Screeches ripped through the air as Heronpaw and the rest of the Cedarclan patrol neared the camp. Heronpaw couldn't see what was happening through the darkness and thronging wave of pelts that blocked his view. He could only hear his leader's voice rise above the commotion.
"Cedarclan, attack!"
Heronpaw felt a surge of energy pulse through him as he crested the hill and burst out onto a scene of chaos.
There were rouges everywhere. Their scent choked him and made his eyes water. He felt Hawkpaw speed past him and saw his brother launch himself at the nearest ragged, mangy pelt.
The fight had not entered camp yet. Someone was holding the entrance with their body. Rouges were surging against the wall of brambles and tree trunks with a frothing, spitting rage. Cedarclan warriors fell on them from every side.
Heronpaw caught sight of a familiar pelt disappearing beneath several scarred tabby rouges. With a screech of rage Heronpaw threw himself at the back of the nearest rouge. With a tremendous heave he threw the she-cat off of her prey. She squealed with shock and pain as Heronpaw's claws pierced her thin pelt and tore her skin.
Specklepaw was pinned to the snow by the paws of the other rouge. Her green eyes blazed with fear and pain as the rouge crushed her beneath his superior weight. Heronpaw used the momentum of pulling the she-cat away to spin and ram his shoulder into the exposed flank of the tom. He let out a strangled yowl as he was thrown off of the apprentice.
Heronpaw took the opportunity to help Specklepaw. She was in a bad way. One of her front paws was twisted awkwardly and she had several deep wounds in her belly. Her wild eyes steeled as she met Heronpaw's gaze. That was a good sign.
"Can you move?" he shouted at her over the din.
She grit her teeth and nodded.
"Find somewhere to hide." He barely had time to get the words out before the rouge tom was back. He threw himself at Heronpaw with outstretched claws. Heronpaw ducked and let the tom tumble over him. He nudged Specklepaw to her three good feet.
"Go!"
She nodded and hobbled away towards a fallen, hollow log. Heronpaw didn't have the time to make sure she got there safely. His opponent had recovered and was pacing back and forth close by. The rouge kept looking at Specklepaw's retreating form. Heronpaw stood firmly between them. He slid out his claws and fell into a crouch. Their eyes met. The tom's eyes flickered over Heronpaw's left shoulder.
The rouge made a dash to the right.
Surprised, Heronpaw had to correct his course mid reaction. He pivoted on one paw and slashed at the rouge as he lurched by. Heronpaw's claws ripped fur but made no significant blow. The rouge was going to reach Specklepaw before Heronpaw could regain his balance.
A flash of white and gray fur intercepted the rouge before he could take another step towards the injured apprentice. Heronpaw watched as Ferntail slashed at the rouges face with long, vicious claws.
The rouge howled with pain and veered away from his attacker. Ferntail, a light of fury in her usually soft eyes, didn't let him. She hooked her claws into his retreating rump and pulled herself on top of his back. The rouge bucked and yowled by Ferntail held fast in his matted fur. She used her back legs to rake the tom's spine with merciless precision.
With a final, throttled yelp, the rouge bucked hard enough to send Ferntail flying. She landed on deft paws and sped after the fleeing tom.
Confident that Specklepaw and Ferntail could take care of themselves now, Heronpaw spun and headed back into the fray. He knew he had to get to the entrance to help whoever was there. He ducked beneath flying tails and weaved between slashing claws as he made his way through the battle.
Here and there he aimed blows at unfamiliar pelts as he went, but his only thought was to get to the tunnel. After fighting his way past a skinny black she-cat, Heronpaw could finally see his goal.
Frayclaw had wedged himself inside the camp's entrance. His face, front legs, and chest were laced with scratches but he was still standing firm. Three rouges were trying to drag him from his position but they couldn't get a grip on the gray warrior. He shrank back into the bracken as they swiped at him, denying them a good angle.
Heronpaw pushed himself into a gallop and leapt. He landed squarely on the middle rouge's back. The mangy ginger tabby shrieked and tried to whirl around to face his attacker. His flailing limbs shoved his companions to the side and knocked Heronpaw off of his perch. He landed with a stumble in the snow.
The other rouges hissed and tried to get back at Frayclaw but more Cedarclan warriors were arriving.
Cherrynose darted forward and dragged a white and black she-cat by her tail away from Frayclaw. The rouge dug her claws into the frozen ground but Cherrynose was stronger.
Kestrelfeather appeared at Heronpaw's side and together they blocked the ginger tabby from getting near the entrance. It felt good to be fighting side-by-side with his mentor again. Heronpaw fell into the familiar cadence of a two-on-one fight. He would step forward and slash, then duck as Kestrelfeather attacked from behind.
The ginger rouge snarled in frustration but he would not give up. His amber eyes blazed with hatred as he tried again and again to force his way past mentor and apprentice. They would not let him.
A cry from behind Heronpaw made him glance away for a moment.
A third rouge, a tabby tom, was grappling with Frayclaw. The gray warrior was struggling to gain the advantage as he was shoved further into the brambles. Heronpaw looked back at his struggling clanmate.
"Go!" Kestrelfeather shot at him as he blocked the ginger rouge's attempt to get past.
Heronpaw spun and fell on Frayclaw's opponent. Heronpaw grabbed the rouge by the shoulder and pulled him away. The rouge spit and rolled, breaking Heronpaw's grip. The tabby righted himself and faced Heronpaw with a snarl. Quick as a fish the tabby slashed at Heronpaw's front legs.
Heronpaw tried to dodge backwards but the close quarters fighting made his back legs collide with Kestrelfeather. The rouge's blow landed true and Heronpaw felt a sharp pain stagger across his legs. Blood spurted from the wound and onto the ground. Heronpaw stumbled to the side.
The tabby rouge took his chance and aimed a bite at Heronpaw's weakened forelegs. Before his yellowed teeth could make contact the rouge's head was jerked backwards.
Frayclaw had leapt forward and grabbed the back of the tom's neck in his jaws. With a heave the gray warrior tossed the rouge aside. The tabby's flailing limbs tripped one of his companions and the mangy cats fell into a tangled mess.
Heronpaw flashed a grateful look at Frayclaw who nodded before sinking back into his defensive position. Heronpaw turned to see if Kestrelfeather was in need of his help and saw that Stonepelt had jumped to his mentor's side. Together they were driving the ginger tabby away with ease. More Cedarclan warriors had made it to the entrance now, and rouges were being thrown aside left and right.
Heronpaw watched in stunned awe as Falconstorm knocked away two rouges at once with a massive blow. The fight was turning, but the rouge force was still pressing against Cedarclan with everything they had.
"They're in the camp!" A screech split the air from somewhere beyond the protection of the camp wall. Heronpaw whipped around and saw a crooked tail disappearing through a torn gap in the bramble barrier.
Without thought, Heronpaw ducked around his fighting clanmates and pelted after the intruder. Thorns ripped at his fur as he scrambled through the breach. After a few heartbeats of struggling, Heronpaw burst into the camp. Three rouges had broken through and were facing the queens just outside the nursery across the clearing.
Fury boiled in Heronpaw's brain. He thought of little Fawnkit and Waspkit, defenseless and weak. He was across the clearing in two strides. He didn't know how he had jumped so far but he didn't stop to ponder it. He grabbed the first flailing rouge tail he could get his teeth on. It was the crooked one.
Heronpaw bit down on the kink in the gray tabby's tail. There was a satisfying crunch as his jaws crushed the oddly angled bone. The cat shrieked and tried to pull away but Heronpaw held fast.
Blood pounded in his ears and his vision went blurry. He bit down harder. The rouge flailed and yowled but Heronpaw would not budge. He yanked as hard as he could and tasted blood.
A sudden, huge weight on Heronpaw's shoulders caused one of his legs to slide forward and collapse. The other crumpled beneath him into a forced crouch. He let go of the tail as his muzzle was shoved into the frozen dirt. Grit and snow stung at his eyes and nose and the breath was driven from his body.
He had been careless. He hadn't noticed a fourth rouge.
Forcing himself to relax, Heronpaw went limp beneath his attacker's weight. His bad shoulder burned with pain as one of the rouge's paws pressed down on it. A flash of panic lurched in his belly. His injury hadn't been strained this much since the accident. Fighting the pain and the nauseating feeling of his leg being slowly forced out of place, Heronpaw pushed up with half of his body.
The trick worked and the rouge was thrown off balance by Heronpaw's sudden jerk. As the unseen foe lost its balance and stumbled, one paw came back down on Heronpaw's shoulder. The sudden pressure did the job.
Pain, familiar yet just as breathtaking, shot through his leg. An instant numbness began spreading from his toes and up his paw. He shrieked with agony and rolled away from the rouge. His leg dragged uselessly at his side.
"Heronpaw!" Runningriver cried. She called out to him from where she was wrestling with another rouge at the nursery's entrance.
Heronpaw looked up at her shocked face. Her momentary lapse of concentration caused her to take a nasty blow to the side of the head. Heronpaw's stomach lurched as the silver tabby warrior reeled and fell to the side. The rouge who had dealt the blow wriggled forward and tried to enter the now only half guarded entrance.
Four paws shot out to meet his face. The rouge howled and stumbled backwards, blood spurting from his eyes. Heronpaw's mouth dropped open as he caught a glimpse of Honeyleaf's two nearly full-grown kits with their claws out and teeth bared.
Within a heartbeat Runningriver was back in position and shoulder-to-shoulder with Honeyleaf. Together the queens held fast against their attackers.
One of the three remaining rouges broke off from the assault on the nursery and began running straight towards the medicine den. Panic and adrenaline forced Heronpaw to his feet. His leg dangled uselessly at his side but he still had three working paws. He took a few excruciating steps towards the fleeing black tom but it proved to be too much. He stumbled and fell. The pain gurgled up into his throat and he retched out a few mouthfuls of bile.
He couldn't make it to stop the rouge. Plumleaf's store of herbs would be destroyed. They would fall to the sicknesses of leaf-bare after all. Heronpaw felt dizzy.
A piercing battle cry caused Heronpaw to look up. Hawkpaw and Morningpaw had managed to get through the torn entrance and were bearing down on the escaping rouge. Through watery, blurred vision Heronpaw saw Hawkpaw crash into the black rouge and take him down into a violent roll. Once the flailing limbs had settled Hawkpaw hopped backwards off of his quarry. The ragged cat was lying in the snow with its head twisted at an awkward angle.
Hawkpaw paid no heed. He turned on his heel and raced to join Morningpaw as she arrived at the nursery. The two apprentices flexed their legs in unison and jumped right over Heronpaw and onto the remaining rouges. Heronpaw watched in awe as his clanmates tore into the invaders.
Morningpaw confounded the bigger rouge with her speed and grace. She darted in and out, landing blows on the hissing brown tom. He swiped at her with long hooked claws but she danced out of reach every time. Hawkpaw had taken the cat with the broken tail and was raking its flank with his back legs.
In a few more heartbeats it was over. The broken-tailed rouge crouched low and tucked his injured appendage beneath his flank in a submissive gesture. The larger brown tom wailed with frustration and broke away from Morningpaw. He lumbered towards the hole in the barrier and was met by Whiteshade's claws as the Cedarclan deputy burst through the brambles.
The blinded tom was huddled alone next to the nursery. He was trying desperately to rub the blood from his eyes. He let out a wail of pain with each pass of his paws.
Heronpaw let his head rest on the ground. The pain in his shoulder was getting to be too much. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing in and out.
He didn't know how long he laid there. He was faintly aware of Hawkpaw yelling at him but he didn't know what was being said. After what felt like hours he felt a gentle prod at his side. He peeled his eyes open and saw Petalpaw's worried face looming over him.
Her white fur was stained with dirt and blood and her eyes reflecting the pale light of dawn. Plumleaf's face appeared behind her apprentice's.
Heronpaw knew what to expect when Plumleaf gripped his injured leg in her jaws. He knew to take a deep breath beforehand. He knew to bite down on his stick as hard as he could. All of that did nothing to reduce the sickening agony as his shoulder was wrenched back into place.
"You should be able to stand now." Plumleaf said as she examined Heronpaw's shoulder.
He nodded and struggled to his paws. Petalpaw steadied him as he tested out his leg. Plumleaf was right. The dull ache didn't intensify as he shifted he weight around. He let out a relieved sigh. Plumleaf gave a satisfied nod and bustled away to where the queens were gathered outside the nursery.
Heronpaw turned to Petalpaw. "Is the battle over?"
She nodded. "They all ran away." She sounded exhausted.
"Are you hurt?" Heronpaw looked her up and down. He couldn't tell where the blood on her fur was coming from.
She shook her head. "No." Her voice shook. She leaned into Heronpaw's side and closed her eyes. Heronpaw let her lean on him as he took in the rest of the scene.
Warriors were still limping into camp from outside. Shadowgrove and Elkheart were dragging the dead rouge through the clearing. Whiteshade was directing Cherrynose and Brushfire to patch up the hole in the bramble barrier. Swiftwing was standing guard beside the blind rouge. All around, cats were licking their wounds. None were lying still or dead. Heronpaw let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
Petalpaw pulled away from him. Heronpaw looked down to meet her gaze. They said nothing. After a heartbeat Petalpaw padded away to meet a limping Stonepelt at the fern tunnel.
Heronpaw watched her go, then shook himself and limped over to where Hawkpaw and Morningpaw were sitting. Their tails were entwined. Neither looked seriously hurt, but Hawkpaw was staring at the body of the rouge as it disappeared through the fern tunnel. Even when the black tail slipped out of sight Hawkpaw kept staring.
Heronpaw plopped down beside his brother and laid his tail on the tabby's side. The three apprentices sat there for a while and stared. Heronpaw took the time to look for his family and friends.
Ferntail and Falconstorm were together near the warrior's den, licking each other's wounds. Kestrelfeather was at Runningriver's side. Hawkpaw was here next to him so he didn't have to worry about that. He had seen Petalpaw and Frayclaw.
His eyes raked the clearing looking for black or cream fur.
"Heronpaw."
Heronpaw looked up to see Kestrelfeather limping towards them. He had a nasty looking cut on his shoulder but otherwise looked unhurt.
Heronpaw stood up and padded over to greet his mentor. "Is Runningriver alright?"
Kestrelfeather looked over his shoulder at the nursery. "She's fine." He looked at Heronpaw and nodded. "Thanks to you, that is."
Heronpaw shook his head. "They were handling it." He said.
"Don't be humble." Kestrelfeather rolled his eyes.
"I learned it from the best." Heronpaw snorted.
Kestrelfeather eyed him. "Watch it." His green eyes sparkled with humor.
There was a moment of silence. Heronpaw took the time to smooth a patch of ruffled fur on his shoulder. Kestrelfeather made a show of looking around the clearing.
"Listen." The warrior said after a bit. "You did really well today."
Heronpaw started to shrug but then thought better. He had done well today. He straightened his shoulders instead.
"You could've handled that ginger rouge on your own." Kestrelfeather went on. "You didn't need me." He dropped his gaze to the side. "You haven't for a while now."
Heronpaw shuffled his paws. "That's not true." he protested.
Kestrelfeather shook his head. "When the queens called for help I turned to tell you to go, but you were already gone. You knew what to do before I did."
Warmth crept into Heronpaw's ears. "I didn't think. I just went."
"You followed your instincts to protect the clan." Kestrelfeather said firmly. "You've always done that."
Heronpaw didn't know what to say. He looked into his uncle's eyes and saw a mixture of pride and sadness there.
"I've been proud to call you my apprentice, and I'm even prouder to call you my kin." Kestrelfeather said earnestly.
Emotion stayed Heronpaw's tongue, but he knew that his mentor understood.
There was another short silence.
Kestrelfeather cleared his throat. "I have to see Plumleaf about this." He said. He gestured to his shoulder. The warrior limped away, leaving Heronpaw warm throughout from praise.