Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Alright Mintpaw, you go get something to eat and I'll speak with Sweetstar." Lilyleaf meowed to her apprentice and headed towards the leader's den.

Poking her head through the lichen in the den, Lilyleaf padded in without calling to her leader. "Sweetstar, I have trained Mintpaw for the past few days and I am proud at how much he has learned and I think he's ready to gain his warrior name. If you agree, that is."

A pair of amber eyes shone weakly in front of the proud mentor and Lilyleaf looked closer. She saw that over the amber color and the pupil, a layer of something was making the eyes appear glazed. "Sweetstar?" She asked cautiously, stepping towards the leader. "Are you okay?"

"Lilyleaf!" Shrieked Sagepine from the left of the leader and Lilyleaf tore her gaze from the she-cat and rested on the medicine cat.

"Sagepine! What happened?" She gasped, seeing a shiny liquid staining the stone around the medicine cat. As Lilyleaf advanced towards the she-cat, the substance around her felt sticky and she lifted a paw, unsure if she wanted to see what it was or not.

When her eyes saw the red on her paw, she regretted it instantly. The liquid around the medicine cat wasn't just any liquid. It was blood!

"What happened, Sagepine?" Lilyleaf asked, looking at the medicine cat with wide eyes. Snowpebble had died two days ago from a mysterious rogue, making Sagepine the sole medicine cat.

Before she could get an answer, a weight slammed her to the ground and she yelped in surprise. Twisting around, she was appalled at what she saw towering over her.

"Birchrunner!" She gasped, trying to push the larger tom off, but to no avail. "What are you doing?"

Birchrunner didn't respond, only glaring down the younger warrior as he raised a paw of unsheathed claws, covered in blood. 'Sagepine and Sweetstar's blood,' she realized.

With the realization that the medicine cat and leader will die if she does, Lilyleaf hissed and pushed the tom off her with her hind legs. Claws unsheathing with hesitance, Lilyleaf leaped at Birchrunner and slashed his cheek and avoided a blow to the shoulder by recoiling.

Lilyleaf failed to dodge a hefty knock to the head and landed on her side, hearing a crunch in her right shoulder, making her gasp in pain. Lifting her gaze, she saw that Birchrunner had leaped at her with his claws outstretched.

With a sharp gasp, Lilyleaf shut her eyes and prepared for the pain to shoot through her. But when it didn't come, she opened her eyes and saw Sweetstar on the ground, motionless.

Growling, Lilyleaf ignored the pain in her shoulder and flung herself at the tom and latched onto his neck, her claws digging into his chest as she bit down.

When he stopped moving, she let go and collapsed, hearing her name be called by Sagepine as she closed her eyes.