Lost Hope: Book 1: The New Star

Chapter 26

"BROOKCLAN'S ATTACKING!"

Dandelionpaw cringed as he heard his sister's fierce yowl. The words sent shivers down his spine as he and his mentor hurried out to the clearing. Stonestar was standing in front of his daughter, trying to get information out her.

Burrowpaw explained their situation between gasps. "We tracked Phoenixwing's kits. . . Down to the river. . . ," she panted. "BrookClan ambushed us! We're outnumbered. . . ."

Dandelionpaw rushed over to her, pressing his body against her wet and bloody form. Stonestar gave his kits a reassuring nudge with his nose, then spoke in a raised voice to his Clan.

"BrookClan has attacked, unprovoked," he said. "Darkmoon's patrol is greatly outnumbered. Ashpetal, Scarletpetal, Cloudstorm, Creektail, and Mousesqueak! We will lead another patrol to try and push BrookClan back into their territory! Starfur and Dandelionpaw will wait by the edge of the battle to help any injured cats." He flicked his tail. "For EchoClan"

"For EchoClan!"

***

Dandelionpaw watched anxiously as his sister dived back into battle, the small cobwebs covering her scratches already falling off in her haste. He scuffled his paws nervously on the ground as he watched the onslaught.

      Cats tussled in the blood-stained grass, ripping their claws along their opponent's sides and tearing out chunks of fur and flesh. Dandelionpaw looked away, unable to bear the sight of this fierce fight.

      A gasp came from beside him, and his mentor spoke with distress, "I have to go check something." And without waiting for a reply from her apprentice, she was gone.

      Dandelionpaw fidgeted nervously, forcing himself to avert his gaze from the screeching whirlwind of cats.

      Starfur and him and set up a small station just beyond the battlefield where they'd laid out mostly marigold and cobwebs on a tree stump. He focused his attention on making herbs bundles. For small cuts, deeper wounds, torn ears, torn claws—

"Dandelionpaw!"

Dandelionpaw snapped his head around, his fear evaporating when he saw who it was.

      "I need to show you something," Fogpaw whispered, his pale blue eyes wide.

      Dandelionpaw narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the soaked medicine cat apprentice. "This better not be a trap."

      "No, this could stop the battle!" Fogpaw said desperately. "I don't like this situation any more than you do."

      "But I won't be able to treat anyone if I leave," Dandelionpaw protested.

      Fogpaw flicked his ears impatiently. "Starfur is coming back, and if you don't come with me now, you won't be able to leave!"

      "Ok, ok!" Dandelionpaw gave in, praying to StarClan Fogpaw wasn't leading him into a trap.

Fogpaw's face immediately shifted to relief and started to lead Dandelionpaw around the battle. He flattened his ears against the noise and hurried after him.

      "The Fallen Cypress will be hard to get to, but I think we'll manage. . . ," Fogpaw muttered as he bounded along the tree line. "We just need to get close. . . ."

      "What do you need to show me?" Dandelionpaw gasped, short on breath.

      Fogpaw didn't answer as he skidded to halt near the river. "We need to stay as close to the bank as possible, got it?"

      Frustrated, Dandelionpaw snapped, "What is so important that it couldn't wait until after all this?"

      Ignoring him again, Fogpaw started to shimmy along the waterline, his gaze fixed on the shrieking cats above. With a jolt of fear, Dandelionpaw recognized his sister fighting side-by-side with Sparrowfeather. The two were covered in blood, but judging by their agile movements, it wasn't theirs.

      "Here," Fogpaw said when he reached the large cypress tree that led over to BrookClan's island camp.

      Dandelionpaw gasped when he realized that Fogpaw had found Phoenixwing's missing kits.

      "You smell like EchoClan," the small gray she-kit, Lilackit, whispered to him.

"I'm your Clanmate," Dandelionpaw told her. "I'm here to take you home."

"But that cat told us we'd be saving our Clan if we came here," her brother Foxkit said quietly.

Dandelionpaw and Fogpaw exchanged a confused glance. "What cat?" Fogpaw asked him, crouching down beside the red tom kit.

"She came into the nursery last night and told us how to stop EchoClan," Lilackit chirped.

"What did she look like?" Dandelionpaw asked, trying to keep calm. If a BrookClan cat had broken into the nursery last night, he'd probably be able find out who it was if he knew what they looked like.

"She was dark brown with green eyes," Lilackit recalled.

"Yeah," Foxkit agreed. "And I think her name was Viperfang."

"I don't know anyone named Viperfang," Fogpaw murmured speculatively.

"I'll interrogate them more when we get back to camp," Dandelionpaw told Fogpaw. He paused. "Thanks for finding them."

Fogpaw shrugged. "Just get out of here before Willowstar catches us."

      "Come on, kits," Dandelionpaw nudged them forward with his nose, blocking the battle from their line of vision with his body. Fogpaw stayed by the fallen tree, his eyes gazing after them wistfully.

Dandelionpaw ushered the kits away from the water's edge and into the trees, back to the tree stump.

      "I'm tired!" Lilackit whined.

      "Me too," Foxkit mewed.

      "Are those Phoenixwing's kits?" Starfur rushed up to them and nosed both of them, checking them over in disbelief.

      Lilackit sniffed. "Who else would it be?"

      Starfur turned to Dandelionpaw. "Take them back to their mother."

"It's too far!" Lilackit squeaked piteously.

Starfur gave her a reassuring nudge. "Phoenixwing's waiting for you at camp," she said softly. "You can tell her all about your adventure when you get back."

Lilackit still looked doubtful, but she didn't complain as she followed Dandelionpaw back to camp.

***

"My kits!"

Phoenixwing hurled herself at them, covering them in licks. Her bright blue eyes were wet with joy.

"Oh, thank you for bringing them back," the queen said, brimming with gratitude, after Dandelionpaw told her the brief version of the kit's rescue. She would get the long, more detailed, and no doubt embellished, version later from Lilackit and Foxkit.

"I'm happy to have helped," Dandelionpaw replied. "Now," he looked at the kits. "Go back to the nursery and get some rest, you've had a long day."

"But we don't wanna go to sleep!" the kits mewed in unison. "We wanna know when ThunderClan defeats BrookClan," Foxkit added.

"I'll wake you when we do," Phoenixwing told them, sweeping her tail around them. "Now, off to your nest."

If we win, Dandelionpaw thought darkly.