"I see them!" Roseheart exclaimed. She could make out two figures in the snow. One was sprawled out in a snowdrift while the other bent over it.
"Daisyheart?" Crowflight called.
The standing cat looked up. "Thank DreamClan!" she cried.
"Lionclaw told us that Doom attacked," Roseheart said as they stopped, panting, beside the she-cat.
"Yes," Daisyheart said. "I was over there checking something – I don't even remember what anymore – and then I heard Lionclaw scream for help.... I came over to see all of them fighting...." She shuddered, then continued her story. "There was three of them, counting Doom. Cedarheart killed one... over there...." Roseheart looked across the battlefield to see a dark brown cat lying motionless a little ways away.
"When I arrived," Daisyheart went on, "they ran away. But Doom had already beaten Cedarheart up pretty badly. I was trying to help him when he collapsed. I sent Lionclaw to get help. He was wounded, and I probably could have run faster, but I thought Cedarheart needed me here. Blossomfur taught me some basic healing before... before she died..." The she-cat trailed off into silence.
Roseheart studied the fallen warrior. Clumps of cobwebs covered his blood-soaked pelt. His breathing was rapid and very shallow. She knew that he could easily die if Forestpelt didn't get there soon enough, and even then his chances were slim.
The young warrior looked around the battle site. It definitely showed signs of a struggle. The snow was churned up and spattered with blood, the scarlet standing out vividly against the white.
The three cats waited in silence, watching Cedarheart's breathing become shallower and shallower. Oh DreamClan, Roseheart silently begged, please let Forestpelt come soon.
After what seemed like hours, Roseheart heart a shout in the distance.
"Over here!" Crowflight yelled. "Forestpelt! This way!"
The medicine cat soon came into view, darting between pines along with Briarpaw and Cloudstorm.
"This is bad," Forestpelt said after a quick examination of the injured tom. "He needs to get back to camp as soon as possible. Briarpaw, Daisyheart, go find me some bracken." The two named cats nodded briefly and dashed off, glad for something to do. They soon returned with huge mouthfuls of the plant.
Roseheart watched Forestpelt adjust the cobwebs that Daisyheart had placed on the warrior to stem the flow of blood. Then he bound them with bracken stems.
"That should keep the cobwebs in place," he said. "Crowflight, Cloudstorm, I'm going to need you to carry him."
Under Forestpelt's direction, Cloudstorm and Crowflight crouched side-by-side, and the other four carefully picked Cedarheart up and draped him across their backs.
"What do we do with him?" Briarpaw asked, gesturing to the rogue Cedarheart had slain.
"I'll stay behind and bury him," Roseheart offered.
"Thank you," Forestpelt said. "Briarpaw, stay behind and help her. Once you're done, try to catch up to us quickly. We'll need all the paws we can get if we run into Doom and his gang again."
Briarpaw nodded in reply. As Forestpelt and the others left, Roseheart and Briarpaw started toward the body. Roseheart shivered as they drew close. The cat's face was locked in a snarl, his blank eyes glaring at nothing. Dried blood stained his dark brown fur. Fresh wounds crisscrossed old battle scars.
Briarpaw gently slid the corpse's eyes closed with a forepaw. "Let's get this over with," he said.
"I didn't think I'd ever bury a cat before I was an elder," Roseheart said with a grimace. It was Clan tradition for the elders to bury fallen warriors.
"Same here," Briarpaw sighed. "Where should we bury him?"
"How about right here?" Roseheart began kicking snow off of an empty patch of ground.
"All right," said the tabby as he began to scrape at the frozen dirt with his forepaws.
The sun was marginally lower in the sky when the two had finally created a sizable hole.
"I think this is deep enough," Roseheart said.
"Finally," Briarpaw panted. They walked back to the dead rogue. Roseheart was reluctant to touch the body, but, with Briarpaw's encouragement, she grabbed it by the tail and helped him drag it toward the hole. Briarpaw shoved it unceremoniously into the pit. Roseheart was a bit surprised at this show of blatant disrespect for the dead cat, but Briarpaw, noticing her look, said, "I'll bet that this rogue was one of the cowards who helped kill my father and the others. I know he wouldn't have hesitated to kill Cedarheart as well. Or me, for that matter, or you, or any other PineClan cat. I say he deserved what he got."
Roseheart nodded sadly and began filling in the grave. When they were almost done, she said, "I really hope Cedarheart doesn't die."
"Me too," Briarpaw sighted. "I've never been that close to him, but we are kin." After a pause, he added, "I don't want Doom to take any more of our warriors. It isn't right."
"Poor Sandstripe," Roseheart said sadly. "She's already lost her father, and to lose her only sibling too... I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost Leafwhisper...." The very thought silenced her. Both cats continued pushing dirt into the hole, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Well," said Briarpaw when they had finished. "We'd better get back to camp. I assume Forestpelt and the others are already there."
"Let's follow their paw prints," Roseheart suggested, "just in case they got caught up along the way."
"Good idea."
The two set off across the snow, following the four sets of paw prints like Roseheart had said. The forest was as silent as when they had first begun hunting. To Roseheart, those few, carefree moments seemed lifetimes away. They did not meet the other cats on their journey and assumed that they had made it back to camp safely.
"There's camp," Roseheart panted, relieved, when the clearing came into view. She couldn't remember ever feeling so tired, hungry, or cold.
"You're back!"
As the twosome entered the clearing, Leafwhisper ran to greet them. "Thank DreamClan!" she exclaimed. "Sunstorm was just about to send out a search party!"
"We're back, alright," Roseheart sighed, exhausted. "Burying the body took longer than we would have guessed."
"How's Cedarheart?" asked Briarpaw. "And Lionclaw?"
"Lionclaw's on the mend," Leafwhisper said. "Forestpelt says that he'll be okay in a quarter moon or so. Cedarheart, on the other paw...." Leafwhisper sighed. "He's in really bad shape. No cat knows if he'll make it." Roseheart hung her head. She had guessed as much, but hearing her suspicions confirmed was not helping her already dismal mood.
"Is there any prey?" she asked. Briarpaw, who had been gazing sadly at his paws, looked up hopefully. "I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving," Roseheart said.
"Me too," the apprentice put in.
"I don't think there's any left," Leafwhisper said bracingly. "I'm sorry."
"I could go fetch the squirrel you caught earlier," Roseheart suggested to Briarpaw.
"No, I'll get it," Leafwhisper offered. "Where's it at?" Briarpaw gave her directions to the place it was stashed, and she raced off.
"Let's go check up on Lionclaw and Cedarheart," Roseheart said. The two of them walked slowly toward the medicine cat den, paws dragging in the dust.
"Hello?" Briarpaw called, poking his head inside.
"Come in," Forestpelt said. Roseheart followed Briarpaw inside. The den was packed. Marshpelt, Runningbelly, and Stripefur were all on one side, resting. Runningbelly broke into a fit of coughing, and Stripefur shifted restlessly. Marshpelt was asleep, his breathing irregular. Lionclaw and Cedarheart were lying on the other side of the den. Forestpelt was bent over Marshpelt.
"Hello," the medicine cat said. "What can I do for you? Heatherkit, please get some more feverfew for Stripefur, Marshpelt, and Runningbelly. Their fevers are up again." Roseheart only then saw the small brown-and-white kit scurrying around.
"Here you go, Forestpelt!" Heatherkit said, dropping the herbs at his paws.
"Thank you for your help," the medicine cat said. "You should go now. Whitefeather will be wondering what has become of you!"
"Okay, Forestpelt," she said. "Good-bye!" Roseheart watched as the little kit trotted past her and out into the camp.
"The problem," Forestpelt sighed once Heatherkit was gone, "is that I don't know if I can manage without her help."
"Daisyheart said she knows a bit about herbs," Roseheart said, trying to help. Forestpelt looked exhausted and worried.
"Yes, but she's been through a lot today," Forestpelt said. "I told her to get some rest."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Briarpaw.
"No," Forestpelt said. "You two have done enough. See if you can find something to eat, and then go get some sleep."
"You're a great medicine cat," Roseheart said sincerely. "I have faith in you. We all do." Briarpaw nodded earnestly to show his agreement.
Forestpelt's eyes grew warm with gratitude. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Roseheart nodded, and the two left to see if Leafwhisper had returned yet.
"Roseheart! Briarpaw! Over here!" Roseheart looked around and saw here sister beckoning to them from near the entrance.
"That was quick," Briarpaw said as they approached.
"Yup," Leafwhisper said, panting. "I ran the whole way."
"Thank you, Leafwhisper," Roseheart said.
"Yes, thanks," Briarpaw said, eyeing the prey hungrily.
"No problem," said the green-eyed warrior. "Eat up! I'm going to go find Bluepaw."
"See you later," Roseheart said to her sister. The two cats tore into the squirrel as Leafwhisper walked away, devouring it in record time.
"That was wonderful," Briarpaw sighed when they had finished. "I was so hungry."
"Same here," Roseheart said with a yawn. "I'm beat." It had begun snowing once again, and she was very cold and tired.
"Same here," the apprentice said. "I'm going to sleep."
After saying good-bye, the two parted ways and Roseheart was soon sinking into her nest. Warm and cozy, it took no time at all for her to fall into a deep sleep.