Chapter Five
Hollypaw walked through the forest, following after Brackenfur.
"Are you sure you want to battle train out in the rain like this?" he asked, his fur already sodden with water. Hollypaw had a feeling that he wanted to go home more than she did.
"Yep," she said. "Positive." The real reason she wanted to get out of the camp was to be away from Jaypaw and Cinderpaw. If Cinderpaw wanted to choose her brother over her than fine—let her! But that didn't mean that Hollypaw had to sit around and watch them be happy together while she felt like the left-out friend.
The wind whistled above her head, and soon she began to regret it—but there was no backing out. She wanted to prove to Brackenfur how fearless she really was.
"Maybe we should just hunt a little and head back?" Brackenfur meowed, with a pleading look in his eyes. "We can battle train some other time when the hollow isn't as muddy, alright?" Seeing how much he wanted to get out of the rain, Hollypaw gave in.
"Okay," she mewed, trying to look disappointed. On the inside, though, she was kind of happy.
So, they hunted for a short time, and managed to catch a vole, and two mice, even though they were soaked when they returned to the ThunderClan camp. Not wanting it to get bad, Hollypaw took one of the mice back to the apprentice's den with her as Brackenfur threw the vole aside in the fresh kill pile and darted off to the warrior's den.
Having a feeling that Cinderpaw wouldn't be in the apprentice's den, Hollypaw happily made her way over. She was surprised to find that no one was in the den, though. Puzzled, she dropped her prey and peaked outside. Glancing around, she soon saw that there was a crowd of cats over by the nursery. Firestar was rushing over to the scene to clear out the cats.
"Everybody!" he announced. "It's just a mild case, there is no need for alarm. Please, just go back to your dens." The apprentices cleared out, and Hollypaw padded over to the nursery, wanting to figure out what had happened.
Leafpool and Jaypaw were leaning over Ferncloud, whose breath was coming out in shallow gasps.
"She's breathing," Jaypaw meowed to Icekit, who was shaking uncontrollably next to her brother. "Cinderpaw?" He turned his head to the gray cat who was sitting behind him.
"Could you get some catmint?" Leafpool finished for him. Cinderpaw nodded, but then Hollypaw stepped in and mewed:
"I'll get it!" Before anyone had a chance to reply, Hollypaw ran to the medicine cat den and looked around for the herb. Catmint… catmint… Where is it? Hollypaw's heart began to pound. Finally, she found it and dashed back off to the nursery. Right before she got there, Cinderpaw stepped out and the crashed into each other, head-on. Hollypaw landed on her paw, splaying the herbs all over the place around her.
"Now look what you've done!" Hollypaw burst out, getting to her paws, shakily.
"Me?" Cinderpaw hissed. "Leafpool asked me to get them in the first place!" Cinderpaw's tail lashed from side to side as Hollypaw began to hurriedly pick up the herbs.
"Now they're all wet!" she meowed.
"And who's fault is that?" Cinderpaw told her, narrowing her eyes.
"Not mine!" Hollypaw exclaimed. "Now move!" Hollypaw barged past Cinderpaw and into the nursery.
"Here," she meowed to Leafpool, handing her the wet leaves. Leafpool looked down at them as if disgusted.
"Are you sure there aren't any others left?" Leafpool asked.
"Cinderpaw knocked into me on my way back," Hollypaw snapped.
"We can't use wet herbs," Leafpool meowed. "Were there anymore left?"
"I don't think so…," Hollypaw mewed, realizing what she had just done. Ferncloud coughed and wheezed, and Icekit began to sob.
"Mommy!" she wailed, breaking Hollypaw's heart.
"I know where more are," Jaypaw meowed. "I'll be right back." He ran past Hollypaw and glared at her with sightless eyes as he did so, sending a shiver up her spine. She now felt like sobbing, too. She had just messed everything up, and Ferncloud's life was at risk. Not wanting to mess anything else up, Hollypaw began to walk towards the den entrance. She almost knocked into Jaypaw on the way out, but he swerved past her and handed the drier leaves to Leafpool. With a heavy heart, Hollypaw padded out of the den in a hurry, trying to leave Icekit's cries and Ferncloud's sickness behind her.
Shouldering her way past Cinderpaw, Hollypaw walked into the apprentice's den, glad to see that Lionpaw was sitting next to her mouse.
"I smelled your scent on it, so I saved it for you," he meowed.
"Thanks," Hollypaw mewed, sitting next to him and taking a painful bite. There was a lump in her throat, and it was hard for her to eat. She managed to swallow, but wasn't hungry anymore.
"Here, do you want it?" she asked. "I lost my appetite."
"I already ate," Lionpaw mewed. Hollypaw groaned and forced herself to finish off the mouse.
"I'm going to go see what happened to Ferncloud," Lionpaw meowed, and he got to his paws. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the den, leaving Hollypaw to think byself for a bit. What would happen if Ferncloud died? How would she live with herself? She had let her anger and jealousy get the best of her, and now she might have taken another cat's life because of it. Resting her head on her paws, Hollypaw fell asleep.
Hollypaw opened her eyes to find herself in the nursery. It looked a lot bigger than it usually was, and it was a lot darker too. Hollypaw turned to go out, but there was just the solid cave wall where the entrance was supposed to be. Wondering what was going on, Hollypaw glanced around for an answer. She didn't find one, but instead, saw Ferncloud sitting in the far corner of the nursery, with her two kits sitting beside her.
"Mommy," they were saying. "Please don't die, Mommy." Ferncloud's breathing was shallow, and came faster and faster. Hollyaw rushed over to help, but when ever she took a step forward, it was as if she wasn't moving—she always ended up in the same place.
"Mommy!" Icekit and Foxkit cried. "Please, stay with us, Mommy!" Their sobs got louder, and Ferncloud got farther away. The roof of the cave began to dot with stars, and hers kits' cries got even louder. Ferncloud's breathing then began to get slower. She opened her eyes, and it looked like it took a gigantic effort. Hollypaw tried to run forward, and it felt as if she was going as fast as she could—but she always ended up in the same spot.
"Mommy!" Icekit wailed. "I love you! Don't go!" Her voice shook and Foxkit started to wail, too, as he pressed himself up against his mother's side. Tears came to Hollypaw's eyes as she raced on faster, but still in the same spot.
"No," she whispered, as the stars above got clearer. "No!" Her vision got blurry and she stumbled. Ferncloud's breathing slowed… more and more… until finally…
"Mommy, no!" And there was a new star in the sky.
Hollypaw jerked her head up in her nest and found that her cheeks were wet with tears. The kits' cries could still be heard perfectly in her mind. Her pads were sweating, and she was breathing heavily. Outside, there was a boom of thunder, and Hollypaw sped off to the nursery.
Oh, the drama! (And another cliffie