Chapter 16
"Firestar!" Darkheart cried.
"What?" Firestar hissed.
"Hawkfrost… Fresh-kill… Clan," Darkheart panted. She had run all the way back from WindClan to ThunderClan camp.
Firestar sat there patiently waiting for Darkheart to catch her breath.
"You know those badgers I warned you about?" Darkheqart mewed.
"Yes," Firestar meowed calmly.
"Hawkfrost left trails of Fresh-kill leading from their den to the camps."
"Camps? He set them at WindClan and ShadowClan too?" Firestar asked.
"Didn't Whitepaw tell you?" Darkheart mewed.
"Darkheart, Whitepaw didn't come to me at all," Firestar mewed.
"What? Did she come back from our patrol?" Darkheart asked, panicking.
"No, everyone thought she was with you." Firestar mewed.
"We have to find her but, Firestar, those badgers are going to attack the camp."
"You go find her," Firestar mewed calmly, "I'll make sure the warriors are ready to protect the camp."
"Yes, Firestar," Darkheart went out of the camp immediately.
"Whitepaw!" She headed to the lake where the badgers were.
Darkheart saw four cats, Whitepaw, Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw and Dustpelt. Whitepaw's leg was bleeding, Dustpelt was dead, Brambleclaw sat in his place, dazed and Hawkfrost's fangs and claw's were dripping with blood.
Whitepaw turned and smiled to Darkheart and hid behind her.
Hawkfrost came up to Darkheart and whispered in her ear, "This is not cat blood, but badger blood. I know how you feel about that apprentice, who fell into my trap and I got her out."
Darkheart shivered at the thought of Whitepaw being the cat lying there dead. Hawkfrost headed to the lake and swam off.
"Brambleclaw what happened?" Darkheart mewed.
He shook his head and started, "Dustpelt and I were escorting Leafpool and Mothwing to get herbs. Apparently Hawkfrost had found some rare herbs on the Island and told Mothwing to get Leafpool and that you should be their escort."
Okay I know that, what else Brambleclaw? Darkheart thought.
"Then we noticed there was nothing there so we were going to go back to camp when we heard Whitepaw scream. We came here to see Hawkfrost had killed one of the badgers. That's when I noticed a trail of fresh-kill leading to camp. Did you know Tigerstar did the same thing with dogs? It scared me to think Squirrelflight was right about him. Then one of the badgers was attacking Dustpelt and he couldn't fight it. Hawkfrost picked up one of the pieces of fresh-kill and showed it to the badgers and they followed the trail and left us."
"We'll bury Dustpelt and head back to camp."
"Okay, but one of us is going to have to take Whitepaw back to camp."
"No, she has to stay here, chances are the badgers are at the camp." Darkheart explained.
"How about I bury Dustpelt and you try to find cobwebs or marigold." Brambleclaw suggested.
"Okay, c'mon Whitepaw," Whitepaw limped after Darkheart as they went to find herbs.
"Darkheart?" Darkheart saw Leafpool come from the Island.
"Leafpool, Whitepaw hurt herself, can you help with these cobwebs?"
Leafpool nodded. "Those scratches are pretty bad, was she attacked?"
Darkheart started to explain about the badgers to Leafpool.
"You have got to be kidding!" Leafpool hissed. "I knew Hawkfrost was a terrible cat. Just like his father!"
"Well, we have to go stop them!" Darkheart hissed.
"We can't go, at least not Whitepaw, her leg is hurt to badly, and a pack of badgers would tear her apart."
"You and Whitepaw stay here; Brambleclaw and I will go back." Darkheart said.
"Okay," Leafpool mewed.
Darkheart ran to where Brambleclaw was burying Dustpelt.
"BRAMBLECLAW!" Darkheart cried, "We have to get back to camp."
"Where's Whitepaw?"
"With Leafpool, I found her while we were looking for herbs."
"Okay," Brambleclaw mewed as they headed back to camp.
"Oh, no!" at the base of the camp was Graystripe. He was badly hurt but the slow rise and fall of his flank proved he was still alive.
"Are the badgers gone?" Brambleclaw asked.
"I don't know," Darkheart admitted.
"They left," they heard a mew.
"Spiderleg?" Brambleclaw looked to see the cat standing there was Spiderleg.
"Is everyone okay?" Darkheart mewed.
Spiderleg nodded.
"So you scared them off?"
"No," Spiderleg mewed.
"What!" Darkheart mewed.
"Didn't you know? A dark brown tabby came holding a piece of fresh-kill and led them away. We thought it was you." Spiderleg said to Brambleclaw,
Brambleclaw shook his head.
"They're gone that's all that matters." Darkheart mewed.
"Firestar told me to wait for you. He wanted to speak with you." Spiderleg mewed to Darkheart.
"Me?" Darkheart went to Firestar's den.
"Firestar?"
"Darkheart?"
"Yes, you wanted to see me?"
"Darkheart, I think you're name is unorthodox and because you did save the Clan I would like to change your name and give Whitepaw her warrior name. Speaking of Whitepaw, where is she?"
"By the lake with Leafpool."
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"Leafpool, Whitepaw?" Darkheart went to where the two she-cats were.
"Are the badgers gone?" Whitepaw mewed.
"Uh, huh, c'mon, I have a surprise for you back at camp."