Chapter Eight
A shriek came from the camp guard. WindClan warriors spilled into the clearing, slashing and biting everyone who got in their way. Spottedflower heard the commotion outside and pulled her kits closer to her. She glanced at them, checking to make sure all of them were there. She was horrified to find that one of them was missing. She stood up and looked around, ears pinned against her head. A WindClan warrior darted into the den, nearly trampling a mewling Mosskit. Spottedflower launched herself at the warrior, shredding their ears and scratching at their eyes. More WindClan cats rushed into the nursery, grabbing as many kits as they could carry away. Spottedflower couldn't fight off all of them. She crawled carefully on top of her remaining kits to shield them.
Anger burned deep within her as she watched them leave the nursery, carrying three of the kits away. In the corner of the nursery, she could see a small form, unmoving and lifeless. She stood up and rushed over to the injured kit. It was Brindlekit, the only kit that remained who was truly her own. She grabbed the kit by the scruff of the neck and looked outside. The WindClan warriors had been driven out, and ThunderClan cats were rushing around, checking to see if everyone was alright. Trembling, Spottedflower took her kit over to the medicine cat den. Rainheart was standing inside, fur bristling.
The queen set Brindlekit down on the den floor and took in a shuddering breath. "Rainheart, my kit is hurt! You have to help her!"
Rainheart staggered forward from out of the shadows. As he stepped into the light, Spottedflower could see deep red liquid leaking from a wound on his chest. Her ears flattened. The old medicine cat lurched forward and fell at her paws. Spottedflower grabbed Brindlekit and stepped out.
"Help me, help me!" she shrieked. "Rainheart and my kit are injured!"
Skypaw heard her yowling and rushed over to see if he could do anything to help. He looked from the kit to his wounded mentor, and held his breath. Both of them were severely hurt. He sniffed Brindlekit and his fur stood on end.
"What happened to her?" Skypaw asked. He tried to remain calm, but he could feel his mask of composure beginning to slip.
Spottedflower took in a deep breath. "I didn't see clearly, but I think she might have been trampled. Please, you have to help her!"
Skypaw's ears pricked as he heard a guttural choking noise coming from inside the medicine cat den. He couldn't tend to both his injured mentor and the kit at once. He had to make a decision, and he had to make it quick. He rushed past Rainheart and grabbed a bundle of herbs. He ran out to Brindlekit and began chewing the herbs.
"She's in shock," he informed Spottedflower, "I don't think she's hurt very badly, though her front paw might be sprained – or worse."
"You mean it might be broken?" the queen wailed.
Skypaw's ears flattened. He didn't yet know how to take care of broken bones. He prayed to StarClan that it was only a minor sprain. He sniffed Brindlekit and gave her a few licks. She was so small and delicate that he was surprised nothing worse had happened to her. He examined her front paw and winced. It certainly looked like a break. If he didn't treat it fast, it could get infected, or never heal properly. He desperately wished he knew what to do. All of this was being forced upon him so fast. He carefully opened Brindlekit's mouth and put a dab of chewed-up goldenrod on her tongue. She mewed and struggled, but eventually swallowed.
"I'm going to get some poppy seeds. They'll relax her so that I can examine her further," Skypaw meowed. "I'll also get some thyme to help with the shock."
"Will she be alright?" Spottedflower asked. Her eyes were wide with worry.
Skypaw looked down. "I don't know. I'll do everything I can for her, though."
He walked into the medicine cat den, giving a passing glance to his fallen mentor. He felt terrible about not helping Rainheart, but there was nothing he could do. He heard a noise from his mentor and he looked up from the herbs. It sounded like Rainheart was trying to say something.
"Com-frey," the old cat rasped.
Skypaw blinked. Did Rainheart want him to give comfrey to Brindlekit? He heard his mentor repeat the word, and he grabbed the herb from the pile, along with the thyme and poppy seeds. He carried his bundle out to Brindlekit and crouched down by her side. He chewed the thyme and gave it to the little kit, followed by the comfrey, and finally the poppy seeds to ease her into sleep. Spottedflower peered over his shoulder at the kit.
"I think she'll be alright now," Skypaw meowed. "Just make sure she doesn't move around a lot. It will take a long time for that bone to heal. I think the comfrey will help though..."
I sure hope it will, he thought.
He watched the queen gently pick up Brindlekit and breathed a sigh of relief. His moment of tranquility was cut short, however, as he remembered Rainheart was severely wounded. He rushed into the medicine cat den, and let out a wail of dismay as he noticed that the old medicine cat was no longer breathing. He felt guilt in the pit of his stomach. He had chosen to help Brindlekit over Rainheart, and because of it, the medicine cat was dead. Brindlekit hadn't even been in any life-threatening danger! He felt eyes on the back of his head and turned around. Duskpool was standing behind him with a nasty-looking gash on his shoulder.
"Is he – is he dead?" the warrior asked.
Skypaw lowered his head. "Yes, he is."
Duskpool's eyes clouded with grief. Skypaw took another look at the warrior's wound and went to get cobwebs to stop the bleeding. Echoheart entered the den as well. She had scratches on her muzzle and sides. Skypaw went about tending to their wounds. There were so many injured from the fight with WindClan, and he was just an apprentice. Now that Rainheart was dead, all the responsibility would be his – and he didn't even know half of what there was to know! Who would teach him now? Was he supposed to figure it out all by himself? What a terrible medicine cat he'd be if that were the case.
--
Outside of the camp, the training apprentices and their mentors were oblivious to the chaos and death that had come from the attack on their camp. Nettlepaw was desperately trying to impress Petalpaw, though he was sure he was doing an awful job of it. He was almost certain he could hear quiet meows of laughter coming out of the she-cat's mouth. He took in a deep breath and barreled towards his mentor at the highest speed he could muster. Torntail sighed and stepped out of the way, sending him running into a bush. Dazed and leaf-covered, Nettlepaw pushed himself to his paws.
"You're going to have to be faster than that, Nettlepaw," meowed Torntail. "If this were a real battle, you'd be dead by now."
Nettlepaw's ears went flat. "It's not my fault that I'm slow!"
"Perhaps too much milk in the nursery," Torntail suggested to Silvercloud.
The silver she-cat flicked her ears in amusement, but didn't say a word. Nettlepaw wheezed and sat down, making quite sure his tail didn't get caught under his bottom. He was very tired, yet he'd only been training for a short amount of time. He watched as Petalpaw sparred with her mentor. She was good, and she had only just become an apprentice. Nettlepaw could feel his pelt burning with jealousy and embarrassment. Why couldn't he be that good? He was much older than Petalpaw, but she seemed to have more skill than he.
It came his turn to train again, and he found himself striving to do his very best this time. He bunched up his muscles and launched himself forward, knocking Torntail off his paws. It hadn't really been his skill so much as his weight that had sent the calico tom lurching off to the side. But it was still an accomplishment, and he was quite proud.
Petalpaw purred, "Great job, Nettlepaw!"
"Yes, that was very good," Torntail praised. "You're getting better with every training session. If you go on improving like this, you'll be a warrior in no time!"
Nettlepaw's eyes shimmered with delight. He hadn't ever received this much praise before, and it made him feel very good on the inside. Even better, Petalpaw was praising him. In his mind at that moment, she was the greatest.
"Well, I think that's quite enough training for today," Silvercloud meowed. "Let's go back to the camp, now. But if you see any prey on the way, don't hesitate to catch it! Last I checked, the pile was getting very low."
Torntail stretched out, flexing his claws. "I think I'll do that. I'm in the mood for a bit of hunting right now. You all can go on without me, if you'd like."
"I want to hunt," Nettlepaw meowed flatly.
"Well, good, you can come with me, then," purred Torntail. "I can show you a few pointers while we're out. I'll see you and Petalpaw back at camp, Silvercloud."
Silvercloud flicked her tail and turned to head back to camp, leaving Torntail and Nettlepaw alone in the forest. Nettlepaw turned to his mentor, who had a glimmer of approval in his eyes as he looked down at him. It felt good to finally be on the way to becoming a warrior. Maybe he could even become a warrior before Redpaw did. That would sure ruffle that nasty tabby's fur!
"Alright," Torntail meowed, interrupting Nettlepaw's thoughts, "I smell chaffinch in that direction. Watch me as I go for it."
Nettlepaw observed as his mentor dropped into a hunter's crouch. He copied Torntail subconsciously, pressing his belly low to the ground and preparing to spring. He watched as the calico tom crawled forward, and sprang without warning. Nettlepaw heard slight scuffling coming from the bushes. It didn't sound like his mentor was hunting so much as fighting. Perhaps he'd come across a predator that had also spotted the chaffinch. After a few moments, the scuffling stopped. When Torntail didn't emerge from the undergrowth, Nettlepaw began to worry.
He prowled forward, hoping that there wasn't a fox around. He peeked through the bushes and was greeted by a horrific sight. Torntail was laying on the ground next to the corpse of a chaffinch. He was twitching, and blood was spurting from several bite and claw wounds all over his body. Nettlepaw gasped in horror and looked around. He spied a flash of red rustling about in the bushes on the opposite side of the small clearing.
Fox! Nettlepaw thought anxiously.
Without thinking, he darted forward and into the bushes where he had spotted the creature. He tumbled forward and landed on top of something. The something let out a meow of shock and pain. Startled, Nettlepaw got up. A paw darted out and knocked him in the forehead, and he fell back, blood dripping into his eyes. It was then that he got a look at the culprit. He could see the outline of a wild-eyed red tabby, blood splattered on it's muzzle and chest. Horror creeped upon him as he realized who it was.
"Redpaw!" he choked out.
But the tabby was already gone. Had Redpaw actually murdered Torntail? It couldn't possibly be. Maybe he was just imagining things. Maybe it really was just a small fox. But no, a fox would have eaten Torntail, not left him there. Nettlepaw knew what he had to do. He rushed back in the direction of camp, as fast as his short legs could carry him. He burst through the entrance, only to find the camp in a state of disarray.
"Torntail is dead!" he wailed loudly.
A hiss came from nearby. "Did WindClan get him, too?"
"What?" Nettlepaw questioned. WindClan must have attacked whilst they were out training.
"WindClan warriors rushed the camp, dozens of them. They took three of Spottedflower's kits, those greedy pieces of foxdung!" Oakpelt explained. He had a terrible look of fury on his worn face.
Nettlepaw cried, "Torntail was murdered!"
Lightningstar approached him, eyes blazing. "By whom, Nettlepaw?"
Nettlepaw opened his mouth to tell her who the culprit was when he caught a glimpse of Redpaw out of the corner of his eye. The older apprentice was glaring at him with malice, just daring him to say something.
"Redpaw!" Nettlepaw blurted out. "I saw him!"
"You mean you saw him murder Torntail?" Lightningstar hissed.
"Well, no, but he was nearby, and he had blood all over him, and –,"
He was cut off in mid-sentence by Lightningstar.
"So you didn't see him, then," she growled. "I'm sorry Nettlepaw, but I can't believe he'd do such a thing. He's just an apprentice, and a fine one at that. Yes, he may be prickly at times, but a murderer he is not."
"But –," Nettlepaw started.
Suddenly, he began to rethink things. Perhaps he had just seen a fox. But it had looked so much like Redpaw. No, it must have been Redpaw. Why didn't Lightingstar just believe him? Sure, his story seemed a little far fetched, and he hadn't actually witnessed the murder, but couldn't they just look into it? He was sure that the ThunderClan leader didn't want to be troubled with things like more murder right after Whitefeather's death and another attack from WindClan.
"Where is his body, Nettlepaw?" asked Oakpelt. "If what you're saying is true, Redpaw's scent will be on the corpse."
"Follow me," Nettlepaw meowed. "He's laying just a little ways away from the clearing where we were training."
The ThunderClan deputy followed Nettlepaw into the woods. When the reached the scene of the murder, Nettlepaw was dismayed to find nothing left of his mentor but bones. The whole area reeked of fox.
"Killed by a fox, then," Oakpelt meowed sadly.
Nettlepaw shook his head. "I could have sworn..."
Oakpelt blinked. "It's alright. It's an easy thing for a young apprentice like you to mistake – but couldn't you smell the fox? Perhaps you should take some time to examine things before making a serious murder accusation."
Nettlepaw's heart sunk. So his mentor truly had been killed by a fox. A wave of sadness crept over him. He had completely neglected mourning whilst caught up in the fury of trying to get back at Redpaw. There was not much of a body to bring back to camp, so they walked away, leaving Torntail's bones scattered across the ground. It was truly a dark day for ThunderClan.
--
Many weeks had passed since the murders and attack. Nettlepaw had been assigned a new mentor – Duskpool. His brother Skypaw had revealed that he was being taught by the other Clan medicine cats. They'd mentor him until he was ready to receive his full name. Nettlepaw sat at the edge of camp, lost in his thoughts. Earlier, Lightningstar had sent Redpaw and Petalpaw out together to hunt, alone. It was somewhat unusual for apprentices to go out alone, but most of the warriors were caught up in guarding against another attack. Nettlepaw longed to go out with them, but because of his lack of fighting skills, he had been confined to camp.
He saw Redpaw and Petalpaw returning to camp, both of them looking cheery. They both had sizable prey in their jaws. Jealousy was churning in the pit of Nettlepaw's stomach. Petalpaw was supposed to be his friend, not Redpaw's. He turned away, unable to bare the sight of the two together. He knew deep down that Redpaw and Petalpaw weren't just friends. They were obviously in love. And because of this, two particular cats in the Clan were deeply disappointed. Those two cats were Echoheart and Nettlepaw, and they weren't about to get over it in a hurry, either. Especially not with the gossip that was spreading among the apprentices like wildfire.
It had been said that Petalpaw was carrying Redpaw's kits. It was considered highly unusual for an apprentice to become mates, though there was nothing in the warrior code concerning it, so it wasn't exactly forbidden. Of course, these were mere rumors, with little to no factual support. Echoheart and Nettlepaw deeply hoped that they would remain mere rumors as well. It had all happened so fast – too fast.
"I guess that's just Redpaw. He gets all the she-cats," Echoheart had commented jokingly, trying desperately to hide her utter disappointment.
Nettlepaw felt sorry for her. He also felt sorry for himself. He had feelings for the little white she-cat, and perhaps if he were a little braver, he could express those feels to her. No, he was brave. He made up his mind that very moment – he was going to tell Petalpaw how he felt about her.
And Redpaw had best not interfere.
