Chapter 2: Fight Like A Brave
Rainwhisker, leading the hunting patrol Duskpaw was on, stopped at the edge of a meadow, whose far end marked the end of BrackenClan territory. At any other time, the meadow would have made for great hunting, but now, in leaf-bare, only the tops of the tall grasses poked through an oppressive sea of snow, burying any field mice that might be hidden there.
Suddenly, a patch of stone-colored gray flashed past Duskpaw, churning up snow as it went. The patch materialized as Granitepaw, Duskpaw's best friend, as Duskpaw blinked the snow out of his eyes. Agile as a squirrel, Granitepaw made a pinpoint turn back around for Duskpaw and threw his paws down right in front of him, spraying Duskpaw with snow.
Sputtering, Duskpaw shook his pelt and started towards Granitepaw, but Railweed reached him first. Shoving his flank against Granitepaw's, Railweed sent him tumbling into a snowdrift. "Thanks, Railweed," meowed Duskpaw, trying to keep the amusement from his voice. Emerging from the drift, Granitepaw looked like the flesh-and-hide embodiment of cold and wet, down to every last snow-covered whisker.
"Quit fooling around back there!" drifted Rainwhisker's irritated voice from the head of the hunting patrol. "You two will scare off any prey that hasn't frozen yet, and we're almost to the Twolegs nest. For StarClan's sake, be quiet!"
On the other side of the meadow stood an old abandoned Twoleg nest. The hunting patrol was headed there now, since the nest was one of the few places prey still ran during leaf-bare. Rainwhisker, who led the patrol, brought them over to a small hole in the side of the nest, and the patrol squeezed through one by one.
Inside, Duskpaw breathed in heavily. The warm scent of prey washed over him, making his paws tingle with excitement. Rainwhisker signaled with his tail to begin hunting, and the small patrol split up, as cats searched all over the nest for the origin of the soft pitter-patter of scattering prey.
Spying a patch of straw that was quivering slightly, Duskpaw stalked up to it and brushed the top of the pile of straw away with a deft movement, revealing a plump mouse. As he prepared to leap, though, an all-too-familiar flash of gray descended on the bolting prey and snatched it, almost colliding with Duskpaw as he aborted his well-planned leap.
"Hey, Duskpaw," meowed Granitepaw, with a glimmer of humor in his eyes, "I'll give you the mouse back, if you go jump in a snowdrift yourself!" Duskpaw was about to leap for Granitepaw, and was seriously thinking of unsheathing his claws, when an anguished yowl froze both apprentices in their tracks.
Dashing over to the far corner of the musty nest where a brown-striped cat was thrashing around on the dirt, Duskpaw, with Granitepaw on his heels, skidded to a halt in front of a flailing Railweed as the other cats came streaking along.
Railweed stopped thrashing around, and Duskpaw noticed two very large, very dead rats, covered in oozing gashes, lying at his paws. Railweed himself didn't look much better, though. He lay gasping, his pelt covered in nicks from rat claws and several large wounds that were freely flowing. "I'm dying, I'm dying!" wailed Railweed pathetically, as tiny bits of blood foamed out of his mouth and over his usually immaculate pelt. Dust and blood mixed on the floor of the nest.
Well, though Duskpaw, Railweed sure fought like a brave.
Rainwhisker, his lips taut, snapped the patrol out of their shock. "Duskpaw, Granitepaw, you two get him back to Larkheart as quickly as you can. We'll continue the hunt," he added, as if it were obvious that a small thing like a warrior bleeding out his lifeblood would never stop a hunting patrol led by Rainwhisker. "And no fooling around this time, Granitepaw!" Rainwhisker hissed as Granitepaw and Duskpaw crouched down to help up the still-wailing Railweed. It's easy to tell that Railweed hasn't been a warrior for long, thought Duskpaw with a touch of irony in his thoughts, as two apprentices half-carried, half dragged a once proud, now limp warrior over the long stretch back to the shelter of the BrackenClan camp.
A trail of crimson blotches followed the three cats as they went.
Arriving at the camp, Duskpaw pushed through the icy brambles that encircled it, revealing a deep, sandy hollow that had been the new clan camp for the past three moons, now covered in trampled snow. Granitepaw excitedly dropped Railweed's paw, which he had been dragging once the warrior had truly passed out, and bounded across the hollow, almost bowling over Applekit and Brushkit, Riverdapple's kits, who were playing in the snow. Granitepaw ran straight up the steep incline to where the medicine cat den was set, deep in the hill. Duskpaw took the time to look over Railweed while Granitepaw fetched Larkheart, the medicine cat, and Foxpax, his apprentice.
Railweed's wounds now gently wept, instead of the with the passion with which his blood had abandoned him earlier. Still, thought Duskpaw, any cat who can't stand on his paws from lack of blood probably isn't too well off in any situation.
Duskpaw heard a screech come from the medicine cats den. He sighed. Granitepaw had probably just delivered his bombshell, likely with more gusto than was absolutely necessary. Sure enough, within seconds a brown and gray spotted cat, Larkheart, hared over to where Duskpaw was standing, looking down at Railweed's still form.
Duskpaw could see the look of glee on Granitepaw's face, still in the medicine cat's den, all the way from the other side of the hollow.
Skidding to a halt right in front of the prone Railweed's nose, Larkheart looked anxiously lay down next him, completely ignoring Duskpaw. Larkheart's anxious look was slowly replaced by one of calm as he inspected Railweed. Obviously, Granitepaw had fed him a story in which Railweed had practically already left for StarClan. Noticing Duskpaw for the first time, Larkheart looked up. "Duskpaw, move him into my den," he meowed, "I've got to collect some herbs, and then I'll be right there."
Getting Railweed up the slope to the nest wasn't as easy as it seemed, however. Duskpaw had begun to question the wisdom of having a medicine cats den that was practically impossible to get to when carrying sick cats, as Railweed slid down the snowy slope yet again. Giving a mighty heave against an unconscious Railweed, Duskpaw inched his way up the slope. Halfway up, he gave a well-deserved groan, and right after heard a quickly-stifled bout of laughter. Glancing around Railweed, Duskpaw saw Granitepaw and Foxpaw, leaning against Railweed and nonchalantly pushing him back down with their paws.
This time Duskpaw did unsheathe his claws. As he launched himself over Railweed, straight for Granitepaw, Foxpaw let out a bark of laughter. "Careful you don't do too much damage, Duskpaw. You'll have to push him up the hill, too!"
Duskpaw had timed his jump perfectly, and landed directly on Granitepaw, who promptly rolled over, knocking him off. As Duskpaw jumped to his paws, he swiped out at Granitepaw, and caught a clawful of fur from his flank. Granitepaw yowled, attracting the attention of the other cats in the clan.
Duskpaw had just pinned a maniacally giggling Granitepaw to the ground when Wreneye, a senior warrior of the clan, barked across the clearing, "Duskpaw! What in StarClan's name are you doing?" Abashed, Duskpaw let Granitepaw up, who was still finding difficulty in controlling his laughter.
"You two were fighting while Railweed was lying right next to you, bleeding on the ground?" Wreneye queried, a hard edge to his voice. Granitepaw met his gaze. "Well, he would have been bleeding no matter where he was, anyways," he blurted out, before Duskpaw could stop him.
Wreneye looked outraged.
"Good job, mouse-brain," whispered Duskpaw to Granitepaw, "We'll be lucky if we look like Railweed once Wreneye's though with us." Granitepaw snorted. "No cat appreciates logic anymore," he whispered back.
Wreneye glared at the two apprentices, his golden eyes piercing them. "Once you two get Railweed into the medicine cats den, you're coming with me to see Brightstar." Foxpaw let out a bark of mirth at their misfortune, and Wreneye rounded on him. "And you! Standing by and letting them fight! You're coming with me, as well."
Dejectedly, the three apprentices pushed Railweed up the slope unceremoniously, leaving lines of red streaking the snow, and then turned to Wreneye and followed him towards Brightstar's den, at the bottom of the hollow.
Review, please! Next chapter will be up mid-next week...In which the three apprentices get into some deep mischief ; ]