Эрин Хантер - Eclipse

Rosekit backed away. “I’m not being carried down!”

“Oh, yes, you are!” Lionpaw scooped her up and headed out of the cave.

Her paws scuffing the ground with tiredness, Hollypaw followed him to the nursery, where Graystripe was waiting to bundle the kits inside.

“Blossomkit’s sleeping,” she told him as she passed Bumblekit over. Pain flashed from a scratch on her neck. “Mousefur said you can fetch her later.”

Graystripe nodded and disappeared into the brambles.

Cinderpaw trotted over. “Are the kits all right?”

“Lionpaw!” Leafpool called from across the clearing. “Take Foxpaw out to fetch more cobwebs.” She was smearing pulp over a cut on Honeyfern’s shoulder.

Foxpaw came bounding over at the mention of his name.

“I know where there are some really big cobwebs,” he mewed.

“There’s a hollow log just outside the entrance. It’s full of them.”

Lionpaw glanced at Brambleclaw. The ThunderClan deputy was standing below Highledge while Jaypaw pressed a sticky poultice onto a wound in his side. “Is it okay to go out?” he called. “Leafpool needs cobwebs.”

“Yes, but be careful,” Brambleclaw warned.

As Lionpaw and Foxpaw headed away, Leafpool turned to Hollypaw. “There are herbs piled beside the pool in my den,” she meowed. “Take them to Whitewing and the others.

You’ve had enough training to show them how to chew them up and lick them into their scratches.”

“ I know how to do that!” Cinderpaw mewed suddenly.

Hollypaw blinked. “How? You’re not a medicine cat’s apprentice.”

Leafpool stopped wrapping cobwebs over Honeyfern’s wound. “She’s spent so long in the medicine den, she must have picked it up.” She waved Cinderpaw away. “Go with Hollypaw and help her. Just be careful of your leg.”

“I will.”

As they headed for the medicine cat den, Hollypaw noticed that Cinderpaw was hardly limping. “How’s your leg?” she asked.

“Much better,” Cinderpaw mewed. “I don’t think I could do every battle move yet, but it won’t be long till I can. The swimming helped just in time,” she added somberly.

They padded past Squirrelflight. The dark orange she-cat was sitting awkwardly at the edge of the clearing, her haunches drawn up, with one hind paw jutting out.

Hollypaw nodded a greeting, but Squirrelflight only stared dully back.

Hollypaw felt uneasy. “Has Leafpool checked you?”

“Not yet.” Squirrelflight’s mew was taut.

Something’s wrong.

Hollypaw glanced down and saw that the sand around Squirrelflight was stained dark red. Blood . “You’re hurt!”

Her tiredness forgotten, she darted to her mother’s side and sniffed at her pelt. Fresh blood was oozing from below her chest. Squirrelflight’s forepaws trembled, and she dropped into a crouch, a groan jerking from her as she moved.

Paws pattered behind Hollypaw.

“What’s wrong?” Sandstorm was pressing in beside her.

“She’s bleeding,” Hollypaw whispered, feeling her paws go numb with alarm.

Groaning again, Squirrelflight rolled onto her side, revealing her blood-soaked belly.

Sandstorm gasped. “Why hasn’t this been seen to?” She flicked Hollypaw with her tail. “Fetch Leafpool!”

Hollypaw stared at her mother. Squirrelflight was panting, her flanks fluttering unevenly.

“Now!” Sandstorm shoved Hollypaw away.

Leafpool was squatting down at the far side of the clearing, chewing herbs.

“Squirrelflight’s hurt!” Hollypaw didn’t have to say any more. Leafpool was already on her paws and racing toward the she-cat.

Hollypaw chased after her, skidding to a halt as Leafpool crouched and rolled Squirrelflight over with one paw. With her other she carefully parted the dark orange belly fur. A deep claw gash ran from Squirrelflight’s chest to the top of her hind leg. Blood was flooding from it, pooling on the sand beneath her flanks.

Hollypaw pressed her muzzle against Squirrelflight’s cheek.

“She’s hardly breathing.” Her mother’s eyes were beginning to close. “Stay awake!” Hollypaw begged. She spotted Lionpaw and Foxpaw returning with wads of cobweb hanging from their jaws. Thank StarClan! “Over here!”

Lionpaw darted to his mother’s side.

“Give me those.” Leafpool dragged the cobwebs from his mouth and began padding Squirrelflight’s wound. She beckoned Foxpaw over, taking his cobwebs too. “Go to the pool in my den,” she told him, not looking up. “Fetch soaked moss.

Quick as you can.”

Lionpaw was staring at his mother in horror.

“You too!” Leafpool growled. “Quickly!”

Lionpaw and Foxpaw darted away.

Jaypaw must have heard the commotion. He left Brambleclaw, his paws still wet with ointment, and began weaving his way through the wounded warriors.

Brambleclaw watched him go, surprise lighting his eyes, then looked past him and saw Squirrelflight. He charged around the clearing, Jaypaw’s poultice crumbling from his flank as he ran. He stopped beside Hollypaw. “What’s wrong?”

“Belly wound,” Hollypaw whispered.

“How’d it happen?”

Sandstorm shook her head. “She was fighting beside me on the shore, but I thought she was okay. She was never down for more than a moment.”

Brambleclaw crouched beside his mate. “Don’t leave me,” he begged.

Squirrelflight’s eyes flickered open at the sound of his voice, then closed again.

He nudged her with his muzzle. “You’ll be okay. Leafpool won’t let you die.”

Hollypaw stared hopefully at Leafpool, but the medicine cat was too busy working on Squirrelflight’s wound to look up. Jaypaw slid in beside her and began holding cobwebs in place as Leafpool applied fresh padding.

Lionpaw returned and dropped a wad of dripping moss beside her. She snatched it up and began washing away the blood. “Fetch more!”

Squirrelflight didn’t flinch at the cold water. She was too deeply unconscious.

Hollypaw leaned in closer. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?”

Brambleclaw started to lick Squirrelflight’s cheek. “Sleep well, my lovely. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“What’s happened?” Firestar was staring down at Squirrelflight, his eyes round with shock.

“Get back, all of you!” Leafpool suddenly snapped.

Blood roared in Hollypaw’s ears. She’s going to die! She stepped back, numbly, and brushed against Brambleclaw. Her father was trembling.

“Hollypaw!” Leafpool was staring directly at her. “Go to my den and fetch oak leaves.”

Oak leaves. Oak leaves. She tried to focus, terrified she’d forget, her mind in a whirl of panic.

In the medicine cat’s den, she reached into the gap in the rock and dragged out a pawful of leaves. Sifting through them, she separated out the oak leaves. At least they were easy to recognize. She picked them up in her jaws and hurried back to Leafpool.

“Do you want me to chew them up?” she offered, dropping them beside Leafpool.

“Jaypaw can do that.”

Hollypaw stepped out of the way. Lionpaw was staring down at his mother, his eyes lit with fury. He wants to know who did this.

She realized she was trembling like a kit. She closed her eyes and felt Sandstorm press against her.

“If anyone can save her, Leafpool will.”

Hollypaw leaned against Sandstorm, thankful for her warmth, while Leafpool and Jaypaw finished packing Squirrelflight’s wound.

Leafpool looked up. “I’ve done all I can,” she meowed. “It’s in the paws of StarClan now.” She picked up a wad of moss and held it to Squirrelflight’s lips, letting the water drip into her mouth.