Chapter Fifteen
"ThunderClan attack!"
"RiverClan attack!"
Echopaw shuffled her paws uncomfortably as she heard a loud battle yowl break out near the WindClan camp. She was sitting near a cluster of dead bushes on WindClan's territory with the rest of the backup patrol, they were all ready to fight if it had come to that. "This is so exciting!" Spiderpaw exclaimed, "I wish I was there to see WindClan's faces when we attacked!"
"Spiderpaw be quiet, we don't want any WindClan cats to know that we're here," his mentor, Sandwhisker scolded him.
"Don't worry Sandwhisker, they'll be too worried about the third and fourth patrol," Dappleleaf assured her.
"If Stonestar calls out backup attack we must be ready," the patrol leader, Leafshine ordered, "he also wants the apprentices to help take injured to the medicine cats, so you'll be running in and out."
"How will we know when to go collect an injured cat?" Cloudpaw asked.
"Minnowstar said something about having two messengers, I think Crowfang and Tumblestep are doing it," Ripplestripe replied.
The patrol sat silent for a few moments, listening to the blood-cauling battle cries that sounded throughout the air. Oh StarClan, please let us win this battle. "Quick, Stonestar is injured badly!" Crowfang came running up the slope that led to the bushes they were sitting by.
"Echopaw, Cloudpaw and Spiderpaw go help!" Leafshine ordered quickly.
Echopaw leapt to her paws and darted to the WindClan camp where all around her cats were fighting viciously, but at the corner of the camp, Stonestar lay, blood pouring from a large wound in his belly. She raced over to him, nervousness prickling at her paws. "Stonestar we've come to take you to the medicine cats," Echopaw meowed.
"N-no," he managed to stutter out, "My time is up, i've served my clan well but now it's time your father takes over."
"But Stonestar there's still fighting to do!" Spiderpaw wailed.
"Not for me, Mudsplash will lead you well," he rasped, "a-and Echopaw, have faith young warrior, you'll get there one day, you've got plenty of potential ahead of you."
"What do you mean?" Echopaw tilted her head.
"You'll know one-" Stonestar was cut off as he took a large gasp of air and fell limp, his blue eyes rolling back into his head.
"S-stonestar?" Echopaw's meow was shaken.
"I-is he dead?" Cloudpaw too seemed to be shocked and his paws were trembling.
"I think so." Spiderpaw dipped his head.
Echopaw leapt up in fright as Mudsplash came bounding up behind them, "Oh StarClan no!" He wailed, "ThunderClan retreat! this battle has been won, we don't need to cause WindClan anymore grief!"
"RiverClan, retreat back to our camp!" Minnowstar joined in.
"Come on, let's get Stonestar back to camp," Mudsplash meowed.