I'm sorry I haven't updated much this week. I was feeling rather uninspired. However, I believe I'll be updating again very shortly.
This chapter... Well, I'll let you guys read it yourselves.
Shout out to Kesteralflight for the idea to have Riverpaw's POV this chapter. It evolved into the glorious chapter that it is.
Friendly reminder that Riverpaw's name was intially Fidgetkit before she was renamed Riverkit in honor of her Clan.
TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE
Chapter 10
Riverpaw purred, studying the reddish tom from afar as he instructed the other cats about the coyotes. Her tail tip curled in excitement. He's got a lot of potential. He takes to leadership naturally. He should have been the one to get an apprentice, not Rainpoppy.
And yet, it seemed that Webstar and Nettlefire revered the former ShadowClan she-cat. Her purr caught in her throat at the thought of the dark grey tabby she-cat. A memory swam to the surface, unbid from the depths of her mind.
"Bravekit and Hidinglight are gone!" Fidgetkit yowled, voice trembling with pain and worry as she raced back from the nursery. Smokekit's breathing was shallow and ragged, and he could no longer lift his head. Halfmoon had ordered her to find the pair; Hidinglight was like a mother to them, after all.
Halfmoon looked up in surprise at the announcement as Fidgetkit burst into the medicine den. Butterflykit sat curled against Smokekit, staring at the sickly grey and white kit with a sorrowful gaze. The white medicine cat's gaze darkened, and she padded over to Fidgetkit, standing in front of her brother as if to block the blue-grey kit's view. "Fidgetkit, I'm sorry... he's gone." The gentle she-cat mewed.
Fidgetkit tensed. It felt as if time stopped, and the den grew so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat. "What?" She squeaked, voice breaking. She stumbled backwards, and as she did so, her brother's weary body came into vision. His chest was still. She hadn't been there for him.
Images flashed through her mind. Raydawn taking her last breath. Sunnykit. And Bravekit, her best friend - where was he? A lump rose in Fidgetkit's throat. "He can't be gone," She mewed hoarsely. Her brother and her - they were in it together. The last of RiverClan.
Since he was gone, what did that mean for her?
Barely aware of her own movement, Fidgetkit turned and raced out of the medicine den, the scenery around her blurring with tears. She could have gone on like that for hours, but a solid grey mass stopped her, and she crashed into Rainpaw.
"Watch it!" The apprentice hissed, fur bristling. "I've got to talk to Halfmoon. Eagletail has Cold Paw." The grey tabby's voice was cold and desolate. Fidgetkit's mind spun. "Hidinglight and Bravekit are missing," She blurted out, "Smokekit's dead." Her voice broke at the mention of her brother's name.
Rainpaw recoiled as if stung, and her eyes narrowed, flashing with fury. After several long moments, the grey tabby lashed her tail. "Well, what did you expect?!" She hissed. "You two brought that illness into our camp! Of course one of you was bound to have it!"
Fidgetkit trembled at the words, her mind empty with shock. Was that truly how ShadowClan viewed them? Burdens that brought pain and illness? She remembered how Raydawn had snapped on them after they found out Sunnykit was sick. The ginger she-cat hadn't been the same towards them since then, even up until the moment of her death.
"We didn't - Smokekit didn't-" She started, but the words caught in her throat, and Rainpaw padded away with a huff. Fidgetkit sunk to the ground, unable to hold in the pain anymore, and stared up at the dappled tree cover as if it held the reasons why all of this was happening.
Riverpaw's breathing quickened as she forced herself back to the present. She looked around the clearing, trying to distract herself from the painful memories. A flash of silver and black caught her eye, and Riverpaw's whiskers twitched at the sight of a small kit creeping through the shadows at the edge of the clearing.
The blue-grey she-cat padded silently over to Echokit, sneaking up behind her. "You're a rebellious one, aren't you?" She mewed once she was close enough to the kit. Echokit jumped, whirling around with wide, guilty eyes. Riverpaw's whiskers twitched. "I was just - I need to -" Echokit stammered, and she waved her tail to silence the kit. "No worries. I love a little adventure. Where were you wanting to go?"
Echokit studied the blue-grey she-cat suspiciously for a moment, before turning to face the entrance, a distant look in her eyes. "I've got to follow Moon!" She insisted. Riverpaw tilted her head, at once reminded that this kit was Tidewhisper's kit. She'd probably inherited some of the queen's oddness.
"Oh no you don't," A growl sounded behind Riverpaw, and she jumped as Nettlefire came into view. He ignored the apprentice, fixing his daughter with a scolding gaze. "Echokit, you know that kits aren't supposed to leave camp," Nettlefire growled. Echokit stared at her father with eyes wide with dismay. "But - but-" She started, only to be silenced as Nettlefire licked the spiky tuft of fur on the kits head, before scooping her up by the scruff.
"I've got to follow Moon!" Echokit wailed again, squirming against her captor as she was dragged back towards the nursery. Her father's hushed words were muffled by fur, and the blue-grey apprentice was unable to make out what he said. Riverpaw shook her head, puzzling over the odd kit. Sure, it was dark in the caverns, but surely Echokit knew it was mid-day?
Applesplash, Houndpaw, and Turtlespot entered the main cavern, carrying fat rabbits in each of their jaws. Houndpaw appeared to be glowing with pride, and Riverpaw purred as she bounded over to them. "Congrats, Houndpaw! You seem to be adjusting well!" She purred, keeping pace with the group as they brought the prey to the fresh-kill pile. Houndpaw shuffled his paws sheepishly, his eyes brightening at the praise. "Thanks, Riverpaw. Though, this rabbit was so fat that he made it easy for me to catch up to him." He mewed jokingly, prodding at the fat rabbit.
Applesplash was irritated, as usual, and she paid Riverpaw little mind. "Rainpoppy didn't say a word about the coyote camp to me or Maplerunner on the patrol. She went straight to Nettlefire and Webstar - it was as if they didn't trust us non-ShadowClan cats with the information about our own Clan!"
Turtlespot grunted in agreement. "And he gave her an apprentice. There are many more eligible, senior warriors capable of mentoring."
Riverpaw padded alongside the warriors, chiming into the conversation. "It's unfair how they just disregard all of us! We've got a ShadowClan leader, a ShadowClan deputy who didn't even have a real apprentice, and a ShadowClan medicine cat, but the bulk of SunClan is made up by WindClan and ThunderClan cats. Sometimes it even seems like they want to erase our traditions!" She spat angrily.
Applesplash shot the apprentice a look of approval. "They insist on making us hunt at night," She agreed. Turtlespot nodded thoughtfully. "It seems most of ThunderClan hunting traditions have vanished with the formation of this new Clan."
"And Bravepaw and I got punished for finding an area full of prey!"
"I'm getting very tired of ShadowClan arrogance, always thinking they know best," Applesplash announced, tail lashing.
For the first time, Riverpaw noticed that Houndpaw was silent, his eyes fixed on his paws. She nudged him gently, staring at him with her river-blue eyes. "What do you think, Houndpaw?" Riverpaw coaxed. He avoided her eyes, staring out among the camp as if he wished to be anywhere else but there. "I don't remember much about ThunderClan," He confessed after a moment. "Although it has been hard to adjust to the several different hunting methods - leaping and climbing at night for the kangaroo rats, running quickly to catch rabbits, or even trying to catch prey in the water - it feels like it doesn't really come naturally."
Turtlespot touched Houndpaw with his tail. "I believe many of us are feeling that way," He mewed gently. "It's especially hard since we lost Sagefrost; I feel that she held many of us together." Houndpaw raised his eyes to shoot an indiscernible look towards his mentor, who was looking away, as if pretending she hadn't heard the exchange. Riverpaw studied him curiously - was that a flash of rage in the meek tom's eyes?
"There you are," Webstar mewed, padding over to them. "Houndpaw, Riverpaw, I want you two to practice training some more with Wildheart. We never know when we might need it," The black striped leader ordered. Riverpaw dipped her head to the leader, looking at him innocently. "Yes Webstar!" She chirped, padding over to Wildheart and his training group energetically.
As she did so, she noticed that Houndpaw hung back for a moment, trudging along unenthusiastically - that is, until his eyes swept towards the group, settling on some point past Riverpaw. His eyes lit up as brightly as the starry sky, and Riverpaw turned to find the source of his excitement. Houndpaw dashed past her and ran over to Butterflysight, who was sitting with the group, his tail raised in greeting. She was too far to hear what they were saying, but the way Butterflysight was staring at her made her pelt prickle with discomfort.
A flash of guilt swept across her mind. Does she blame me for what happened with Bravepaw? She shook her head. No. No cat could have known what he was going to do. Riverpaw swallowed past a lump in her throat as she recalled how Butterflysight had come racing into camp with news of what she'd witnessed. Hidinglight had nearly collapsed, and Riverpaw had felt something heavy sink in her heart like a stone that hadn't quite left her since.
A small rabbit burrowed into her side, prodding at her as if it didn't realize she were a cat. Riverpaw flicked her ears, twitching in her nest and hoping the movement would scare the prey away. It didn't. If anything, the small rabbit seemed to materialize into two, and whispers rose to the blue-grey cat's attention.
"Is she dead?"
"No, you mouse-brain! She's sleeping! We've gotta wake her up!"
That got Riverpaw's attention. Since when did rabbits speak cat? She opened her river-blue eyes, waiting a moment as they adjusted to the light, just in time to see two dark bundles of fur racing at her from a fox length away. She rolled out of their way just in time, and they let out little squeaks of surprise as they crashed into a fluffy heap in her nest.
Riverpaw stood, stretching her legs as she studied the two kits. She recognized one as Echokit by the spiky fur on her head, and the other was the black she-kit, Hollykit. "Hi!" She mewed quietly to the kits, so as not to wake up Featherpaw. Echokit and Hollykit scrambled to their paws, eyes alight and hopeful.
"Riverpaw, please help me follow Moon!" Echokit pleaded. "It's really important, and Nettlefire won't let me leave camp!"
"Echokit's gonna show me how to talk to StarClan like she does so I can be a medicine cat!" Hollykit chimed in excitedly, tail waving. "We're on a mission!"
Riverpaw purred at the kits, though their words confused her. "You two are a bit young to be such rebels!" She joked. "Where are you planning to go this late at night?"
Echokit stared at Riverpaw as if she were mouse-brained. "I told you, I have to follow Moon!" She squeaked. The blue-grey apprentice mulled this over for a moment. On one hand, she'd already gotten in trouble for going out at night, and Webstar had explicitly forbidden kits from even leaving the nursery.
On the other hand, what better way to get back at Nettlefire than by helping his kits go on a little adventure? They would try escaping with or without Riverpaw's help, and at least if she came with, she'd be able to keep an eye on them and make sure they were safe.
Riverpaw nodded. "Alright, lets go," She mewed, eliciting a sigh of relief from Echokit. "But there's no way that you'll be able to get out with those three cats on watch. I'll have to distract them," She added thoughtfully, the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind. "Stay close, but keep silent and to the shadows. Let me handle the night guards."
The two kits nodded obediently with wide eyes, staring at her as if she had all the answers. She padded silently out of the apprentice's den, letting the scents of the camp wash over her. If she remembered correctly, it was Wildheart and Adderspring guarding the entrance for the night. The young grey warrior was bound to be exhausted after training the other cats all day. He'd look for any opportunity to get some shut eye. And Adderspring was a ThunderClan cat at heart; he enjoyed sleeping at night just like any other non-ShadowClan cat. Just another way our leaders are letting the camp down, Riverpaw reflected.
She signaled with her tail for the two kits to stay back, clearing her throat as she approached the camp entrance. Wildheart jumped at the sound, clearly having begun to doze off. Riverpaw purred, ignoring the younger warrior for a moment to fix Adderspring with an intense river-blue gaze.
"Hello," She greeted as the ginger tabby tom eyed her suspiciously. "Nettlefire told me to take over for you. He got your shifts mixed up, and has you on Dawn Patrol tomorrow. He didn't want you to have to do two shifts in a row," Riverpaw lied smoothly, staring at him with trusting river blue eyes.
Adderspring blinked slowly at the she-cat. "An apprentice?" He asked doubtfully. Riverpaw nodded. "He said it'd be good experience for me." Adderspring's amber eyes burned with both doubt and hope. Eventually, his gaze softened and the latter won over, and he lazily brought himself to his paws. "About time," He mewed, shooting an apologetic glance towards a distraught looking Wildheart. "If you'd told me any later, I'd have hardly had any time to get back to sleep," Adderspring continued as he padded away into the darkness of the canyon.
Riverpaw settled in beside Wildheart, maintaining a solemn silence for several long moments. When she sensed the dark grey tom beginning to slip again into his exhaustion, she gently nudged him. "You know, Wildheart, you're about falling asleep on your paws. If you like, I can stay on watch myself. I feel wide awake tonight, and I won't tell anyone."
Wildheart ducked his head in embarrassment. "No, I'm a warrior now. If I can't stand guard, what kind of SunClan cat am I?" He mewed stubbornly, though clearly more to himself than Riverpaw. The grey-blue she-cat shrugged. "You're only one cat, Wildheart. But suit yourself," Riverpaw mewed, staring out at the starry, dark landscape. "You know, I remember Rainpoppy mentioning how she really wished you weren't doing the night guard tonight. She's had a long day and really wanted you by her side," She mewed casually after several moments.
That got his attention. "She did? Did she specifically mention me?" Wildheart demanded, suddenly seeming wide awake. Riverpaw purred, cuffing the young warrior over the ear. "Of course. Why would I lie?"
Wildheart fell silent, churning his claws against the stone, as if fighting some internal battle. "Would you really do that for me?" He asked finally, turning towards her with wide, hopeful green eyes. Riverpaw nodded. "Of course! I wouldn't want my friend to be so overworked. You know, all of that training with Finchberry has helped me to be quite fast. If anything were to happen, you'd be the first I'd wake up," She mewed. This seemed to reassure the tom, and he rose to his paws, pacing a few steps. "Alright," He said finally, "But you call me at the first sign of anything happening!"
"Will do," Riverpaw promised, brushing against the young warrior with her tail. "Now go get some rest. You deserve it," She insisted, meaning every word.
As Wildheart padded eagerly into the darkness, silence fell, thick as a cloud around Riverpaw. She gazed out at the river from the entrance, memories swirling behind her eyes; watching the sunrise with Bravepaw, and his promise to get her the prettiest rock from the bottom of the river.
The heaviness in her heart thickened as she imagined the shining river she loved so much as it took her best friend's life. It's all my fault, came an internal voice before she could stop it. Her head spun and her eyes glistened. It seemed all the stars in the sky were looking down on her in contempt.
"That was so cool!" Came a tiny squeak, shaking Riverpaw out of her thoughts as Hollykit materialized from the shadows. Her green eyes were wide with excitement. Echokit padded behind her, seeming much more solemn about the situation; her small blue gaze was focused intently outside the camp, as if seeing things no one else could. What an odd kit, Riverpaw reflected.
"How did you convince both of them to leave?" Hollykit demanded, voice tinted with awe. Riverpaw purred, playfully cuffing the dark kit's ears. "It's the RiverClan charm," She mewed with certainty. "Now lets get going before any other cats hear us."
Echokit padded forward without hesitation, paws instinctively avoiding dips in the stone, as if the young silver and black kit already knew her way around the darkened landscape by heart. Riverpaw stared at the kit with a trickle of unease. She seemed to be following a path only she could see.
"Wait up, Echokit! You've got to tell me more about the StarClan cats!" Hollykit squeaked, bounding after her sister. Riverpaw fell in line behind the kits, keeping her ears perked and her eyes alert. "Don't go too far from me," She instructed gently. "And make sure to listen if I tell you something. Remember, you're not warriors yet."
Hollykit stared back at her with wide green eyes. "I'm not gonna be a warrior! I'm gonna be a medicine cat, just like Butterflysight!" She mewed proudly, puffing out her chest. Riverpaw purred. "Even more reason to listen to me then," She mewed, "We've got to keep our future medicine cat safe!"
Hollykit nodded obediently, her tail perked up in excitement. Echokit, however, seemed to scarcely hear her, weaving around bushes and rocks that even Riverpaw hadn't sensed yet.
She did sense one thing, however. The feeling of eyes boring into the back of her pelt, and the quiet swish of grasses as something approached. Riverpaw tensed, unsheathing her claws. "Kits! Hide, now!" She hissed quietly. To her dismay, Echokit was nowhere in sight, but she spotted Hollykit's dark bushy tail as she vanished in the cracks of stone.
Rather than the overwhelming stench of coyote, however, Riverpaw scented something that was comfortingly familiar. She forced her pelt to lie flat, locating where he was sitting by his scent. "Redwind, is that you?" Riverpaw called, praying that the tom hadn't seen or heard the kits.
Redwind appeared from the grasses behind her, studying the she-cat. "Oh, it's you. Riverpaw, what are you doing out by yourself so late?" He mewed, sitting back on his haunches. "I thought I heard something from on top of the cavern."
Riverpaw brushed affectionately against the tom, staring at him with her river-blue eyes. "Aw, you were worried about me!" She teased, keeping her voice level. Redwind snorted. "I didn't even realize it was you," He mewed. "I thought that maybe it was another coyote..."
Riverpaw widened her eyes in a pout. "You weren't worried about me?" She mewed in dismay. Redwind shuffled his paws in embarrassment, sheepishly avoiding her gaze. "I didn't say I wasn't-" He stammered, before shaking his head. "Why are you out here alone?" He asked again, fixing her with an intense stare. "It's not safe." Riverpaw searched his warm brown gaze, finding no suspicion there, only concern.
"You are worried about me," She teased. "It felt so stuffy and dark in the apprentices den. I know I should have told somebody, but I really needed some air," Riverpaw added before he could protest. "I thought I'd do some night hunting. I need to move my muscles." Redwind shuffled his paws. "I could come with, if you like," He offered quietly. Riverpaw erupted into a purr, nuzzling the reddish tom's side. "I appreciate the thought. I really think I need some time alone, though," She insisted, gazing at him with trusting blue eyes.
Redwind looked swayed, but unconvinced. "What if something happens?" He asked, studying the landscape as if he expected a coyote to jump out at any moment. Riverpaw rolled her eyes. "Please, Redwind. Don't you think I know how to hold my own by now?"
That was the wrong thing to say. The reddish tom's gaze darkened, and he stared out in the direction of Snakerocks, where the coyote attack had occurred. "Sagefrost knew how to hold her own, too. So did Grassdaze," He mewed quietly, muscles tensed.
"And I'll be able to scent the coyotes from a mile away," Riverpaw mewed stubbornly. "You guys were swarmed with the scent of prey. I'm only going to be catching one or two pieces of fresh kill, and I won't be going far."
Redwind sighed, studying the apprentice. "Alright. Please be careful," He conceded. Riverpaw purred, curling her tail around his. "I won't be gone long," She promised. Redwind dipped his head before gazing back in the direction of camp. "I'd better go back to my watch," He mewed, shooting the apprentice one last longing look before padding away.
When the reddish tom faded from sight, Riverpaw felt the blood flood back into her body and she allowed herself to relax. "Great StarClan, that was close. Echokit, Hollykit, you two can come out now," She mewed, turning back towards where she had seen the kits disappear. Nothing but silence greeted her. Dread dropped into her paws, and she tasted the air, to see if she could scent them.
Even their scents were stale.
Riverpaw forced herself not to panic over the thought of having lost the deputy's two daughters. As much as she criticized him, she didn't want any harm to come to the kits. They couldn't help who they were born to, after all. She pressed her nose to the ground where Hollykit had disappeared, keeping her jaws open to track the scent. It disappeared into the cracks of the stone, but reappeared a fox length or so away, alongside Echokit's scent, to Riverpaw's relief.
The ground beneath her paws leveled out to a dry, sandy area with little shade or protection. As she tracked the two kits scents, she silently cursed herself for letting them wander out of sight. She'd hoped they would listen, but clearly Echokit's urge to follow the moon and Hollykit's excitement had outweighed her orders.
Fortunately, their scents were becoming less faint, though Riverpaw's pelt bristled as she picked up another scent, strong and bitter. It was unlike anything she'd ever scented. She gazed around the landscape, fur standing on end; she'd never been in this area of the territory before.
Were they by the coyote's camp?
The bitter scent became so strong, it overwhelmed every other nearby scent. "Hollykit! Echokit!" Riverpaw hissed again, desperately hoping she'd catch sight of the kits before anything else did. To her relief, a small voice called out from the other side of a small dip in the earth. "We're over here, Riverpaw!"
Riverpaw bounded over towards Hollykit's voice, coming to an abrupt stop as she crested the dip. The earth in front of her was covered with many vine-like plants. Like white, flowy stars, beautiful flowers with five points were open, almost seeming to glow in the moonlight.
Echokit sat in front of the vine plants, staring at them intently. At the sight of the apprentice, Hollykit bounded over, her kit fluff bushed up uneasily. "She kept going when you told us to hide!" Hollykit squeaked. "She hasn't moved or said anything since we got here!"
Riverpaw padded over to the black and silver kit, her spine prickling uneasily. "You okay, Echokit?" She asked. As if the apprentice's voice broke the spell, Echokit turned her head towards Riverpaw, her eyes alight with awe. "These are Moonflowers," Echokit whispered.
Moonflowers? Riverpaw was certain she'd never heard of such an herb, and she'd definitely never seen Butterflysight use them. She opened her jaws to speak, but the small kit continued, turning her gaze back towards the stunning flowers. "They only flower at night," Echokit mewed, sounding wiser than her age.
Riverpaw stared at the kit with wide blue eyes. "How do you know?" She blurted out. Echokit appeared surprised at the question. "Moon told me," She mewed, as if the answer were obvious. "We need to bring these flowers to camp. Butterflysight needs them."
The bitter scent of the flower bed was overwhelming, and Riverpaw sank to her haunches to try and gather herself despite the sudden dizziness. She recalled Hollykit saying something about StarClan cats. Was Echokit being visited by StarClan cats? Had they sent her a vision?
Riverpaw suddenly felt very small in the presence of the seemingly wise kit.
"I'll grab them!" Hollykit squeaked excitedly, leaping into the flower bed and attacking several of the flowers with her claws. She managed to grasp two or three in her jaws and wrinkled her nose as she approached the small group. "Yuck!" Hollykit mewed, her voice muffled. The kit set the flowers down, rasping her tongue over her teeth in disgust. "I wonder what they do?" She mewed curiously, as if suddenly forgetting the bitter taste.
Echokit said nothing, gently grasping one of the flowers closest to her. Then, she turned expectantly towards Riverpaw, as if to say, "Lead the way."
Riverpaw shakily rose to her paws, her breathing feeling thick and heavy with the bitter stench. Hollykit and Echokit seemed unbothered, however, and the apprentice forced herself forward, simply glad to be away from the awful smelling flowers.
Silence fell upon the group as they headed back to camp, and the further away from the flowers they got, the easier Riverpaw's breathing became. However, the way back to camp seemed much further than it had been initially, and Riverpaw began to feel more and more exposed the longer they walked.
By the time the canyon rock came into view, Riverpaw felt a sigh of relief make its way through her chest. The kits seemed to feel a sense of urgency as well, for they picked up pace, keeping stride with the apprentice as she came upon the camp entrance.
Perhaps it was the scent of the flowers still lingering to her fur, or perhaps it was weariness finally catching up to her, but it wasn't until she approached the camp entrance that her pelt prickled, and she was abruptly overwhelmed by the scent of blood.
Something was wrong. The camp was too silent, and everything was tinted with the stench of blood and coyote.
She shot a worried glance towards the kits, but they didn't seem to notice what she had; their gazes were fixed to their paws. It's the flowers, Riverpaw realized. They can't smell anything around its bitterness. Her heart sunk with dread at the thought of what they might be about to see.
"Stay here," Riverpaw ordered, signalling for the kits to hide in a crevice just outside of the camp. Once she was sure they were safe, she dashed into the camp, barely letting time for her eyes to adjust to the light.
She didn't have to go far; inside the canyon she was overwhelmed by what felt like a wall of blood scent. Tufts of fur were strewn across the cavern, the fresh kill pile was demolished, and blood seemed to soak every tail length of the cavern floor. Something between a wail and a shriek escaped her jaws. Mauled bodies of her Clanmates lay before her, their expressions contorted in the fight they had died in.
Applesplash lay with her belly split outward, scarcely clinging to her spine. Hidinglight's face was unrecognizable, curled beside a bloodied lump that could only be Sparrowdawn near the nursery entrance. Wildheart lay near the camp entrance, his throat torn out. A tiny pile of reddish fur moaned from a dark corner of the cavern, and Riverpaw jumped as she spotted Featherpaw, missing her hind legs.
A cough echoed to her left, and Riverpaw swerved her gaze towards the reddish tom that she had seen last. "They came while you were gone," Redwind mewed hoarsely, a gaping wound in his throat pooling blood at his paws. "There was nobody protecting the camp. I couldn't do it all myself," He coughed.
Riverpaw shook her head in horror, a wail of pain escaping her body. What have I done? Great StarClan, what have I done?!