"Hollypaw, slow down," Lionpaw growled as he chased after the black she-cat through the threes. "This isn't a race!"

"And where's the fun in that?" Hollypaw said with a gleam of thrill in her eye. "Seriously Lionpaw, we're never going to be warriors if we take it slow all the time."

"And we're never going to get anything done right if we rush all the time," Lionpaw grumbled in response as he slowed down to a fast trot.

"Your brother has a point, Hollypaw," Brackenfur said from where he and Ashfur stood behind their two apprentices. "We're heading to Sky Oak. There's no sense in going there at all if we scare off all the prey on the way."

"You're right," Hollypaw sighed and fell into step beside her mentor. "I guess I got kind of overexcited."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Brackenfur told her.

Ashfur looked at Lionpaw. "You're usually the rash one. I sense a warrior is becoming of you."

Lionpaw gave his chest a few embarrassed licks. He wasn't used to Ashfur praising him.

"Living…"

"Did one of you say something?" Lionpaw asked, spooked. He looked around the forest, his eyes scanning the trees.

"Hmm? No."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Oh. I must just be hearing things," Lionpaw said. He could've sworn he heard something. He turned his attention back to the path. That was weird.

"...souls…"

"I definitely heard something just now," Hollypaw said. She too began looking around.

"Are you sure?" Ashfur asked. "I don't hear anything."

"...come…"

Lionpaw paused in his steps and unsheathed his claws. His fur bristled. He was thoroughly spooked by now.

"Are you alright?" Brackenfur asked.

"Do you really not hear that?" Lionpaw questioned.

"...help…"

"It sounds like someone is asking for help," Hollypaw said.

"Are you two trying to pull some kind of joke?" Ashfur asked. "Because honestly, I'd expect better from you two."

"This isn't something to joke about," Hollypaw insisted seriously.

"...One of you…"

Lionpaw pricked his ears, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"...will soon join me…"

He pawed the ground in frustration. It's like the sound is in my head.

Brackenfur sighed. "I believe you. Where's the sound coming from?"

"I don't know," Hollypaw said with just as much frustration in her voice as Lionpaw felt.

"...save him…"

"What does it sound like?" Ashfur asked. He pricked his ears to listen.

"It's a voice," Hollypaw told him. "But it doesn't sound like any voice I've ever heard."

"It's like," Lionpaw shivered, "cold. Like it's not really there."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashfur asked. "I can't-"

"Living cats help the dying soul!" The voice echoed powerfully through the dense forest. The ground trembled beneath the four cats paws. Lionpaw crouched and put his ears back as he steadied himself. Ashfur looked around wildly.

"I definitely just heard that," the pale grey tom said.

"I did too." Brackenfur nodded.

"Come!" the voice boomed. The trembling ground began to crack before the ThunderClan cats.

"Get back!" Brackenfur ordered and shoved Hollypaw back. Lionpaw took a step backward and Ashfur shouldered his way in front of him protectively.

The dry earth didn't split more than a crack but the cats still eyed it warily even after the ground stopped shaking. It was as if they could sense what was about to happen.

"Help!" From the crack in the ground, something began rising.

"Great StarClan!" Lionpaw heard Hollypaw whisper.

From the crack slipped a sleek figure through the earth. Lionpaw felt Ashfur tense in fear against him. The figure was distinctly catlike and cats didn't just appear out of the ground. That was impossible.

"Follow." The cat stepped forward before any of the ThunderClan cats could react and walked right through them. Lionpaw shivered as he felt the cat pass through him. The cat had a cold, damp trait to him.

"Ashfur?" Lionpaw looked to his mentor who was gaping at the strange cat, speechless and eyes wide.

"Is that- is that a ghost?" Hollypaw whispered.

The ghost stopped in its tracks and looked back at them. "Follow."

The cat did seem incredibly ghostly. Lionpaw could see the trees right through his pelt and his fur held no stars like he heard that StarClan cats had nor did his fur have any color. It was like he wasn't even there.

"Follow!" the ghost cat bellowed, turning on them. Lionpaw flinched at the intensity and moved into a defensive stance with his legs bent and paws forward.

"Should we…?" Hollypaw asked. Brackenfur nodded wordlessly.

Ashfur was the first to take a step forward and was soon followed by Lionpaw then Brackenfur and Hollypaw. Swishing his tail in satisfaction, the ghost cat turned back around and moved onward.

Hollypaw bounded forward a bit to get closer to the ghost cat. Brackenfur eyed her with concern. "Hollypaw, wait!"

Hollypaw ignored her mentor's warnings and fell in stride beside the ghost cat. Or she would have if the ghost had clearly defined legs to walk with.

"Hi. I'm Hollypaw," she introduced. "I'm an apprentice in ThunderClan. Who are you?"

"...Fallen Leaves…"

"Fallen Leaves? That's a nice name. Where are you taking us?"

"...Cat…"

"A cat? What cat? What's their name?"

"... Do not know… Found cat… Injured…"

"Injured?" Ashfur murmured, getting over his initial shock. "Hollypaw, how much training in medicine did you have?"

"Maybe enough to help a bit but not enough to help a seriously injured cat," Hollypaw gulped.

"Don't worry, Hollypaw. One of us can run back and get Jaypaw or Leafpool if its serious enough," Lionpaw reassured.

"Jay… Jay… Jay… Jay…"

"Where is the cat?" Lionpaw asked, hoping that asking a question would stop the chanting. Fallen Leaves's ghostly tone deeply unnerved him. An ominous wind blew through the forest sending dried leaf-fall leaves spiraling down around them.

"...Entrance."

"Entrance? What entrance?" Brackenfur asked.

"...Home. By home…"

"The camp entrance?" Ashfur questioned. "That's pretty far."

"Home… My home…"

Lionpaw blinked. Does that mean this ghost lives on our territory? He tried to imagine the number of times he crossed the territory on patrol or just for the sake of running around. That number had no be pretty high. How many times has this cat been watching me?

"How far is it?" Hollypaw asked.

"...Close…Follow."

The four cats fell silent as Fallen Leaves lead them through the forest. The familiar trees suddenly felt like strangers. Their normally comforting presence did nothing for the suspense in the air. After walking a few fox lengths, Lionpaw smelled blood in the air. He felt his stomach churn.

"Get ready to run home," Ashfur told his apprentice. Lionpaw nodded. The blood scent was strong. Whichever cat was injured was hurt badly.

Fallen Leaves floated forward into the clearing. In it, Lionpaw immediately saw a cat lying unconscious, drenched in blood.

"Great StarClan," he heard Brackenfur whisper. "What would have done this?"

"...Help Jay…" Fallen Leaves requested and disappeared.

"Help Jay? What does that- Great StarClan. Jaypaw!" Lionpaw cried and rushed forward to see if his suspicions were true. Using a paw to wipe away some of the blood, Lionpaw saw familiar grey tabby fur.

"Jaypaw!" Hollypaw rushed forward and began to look over her brother.

"Get back to camp now," Ashfur ordered. Too numb to respond, Lionpaw nodded and charged off into the forest.

Blood roaring in his ears and chest screaming, Lionpaw thundered through the forest like he was being chased by a hoard of badgers. The thick trees that were found all over ThunderClan territory usually worked to the cats benefit but right now Lionpaw hated them with everything he had. Weaving around them only slowed him down. He had to hurry.

He was in such a hurry that when he broke into another clearing, he slammed straight into Spiderleg.

"What in the name of-" the tom spluttered as the apprentice knocked him clean off his paws. A blackbird's cry sounded through the forest.

"Hey!" Mousepaw said. "You made us miss our catch!"

Spiderleg's eyes widened as he untangled himself from Lionpaw. "Is that blood?"

"No time to explain," Lionpaw gasped out of breath. "Emergency. Near WindClan border. Gotta go get Leafpool. You go help?"

Spiderleg nodded. "Yeah, I'll gather up the rest of our patrol. What's happeni-"

"No time to explain!" Lionpaw said and resumed his dead sprint towards the camp. His chest still burned and the sensation from pushing himself so hard was beginning to spread to the rest of his body but he would not give in. His brother was likely dying and he was the only one who could do something right now.

It didn't take him long to make it back to camp. He burst through the thorn entrance with all the force of his namesake. "Where's Leafpool?"

"Lionpaw! What's wrong?" Squirrelflight asked, looking up from the fresh-kill she was sharing with Brambleclaw.

Cloudtail and Whitewing were sharing tongues nearby. Whitewing lifted her head and sniffed. "I smell blood."

"Are you alright?" Brambleclaw asked concerned.

"It's not mine," Lionpaw said, still gasping for air. "Where's Leafpool?"

"Are you hurt?" Squirrelflight asked, getting up to look over him.

Lionpaw pulled away. He didn't have time for this. He looked around the clearing for a sensible cat. "Stormfur, where's Leafpool? Is she in her den?"

Stormfur nodded. "I think so. Why? Did something happen?"

Lionpaw nodded, already running towards the medicine den. He didn't run far. He skidded to a messy halt inside.

"Oh Lionpaw!" Leafpool exasperated. "You just knocked over my- is that blood on your paws?"

"Emergency. WindClan border," Lionpaw got out. He was heaving by now. It felt like he his chest was being crushed by a log or like he was deep underwater. Needless to say, speaking was getting difficult but he hardly noticed. Adrenaline was running rampant through him, giving him the impetus he needed to keep going. "Blood. Lots of blood. Need help."

Leafpool nodded once and grabbed a bundle of cobweb in her jaws. "Lead the way."

"Great StarClan! Jaypaw!" Leafpool shouted through the bundle when she and Lionpaw arrived at the clearing. Lionpaw realized he should have explained the situation on the way here but he was too anxious and out of breath to do so.

Hollypaw seemed to be doing her best already. Ashfur's paws were soaked in blood as he held drenched cobwebs against Jaypaw's flank and head. Brackenfur ran into the clearing with more cobwebs in his mouth.

"Oh Leafpool's here. Thank StarClan," he sighed and set down the cobwebs. "I was getting worried."

Leafpool pushed some cobwebs towards Hollypaw. "You still remember how to dress a wound?" Hollypaw nodded. "Treat his flank. Ashfur, move your paw. I need to see his head."

Ashfur nodded and pulled his paw back. He sat back on his haunches to wipe his bloody paws on his belly fur in case he was needed again. The red smear stood out against his paleness. His eyes widened when he looked back at Jaypaw who was no longer covered in anything but that deep red liquid leaking from his body.

Lionpaw gasped when he saw the full extent of Jaypaw's injuries. He lay sprawled out on the ground as if broken. There was likely something broken but he wasn't a medicine cat so he couldn't tell. Dirt and blood covered his pelt. The fur on his back was partially missing revealing bare skin and exposed flesh oozing with blood.

His belly also had a long gash in it. Lionpaw didn't have a clear view of it but he was certain that the pool of blood his brother was lying in was mostly coming from that wound.

Jaypaw had a number of minor scratches all over his body but his worst injury was on his head. Lionpaw didn't even want to look at it. It was clear that something had struck him there. He couldn't really tell what kind of injury or make any guesses to how he could have gotten it but there was blood coming from it, spilling into his eyes, nose, and mouth making Lionpaw want to look away and vomit. He withheld his urges and tried to think of a way to help.

Leafpool somehow kept her composure but her distress was evident. She hurriedly began working on a complex cobweb dressing to put on her apprentice's head.

"Do you know what happened?" Leafpool asked as she placed the cobweb on the wound.

Brackenfur spoke since Hollypaw was dressing wounds, Ashfur was applying pressure, and Lionpaw was trying to catch his breath. "No. We were heading to Sky Oak and- well, long story short, we just found him like this."

"Did you move him?"

Brackenfur shook his head then seemed to realize Leafpool wasn't looking at him. "No, he was here. Why?"

"There's no way he could have gotten these injuries here." Leafpool frowned. "It looks like he was attacked or something fell on him. There's nothing around that could leave a wound like this."

"Maybe that cat Fallen Leaves moved him?" Lionpaw offered, moving a bit closer so that he wasn't in the way but so he was close enough to be of assistance if anyone asked.

"Who?"

"Not important right now," Brackenfur said knowing that Leafpool didn't need any distractions. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know. It looks like he's been like this for awhile," Leafpool said. "Once I stop the bleeding… we probably shouldn't move him but we can't leave him out here. It's leaf-fall and he needs proper treatment… We can try to do it slowly soon. Is there a patrol nearby that can help?"

"I ran into Spiderleg on my way to camp," Lionpaw told her. "I sent them this way but I guess they didn't make it. Should I go find them?"

"Yes," Leafpool responded. "And grab any cobwebs you seen while doing that. We're going to need a lot."

It was nearly nightfall by the time Leafpool decided that they were going to try to move Jaypaw. She had wanted to wait as long as possible but with the sun setting, they had to get Jaypaw back to camp soon.

Lionpaw had long since found the patrol consisting of Spiderleg, Mousepaw, Sandstorm, Honeypaw, Dustpelt, Hazelpaw, Thornclaw, and Poppypaw. As much as Lionpaw enjoyed being around his fellow apprentices, he really wished that he'd found a patrol of full-fledged warriors. They would've been more help. At least the apprentices could run around the forest to gather herbs for Leafpool and their mentors were all experienced cats.

"All of you get back," Leafpool ordered, waving her tail at the apprentices. Hollypaw, Lionpaw, Honeypaw, Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, and Poppypaw backed up. Leafpool turned to the warriors. "Dustpelt, we're going to try to get him onto your back. Jaypaw is small enough I think."

"Alright." Dustpelt nodded and crouched down. He lowered his tail and flattened his shoulders.

"Thornclaw, Brackenfur, try to get him onto his back. Sandstorm, Ashfur, make sure they stay steady," Leafpool instructed. The warriors nodded and Thornclaw and Brackenfur moved over to Jaypaw's limp and bloodied form.

Leafpool turned to the apprentices, trusting that the warriors would do their job. "Has anyone told Firestar what happened?"

Lionpaw glanced around and shook his head. He'd forgotten to do that.

"We're all busy here so I'm going to send you six ahead," Leafpool told them. "Lionpaw, Hollypaw, you're in charge. I need half of you to go to Firestar's den to let him know what happened and the rest of you to go to my den to get everything prepared."

Lionpaw and Hollypaw each gave the light brown tabby a short nod. Lionpaw risked a glance in his brother's direction. Thornclaw and Brackenfur were easing Jaypaw onto Dustpelt's steady shoulders.

Lionpaw felt a tail tip on his shoulder. He looked into Hollypaw's reassuring green eyes. "Come on," she said. She waved her bust tail towards the other apprentices. "We're in charge of them. They're counting on us and Jaypaw is too."

Lionpaw exhaled slowly. "You're right." He turned to Mousepaw and Poppypaw. "Come on. You two are coming with me."