Chapter 21

Duskpaw batted at Heronkit playfully. After running into the tree the two had started to play together. Duskpaw was feeling lighter and had almost forgotten about Softsnow's warning. Then there was the sound of thundering paws and Snowyowl's patrol thundered into camp. Whirling around Duskpaw's heart dropped when she saw Silverpaw and Foamfur supporting Maplestar. She rushed over.

"What happened?" she demanded looking over her leader.

"We were hunting and I got chased by a fox. Maplestar tried to fight it off but she lost a life," Silverpaw mewed. Duskpaw glanced at her sister.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Silverpaw nodded. Duskpaw turned back to her leader. "Take her to my den. Silverpaw go find Twigshade. I think he's in the woods somewhere," she ordered. Silverpaw turned and hared away into the woods. Snowyowl took her place and helped Foamfur carry Maplestar into the medicine cat den. Duskpaw followed them.

"Lay her there," she pointed to Snowyowl's old nest. Obediently they lowered her onto the nest. Maplestar let out a groan. Duskpaw hurried over to her. Her green eyes were wide.

"Is Silverpaw okay?" she demanded. Her voice was weak and tired.

"Yes," Snowyowl mewed.

"Where'd the fox go? Is it gone?" she asked.

"It ran away after you beat it," Foamfur mewed. "Silverpaw told me," she explained. Maplestar let out a relieve sigh and sunk into the moss nest. Duskpaw began to inspect her. She had a few scratches but it seemed that Starclan had healed the worst of them when they sent her back after she lost her life.

Duskpaw grabbed some marigold and chewed it into a pulp. Parting Maplestar's fur she began to rug it onto the wounds. After it was applied she places cobwebs over it to keep it on. When she finished she sat back to admire her work.

"You're going to be fine but you should probably take it easy for a few days," she advised. Maplestar sighed. Duskpaw looked over her work one more time before leaving the den. When she entered the clearing she found that the other patrol had returned. Her eyes widened when she saw them.

Shardclaw had a long gash running down his side. Tundrafoot was covered in scratches. Stormstep had a cut above his eye. Creamfoot was limping on her right front leg and was bleeding from her ear. Duskpaw rushed forward.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Turns out Oceanclan was mad we stole Silverpaw back," Shardclaw mewed. Duskpaw looked around for her mentor, she needed his help to heal all of these cats. Just then he walked through the entrance tunnel with Silverpaw at his heels. He looked at the other cats in surprise.

Duskpaw ran forward to explain. "Oceanclan attacked them," she mewed. Twigshade nodded.

"Go fetch some marigold and cobwebs," he ordered. He turned to Silverpaw. "Go get some wet moss and let them drink," he mewed. The silver she-cat nodded and bounded into the woods to find the moss. Duskpaw watched her leave before turning towards the medicine cat den to get herbs.

Maplestar raised her head when she entered. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Shardclaw's patrol was attacked by Oceanclan," she replied. Maplestar struggled to her paws. Duskpaw hurried over and pushed her down. "Stay down. You need to rest," she growled.

"I need to lead my clan," she hissed. Duskpaw shoved her down.

"Not right now. Twigshade and I can take care of them," she insisted. Maplestar struggled for a while then she fell back into her nest.

"Alright. Now go get those herbs," she growled. Duskpaw ran to the back of the storage and grabbed a mouthful of marigold. She wrapped her paws in cobwebs before she hurried back outside. Twigshade grabbed some of the herbs and began to chew them. He spread them over Shardclaw's wounds and left her to take care of Creamfoot.

"Here you go mother," she mewed. Dropping the herbs next to her mother she began to inspect her ear. It had a new notch in it but had stopped bleeding. She applied some chewed up marigold and wrapped it in cobwebs. "Now what happened to your paw?" she asked.

"I was fighting an Oceanclan warrior and they slammed my paw against a tree," she mewed. Duskpaw looked closer at it. It didn't look broken. She could still move it. Gently she pocked it. Creamfoot flinched.

"I think it's just sprained," she mewed. "I need to go get some comfrey," she mewed. Turning away from her mother she ran back to the medicine cat den. Grabbing some comfrey she ran back outside. Silverpaw had returned and was passing out wet moss. Duskpaw twitched her ear to her as she passed.

She dropped the herb at her mother's side and pushed it towards her. "Eat this. It should help," she mewed. Creamfoot obediently licked up the leaves. Duskpaw placed the rest on her paw. She wrapped cobwebs over it to keep them on.

"Thank you sweetie," Creamfoot purred. She licked her ear before Duskpaw turned to help Stormstep. All she did for Stormstep was put the marigold on his cut and add some cobwebs. Backing away she looked around the camp. Twigshade had already finished Shardclaw and Tundrafoot.

"Well done Duskpaw," Silverpaw purred to her sister. Duskpaw smiled at her.

"You did good too," she smiled. Silverpaw looked at her paws.

'It's my fault Maplestar lost a life. If I hadn't ran to her for help she never would have fought the fox," she sighed. Duskpaw wrapped her tail over her shoulders in comfort. "How many lives does she have now?" Silverpaw asked.

"Six," Duskpaw answered. Silverpaw let out a relieved breath.

"I was afraid you would say three or something," she mewed. Duskpaw shook her head.

"Maplestar's not that old," she pointed out. Silverpaw laughed. Then Duskpaw started to laugh. Eventually Creamfoot approached them with a smile on her face.

"Now what are you two laughing about?" she asked. Duskpaw and Silverpaw glanced at each other before laughing harder. Creamfoot looked even more curious then. "Is it me?" she asked. They laughed harder still. Creamfoot rolled her eyes and walked away leaving the two she-cats to take deep breaths to try and calm themselves.

"That made no sense what so ever," Silverpaw giggled. "Why were we even laughing?"

"I don't know," Duskpaw smiled. Silverpaw grinned.

"What was the joke?" Snowyowl asked. The white tom was watching them curiously. Silverpaw smiled at him. Duskpaw narrowed her eyes.

"There wasn't one," she mewed.

"Oh," Snowyowl mewed. "Silverpaw do you want to go hunting again. After all we didn't bring anything back," he pointed out. Silverpaw nodded.

"Sure let's go," she purred. Getting to her paws she and Snowyowl walked out of camp. Duskpaw glared after them. She didn't trust him with her sister. She still remembered Softsnow's warning. Getting to her paws she prepared to follow them but before she could move Twigshade approached her.

"Tell me what happened with Maplestar," he mewed. Duskpaw glanced back at the entrance before turning to answer him.

********************************Page break*************************************

Snowyowl and Silverpaw returned to camp with a rabbit, an owl, and a tern. Depositing the rabbit and tern on the freshkill pile they took the owl to the nursery for Lichenheart and Whitefox.

"Snowyowl, Silverpaw," Whitefox greeted them. Her two kits were suckling noisily. Furledkit, a white tom with brown feet, ears, and muzzle, glanced at them with green eyes before he returned to nursing. Bigkit was white just like his mother. He gave no signal that he knew they were there. Silverpaw watched them fondly.

"How are you Whitefox?" she asked. The white queen smiled sweetly.

"I'm fine. These two aren't old enough to exhaust me yet," she purred.

"I wish I could say the same," Lichenheart mewed. The mottled brown she-cat was sitting in her nest at the back of the den. Heronkit was sleeping next to her. "When he's awake he drives me seal-brained. I feel bad for whoever gets to be his mentor," she joked. Silverpaw knew that the queen really loved Heronkit and would give up her own life for him.

"We brought you an owl," Snowyowl mewed. He dropped the owl in between them. "It's all for you." Whitefox smiled and took a big bite. Lichenheart also began to tear into it. Snowyowl and Silverpaw took this as the que to leave and silently crept out of the den.

"They sure were hungry," Silverpaw commented.

"Raising kits is tiring," Snowyowl pointed out. Silverpaw glanced at him.

"Are you speaking from experience?" she joked. Snowyowl rolled his eyes.

"Yes. You figured me out. I've had kits," he dramatically mewed. Silverpaw laughed.

"I knew it," she teased. Snowyowl grinned. Playfully he nudged her. She nudged him back. Snowyowl leapt on her and they began to play fight.

"Hey," Tundrafoot mewed as they rolled into him. Snowyowl and Silverpaw jumped off of one another and sheepishly stared at their paws.

"Sorry Tundrafoot," Snowyowl apologized. Tundrafoot's whiskers twitched.

"I think you should go hunting," he mewed.

"I just went," Snowyowl protested. Tundrafoot narrowed his eyes.

"Come on Snowyowl," he growled. Snowyowl sighed and followed the grey tom out of camp. He waved farewell to Silverpaw as he left. Silverpaw sadly watched him go. She liked him, a lot. He was a really good friend. Maybe even something more.

***********************************Page break**********************************

Duskpaw watched through narrowed eyes as Snowyowl left. Good, she thought. The less time Snowyowl and her sister spent together, the better. Turning away she looked for Twigshade. The tabby tom was nowhere to be found. Oh well, she sighed.

"Something wrong?" Maplestar asked from where she lay in her nest.

"No. I'm fine," Duskpaw lied. Truthfully her mind was whirling. She had to find out some way to pull Silverpaw and Snowyowl apart.

A/N:

Here's another chapter. Sorry it was so boring. Please review peoples. It really helps me keep writing. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee.