The day of the battle dawned, blustery but with a clear blue sky. To Petalkit it seemed too blue, almost artificially cheery. She sat crouched at the entrance to the nursery and watched the clan prepare, the warriors stalking past, obviously distracted and the apprentices bright-eyed with a mixture of fear and excitement. She had, at first, been frightened for Shadepaw, thinking as he was now an apprentice he too would be joining the battle, until they were told that he would not, to the relief of them both. Shadepaw himself came padding over to her across the clearing, a mouse in his jaws. He sat down beside her and set it in front of them but neither felt very much like eating. The air was prickling with tension as the warriors padded around, waiting. Petalkit watched Darkpaw come out of the medicine cat den and go over to Rockpaw, talking to her, his tail flicking, she knew he was worried for her. Shadepaw's gaze was fixed on his mother, who been talking to Hazelpelt underneath the highledge but now stood up and came over to them. Her blue eyes were bright as she bent and licked both of their heads. Shadepaw stood and nuzzled her chin.

"Don't worry little one," she said, rubbing her muzzle against his, "one day you'll be able to come too."

"I don't want to right now," said Shadepaw.

She smiled and then looked at both of them and purred.

"Now be good while I'm gone."

"We will."

There was noise at entrance tunnel, every cat turned to look as Fireeyes came into camp. His gaze went up to Snowstar on the highrock.

"They're ready."

The clearing went quiet and the apprentices outside their den glanced at each other nervously before getting up and going to stand by the warriors. Snowstar joined Firestar and called the patrol, Cloudswift stood.

"I have to go now," she looked a little nervous but determined and that gave Petalkit hope as she turned and padded away to join the patrol.

"Good luck!" Shadepaw called and Cloudswift turned at the entrance and smiled before slipping through the tunnel and into the forest after Snowstar, Firestar and Hollyberry, followed by Hazelpelt, Sootfur, Sandfur, the newly named Whitecloud, Rockpaw and Gingerpaw.

The camp felt strangely empty after they had gone and the sound of their pawsteps had faded into nothing. Iceberry and Darkpaw went back into the medicine cat den, Petalkit wondered a little nervously if they were preparing their supplies. At least they had forgotten about her herbs for the time being.

The battle seemed to last all day, it had been after sunhigh when they had left and as the afternoon wore on the few remaining cats were almost silent, Petalkit kept thinking she could hear cries coming from the forest but when she lifted her head or pricked her ears it always seemed she was imagining it. She couldn't stop thinking of the tales she had heard about the Bloodclan warriors, how they had followed the clans from the old territories, how they wore dog claws in their claws and around their necks teeth embedded in their collars. She shuddered and pushed the thought away. She and Shadepaw started a halfhearted game of catch the mossball but soon stopped, too anxious to play.

Eventually the battle was over, Petalkit and Shadepaw were lying outside the nursery when the first faint sound came, growing louder into the thud of pawsteps. Petalkit jerked her head up and shook herself from her doze, turning to look. Gingerpaw came rustling though the barrier and into camp, slowing to a halt a few pawsteps inside. Everyone stared at her but she didn't say anything, her eyes were wide and her fur stuck up in clumps, she had a large cut down one side that was slowly oozing blood into her fur. Petalkit felt a pang of fear claw at her, she didn't look triumphant. She saw Iceberry and Darkpaw poke their heads out from their den.

"Well?" asked Nightfall, who stood and came over from outside the apprentice den.

Gingerpaw just shook her head, for some reason she was staring at the nursery, her amber eyes wide. There was a clamour of questions.

"We-"

More footsteps, more than one cat and Gingerpaw turned around. Sandfur and Whitecloud were coming through the entrance, holding a third cat between them. The clearing went suddenly quiet.

"Mama!" Shadekit ran forwards eagerly as he recognised the third cat.

Wide shocked eyes turned in his direction. Nightfall moved forwards but then stopped herself as he ran across the clearing. His steps faltered as he realised the two warriors were holding her up.

"Mother?"

They padded forwards into the centre of the clearing and gently lowered her. She flopped onto the ground, her eyes closed, her long grey fur ragged and clumped with blood, the fur around her neck stained red by the wound in her throat. Petalkit felt her heart thudding in her chest and she suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Mama?" Shadekit reached her and nosed her side, his voice wobbled and broke when she did not respond.

"Wake up," his eyes screwed up in pain and he bent his head, burying his nose in her fur.

The cats around the clearing watched, their eyes filled with sympathy and grief. Petalkit took a step forwards but Sandfur came forwards, limping heavily, and shook her head.

"Why is Cloudswift lying there?" Petalkit asked her, "why won't she get up?" she smelt a tang in the air and whimpered, half moving behind Sandfur, "is she asleep?"

"No, she's not asleep," Sandfur said, her voice heavy, "and she won't wake up, I'm sorry."

Petalkit suddenly felt cold, she tried to swallow but there was a hard prickly lump in her throat. The entrance tunnel rustled and all the cats turned to look again. Hazelpelt was padding inside, in her mouth she held Hollyberry's scruff, carrying the she-cat into camp, she padded slowly over and lay Hollyberry in the centre of the clearing. Behind her came Snowstar and Fireeyes, between them they were holding Softfur and in her mouth Snowstar held the limp form of Rockpaw. The clan stared in horror as they gently lay mentor and apprentice next to Cloudswift and Hollyberry. Snowstar crouched by Shadepaw, her eyes bright with grief for her sister as she burried her muzzle in Softfur's fur. A loud cry split the air as Darkpaw leapt forwards and streaked across the clearing towards Rockpaw, nuzzling her desperately.

"No, Rockpaw, NO!"

Sandfur bent down down and picked Petalkit up. She didn't complain, she felt numb with shock, like her stomach had been removed and replaced with ice. She saw Iceberry step forwards and try to comfort her apprentice but he shook her tail away, his face screwed up with grief.

Sandfur carried Petalkit into the nursery and lay down in her nest, curling her tail around her. Petalkit huddled close to her and smelt the tang of her blood mingling with the scent of the moss. She saw one of the she-cat's hind legs was slick with blood, the fur matted.

"Did we win?" she whispered after a pause.

"Yes little one," said Sandfur, her eyes bright with grief, "we won."


It didn't seem like they had won to Petalkit. The next day Sandfur was moved to the medicine cat den and the clan moved around quietly, their mews hushed and their steps quiet and subdued. The triumph that Petalkit had expected with a battle had never come, no cat felt a sense of victory after so many deaths.

Shadepaw had gone back into the nursery, he lay curled up in his old nest, staring in front of him, not eating, unable to sleep, his eyes dull. The whole clan was mourning, Petalkit felt as if a great weight had dropped in her stomach and she couldn't get rid of it. She woke up expecting to see Cloudswift in the next nest and when she remembered that she would never see her again, the weight doubled.

A few days after the battle Petalkit left the nursery to visit the medicine cat den. She needed to move about and something familiar and comforting, the nursery was starting to make her feel sick with sadness. She crossed the clearing quickly in case anyone called her back and slipped through the ivy into the den. Darkpaw was sitting inside, sorting through a pile of herbs. The only other cat there was Sandfur, curled up fast asleep in one of the nests, one of her back legs covered in cobwebs. Petalkit remembered the agony on Darkpaw's face the night Rockpaw had died as she padded up to him.

"Darkpaw?"

He looked up and stared at her for a few seconds before he blinked, as if suddenly recognising her and smiled, though it looked forced.

"Hello Petalkit," his voice was quiet.

She went and sat beside him as he continued to sort through the herbs. She watched him in silence as his paws turned over the leaves, the slightly hard and crinkled-looking ones going into one pile and the fresher, plumper looking ones in the other.

"I'm really sorry about Rockpaw," she said after a while.

He didnt answer at once and Petalkit wondered if she had upset him, then he spoke in the same quiet voice.

"Thank you."

She leant against him comfortingly and though he didn't speak, she thought she heard a faint purr of thanks.

"She was like my sister," he said after a pause.

Petalkit didn't know what to say.

"Iceberry says she thinks they'll make her a warrior in Starclan," he added, smiling briefly, "she'll like that."

The ivy curtain trembled as Iceberry herself came into the den, two mice in her jaws.

"Hello Petalkit," she said when she had put the mice down and smiled at her.

"Hello Iceberry," Petalkit smiled back.

Darkpaw stood, taking the pile of fresh herbs and putting them in the store at the back of the den. Then he took another bundle of herbs out and started towards the entrance.

"I'll take these to Fireeyes," he said, then left the den.

"He'll be alright," Iceberry mewed as they watched him go, "they all will, even Shadepaw."

"He's not eating," said Petalkit.

"I know," said Iceberry, "he's grieving. You must miss her too."

Petalkit nodded, she remembered her bright blue eyes, glancing back as she left the clearing and the weight was back in her chest, crushing her.

"She was his mother."

"Yes, it's a lot of grief for a young cat to handle," Iceberry said, stroking Petalkit's side with her tail-tip comfortingly, "but don't worry, he'll pull through."

Petalkit stared out through the ivy into the camp.

"I hope so."


Petalkit opened her eyes to the dark warmth of the nursery. It was empty, she knew, Shadepaw had gone back to the apprentice den the day before so she stayed still for a few seconds before she raised her head, frowning. There was an odd smell in the air and there were raised voices in the clearing. She pricked her ears in alarm, someone was yowling and hurried pawsteps went past the nursery wall, scuffling loudly on the ground. A cat came into the den, the brambles rustling as they hurried through and Petalkit sat up, her ears pricked. It was Sandfur, she looked around before spotting Petalkit and running over, then she picked her up and immediately headed back towards the entrance, Petalkit could sense sense her alarm as she pushed through into the camp.

The camp was in panic, cats were hurrying from den to den and as she watched Hazelpelt appeared from the elders den, ushering Otterclaw quickly outside. Snowstar leapt onto the highrock, searching the camp with her blue gaze.

"Quick, get the elders and kits out first, apprentices next!"

Sandfur nodded and immediately headed for the thorn tunnel.

"What's going on?" Petalkit asked, "what's happening?"

"Fire," said Sandfur as they reached the tunnel and slipped through into the forest.