Chapter nine
Sunpaw felt slightly awkward as she watched Tigerfur and Fernmist talking with each other in soft mews. She forced her paws to carry her over to them. "Tigerfur needs to rest now."
I feel fine!" he complained. "She doesn't have to leave!"
"Just a bit longer, please? I'll be careful." She added cheekily.
"Sorry. No."
"Alright. Goodbye Tigerfur." She gave his ear an affectionate lick.
"Bye. We can go hunting together once I'm better." He mewed.
"I look forwards to it." She purred.
Tigerfur looked longingly after her as she left. He sighed and closed his eyes. Within moments he was asleep.
"Go eat," Whisperingbreeze mewed. "You must be hungry."
"Yeah, thanks." She padded out with her tail drooping.
She picked a vole from the pile and took a bite. Her hunger had vanished. The battle she had dreaded had come and injured Nightpaw greatly.
"Not hungry?"
She jerked her head up to the yellow eyes of Sootstar blinking down at her.
She shrugged nervously. "Not really."
"Make sure you finish that. You need to be strong for Leaf-fall."
"Yes, Sootstar." She mewed quickly taking a small mouthful.
He nodded then padded away.
She ate the vole feeling each mouthful hit the bottom of her stomach like a stone. She forced it down then stretched out her paws in front of her. She knew ThunderClan had lost the territory. It was a terrible lose, no matter how pitiful the catches from there were."
Sootstar's yowl caught her attention as he gathered the clan. "ThunderClan, we lost territory today to ShadowClan, however the gathering is soon and we must look as strong as ever! We will attack once we have recovered and take back what is rightfully ours!"
Yowls of agreement came from the cats below. Determination gleamed in all their eyes. Sunpaw's heart sank. As soon as they had healed the cats there would be another battle. She took a deep breath and held her chin high. She would carry out her duties as a medicine cat as best she could while her clan fought bravely.
She padded back to the den and began vigorously caring for all the cats. She peeled of the old ones and stuck fresh cobwebs on Nightpaw's wound. She would make all the cats better so they could protect the clan like the brave cats they were! ThunderClan would survive!
Hawkpaw washed his pelt in a pool of sunlight. Sootstar's words had filled him with courage and next time he would be there to fight. When Moonpaw had brought them back they had had to stay at camp in case of attack. The only action they got was one cat sneaking in through the dirt-place tunnel. Hawkpaw hadn't even gotten to fight him.
He felt a flash of frustration and rubbed his ear harder.
"What are you doing?"
"Hi, Snowpaw." He sighed.
"You don't sound too happy." She mewed sarcastically.
"That's because I'm not happy. I missed the battle!"
"I missed it too. I'm not grumbling about it." She pointed out.
"So? I'm not like you." He padded away from the white she-cat to hunt. She did not follow.
His jaws closed around the scrawny squirrel. He buried it with the equally thin mouse. He was proud, though. Leaf-fall was upon them and he had caught to pieces of prey quickly.
His ears pricked and he opened his mouth slightly to let in the scents of the forest. When he couldn't find anything he kept moving. He searched for a while but he could find no more. His luck had run out.
He returned to the beech were he had buried his prey. Hawkpaw was about to dug it up and go back to camp when he picked up the scent of blackbird. He tracked it down and caught it.
"Well done!" purred Darkpelt. "That's more prey than I've seen in ages!"
Sunpaw padded over. "The blackbird is the biggest." She mewed picking it up and padding back to the medicine cat den.
"She already ate." Darkpelt frowned.
"I'll see her." He mewed and followed Sunpaw. She couldn't over-eat in Leaf-bare!
"Sunpaw?" he poked his head in, and then stifled a horrified gasp.
"Nightpaw, I brought you some prey."
The black she-cat turned her head weakly. "Thanks."
Sunpaw lay the bird down at her paws. "Eat up; you need to gather your strength."
She sniffed it but turned her head away and fell asleep again. "Eat when you wake up then." She twisted round to look at Hawkpaw with worried eyes.
"Will she be alright? It's just… she looks so bad. I heard she had some wounds but I didn't know they were this bad. No one told me." He murmured.
"They probably though it would be better to try and spare your feelings by not telling you," she gave her head a disgusted shake. "I'm sorry. She's not alright. Her wound is very serious and she won't eat as you can see. She won't be able to get her strength up. I stopped trying because there's no use."
"No!" he hissed. "This is our sister, Nightpaw! You can't give up on her. You must make her better whatever it takes. We'll convince her to eat."
"You're right. Wait until she wakes up, though. She needs rest as well."
"Okay. Bye Sunpaw, Eaglepaw," he called to where she had been watching silently. "Nightpaw." He finished softly.
"Well?" asked Darkpelt when he returned.
Hawkpaw scowled at his mentor. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you about what?"
"Don't pretend!" he spat. "You know about Nightpaw!"
"What's wrong with Nightpaw? Is she all right?" he asked.
"No! You know she's not!"
"Darkpelt doesn't know yet," Whitechest mewed. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you."
His pelt grew hot with shame. "Sorry, Darkpelt."
"That's fine but what's wrong with Nightpaw?" he asked.
"She's hurt," he whispered. "Bad."
He could feel his curious stare focused on the back of his turned head. He shifted uncomfortably.
"You can visit her later," he mewed. "For now we need more prey. Would you and Hawkpaw go hunting?"
"Hawkpaw just went hunting." Darkpelt yawned stretching out his forepaws.
"I don't mind going again. Nightpaw will need plenty of prey to recover." He mewed quickly scrambling to his paws.
"Well, if you don't mind…" Hawkpaw didn't hear the rest as he burst out of thorn tunnel.
"Slow down. You'll scare away any prey that might be around."
"Sorry." He muttered.
"Can you hear or smell anything?"
"No," he sighed. "Nothing."
"Let's go further," he suggested.
"Okay, I have a feeling all the prey is hiding, though." Hawkpaw mewed.
"You're most likely right but we have to try. The clan needs more prey!"
"Let's hunt." Hawkpaw mewed, sliding into a hunter's crouch and moving through the spindly undergrowth.
He listened carefully and opened his mouth to draw in scents. He picked up a trace of mouse and happily followed. He saw the creature nibbling a nut. He began to creep forwards but he stood on a twig with a loud snap. The mouse ran and he couldn't catch it.
"Fox-dung!" he cried.
"It's okay." Darkpelt purred.
"It's not okay!" he growled. "The clan needs prey and I just let it go!"
"If you want to catch something else keep your mew down," his mentor purred. "See if you can catch something. I'll hunt somewhere else."
"Okay." He muttered.
Hawkpaw returned with his mentor clasping a squirrel and a mouse. He placed his catch on the pile and went to see Nightpaw. The wound had looked bad.
"Nightpaw?" He poked his head into the den.
"She's sleeping." Mewed Sunpaw.
Tigerfur padded past him. His shoulder was covered in some sort of poultice. He was heading directly for Fernmist.
"They seem to have taken an interest in each other." Hawkpaw commented.
"Yeah, they'll probably be mates soon." Sunpaw was washing poultice of her paws in the little pool.
"Will Nightpaw be okay?" he asked.
"I hope so, but I just don't know. It's bad." She whimpered.
"Then let's wake her!" he snarled.
She nodded. "Okay. Get the fattest prey you can, please."
"Of course." He dashed over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a surprisingly plump vole before running back to Sunpaw with it.
The medicine cat apprentice was gently nudging Nightpaw and mewing her name. Her eyelids twitched and her face contorted into a pained frown as her eyes opened. Hawkpaw placed the prey in front of Sunpaw.
"Perfect!" she purred. "Nightpaw, stay awake. Here's a nice juicy vole."
She shook her head, yellow eyes pools of pain and worry.
"Eat," commanded Sunpaw. "You need to keep your strength up!"
"I can't," she whispered hoarsely. Her voice sounded tight and disused. "Other cats need it."
"No cat needs it more than you. Please, Nightpaw! Eat the vole!" pleaded Sunpaw desperately.
Nightpaw shook her head again. "I'm not hungry." Without another word she fell asleep.
Hawkpaw shared a worried look with Sunpaw. They didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking. What will happen to Nightpaw?
