Disclaimer: Spottedmoth123 does not own Warriors.
fanfic1892~ Why yes, yes it has. I suggest re-reading previous chapters if you are confused.
Sandyfire~ Oh my goodness thank you so much! You are quite possibly the nicest person I have yet to meet on fanfiction! Thanks for the name suggestion.
DarkstormShadowClan~ Thanks so much for your continued reviews! I got it up early anyways just for you!
There is no gore in this chapter! Oops never mind yeah there is, sorry. It is shorter than the last do I added a special bonus scene at the end.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dovewing stumbled backwards into Toadstep, fear pricking her pelt. "No…"
Though the grey she-cat had never been particularly close to Petalfur or Pouncetail, she had chatted with the two at previous gatherings and they had seemed nice enough. Rage rose within her and she whipped around to face Toadstep, seething. "How could you? I told you I heard cries for help!"
The black-and-white tom stumbled backwards, flattening his ears against his head. "I-I'm sorry, Dovewing. I really didn't hear them."
The blue-eyed she-cat hissed. "Well if you truly cared about me or the kits then you would know that I would never lie to you," she retorted, though her rage faltered as Toadstep's eyes flashed with hurt and she forced herself not to rush forward and apologize.
He deserved it.
Dovewing padded over to the limp bodies, her heart throbbing with guilt. "I could have saved you," she murmured, stroking Petalfur's face with her tail-tip.
Toadstep padded over somewhat cautiously, glancing at her. "Help me get this branch off of Pouncetail," he meowed tautly.
Dovewing rose to her paws, dipping her head briskly. She followed the tom over to the former RiverClan warrior, forcing herself not to shrink away in disgust; Pouncetail's torso was trapped beneath a charred branch, the ground beneath him torn up from where he had tried to dig his way out. His left forepaw was extended out towards Petalfur, leading Dovewing to believe that the two cats needed not have both died.
"She stayed with him," Toadstep meowed quietly, looking over at her with understanding clear in his sun-lit golden eyes.
Dovewing didn't look up, but instead narrowed her eyes as she noticed that Petalfur had something at her paws. "Toadstep, look," she meowed.
The tom followed her gaze and nudged the dead she-cat's paw to the side, uncovering strands of green with tiny yellow flowers. "Herbs!" He meowed in shock. "Where would they have gotten herbs? It's still cold from leaf-bare!"
"A camp," Dovewing meowed in shock, jumping to her paws. "Toadstep, we can get herbs from camp!"
Toadstep was on his paws in an instant, but Dovewing shook her head.
"No, you stay here; I don't want you to further injure your leg," she meowed. "You can bury Petalfur and Pouncetail if you think you can manage, that's what we'd do for our Clanmates."
Toadstep dipped his head, not wanting to quarrel with the queen again. "I will do my best," he promised. "Be safe."
"I will," Dovewing meowed in reply, turning and bounding away into the undergrowth, leaving a clump of ferns quivering in her wake. A wave of comfort washed over her as she emerged onto a familiar trail running from the ThunderClan camp to the training hollow and she sped her pace until she stopped a tail-length from the entrance.
"Dovewing…"
A voice whispered in her ear and a sweet scent overcame her as a slender grey she-cat appeared beside her.
"Cinderheart?" Dovewing asked in confusion.
No… It is I, Cinderpelt, former Medicine Cat of ThunderClan…
Dovewing bowed, realizing that she was in the presence of a StarClan warrior. "What business do you seek her, Cinderpelt?" The name felt soft on her tongue, suiting the downy-furred she-cat.
"Stand, stand, silly youngling. I do not seek anything, I am simply here to guide you…"
Dovewing rose, glancing around before taking a step towards camp.
"Stop." Cinderpelt's voice was startlingly firm. "You must be prepared for the worst…"
The StarClan cat vanished, leaving Dovewing standing in utter confusion. "Wait!" She cried out, but Cinderpelt was already gone. Shrugging, she pushed her way into camp. Loneliness swept over her as she saw that the camp was, unsurprisingly, empty. Even the fresh-kill pile, which usually was well-stocked this time of year, was completely gone.
"Looking for something?" A familiar voice meowed and Dovewing spun around, her eyes wide with happiness. "Oh, Jayfeather!" She rushed forward and pushed her nose into the Medicine Cat's fur and started purring loudly.
Jayfeather laughed quietly. "Come on, let's get you rested up." He led the way into his den, gesturing for her to lie down in a nearby nest.
Her eyes widened in surprise as his scent washed over her and she realized that he had given her his own nest.
Jayfeather dropped a plump-looking squirrel at her paws. "The other nests are stale," he meowed, reading her thoughts. "Plus, I won't be needing it for much longer."
Dovewing didn't question him, simply digging into the squirrel and finishing it in a few rapid bites; she hadn't realized she had been so hungry until now. "Why… how are you here?" She asked once she had finished.
Jayfeather purred. "I hid. Lilypaw covered for me." He placed a bundle of herbs at her paws. "Borage to help your milk come and burnet for strength," he explained.
Dovewing ate them thankfully, shuddering at the foul taste. "What happened to the rest of the Clan?"
Jayfeather looked up from sorting herbs. "BloodClan came and took them to Twolegplace until the war is over- at least that's what they promised," he sneered.
Dovewing rolled onto her side, allowing her stomach to rest on the cool ground. "Would you mind checking the kits? I assume you haven't lost your skills," she laughed, for a moment lost in his clear blue eyes and forgetting the world that she now was a part of.
"Of course not," the blind tom meowed, turning and crouching beside her. He set a surprisingly-gentle paw on her stomach, prodding carefully. "They will be born within the next moon," he meowed cautiously.
Dovewing shrugged to her paws, worry clouding her eyes. "How could I be so cruel, Jayfeather? Bringing helpless kits into a hopeless time?"
The tom stiffened. "New life is always a blessing, Dovewing. And there is always, always hope." He pushed another bundle of herbs towards her. "This is the last of my stock. Use them wisely," he warned. "Herbs go faster than one would think, and there are many wounds in your future."
Dovewing dipped her head, suddenly spotting three small, dark red berries at the back of his store. "If you don't mind me asking, Jayfeather, what about those?"
Jayfeather turned and followed her gaze, his eyes immediately darkening. "Those... those I do need. Now, you must be going," his tone was suddenly brisk and his eyes wild. "Come, come," he led the way out of the den after making sure that she picked up the herbs.
As Dovewing was about to exit the camp Jayfeather stopped her, the wild look gone from his eyes. "How... how is Lionblaze?"
Dovewing's eyes softened at the mention of the Medicine Cat's brother. "He's fine- hasn't even been injured."
Jayfeather visibly relaxed, stepping back. "Good luck," he meowed softly. "And do me a favor; don't tell anyone that you saw me."
Dovewing dipped her head in acceptance, sadness flooding her. "I will see you soon," she promised.
Jayfeather didn't reply, simply turning and padding back into his den.
Dovewing sighed, pushing her way out of the camp with the herbs held loosely in her jaws so that the juice would not leak out. She followed the path back to where she had left Toadstep, pushing her way into the clearing.
Toadstep raised his head as she emerged, exhaustion clouding his gaze. "Hey,"
Dovewing rushed over to him, dropping the bundle of herbs at his feet. "I told you not to strain yourself!"
Toadstep laughed, struggling to his paws. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he pressed his nose into her fur before pulling away suddenly. "Is that Jayfeather I smell on you?"
Dovewing blinked. "Well, I was in his den, wasn't I?"
Jayfeather, you must have a very good reason for making me lie to my... our... Clanmates.
Toadstep purred, glancing down at the herbs. "Wow, we'd better get those back to camp," he meowed in shock. "We must be the luckiest cats in the history of the Clans."
"Well that's ironic," Dovewing meowed, snorting. "Considering we've been sent to fight to our deaths."
"Come on, Dovewing," Toadstep meowed. "You know that's not what I meant. You aren't still mad at me about earlier, are you? I mean, I don't have super hearing powers do I?"
Dovewing gasped suddenly as a roaring sound overpowered her and a wail of grief met her ears along with wind rushing over open hills.
"Dovewing!"
The grey she-cat snapped out of her vision to Toadstep's panicked voice, her flanks heaving with strain. "We have to go. Something horrible has happened!"
Current time, somewhere outside of Clan territory:
"Move it, she-cat," a voice hissed in Lilypaw's ear, and a battle-scarred ginger tom shoved her from behind.
The tiny medicine cat apprentice forced herself not to react, taking in a deep breath.
Oh Jayfeather, pray I manage to keep calm!
Cherrypaw fell into step beside her, glancing over at her. "How are you holding up?"
"Better than some," she replied, thinking of Poppyfrost, who was grieving the loss of her kit, Tawnykit, whom had fallen into a narrow crevice and been killed instantly shortly after leaving the camp.
Cherrypaw sighed, staring off into the distance. "I would have been a warrior by now had this never happened," she murmured.
"Shut up and keep walking," the BloodClan tom spat, slashing at Cherrypaw with his forepaw.
The pale ginger tabby recoiled in pain, blood dripping down the side of her face. She let out a shriek of disgust, crouching and lashing her tail furiously.
Lilypaw's eyes widened in shock and she stuck out her tail to stop her Clanmate. "No, don't Cherrypaw!"
The apprentice didn't seem to hear her and instead leapt at the tom, rolling around in a ball of hissing and spitting.
I must help her!
But Jayfeather's last words to her echoed in her mind;
"Under no circumstance will you strike back. Hold your tongue and lift your head high, and you will be fine."
The BloodClan tom saddened twisted, landing on top of Cherrypaw and knocking the wind out of her. He looked up at Lilypaw, his eyes gleaming with an evil amusement. "Well, aren't you going to help her?"
Cherrypaw's chest heaved and she met Lilypaw's gaze, shaking her head repeatedly. "This is no place I want to live in," she spat.
"Very well," the BloodClan tom laughed coldly, lunging forward and snapping his jaws on Cherrypaw's throat.
Lilypaw turned away, sobs wracking her small frame.
Jayfeather, you have no idea how hard this is.
She forced herself not to look at her friend's mangled body and instead rushed forward to catch up with the rest of her Clan. She looked around, searching for Molepaw's grey-and-cream pelt. She finally spotted him, running over.
"What is it, Lilypaw?" He asked, looking over at her.
The slender apprentice took a shaky breath. "I'm afraid I have some grave news; Cherrypaw is dead."
Molepaw's eyes darkened immediately. "I must tell Poppyfrost," he meowed solemnly, turning and running over to his mother's side.
Lilypaw winced as the tortoiseshell she-cat let out an ear-piercing yowl of grief. She ran over, clutching a bundle of herbs in her jaws.
Poppyftost glanced over at her when she arrived, tears staining her face. "You were with Cherrypaw, right?"
Lilypaw met her gaze. "Yes," she meowed quietly.
Poppyfrost's gaze hardened. "Could you not have done something? Now two of my kits are on the same day!" She screeched.
"I would have done something had I been able to," Lilypaw meowed steadily. "Would you like herbs for your grief?"
Poppyfrost shook her head. "No herbs will dull this pain," she bowed her head. "At least she died fighting."
Fear caused Lilypaw's fur to stand on end.
Has everyone given up all hope?
There you are! Well, that was a big chapter! Jayfeather is still in ThunderClan, Cherrypaw and Tawnykit are dead, and something has happened with Lionblaze, Cinderheart, Mosspelt and the kits! You will find out what next chapter!
I still need names for two of Mosspelt's kits: a grey she-cat and a black she-cat.
Remember to review and I will update faster!
~SplashXx
