Bloodshed

Chapter Fourteen

"You will not die!" Frozenstar was shouting. Shadepaw groaned in pain. "Get up, apprentice, get up!"

Shadepaw looked around. He was in the dark forest, with Frozenstar looking over him. "Don't die, please don't die." Shadepaw actually heard distress in her voice.

"I won't die." Shadepaw promised her, struggling open his eyes. He was in the battle again. Claws and teeth flashed around him; Morningpaw was fighting with Jaytail. But Shadepaw felt too tired to stand, in too much pain to fight.

He closed his eyes and fell limp again. Frozenstar's voice was more frantic now: "Get up, Shadepaw, get up! Please!"

Shadepaw struggled open his eyes again. He was fighting for his life, half dead, half alive. Jaytail was winning now, chasing Morningpaw into the woods. She was bleeding badly.

Suddenly, a voice rang around the clearing. "Stormstar! Stormstar is dead!" It was Skywing, frantically shaking her leader's body. The elderly tom's throat was torn so badly that a pool of blood had formed around him.

"Who did this?" That was Stripedstar. "Who would kill the leader? Over some pathetic prey stealing! Who would.. Who could.."

The world blurred and Shadepaw slipped into unconsciousness again. This time, Frozenstar's dark forest friends had also surrounded him. "This is all our fault.." Fawnfrost was saying. "We overworked him last night! He was too tired to battle!"

"Not true. How pathetic, for him to be beaten by a little starved apprentice." Pinefeather said.

"Don't die, don't die.." Frozenstar was begging. Her tail was trembling. "Get up, Shadepaw. Brownfur is going to help you.. You're going to be okay.."

Shadepaw's eyes opened once more. Brownfur was leaning over him, along with the two GreenClan medicine cats. "He's awake." Brownfur commented. Honeydrop sniffed Shadepaw's ear, which was still bleeding.

"He's going to need a lot of time to heal." She said, turning to her apprentice, Frostytail. "Fetch more cobwebs."

"We need to get him back to the camp." Brownfur said, hesitantly glancing at the other medicine cats. "GreenClan shouldn't be helping us. Focus on your own injuries. I hope you have learned not to steal prey."

Honeydrop's eyes flashed with anger. "The Clan is starving!"

"We, too, have kits to be fed. Six of them, actually. Learn to manage without breaking the warrior code." Brownfur picked Shadepaw up by his scruff and began to drag him towards the stepping stones.

Honeydrop spat after him, "Fine! But don't expect any help from us anytime soon!"

"I won't." Brownfur hissed. Shadepaw felt water tug at his fur as they splashed into the river. "I'll see you at the next gathering."

*

"You nearly lost everything, Shadepaw." Frozenstar was circling Shadepaw slowly. "You could have died."

"But I didn't." Shadepaw held his chin high, "I tried and I failed. But I won't let that defeat me.. It was my first battle. I'll train harder than ever and one day, I'll get my revenge on Morningpaw."

Frozenstar nodded, "Good. You've created a goal for yourself, now reach it."

"I will."

*

"He's awake, Rainpaw!" A loud voice made Shadepaw's ears ring. He groaned, glancing around the den. He was in the medicine cat's den, with Brownfur looking after him.

"Be quiet, Echopaw. He's injured." Rainpaw replied.

"EchoPAW?" Shadepaw echoed. "I missed her apprentice ceremony?"

"After the battle, Stripedstar thought that we needed more warriors as fast as we could." Echopaw purred, "Redpaw is also a warrior now."

"Redshade is his warrior name." Rainpaw informed him. Shadepaw felt envious, but he didn't say anything.

"So now Eagletail is my mentor! He already brought me out to explore the forest with Rainpaw and Spottedfeather. I almost caught a crow!" Echopaw boasted. "It's so good to share a den with my littermates again."

"I'm still here in the medicine den." Shadepaw pointed out. "Will it be for long?"

"You should wait at least a quarter-moon before going back to your training." Brownfur said from there corner of the den, where he was organizing his herbs.

Shadepaw sighed, "Will I miss the gathering?"

"I hope not." Rainpaw muttered, "Stormstar was killed at the battle. Thorncloud told me Hawkstrike-- no, Hawkstar-- Has already visited him and earned his nine lives."

"When did you see Thorncloud?" Brownfur asked.

"Oh- Um, I uh.. Visited him with Spottedfeather, uh.." A look of alarm momentarily flashed in Rainpaw's eyes, "Last night."

"So who's the new deputy?" Shadepaw ignored his brother's rambling.

"We'll find that out at the gathering." Echopaw shrugged, "It'll be my first one!"

"Oh." Shadepaw felt disappointed. "Who do you think it is?"

"Probably Coldstream. He's Hawkstar's closest friend in the Clan." Rainpaw said.

"Oh.." Shadepaw remembered, "Owlkit's father."