Froststar's Destiny

Chapter Twenty-five

Skyfeather twisted and turned, his claws raking down Mousestar's back. He desperately tried to fight Mousestar and Turtleleaf both at once, while keeping them away from Frostwind's collapsed body. He didn't know how far gone his mate was. He'd shouted for help, but no help came, so he was left fighting the leader and deputy, hoping that somebody would come. He wasn't sure how deadly adder venom was, but he'd never experienced it before, and he hoped never to. What surprised him was that AutumnClan had managed to get adders at all, since their territory was the moor. But perhaps they had some hidden means that were unknown to him. That was highly likely - he wasn't a very well-informed cat.

They eventually gave up on him and left, because they knew the damage was done. Frostwind was crippled by the adder venom, maybe permanently. Skyfeather picked his mate up gently and was alarmed by how light she was. For someone who had the most powerful muscles in the Clan, she was light as a feather. 

Sure, she had just gone through kitting, which might have made her lose some weight? But usually queens gained weight after that. Well, her kitting had been an unusual situation, not to mention it was winter. He personally hadn't had his midday meal the previous day, and his stomach rumbled with hunger even as he carried his feather-light mate back to camp.

There was no one on watch, which was horrifying. If he and Frostwind hadn't been there, Mousestar and Turtleleaf could have crept silently into camp and no one would have known! Thankfully, it meant that no one would slow him down. He knew Frostwind needed immediate treatment from Hawkfeather, and he wasn't even sure if Hawkfeather was experienced in adder bites. He tried anyway. He hauled her into the medicine den and placed her gently on the ground.

Hawkfeather had been sorting herbs but he instantly turned to Frostwind, his eyes widening in alarm. "What happened to her?" he gasped in dismay. He didn't know how to deal with adder bites and panic was shining in his eyes.

"Adder bite! Please help her!" Skyfeather begged. He could see how helpless the medicine cat looked,  but surely he could do something!

True enough, Hawkfeather's eyes narrowed determinedly and he quickly crafted a poultice which he placed on the bite. "It'll slow the venom from spreading," he said, in what should have been a calm voice, but he didn't sound calm at all, he sounded panicked. He quickly got all sorts of herbs and laid them out in front of the injured she-cat. Skyfeather recognized a few basic ones. Marigold and horsetail and cobwebs, for the usual injuries. Something Hawkfeather named as chamomile was also fed to her, apparently for strength. 

Frostwind was growing pale and Skyfeather didn't need to be a medicine cat to know that the venom was spreading around her system. He didn't pepper the medicine cat with any questions about whether she would make it. He already knew the chances were slim; how on earth had Turtleleaf managed to carry the adder with her all the way? She had even talked, and laughed, and her concentration to keep the adder hidden had never broken. True enough, though, she hadn't joined the fight until after Frostwind was injured.

He didn't tear his eyes away from his mate, but he soon heard a soft mewling from the nursery and Pebblekit dashed out, closely followed by Brightflame who looked exasperated. 

"Go tend to your daughter," Hawkfeather meowed abruptly. "I can tend to Frostwind on my own."

His choice of words was strange as Pebblekit was in no way injured,  but Skyfeather obliged, knowing that he was only being a nuisance to the medicine cat by hanging around his den. He ran up to his daughter and licked her clean. The orange queen let out a sigh of relief.

"Where were you?" she growled impatiently. "You left her to me for almost an hour! My kits slept ages ago," she added, irritated, "but this one's been keeping me up! I haven't had a good night's sleep in forever and here she is not allowing me to do that! Why did you go to the medicine den? Frostwind can't need borage that urgently; she's only got one kit, for StarClan's sake."