Warriors: Forest of Secrets - Book Three (Completed)

Chapter Eighteen

The Gathering was one of the harshest ones Waterlily had ever been to. The leaders were getting ready to leap across the branches and fight one another. If Bluestar hadn't stepped in, the truce would have been broken. Nightstar had called them traitors for keeping Brokentail in their camp. 

"How did you know we were keeping him inside our camp? Were you spying?" Bluestar had meowed. 

"No, but your apprentices gossip pretty freely. One of my warriors overheard them." Nightstar replied. His eyes were narrowed to slits.

Waterlily shook her head to clear it. As she padded back into camp with the others, she was drenched in water. She tried to shake off the water droplets, but it clung to her body like they were hanging on for dear life. Yellowfang lifted her head as Waterlily padded into the medicine den. 

"You're soaked." She softly growled. 

"We had to go through RiverClan territory to come back here. Some of us fell into the river." She explained, circling around her nest. Yellowfang put her head back onto her paws and closed her eyes again. Waterlily settled down and curled into her nest, tucking her paws under her chest. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over. 

Waterlily twitched her nose and fidgeted in her sleep. Then she jolted awake. It was still moon high and night still took over silverpelt. Her nose almost froze from the cold sensation of the wind that was beginning to blow her way. She blinked as a cold breeze blew into the den. It felt like a thousand bees came into to sting her eyes, but it quickly went away as she dug her face into her paws. She closed her eyes again and drifted to sleep once more. 

The light of dawn took over the clearing and the snow was just barely visible. The snow that stayed, turned brown and mushy. The breeze blew into Waterlily's nose and she sneezed, then she blinked in confusion. The air was warmer. The scent of water was also near. Had the flood come to ThunderClan? She opened her mouth to taste the air, but the scent of water was far. ThunderClan was safe. 

Then suddenly the scent of fear filled the air. She quickly scrambled to her paws and widened her gaze as she saw Brackenpaw racing down the ravine and panting hard. "WindClan is attacking!" He yowled, "WindClan in ThunderClan territory. They're ready to fight about Brokentail being held here." He finished, barely able to run any further. He collapsed down, but he was steady. Waterlily raced to his side and lightly traced her tail over his back. 

"How many?" Bluestar raced out of her den and Tigerclaw ran just beside her. 

"I couldn't tell. Fireheart is there trying to defend them himself. I came here for help." Brackenpaw explained. He scrambled back up to his paws. He wasn't about to miss out on a fight with WindClan warriors.

"Are you fit to fight?" Asked, Bluestar, sensing his sudden change in energy. 

Brackenpaw nodded, "WindClan cats don't scare me." He hissed.

"Tigerclaw and you four, come with me. The rest of you, stay here. I will get someone to call for help if we need." She ordered with a flick of her tail. 

Brackenpaw then raced under the gorse tunnel and up the ravine with Bluestar and the others following close behind. All were ready to take on the fight. Their eyes were filled with rage in hopes to keep ThunderClan safe.

Waterlily trekked back into the medicine den and searched through the herb store for some comfrey, marigold, cobwebs and chervil. They were just barely out of marigold. Comfrey, and chervil they had plenty of. Perhaps that would be enough.  Yellowfang was standing beside her, looking at the herb count as well. 

"We need more marigold." Yellowfang rasped out loud. 

Waterlily turned her head, "Can we do without it?" 

Yellowfang slowly nodded her head. "We'll have to."

Waterlily then began pulling out the needed healing herbs and chewed some of the leaves into poultices making them ready for any battle-scarred warriors. Yellowfang did the same and put them into the neat piles Waterlily already had laying out.

She then began taking the large leaves and carefully picking off the stems and tearing the leaves into smaller pieces. Waterlily felt every hair on her pelt bristle from fear. Bluestar only sent out a few warriors, and the ones that stayed back paced the grounds. She could hear them breathing uneasily and low growls of frustration.

"We can't just stay here!" Darkstripe hissed.

"We must!" Runningwind growled back. "We can't race into fight and waste our energy."

"So we just sit here and wait for them to return like useless kits?" Darkstripe hissed again, his eyes blazing like fire.

Runningwind kept his gaze and said nothing for a short few moments then meowed, "We must stay here and defend our camp in case any WindClan warriors get past them."

Waterlily swiftly nodded at Runningwind's words. He spoke like a true warrior and knew better than to disobey Bluestar's orders. She padded out of the den and glanced at Darkstripe as she passed on by to get some fresh-kill. Darkstripe turned his amber gaze to her and narrowed his eyes. He must have known she was listening. His amber gaze made her feel uneasy. Then he finally looked back at Runningwind.

"Who made you Clan leader?" He growled, taking a step forward, and almost touching Runningwind's nose.

Runningwind was about to respond when Sandstorm raced in between them. "This must stop." She hissed, glancing at both of them for a few short moments. Her bright green eyes showed satisfaction as the two tom's fur flattened and they both padded away in opposite directions. 

Waterlily padded back with a small mouse in her jaws. She didn't meet Sandstorm's eyes, but she could feel her gaze as she passed by her. Her bristled fur and slightly widened eyes relaxed as she turned her back to Sandstorm and padded into the medicine den. Yellowfang didn't say anything or lift her head. 

"Here." Waterlily mewed. She dropped the mouse in front of Yellowfang. The old she-cat looked up at her then straightened herself by sitting up. "It's for you," Waterlily added.

Yellowfang blinked her thanks, then ate the mouse in silence. "All this talk of battle," She rasped, in between bites. She swallowed a morsel, then continued, as she looked over at Waterlily sitting a few tail-lengths away, "Makes my bones ache. I sense it will not go well."