cat did not like the idea of Hollypaw's right eye gone. One of the two warriors that were hauling Hollypaw, named Swaneye, padded back to the warriors' den looking back at the apprentice.
"Need a little help?" Vinepaw asked the medicine cat, which looked very lithe compared to him. The struggling she-cat nodded, and by the looks of it, Hollypaw had fainted again. Vinepaw took Hollypaw's back and heaved it over his shoulders. The limp she-cat snorted as he started trudging, as if it tickled. The apprentice and medicine cat padded into the inner den of the medicine den and put Hollypaw in a nest, supported by sheep's wool and swan feathers.
"Thank you, Vinepaw. You may go get some rest now." Frecklewish smiled. Vinepaw gulped and lay down next to Hollypaw.
"I'd rather not."