The sun began to rise over the forest again. The cats had a good night's rest better than they had in a while. Tawnypelt's condition worsened as her wound was left untreated ever since she got bit. The eight cats woke up as they prepared to keep going but the wound that Tawnypelt had sustain, was going to prevent her from going any farther. They needed the herb to help her rat bite.
"Well looks like we need some food if we are going to continue." Purdy announced if he was itching to get there before sun down.
"What about Tawnypelt, she is becoming sicker?" Brambleclaw asked as he saw his sister was suffering.
"One of us will have to stay behind to watch her." Purdy mewed as he scanned the group to see who was willing to stay behind.
"I'll do it." Feathertail mewed volunteering to stay behind.
"I want to stay behind too to help Feathertail." Littlefoot volunteered for the job, Feathertail spun around to the tom as she responded.
"Look, as much as you want to help me with my jobs; you have your own responsibilities. You should take your turn and hunt for the group." Feathertail mewed to the warrior. Littlefoot gulped as he sighed.
"All right, I promise I will be back." He scampered off to find Brambleclaw who was ready to assign him with a hunting partner. He was hoping to partner up with Crowpaw but Brambleclaw had other ideas.
"You will be hunting with Squirrelpaw." Brambleclaw mewed. Littlefoot didn't like Squirrelpaw that much, not only was he annoyed with her and often her actions caused more trouble than being a blessing but he knew that Squirrelpaw might do something stupid. But, he had to put up with it.
"Thank you." Littlefoot gulped showing respect from the warrior as he and Squirrelpaw left. Squirrelpaw scampered after him.
The two cats padded through the forest as they were looking for prey. They looked around looking for prey to latch their teeth on but Squirrelpaw was looking for something else entirely.
"Focus Squirrelpaw." Littlefoot instructed her. A mouse was busy eating some seeds as Littlefoot crouced down into a hunting stance as he pounced on the squirrel killing it swiftly. "See look, it's that easy, give it a go." He was encouraging her to hunt but she wasn't really focused on hunting prey but rather herbs. She soon began to dig underneath a huge tree as she was looking for roots. "Squirrelpaw, we don't eat roots, we eat fresh kill so there is no need for digging."
"I don't need Fresh kill, all I need are the roots." Squirrelpaw responded as she kept digging away.
"Any particular reason why?" Littlefoot asked puzzled. He was confused about what Squirrelpaw was talking about.
":Leafpaw sent a message to me that we need Burdock root to help Tawnypelt." Squirrelpaw mewed as she popped out of the tree with the thick roots.
"You sure that's burdock? I'm not too good with herbs." Littlefoot asked before admitting that he has no knowledge of herbs.
"My sister's a medicine cat apprentice so I know what Burdock root looks like." Squirrelpaw hissed as she was annoyed. She knew what Burdock root looked like so she knew she was sure.
"Oh okay, let's head back to the group." Littlefoot mewed feeling defeated. They soon decided to head back to where Tawnypelt was.
The cats got back as Squirrelpaw puts down the Burdock root and some Cobwebs. It was clear this was all for Tawnypelt.
"You and Littlefoot came back very early with very little prey; I am disappointed with the both of you." Brambleclaw hissed seeing they only brought back a squirrel.
"Yeah but Squirrelpaw decided to go find some Burdock root back despite my warnings not to." Littlefoot mewed as he said what happened today, Brambleclaw looked at Squirrelpaw as she puts down the Burdock and Cobwebs, and they soon realized it was the herb that was needed to help Tawnypelt.
"How did you know?" All the cats asked as they realized Squirrelpaw came back with the roots.
"I'm just that great." Squirrelpaw responded. She chewed up the herbs as she plastered them on the infected rat bite. She soon patched Tawnypelt up with the Cobwebs.
"How do you feel Tawnypelt?" Purdy asked as they felt tired.
"A lot better." Tawnypelt sighed. She soon began to fall asleep as they soon rested up.
The next morning, Purdy escorted the cats to the outer edge of the forest as they were soon getting closer. Purdy stopped them.
"Are you sure you are willing to go any further? The air is heavy today and my age says I can't go any further." Purdy asked the traveling cats.
"We're sure we'll be able to continue on, thank you Purdy." Littlefoot reassured him. He then bid farewell as the old loner bounded back into the forest. The cats soon continued on their journey as they a smell began to burn their noses. It was clear they were getting close to their goal.
"A true hero, the greatest of cats, Purdy." Crowpaw sighed as he knew that the loner helped them despite his mistakes. Squirrelpaw turned as she had something to say.
"I smell salt." Squirrelpaw admitted. She soon led them and to see a massive Sun drown place that was eating away at the sky. They knew they were almost there. Brambleclaw soon spotted the cave that he saw in his dream and he began to pad down to the cave. It was clear they were going to travel down a steep slope to get there so they knew they had to be careful. The cats soon began to split up as they all padded along their own paths.
Littlefoot was taking the easiest route down but it was also a lot of bounds down to the cave. Brambleclaw and the rest of the cats were padding along a steep section of the path as they had to take the shortest path out of them all. Soon the pathway gave away as Brambleclaw plummeted into the ocean. The other cats stopped short seeing that the one that vowed to protect them was now helpless in the ocean. Squirrelpaw leaped down into the ocean to save Brambleclaw. The other cats soon back tracked as they headed down Littlefoot's path. Squirrelpaw was fighting against the current as she was desperate to save Brambleclaw.
"Neither of them are going to live, I must do something or they will both drown, Tawnypelt, watch the rest of the group, I'm going to do something only Mistyfoot has taught ne when I was an apprentice." Littlefoot huffed; he soon leaped into the ocean below as he began to swim.
The cats were bobbing in the ocean as they tried swimming, Littlefoot swam over was he soon rested Brambleclaw on him. Squirrelpaw soon swam over as she help him as they all swam to shore. The other cats bounded down as the three cats soon exited the ocean with salt water clinging to their pelts.
"Are you okay Brambleclaw?" Tawnypelt asked as she was worried for him.
"I'm fine." Brambleclaw coughed. Squirrelpaw and Littlefoot padded over as the other cats were waiting for them.
"I am impressed with you, where did you learn how to swim?" Crowpaw asked as he admired the warrior's bravery.
"Mistyfoot taught me how to swim. It's a thing that all Riverclan cats must do." Littlefoot responded to Crowpaw. Crowpaw soon turned to Feathertail as he made a promise to her.
"When we get back to camp, I want to learn how to swim." Crowpaw mewed to Feathertail.
"If we make it back depending on the condition of the forest, then we will swim together." Feathertail mewed making a promise to Crowpaw. Stormfur soon looked over to see the cave that Brambleclaw was trying to reach. They soon padded to it as they entered.
The cave was dark yet cool from the scorching sun, it was also big as well as the cats padded down it. They soon heard the voice of a badger.
"Who goes there?" The badger called out to the intruders.
"It's me, Brambleclaw and my friends; we have a message from Starclan." Brambleclaw responded. Soon the badger padded out to meet the cats. This was a massive Badger as her age was telling that she was bigger than most of the other Badgers. She soon lead Tawnypelt to treat her wound when the other cats decided to follow. After Tawnypelt was patched up again, the Badger spoke.
"My name is Midnight; I am a badger that gazes at the stars. I speak the tongues of many animals as try to give my insight on the situation." Midnight began. "From the messages I've been gathering from Starclan I would like to inform you that there was no Warrior cat ball and it was just an elaborate trick to get you over your badger prejudice." The cats were listening as Midnight continued "Also the clans need to leave the forest since the Tractors are going to come and go to war with the cats." Stormfur stepped forward with a question.
"Why didn't Starclan tell us this so we didn't have to spend the last two months walking?" Stormfur asked Midnight. Midnight turned around as she said one vague response.
"Starclan sucks." Midnight told the cats.
Meanwhile Cloudtail was padding along with Firestar as he began to smell the most fowl smelling odor he had seen in his life. The other cats soon followed as they began sniffing the Marigold that was wilted and rotting. They soon turned to hear the loudest roar they have ever heard. Soon they began to eat away at the trees and there were hundreds of them. The cats began to scatter as the tractors took even bigger bites out of the forest. The destruction of the forest had begun.
"But back in Thunderclan the Tractors attack." Midnight mewed as she finished her vision; the cats knew they had to get back to the forest to save their clans.
[A/N]: We still have one or two more days to reach our goal. We need 250 views for this story and 5 reviews to get this popular; don't spam reviews as I do want everyone to read this. So the part with Midnight is finished and now we're moving on to Moonrise. Who's excited for the trip back? Anyone? Next chapter will be posted soon.