Echopaw?!" Stonefur yowled, ignoring the stinging wound on his leg. Something had grazed it, ripping the fur and skin off. But that didn't matter. He had to find Echopaw.
"Where are you, Stonefur?!" cried a familiar voice.
Echopaw!
The warrior's ears pricked, and he scanned the area. Through a shower of dust, he saw a small shape. "Echopaw!" he shouted, racing towards the shape.
"Stonefur!" the voice called.
The RiverClan deputy ran through the dust and grabbed Echopaw by the scruff, pulling her up. She coughed and gasped for breath through the dust.
"Don't worry, Echopaw." Stonefur pushed her on to his back. "I'll get you out of here." He padded forward, another bang sounded and pebbles and dirt flew up behind him. Stonefur coughed and his eyes stung and his leg burned, but he limped to the stream and lay Echopaw down in the reeds. "Drink." he ordered. "It'll clear your throat." the apprentice nodded weakly and gulped down some water.
Stonefur himself waded into the water and settled down, the water washing blood and grime off his wound. He lapped at the water and glanced behind Echopaw. Hopefully, he thought, we're safe now.
Echopaw swallowed some more water. Though her throat still hurt, she could feel the water washing the dust away. Huddling further into the reeds, she dipped her dirt-covered paws into the water. Her claws looked disgusting and her fur was filled with dirt.
"What's going on, Stonefur?"
"Twolegs, I think."
"What are those?"
"Well," he thought for a moment, "they have four legs, but they only stand on two. They use the other two for other things."
"Strange."
"I think so."
Echopaw grabbed a minnow in her jaw and swallowed it. "Do you think the rest of the clan is ok?"
"I don't know."
"Whisperpaw? Whisperpaw!" Echopaw called, padding into their camp. Stonefur limped in behind her.
"Streampelt!" he yowled. His eyes were dark as he scanned the broken camp. The stick dens were knocked over and the great tree was missing a branch, which had crashed on to a den.
A small mewl.
"What was that?" Echopaw stared around.
Another small mewl.
"Hell," she murmured. "There's a kit in here."
Stonefur nodded gravely. "The nursery." he pointed to the den with the tree branch on it.
"Holy crap!" Echopaw bounded over, trying to reach a paw under. "It's ok, we'll get you out!" she pushed her two front paws under the branch and tried lifting it. It didn't work. "Come and help!" she yelled at Stonefur.
He shook his head. "It's not use, we can't lift that branch."
"Yes, we can!" snarled the apprentice. She pushed her snout under and tried pushing her head under. After around 3 minutes of pushing Echopaw got her head and shoulders under. With a huge heave, she tried to lift upwards. She felt a small paw touch hers. Squinting through the darkness, she saw a kit stuck under the branch by his tail. "Crap." She gave another heave and tried to push up. The branch wouldn't budge.
Stonefur padded up to her. "We can't do it. It pains me, but we have to go."
"No!" Echopaw took a huge breath, held it, breathed out, took another breath, drew a great heave and pushed.
And the branch moved.
Stonefur stared in shock as the apprentice slowly, very, very slowly, pushed the branch up, little by little. "Great StarClan..."
A brown kit rushed out from under the branch, his tail squished and bleeding. Echopaw panted and slipped out. Splinters stuck into her back and she felt even more dirt in her fur than before. Oh well.
"How did you do that, Echopaw?" Stonefur was staring at her. "How did you push it up?"
Echopaw allowed herself a moment of smugness. "Brute strength."
"Echo! Echo!" the small brown kit pawed her leg. "Echo!"
The apprentice blinked down at the kit. She smiled and licked its ear. Looking up at Stonefur, she cocked her head. "Y'know, I don't know this kit. Who is it?"
"I... I don't know."
She nodded slowly. "Well, that's ok. It's a kit, the warrior code says we have to protect all kits, right?"
Stonefur paused. "Well, yes-"
"Then it's settled!" She beamed. Scooping up the kit, she padded forward. "Come on, Dirtkit! We're gonna go find RiverClan!"