Leafpool's Choice

Chapter 12

Leafpool was alone. The camp was hers, for the moment. Crowfeather should be here by now....

And then, she smelled something strange. A tinge of blood drifted through the air. Squirrelflight!

She leaped to her paws, following her sister's fear-scent.

There she was, in the grass beside camp. Her thin body was battered and broken. Blood dyed her orange fur red, splattering her paws and tail, dripping from her sides. Her leg was twisted at an awkward angle. She was lying there, so torn apart and bloodied, and Leafpool looked at her sister with acceptance, carrying her back to camp.

She immediately assessed her sister's worst injuries and got to work, her paws working furiously to cover all of the wounds with cobwebs and herbs, pop her leg back into place since it was dislocated, and provide wet moss and water for when she woke up.

If she wakes up, the little voice in Leafpool's head squeaked.

Leafpool tried to shake away the thought, but it stayed there, gloating. In Leafpool's gut, she knew very well that the little voice might be right.

***

The next few days were a blur for Squirrelflight. Even though she wasn't awake and conscious, her mind was very good at providing distractions for Squirrelflight that seemed to reflect her heart's desires.

She was back in her Clan, Thunderclan. In most of her dreams, like this one, she had Brambleclaw's kits. Leafpool was with her, and everyone was happy.

Until Ashfur returned.

He was as bloodied and gruesome as Squirrelflight remembered, his fur shredded, his eyes wild, and his whole body soaked in blood. Whether it was his own or the blood of his enemies, Squirrelflight had no idea this time.

He shook and teetered on his paws a bit, but in an instant, Leafpool was on the ground in a pool of blood.

She spun around, her heart beating faster, threatening to burst out of her chest. 

There was Brambleclaw, bleeding from cuts all over his body. Her kits were at her paws, all of their tiny heads twisted at awkward angles. Her parents were across the camp, fur torn and bleeding, collapsed next to each other. The rest of her clanmates were all dead, bleeding or with broken necks or spines. 

Squirrelflight collapsed as the terror began to set in. 

And then, it all faded to black. She watched herself, sitting on the shore of the lake with Brambleclaw, tails entwined. 

"Brambleclaw?" the older her meowed.

"Yes?" an older version of Brambleclaw purred.

"I have wonderful news! We're going to have kits!"

A little voice in Squirrelflight's head mewed, This could be us, someday.

A/N

Originally Squirrelflight's leg was broken, but I changed it to fit with what comes later.