Frostpaw stirred awake, blinking and shaking away the lingering haze of sleep. She gradually made her way out the den, carefully stepping around the other apprentices. It was dark and misty outside, the first few feeble rays of sunshine just beginning to appear above the horizon. She had woken up a bit earlier than usual.
Feeling hungry, she padded towards the fresh kill pile for a bite to eat. The bodies of prey were all covered with a thin layer of frost from the chill of the night. Looking around, she noted that the grass and tree leaves shared the same effect. Leaf-bare was not too far away now.
Frostpaw selected a scrawny sparrow and sat down to eat. She took a bite and chewed, enjoying the savory taste between all the feathers. It was then that she noticed the figure sitting with its back to her, facing the camp entrance. It was hard to identify the cat thanks to the mist that still lingered, but she managed to make out a brown pelt and dark stripes.
She swallowed and, forgetting her meal, sat up and padded over to the figure. The cat was still and unmoving, and the sight unnerved her somehow. It only got worse as she drew closer.
At last she stood just behind the cat. She reached out, and after a moment's hesitation, gently rested her paw on the cat's shoulder, causing it to jump.
"Woah! What was that?" the cat whipped around to face her. She instantly recognized the cat as Buzzardwing, a newly appointed warrior.
"Hey Buzzardwing," she greeted him, settling down next to him. "What's going on? Why are you out here?"
Buzzardwing had relaxed enough to catch his breath. "I was just worried," he explained, glancing back at the camp entrance. "You see, the hunting patrol hasn't come back yet."
Frostpaw's face fell at the news. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't recalled seeing her brother in the apprentice den as she had sneaked out. She followed Buzzardwing's gaze. I hope they're okay out there.
"Well, I'm not moving anywhere until the patrol comes back." Frostpaw planted her paws firmly onto the cold ground, facing the entrance.
Buzzardwing, seeing her determined expression, nodded, and then let out a loud yawn. "Well, I think I can rest peacefully now knowing that you're watching for them. I'll leave you to it." He staggered into the warrior den, where he likely collapsed due to his level of exhaustion.
The sun rose slowly and surely until at last it shone brightly in the blue sky. The mists had all but evaporated, and the majority of the morning frost had melted. Frostpaw's body began to feel stiff from the lack of use, and her paws quivered with the anxiety that raged through her. Where were they? What had happened? Did they get into trouble?
She heard the sounds of cats stirring and moving about. It wouldn't be long before the camp was bustling with activity. Then Shadefur would find her, and drag her into the den for some lesson on herbs.
Her whole body shook now. Please come back…
Suddenly, Frostpaw detected a different sound, one coming from outside the camp. She heard something crashing through the forest, making quite the racket. Then came the desperate breathing. Short, pained breaths of air.
Her heart hammering in her chest, Frostpaw stood up just as Pinepaw came hurtling into the camp, coming to an abrupt stop when he realized where he was. He was covered in scratches, including one gaping wound on his shoulder. Blood poured freely from it, staining the ground beneath. His yellow eyes were wild and frightened. Cats spilled out from their dens, staring in horror at her brother.
"A-a fox!" he gasped, struggling to regain his breath. "It attacked our patrol. The others stayed behind with Fallowclaw; she was badly injured."
"Take us to her." Shadefur stood outside his den, a bundle of neatly wrapped herbs hanging from his jaws. He gestured towards Frostpaw, who watched with a knot in her stomach when Pinepaw nodded obediently, and led the way out of the camp.
Following behind, Frostpaw wanted to scream as she watched her brother run. He was limping badly thanks to the terrible wound on his shoulder, and he was breathing harder than before. He should have stayed behind; Shadefur and she could have managed by following his scent trail.
Or blood trail, she added grimly. And how did her mentor happen to have a package of herbs prepared just for this occasion, as if he knew when it was going to occur? She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts so she could focus only on the thought of reaching the injured deputy in time.
You can only lift one paw at a time, she told herself. Cedartail, her mother, often told her to remember that. Speaking of her mother, she hadn't seen too much of her since she had been made an apprentice to Shadefur. He always kept her busy, and so she almost missed those carefree days spent playing as a kit with her mother and brother. But no, she was a medicine cat apprentice now with a very important task to take care of. No time for daydreaming.
Soon Pinepaw halted, catching his breath. Just ahead of them, the Clan deputy, Fallowclaw, lay in front of a thick tree, soaking its roots with dark, crimson blood. Two other warriors, whom Frostpaw recognized as Jaggeddust and Rootwind, stood around her, looking frantic. Like Pinepaw, Fallowclaw's pelt was covered with scratches, but Frostpaw also noticed a set of red bite marks with thin black stripes in the deepest areas. The stripes confused her; that wasn't normal. Fallowclaw's eyes were glazed over with intense pain.
"The fox bit her hard after clawing the rest of us, and then it just ran off like the crazy mutt it was," Rootwind explained as they approached, shaking with fear. Jaggeddust simply nodded, shaking as well.
Immediately Shadefur dashed to the deputy's side and took apart his herb bundle, rummaging through the herbs until he found a wad of cobwebs. Frostpaw joined him as he started applying the webs to the most fatal wounds. She observed that his paws shook violently as he neared the bite marks. There was fear in his eyes.
Her mentor looked up, startling her. "Can you treat her with some marigold?" he asked. "I think she might have gotten…infected." His voice quivered as he spoke the last word. He quickly turned back to his work as if to hide it.
He has to know about the Plague, Frostpaw told herself as she found the distinctive yellow petals in the herb pile. She scooped them up with her tongue and chewed them into a poultice before spitting them back out. He wouldn't be acting so afraid if he didn't.
After Fallowclaw and the others had been treated to the best of their abilities, Frostpaw grabbed some cobwebs and ran off to her brother while the rest prepared to head back to camp. She started to quickly fasten them onto his shoulder wound, hoping he wouldn't protest, but he did. Pinepaw waved her off, snapping, "I'm fine, Frostpaw." She watched in dismay as he hurried to join the others.
Her heart ached as she padded behind her brother and the deputy as they both struggled back. Why couldn't he accept her help? She knew he needed it; she could tell from the pained expression on his face. Then Pinepaw realized that she was watching him and pushed himself even further ahead, to the front of the group. The knot in her stomach tightened further.
As she padded along silently, she glanced at Fallowclaw and took note of how blank and lifeless she appeared to be. She almost wanted to knock on the side of her head and ask, "Hello? Anyone home?" but that would be incredibly rude. How dare she even think of that.
By the time they arrived back in camp, the sun was high in the sky. As soon as they entered, curious cats started to crowd around them, voicing their concerns.
"What happened?"
"Fallowclaw looks awful!"
"I don't know what's going on."
Shadefur quickly took control. "Make way; I've got injured cats here." He roughly pushed through the crowd, creating a pathway which the rest of the group quickly used to get through the worst of it.
After Fallowclaw and Pinepaw, much to the latter's displeasure, had been placed in the moss beds in the medicine cat den to rest, and Rootwind and Jaggeddust had been sent to the warrior den, Shadefur and Frostpaw started back outside only to bump into Falconstar. He looked baffled at the situation, which of course made him impatient.
"What's going on here?" he demanded, shifting his gaze from Frostpaw to her mentor. "I heard Fallowclaw was injured."
"Yes, she was," Shadefur explained, quickly proceeding to tell the whole story in a relatively short summary, but nothing of importance was left out. When Shadefur was finished, Falconstar nodded, appearing calmer now. He then rushed over to the Highrock and called a meeting.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." It didn't take long at all for the cats to move beneath the rock. Frostpaw sat by her mentor, the lifeless face of the deputy still vivid in her mind.
"For those who don't already know," Falconstar began. "A fox attacked a hunting patrol this morning. Fallowclaw has been gravely injured, and therefore cannot perform her duties as deputy while she recovers. Nettlefang, I entrust this task to you. Please take over the position as deputy until Fallowclaw is well again."
Nettlefang, a powerful, broad-shouldered gray tom curled his tail in approval. His eyes shown with pride at being picked as replacement.
"Also, be on the lookout in case the fox decides to return. I want patrols to search the borders with sharp gazes. As far as I have a say in it, this will not happen again." Frostpaw had to admire her leader's determination. He was a very good leader, when he wasn't acting impatient.
"Meeting adjourned." With that, Falconstar sprang off the Highrock and went to talk with Nettlefang. Shadefur turned to Frostpaw.
"Well that was quite the start to our day, was it not?" Before Frostpaw could reply, he added, "Now let's go back to my den and figure out which herbs we need more of. I'll want my stock full to treat these new patients."