Ashfoot said nothing as they returned to camp. She hung behind her Clanmates, eyes tired and tail all but dragging on the ground as she walked. Onestar felt much as she did, but he stayed to the front of his warriors and watched carefully for any stragglers caused by injuries
When they were across their border, he turned to his cats and assessed their injuries. Owlwhisker had been clawed across his pelt, and was worst off. He was leaning against Tornear heavily and blood was already staining the elder cat's fur. After insuring he could walk, Onestar led them through the patch of forest and across the moor slowly. In the voices behind him he heard no protest of his leadership in taking them to ThunderClan, only discussion of injuries and Crowfeather. He wondered briefly if he would rather have them saying he had put them all in danger rather than knowing one of his best warriors had abandoned him.
As they entered the camp, Barkface stuck his head out of his den and glanced over the returning warriors. After a brief moment, he vanished, only to reappear with horsetail in his teeth. He settled Owlwhisker on his side and quickly placed the poultice onto the warrior's wounds. Morningflower padded into the medicine den, bringing out cobwebs and offering them to Barkface. Ashfoot didn't pause on her way to the warrior's den, vanishing into the gorse without so much as a backward glance. Her pain made Onestar's fur prickle in sympathy. Crowfeather had been all the she-cat had left of her mate and lost kit.
"How was the battle?" Whitetail had appeared from the nursery, sitting beside her mate as he watched the warriors crowd Barkface.
"It went well. Owlwhisker is the worst injured, and I think he'll live. ThunderClan's camp was overrun. I don't know what they did with their kits or elders. If they remained in that camp they would all have been dead." He glanced down to his mate, "Do you think I did the right thing? Taking them to ThunderClan?"
"If the battle was as bad as you say, we may need their help if the badgers decide to attack us." His mate looked to the warrior's den, "Is Ashfoot injured?"
"Crowfeather was in ThunderClan. He has chosen to become Leafpool's mate."
"Leafpool is a medicine cat! How can she take a mate?" Whitetail pressed herself into his fur, her eyes turning to where Barkface treated the warriors with skilled paws at the pained hiss from Webfoot, who had a bloody paw.
"Firestar intends to speak with StarClan after he has recovered from his injuries. Until then, he decided Crowfeather was welcome to remain as a warrior," Onestar's voice had turned bitter, but his mate ignored that. Whitetail had caught the faint scent of blood. She brushed her muzzle across his pelt and frowned.
"You're injured?"
"Barely. Only a few scrapes. The badgers were surprised by our sudden appearance. I will wait until Barkface has helped the warriors," Onestar glanced into the shadowed den behind them, considering her nest. "I will help you clean out the moss tomorrow."
Whitetail purred her amusement, "Isn't that a job for apprentices?"
"We have no apprentices," Onestar replied, turning back to where Barkface was pressing a paw to Nightcloud's belly where a badger's claw had scraped her.
"We will soon," Whitetail meowed softly, pressing one paw to the curve of her belly in which their kits grew. "WindClan remains strong."
ooOoo
In the shade of the ShadowClan pines, a tall tabby she-cat placed a paw on the tail of the excited dark brown kit at her paws. She then leaned down to lick his fur into place over his struggles.
"Tallpoppy! I look fine!"
His mother gave him a disapproving look and pointed to his brother with her tail, "Marshkit looks fine. You need your fur to lie flat before Blackstar is ready."
"Let me do it, then!"
"Make sure you clean your ears. Applekit, come here, let me fix your tail," she meowed firmly. Most of the Clan was settled in the clearing, aware of the impending apprentice ceremony. Blackstar and Russetfur had not yet appeared from his den, and Tallpoppy was struggling to groom her kits properly while watching Ivykit and Owlkit, who peered at the camp from the entrance to the nursery.
Just as she was finishing Applekit's grooming, Blackstar appeared, Russetfur slithering from the den to where her kits satat the camp, "Applekit, Toadkit, Marshkit, come to the front."
Applekit bolted to the branch where Blackstar balanced. Toadkit was only a few pawsteps behind his sister, nearly running Tawnypelt over in her haste. Marshkit was more composed, padding through the gathering warriors to look up at Blackstar.
"Tallpoppy, are you certain you wish to present these kits to the Clan?"
"Yes, Blackstar. They are over six moons old and large enough to battle a warrior." Her kits preened at that, Toadkit reaching up with one paw to smooth his fur into place as Blackstar's eyes settled on them.
"Very well. Applekit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day, until you recieve your warrior name, you shall be known as Applepaw. Your mentor will be Rowanclaw. Rowanclaw, you have become a strong and dedicated warrior and I hope you will pass those traits onto Applepaw.
"Toadkit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Toadpaw. Your mentor will be Cedarheart. Cedarheart, you are a warrior who has shown great courage and forethought. I hope you will pass these skills on to Toadpaw.
"Marshkit, you have reached the age of six moons and have shown yourself ready to be apprenticed. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Marshpaw. I learned much from Cinderfur during my time as his apprentice. He shared with me his loyalty and wisdom and I hope to pass those traits on to you."
Blackstar lept from the branch to touch noses with his new apprentice, who looked utterly terrified to be apprenticed to the leader of his Clan. Cedarheart and Rowanclaw moved to meet their new apprentices as well, while the camp descended into yowls of greeting.
Tallpoppy met her former mentor's eyes over her Clanmates, and at his questioning gaze, she raised her tail to signify her approval.
ooOoo
Mistyfoot's mid-day nap on the warm rocks near mouth of the river was very suddenly interrupted when Beechpaw's screech sounded from upstream. The apprentice and his mentor had been fishing from shallow rocks. Beechpaw was having trouble catching larger fish, and this particular section of the river was one of the best places to catch fish.
"Swallowtail!" The young apprentice sounded half-drowned, and Mistyfoot looked up just in time to see Blackclaw's leap miss the dark tabby she-cat, who was swept by the current downstream. Blackclaw pulled himself out of the water, running through the shallows toward her. RiverClan had nearly lost Reedwhisker, their best swimmer, at the mouth of the river and cats were forbidden to swim there due to the current. If Swallowtail reached the current, she would be pulled under by the current and likely drown. Not even the strongest RiverClan warrior could pull the weight of another cat out of the swift current.
Mistyfoot sprang to her paws. She waded through the shallow water and lept to the rock in the middle of the river. It was the last rock before the lake. Swallowtail came rushing past, and Mistyfoot dug her front claws into her Clanmates shoulders. Swallowtail yowled in pain, but did not struggle against her grasp even as Mistyfoot scented blood. Instead, the she-cat dug her own claws into the rock Mistyfoot was balanced on. They scraped ineffectively, the rock to hard for a proper grip, but the action reassured Mistyfoot that Swallowtail had kept her wits about her.
Her own fur was being soaked by the water. Her back paws slipped on the wet rock, and she was pulled forward by Swallowtail's weight in the current. Mistyfoot was a strong cat, her forelegs strengthened by dragging fish from the water, yet she could not muster the force to pull Swallowtail out of the current with only her hind legs. She pressed her belly to the rock and focused on her Clanmate rather than the rush of water sweeping past her.
Behind her, a loud splash indicated the arrival of more cats. Claws dug into Mistyfoot's hind legs, and dragged her back onto the rock. Blackclaw nearly crowded her off the rock, but between them, they pulled Swallowtail up and onto the rock.
"Go back to shore! I'll get her," Blackclaw meowed. The deputy lept to the shore, while the tom urged Swallowtail to leap the fox-length into the shallows, where Mistyfoot and Beechpaw quickly helped her to the damp sand alongside the bank. While her Clanmates licked her fur dry and examined her for injuries, Swallowtail shivered violently. Her fur was plastered to her skin, paws shaking and eyes wide. She turned to Mistyfoot.
"I believe I should join the elders soon, if I can't pull myself out of the current."
"Nonsense," Blackclaw answered sharply, "Reedwhisker was caught in the came current and he is one of our best warriors. Let us help you to camp, Swallowtail. Mothwing will know how to help."
"Blackclaw is right. You are still strong enough to hunt and fight, and the current is strong here," Mistyfoot agreed. She shook her fur out and led her Clanmates through the reeds up to camp. Swallowtail was stumbling as they entered camp. While Blackclaw escorted her to the medicine den, Mistyfoot cleaned the rest of the water off her pelt while waiting for Leopardstar to exit her den.
Mothpelt could heal almost anything with her supplies, but she did not have herbs to replace confidence.