Chapter Six

By the time Firepaw woke up, it was almost sundown. Having had a fitful nap after having that run in with another bramble thicket, she had decided it would be a good idea to eat something. After all, she hadn't eaten all day.

It was with a rumbling belly that found Firepaw at the fresh-kill pile. Eyes searching for a moment to find something appetizing before they landed on a plump, juicy mouse. Plucking it from the pile, she padded over to her favorite spot, which was a few tail-lengths from the apprentices' den and deep in the shadows. She now started to eat her meal hungrily in silence until she heard a loud yowl from the other side of the clearing. She recognized it to be coming from Ruby.

Firepaw looked over at the tree stump and saw Tinypaw and Whitepaw arguing. After a few moments her brother sat down looking relieved as he watched their friend trot away to the pile of fresh-kill.

She watched in disbelief as the white apprentice, as if he were carrying out orders, confidently pick out two of the juiciest looking mice. Quickly, he started to pad across the clearing toward Ruby.

"Stop, Whitepaw!" A loud growl rumbled from the entrance to the warriors' den. Thistleclaw strode out and stalked over to Whitepaw, who was also his son and only kit. "Where are you taking those mice?" he demanded.

Firepaw felt uneasy and a little queasy and barely managed to hold back her meal as she watched from the shadows.

"Umm…" Whitepaw dropped the mice and shuffled his paws uncomfortably, clearly he didn't want to upset his father.

"Not helping young Tinypaw by feeding that greedy kittypet over there, are you?"

She remained watching as the young apprentice studied his paws for a moment. Finally he replied, "I, er, I was just feeling hungry. I was going to take them off and eat them by myself. If I let that pair get a look in," - he glanced at Tinypaw and Tigerpaw - "they'll leave me with nothing but bones and fur."

"Oh, really?" mewed Thistleclaw. "Well, if you're so hungry you might as well as eat them here and now!"

"But-" Whitepaw began, looking up at the spiky-furred warrior in alarm.

"Now!" growled Thistleclaw.

Whitepaw bent his head quickly and began to eat the mice. He demolished the first one in a couple of bites and swallowed quickly. The second mouse took longer to eat. Firepaw felt herself become even queasier and felt her stomach throb and clench tightly and barely managed to swallow her mouse back, as she watched Whitepaw eventually gave a final, difficult gulp and the last bit of mouse disappeared.

"Better, now?" asked Thistleclaw, his voice smooth with mock sympathy.

"Much, thank you father," replied Whitepaw, obviously stifling a burp.

"Good." Thistleclaw stalked off again, in the direction of his den. On the way, he passed Poppydawn who noticed her watching from the shadows and started to walk over to her.

"Are you alright?" the elderly dark red she-cat demanded in alarm.

Firepaw looked up at the elder; her eyes filled with pain as she whipped away from Poppydawn and felt her stomach give a sharp uncomfortable lurch. She struggled, but found she no longer could hold back and her whole body started to jerk as her stomach gave a large heave as she vomited. Her eyes widening in alarm, but found her stomach heaving uncontrollably as she started to vomit the rest of her meal. Surprisingly her stomach kept on heaving and Firepaw vomited some more before collapsing onto her side gasping for air.

She felt even more sharp jabs of pain in her stomach. It was almost like it was being gripped by vicious jaws. She was shocked when the pain in her belly hardened, making her writhe. Jerking, Firepaw vomited once again before collapsing. Her mouth felt dry and parched. She felt so thirsty!

"Featherwhisker!" Poppydawn yowled, her voice laced with panic.

A few moments later, the medicine cat apprentice appeared in her blurred vision. "Bring her to the medicine den. Now!" he ordered.

Firepaw managed to stumble to her paws then and ended up leaning heavily against Poppydawn as she helped Firepaw into the den and into a nest, where she collapsed heavily.

"Water," she moaned.

"Tigerpaw go soak some moss with water for her to drink," Featherwhisker commanded.

For a moment her thoughts cleared enough for her to think, Tigerpaw? He was here? Before she was lost to pain once more.

Firepaw felt weak and small as she laid there. A few moments later, the older apprentice returned and laid some wet moss near her muzzle. She lifted her head and lapped at the water desperately, but as soon as the water hit her belly, another painful spasm seized her. She vomited again, unable to stop herself. But the tormenting thirst was still there, as if all the water in the world would not quench the fire inside her. Terrified, Firepaw crouched in the nest and sank her claws into the moss lining it. StarClan, help me! She let out a long desperate moan.

"Firepaw, eat these," Featherwhisker ordered as he dropped some ragged-edged crinkled leaves at her paws.

"What is it?" she rasped and felt another sharp pain in her belly.

"Parsley," the medicine cat apprentice replied and nudged the herb closer, "it cures bellyache."

Firepaw nodded weakly and lapped up the leaves. She struggled to keep them down, but ended up throwing the leaves back up. She was shocked when her stomach gave another heave and she vomited again before collapsing. Firepaw was now too weak to move. Her body twitched, helpless with pain; she now had no power to resist the spasms. Vomit dribbled from her mouth, jerked up by another convulsion.

She no longer had the strength to feel scared. Her eyes flicked around searching for someone familiar through the painful haze. She coughed up phlegm, her belly now empty. Suddenly, she felt someone lick the fur between her ears soothingly. She blinked and finally, for a moment, she could see clearly through the pain.

"Tigerpaw?" she rasped, barely getting the name out.

He gently hushed her, amber eyes becoming soft and gentle and something else she couldn't identify. He then looked up. "Will she be okay, Featherwhisker?" he asked his voice hesitant.

"I dont know, Tigerpaw, but she's young and strong. There's a possibility of her surviving, but there's also a strong possibility of her dying as well. That possibility is even stronger since she is unable to keep the herbs down. We'll have to wait and let StarClan decide," the medicine cat apprentice meowed, his voice filled with defeat.

The dark tabby nodded then and looked back down at her. Firepaw stared back, her eyes glazed with pain as another spasm jerked her body. Tigerpaw then looked over at the pale silvery tom once more.

"Will it be alright if I stay with her tonight?" he meowed nervously and the medicine cat apprentice nodded before disappearing again.

The dark tabby now carefully climbed into her nest and wrapped his body around her gently as he tried to soothe her by rasping his tongue over her patchy fur. A weak grateful purr managed its way through her throat before being cut off by a moan of pain as another convulsion overcame her body. Her body now twitched and Firepaw felt the last of her strength leave her. Pain twisted her belly tighter and tighter until she was blind to everything but agony.

A/N: Ooh, cliffhanger. What's going to happen I wonder? Also before I forget, there is a poll on my profile. It's so you can vote who Firepaw's warrior name should be. I will be keeping the poll up until the chapter I make Firepaw and Tinypaw warriors. So please vote.

~SilverMoon2015