Erin Hunter - Dawn

Mistyfoot padded close beside Tallstar, pressing against the WindClan leader’s flank whenever he stumbled. Brackenfur carried one of Tallpoppy’s kits, and Tornear followed the ShadowClan apprentices, nudging them gently forward whenever they slowed their step.

“It’s as if we don’t belong to different Clans anymore,” Leafpaw whispered, catching up with Squirrelpaw.

Her sister nodded. “This is what it was like on the journey to the sun-drown-place.”

But as the cats limped onto the sloping surface of Sunningrocks, the old rifts returned. ShadowClan climbed to the top of the rock, while RiverClan halted beside the trees.

Brackenfur placed the kit beside Tallpoppy and rejoined the ThunderClan cats as they padded slowly up the slope. He pressed his golden-brown flank against Sorreltail’s, supporting her as her exhausted paws swayed beneath her. Tallstar lay down close to the base of the rock, too tired to climb any farther.

Onewhisker, Tornear, and Crowpaw gathered around him.

“How did it go?” Whitepaw rushed over to Brightheart and pressed her nose into her flank. She drew back quickly.

“You’re bleeding!”

“Just some scratches,” Brightheart reassured her.

“You’re alive!” Cody hurried down from the overhang, with Birchkit stumbling after her. She pressed her muzzle against Leafpaw’s.

Ferncloud appeared at the lip of the nursery and stared in bewilderment at the cats crowding onto the rock. “What happened?”

“Everyone’s safe.” Brambleclaw shouldered his way to the front of the patrol. “That’s the main thing.”

“Thank StarClan.” The ThunderClan queen sighed.

Cinderpelt clambered out of her hollow. “Where’s Firestar?”

“I’m here,” Firestar croaked, weaving his way to the front.

Leafpaw followed him closely, aware that he was still shaking.

“Firestar lost a life,” she murmured before Cinderpelt could say anything.

“What about the ShadowClan camp?” Frostfur demanded.

“Did you save it?”

“We cannot fight the monsters,” Firestar meowed bleakly.

“We could do nothing except help ShadowClan escape before their camp was destroyed.”

“They destroyed the camp?” Frostfur gasped.

“There’s nothing left but fallen trees,” Blackstar growled.

“We have no home.”

“You’ll be safe here for now,” Firestar told the ShadowClan leader.

Blackstar’s eyes glimmered with relief for a moment. Then he turned to his medicine cat. “Littlecloud,” he meowed. “Do what you can to help your Clanmates.”

The small tabby tom began to pace quickly around the ShadowClan cats. He leaned down and sniffed Tallpoppy, then began to lick her flank. “There are many splinters here,” he mewed, lifting his head.

“Tallstar has a gash on his hind leg,” Onewhisker added.

Cinderpelt looked at the bloodstained pelts around her.

“Fetch everything we have,” she told Leafpaw. “We just have to hope it will be enough.”

Leafpaw heard pawsteps following her as she hurried to the crevice where they stored their medicine supplies. It was Cody.

“There are so many injuries!” The kittypet’s eyes were wide and frightened.

“But we’re all still alive,” Leafpaw pointed out, reaching down into the gully with her paw. She pulled out the first bundle of herbs she touched. “Can you take out splinters?”

“I can do more than that,” Cody answered. “Come on, Birchkit!” she called, and they padded toward a group of ShadowClan kits trembling with fear and cold.

“Is this kittypet a medicine cat?” Blackstar growled.

“It’s okay,” Leafpaw called out. “She knows what she’s doing.”

Cody soothed each kit with a reassuring lick, then encouraged Birchkit to distract them while she searched their fur for cuts and splinters.

Leafpaw pushed her paw back into the crevice. She hoped there were enough berries to make poultices for all the cats who needed one. To her surprise she found the hiding place was better stocked than she had expected. She pulled out as much marigold as she could find and reached back in for the berries.

Cinderpelt appeared behind her and nodded when she saw the pile of herbs growing on the rock. “I went back to the ravine while you were away and brought as much as I could carry,” she explained. She paused and looked at the mass of ShadowClan cats milling fretfully at the top of the slope, their faces bewildered and frightened. “Help ShadowClan first,” she ordered. “There are too many for Littlecloud to manage alone, and I can cope with Tallstar and our own wounded.”

“Will Blackstar mind if I help?” Leafpaw asked. The ShadowClan leader sat with his elders, his eyes fixed on Cody as she tackled another kit.

“You persuaded him to let Cody help,” Cinderpelt reminded her.

“But she’s not a ThunderClan cat…” Leafpaw mewed.

Cinderpelt gazed at her through narrowed eyes. “Blackstar’s no fool. He knows his cats need our help.”

Leafpaw nodded. Summoning up her courage, she padded toward the ShadowClan cats and called to Littlecloud, “Can I help?”

The look in Littlecloud’s eyes gave away his relief and gratitude. But before he could reply, Blackstar rounded on Leafpaw, his eyes as hard as the Moonstone. “We can take care of our own cats, thank you.”

“But you’ve already allowed Cody to help, and I have herbs,” she offered, forcing herself to sound calm.

“Littlecloud will manage,” Blackstar insisted.

Leafpaw shuffled her paws, torn between her duties as a medicine cat and nervous respect for Blackstar’s wishes.

Then Littlecloud mewed loudly, “Blackstar, we need those herbs.”

Blackstar flattened his ears, but Littlecloud held his gaze.

“With Leafpaw I can help our Clanmates twice as fast.”

Blackstar twitched his ears. “Very well,” he growled.

“Can I help too?” Mothwing padded across the rock to join them. “Mistyfoot said it would be okay.”

“You may as well,” Blackstar grunted, turning away.

“Thanks, Mothwing,” Leafpaw whispered. She left the bundle of herbs at Mothwing’s paws and hurried back to the crevice to fetch more. Cinderpelt was still there and had begun mixing a salve on a dried oak leaf.

“This is ready to use,” she muttered through a mouthful of half-crushed berries. “Come back when you need more.”

Leafpaw went back and dropped the salve beside Littlecloud, who was examining Runningnose’s pelt. “Rub this in after you’ve pulled out the splinters,” she told him. “It’ll stop any infection.” She gazed around at the ShadowClan cats. “Where would you like me to start?”

“The elders heal slowly, so they should be treated as soon as possible,” Littlecloud advised without looking up.

Leafpaw went over to Boulder, who was lying beside Runningnose, his eyes glazed with shock. She nodded politely at him, and when he did not respond, she leaned down and began to lick his flank. The old cat sighed quietly as she pulled out a splinter with her teeth and rubbed in a tiny drop of salve.

Leafpaw worked on one cat after another till her paws ached with tiredness. As the moon began to brighten in the sky, she glanced up the slope toward her father. “Cody, can you take over here?” she asked. “There are only one or two apprentices left, and I want to see how Firestar is.”

“Of course. You go right ahead.”

Firestar was lying beside Sandstorm, washing dried blood from between his claws. “How are you?” Leafpaw whispered, touching her muzzle to his.

“I’m fine,” he purred, his eyes soft and clear.

“Are you sure?” She searched his face. For all her connection with StarClan, she would never know what it felt like to lose a life. “D-did StarClan tell you we should leave the forest now?”