Chapter two.
Jayfeather smelt the sent of fear in the air. He walked over to Birchfall, checking for any injuries. "I'm fine, really!" Birchfall insisted. He smelt blood on the air, and his worries rose. "Lift up your paws, mouse-brain." Jayfeather scoffed. Birchfall lifted his raw pad's, but there was no bleeding. "Good." Jayfeather grumbled. He moved onto Bramblestar. "Jayfeather, waste your time on someone else! I have more lives then them!" Jayfeather ignored him, searching through his fur. There was a bleeding scratch on his side. It was infected. "I need chervil…" Jayfeather murmured. He moved onto the next cat, leaving Leafpool with Bramblestar. "Cloudtail, you mouse-brain!" A cat yelled. "You could have gotten us killed with that threat!" Cloudtail bristled. "I was trying to keep us safe!" He screeched back. Ivypool walked out of the crowd of gathering cats, hissing at Cloudtail. "Those… things, could have killed us!" She yelled, thrusting her muzzle close to his. "Enough!" Bramblestar yelled commandingly. "You must calm down. We must settle here the best we can." Cloudtail snorted. Bramblestar shot him an angry look. "Meanwhile," he continued, "we must find a territory for the other Clan's." He waved his tail toward SkyClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan and WindClan. Cloudtail growled. "Why can't they find their own territory?" Shouted Birchfall. "They need the support of the other Clan's in this dangerous place." Bramblestar argued. Tigerstar rose from his goat he caught. "Can't we find our own territory?" He asked. Bramblestar shifted, clearly trying to hold his temper. "You can go alone, then." He growled. Tigerstar dipped his head and rose to his paws. "ShadowClan, lets make camp!" The ShadowClan cats followed Tigerstar through the bushes. "I think I would appreciate an escort." Harestar said politely to Bramblestar. Bramblestar dipped his head. The bushes beside them rustled, and another animal leaped out at them, and Bramblestar yowled as it landed on him. "ThunderClan, attack!" He yowled. Twigbranch leaped to help him. Cloudtail flung himself at the animal, sinking his claws into its neck. Findive leaped to Cloudtail's side, battering it with his hind paws. The animal yowled and fling its tail spikes at them, and it caught Cloudtail in the side. Cloudtail went flying, but got up, his side a bloody mess. Jayfeather stood in his way, growling.
You mouse-brain! He thought irritably. "Come over here, you bee-brain!" He snarled to Cloudtail. "One more hit by that thing and your dead!" If you make it. He thought angrily, looking at his wound. Cloudtail subsided, growling. Leafpool and Blossomtail leaped in to attack, but as they did, the animal shook every cat off, and grabbed Leafpool by the scruff. Leafpool screeched as it held on, and it shook her. Jayfeather leaped forward, but he remembered he couldn't fight this animal. He was blind. He would never help his mother. He Couldn't Help her. Crowfeather of WindClan leaped forward, barrelling into the animal. It screeched and let go of Leafpool, but it thwacked Blossomtail with its tail. Blossomtail landed with a thud and her body went limp. "Blossomtail!" Alderheart yelled, leaping to help her. Crowfeather was lunging at the animal's tail, and he heard a slice. The animal roared and retreated. "Leafpool?" Crowfeather breathed, reaching down to help her. She was limp, but alive. Jayfeather hurried to help him lift her, and when he did, he sensed pain in Crowfeather's eyes. "Take care of her." He murmured. "I can't lose her, too." Jayfeather nodded, shocked and worried for his mother. He and Crowfeather lifted her up and carefully placed her on some soft grass. The patrol looking for herbs had come back. "You found chervil! And cobwebs!" Alderheart meowed. "Not much, though." Said Birchfall. Jayfeather took the herbs and placed cobwebs on his mother's wounds. Crowfeather was watching intently behind him. Jayfeather put a poultice of chervil on her wounds and sat beside her. Crowfeather sighed with relief. "You a good medicine cat, giving that your blind." Crowfeather observed. Is that a complement? Jayfeather wondered. "I've had practice, and a good mentor." He muttered. Crowfeather dipped his head, and Jayfeather sensed something crackling between them. Jayfeather knew Crowfeather was looking into his blind-blue eyes, emotion prickling in his eyes. Crowfeather narrowed his eyes at Jayfeather, as if he knew something he didn't. Crowfeather put his tail on his sons for a moment, before joining the group of WindClan cats. "Jayfeather…" Alderheart choked out. "Blossomtail is… dead." Jayfeather raced toward him. "What!" Jayfeather snarled, pushing Alderheart away and put his ears close to Blossomtail's chest. Have I failed my mother, and Blossomtail? Alderheart was right. Blossomtail was gone. Jayfeather wanted to wail, with anger and grief. Leafpool might die, and so might Cloudtail! I have failed them. Alderheart dipped his head with grief. "Let's gather for a vigil." Jayfeather said, to shocked to speak. As cats gathered around them for Blossomtail's vigil, Bramblestar stood up and spoke. "She was a brave cat, noble and trustworthy. She never gave up. May StarClan light your path." He sat down again. As the voices of all the cats lowered, Jayfeather spoke. "May you find swift running, good hunting, and shelter where you sleep." He choked out that last words, grief sharpening his meow. As Graystripe and Milly gathered her body for a burial, Crowfeather padded up to his side. "Leafpool has woken." He meowed. Jayfeather padded toward her, tiredness creeping up hid bones. He knew if this was the outcome of a fight, it would never end well here.