Frozen Hope

Chapter 7

"Cherrypaw, are you okay?" Mosspaw asked. "What do you mean by unsupportive?"

"...I'm not finding my place within the clan right now.. both of my siblings are so popular, and I'm the last priority- for everything, it seems..." Cherrypaw admitted.

"Cherrypaw..." Mosspaw said, softly with uncertainty. "You'll always be the first priority within your clan! You're a medicine cat for StarClan's sake..."

Cherrypaw looked down, a moment of silence waved over the two.

"Why are you telling me this, Cherrypaw?" asked Mosspaw, gazing directly at her. Cherrypaw looked up with her one blind eye.

"When you greeted me on the border the other day, it was like a dream." Cherrypaw explained, "I-I had never had someone, apart from my mentor - of course - show me that kind of respect and interest in me. I don't feel good about myself. I feel horrible."

"Oh." Mosspaw sighed. "I'm glad I make you feel like this, if it's the very least. You seem not to be in a good spot. You'll find yourself."

Cherrypaw nodded and once again silence awkwardly wavered over the two. There were sounds from the Moonpond.

"I'll see you again sometime!" jumped Cherrypaw out of her fur, bounding away, paws in a mess. As she ran, she felt a sharp pain occasionally in her flank but ignored it. She recognised the fresh scent of MapleClan territory.

The herbs! I forgot! Did I tell her I was looking for a several one? Catmint! That was it, right?

Cherrypaw just came to an agreement with herself. She padded over to the cold, slow withering catmint.

If we clean it we might be able to get it to health again. It's not dead at the least. Cherrypaw said with a daze.

As she finally headed towards MapleClan camp, something was off.

Cats were letting out agonizing screeches. Cherrypaw looked around her camp and suddenly a vision appeared before her.

It was her vision from where she was standing, tinted red. With a look around, suddenly, blood had rolled down the ground, to her paws, to a path that looked like it lead somewhat to StormClan territory.

"Watch where you place your paws, Cherrypaw. You shouldn't feel as if you can cling to a cat that quickly. Especially from an opposing clan."

With that, the vision cleared and Cherrypaw was whipped to reality. It felt like kithood again.

After a minute of sheer horror and panic in her gaze. She saw a large ginger, russet beast leave the leader's den.

Foxes! I need to find what happened in there quickly. I can't let kithood happen again.

With a sudden jolt, however, she realized.

"Windstar!" She yelled. Sudden tears rolled down her face, blood was stained on the ground.. just like her vision. She peered through the den, and Windstar lay on the ground.

Her white fur was lined with crimson red blood. Down her back and across her neck.

"No." Cherrypaw mewed. She was going to lose her 2nd life. She told Cherrykit how she lost her first one to a hunting incident where she fell off a tree.

"Raintuft!" screamed Cherrypaw, after a short moment of no response, she dashed to the medicine cat den.

She was greeted with a screech from a fox. It had cornered Raintuft and herbs were scattered on the rocky earth beneath them.

It hadn't noticed her. "Hey!" Cherrypaw said, loud and clear. "You're going to pay for what you did to Windstar!" with that, Cherrypaw launched at the enraged beast, clueless with no fight training.

"Cherrypaw!" yelled Raintuft. "Don't! You're going to get killed!" She felt Raintuft's sorrowful eyes.

With that, white fur flashed outside. Cherrypaw, now on the ground and by Raintuft, defenceless and cornered, saw and recognised the fur as Whitedawn.

"You may of taken my mates life from me," she had said inaudibly to the fox, looking down. "but you won't take our medicine cats'..."

Whitedawn was now in a full depth fight with the fox. She had snarled and the fox threw her up, it's teeth fastened around her leg. It flung her down with force, and she couldn't stand properly, but she jumped on to it and fastened her teeth around it's neck, sending it yowling. The fox, before leaving, managed to get one sly bite on the chest. Whitedawn breathed heavily, pride seemingly in her.

"Whitedawn- you- never mind - thank you! You're a saviour. My fighting skills weren't enough and I couldn't risk myself. I can't believe you-"

Suddenly, Whitedawn's ears flattened. She seemed off. Her eyes glanced around and she nodded. After a couple moments of her blank staring, she fell, long and hard onto the ground, sideways, and her bright, bloody leg was sticking out.

Raintuft ran over to her. "Whitedawn!" She said with a very quick jolt of sadness.

Raintuft felt her chest. "Her breathing is dropping.. and fast! We can't do anything. StarClan has clearly decided time is up for her..." she said. "Oh.. Whitedawn, no.." she flattened her ears.

Then her breathing came to a stop. Raintuft took her paw off of her and sighed with a thankful look in her eyes. "She did save us."

"We could be dead without her." Cherrypaw replied. "It's not easy when that thing is way bigger than us and the den. Look at this mess on the ground.."

Raintuft nodded, silent and sad.

"Do we by any chance have marigold? Windstar's injured. The wounds looked deep. I'm worrying for her - her safety. It's been a few minutes or so now and.." Cherrypaw sighed, trying to calm herself, but the tears still rolled down her cheek. "I've just watched too much happen. I can't believe anything right now.."

Raintuft nodded, as if understanding.

"She'll be okay. She has a large amount of lives. Also, yes, we do. We'll treat them, let's go. I don't think the foxes have cleared so we don't have much time until we have a ton of patients." Raintuft explained.

"Actually-" Cherrypaw butted in. "What happened to Alderbreeze?"

Raintuft's eyes widened. She looked down again. She always does that when there is bad news.

"StarClan took him from us.." She shook her head. "The foxes shocked him and it did not react well with the greencough. He passed because of it. We buried him in camp earlier.." gulped Raintuft.

"She can be with her mate, Alderbreeze. I guess... at the least..." Cherrypaw said slowly.

"Indeed. It's sad for Icepaw and Cinderpaw, however."

I forgot! Oh my... Cherrypaw felt a sudden large pang of guilt for the two siblings. Parents both them from them on the same day. I wouldn't believe... how it feels...

Now I wonder... Oh StarClan! Is Skywing okay? Sudden panic flared in her. He only had one while Windstar had nine...

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A/N: Merry Christmas (Eve or Boxing Day depending on your time zone!)

Hope everyone has a swell time and here's two chapters for Christmas!