Brookshadow jumped and whirled around. "W-what-!" She stammered as she saw Piketooth, water dripping from his whiskers and streaming from his pelt.

He was glaring at her, his eyes narrowed, with a mix of disgust and contemptuous hate. Brookshadow backed away from him, the fur on her pelt puffing out and her ears flattening against her head. She could smell her own fear-scent. Why is he being like this?

Piketooth stepped towards her, his fangs barred and claws unsheathed. "Having regrets about denying me?"

"P-Piketooth, I didn't deny you. You agreed that it had to stop!" Brookshadow mewed feebly.

"I didn't want it to, not like you did! You wanted to leave me so you could have Dewfur! Well, now it's my turn to have you!"

"Piketooth, please, just let me go!" Brookshadow pleaded, shaking with fear.

He let out a harsh laugh.

And lunged for her.

Brookshadow didn't understand what had happened. All she knew was that she was running. Her throat felt raw. The back of her neck was torn and bleeding. And she was terrified. She was blindly crashing into bushes, brambles catching and clawing at her pelt. She stumbled into a clearing and collapsed, burying her muzzle in between her front paws. Her breathing was ragged and hurt her throat. Her whole body shook, and her jaw trembled. She didn't know how long she laid there, softly murmuring to herself, but she jumped when she heard a gasp.

"Brookshadow! Are you alright? You're bleeding!"

Not knowing who it was, Brookshadow stumbled backwards, trying to recognize the voice.

"Brookshadow, it's me, Squirrelflight. What happened to you?"

Brookshadow relaxed, but only a bit, as she kept trembling and murmuring to herself.

Squirrelflight glanced around for a moment, then stepped forward and ever so gently brushed her paw against Brookshadow's paw. Brookshadow flinched, and Squirrelflight spoke to her in a gentle voice. "It's okay, it's okay. Come on, we need to get you back home. Everyone's worried."

Brookshadow allowed herself to be led from the clearing, through the forest and back to camp. She and Squirrelflight walked side by side down the tunnel into the ravine ThunderClan called home.

The voices of many cats meowed out at her.

"Oh, Brookshadow, you're back!"

"We were so worried about you!"

"Are you alright?"

"Is everything okay?"

Brookshadow was fine when all the cats were fox-lengths away, but they started crowding in, and she backed herself up against a wall, trying to keep them at a distance.

"Back, everyone! Back!" Squirrelflight's voice strongly commanded. "Let her have some space! She needs to get to the Medicine Den as quickly as possible."

The cats backed off, and Brookshadow was able to breathe easier. Squirrelflight turned to look at her and nodded her head. "Come on, Brookshadow. Let's go."

Brookshadow rushed forward and to Squirrelflight's side, shaking a bit.

"Someone please go and find Dewfur. Tell him that we found her." Squirrelflight mewed before leading her into the Medicine Den. Brookshadow felt the gazes of the cats on her back as she entered the Medicine Den and subconsiously tried not to let her pelt prickle uncomfortably.

"Leapool?" Squirrelflight mewed into the quiet. The Medicine cat came out from the herb storage in the back of the den, flicking her ears. It took a moment before Brookshadow realized that she was holding some herbs in her mouth and couldn't speak. Squirrelflight motioned to Brookshadow.

Leafpool glanced at Brookshadow and nodded, setting the herbs down and beckoning her closer with a flick of her tail. Brookshadow took a few steps forward. Leafpool gingerly began examining her.

Brookshadow faintly heard Leafpool gasp. Her ears twitched, but Brookshadow otherwise didn't move.

Squirrelflight had been sitting in the Medicine den, waiting patiently. Leafpool now trotted over to her and whispered in her ear. Squirrelflight's face flashed worry and anger, but she nodded and trotted outside the den.

Leafpool padded back over to Brookshadow. "I'll need to treat your neck wound, Brookshadow," She meowed. Brookshadow adjusted herself so that Leafpool could more easily reach her neck wound, watching as the medicine cat soaked some moss in the pool of water in the den and wrap some cobwebs around her paw. Leafpool then appraoched her and gingerly placed the cobweb onto Brookshadow's torn neck wound. Brookshadow flinched a bit and unsuccessfully tried to hold back a whimper.

"Shh, shh. I need to do this, Brookshadow. We don't want it getting infected." After a few seconds, she mewed, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Brookshadow shook her head.

Leafpool nodded and took the soaked moss and pressed it against her neck. Brookshadow sucked in a breath at the coldness. Dewfur poked his head into the den, his whiskers twitching. He gasped a bit as he saw Leafpool treating Brookshadow, pulling himself throught the ivy curtain and into the Medicine Den. He looked at Brookshadow, concerned.

Leafpool had motioned for him to stay where he was. Brookshadow's ears twitched and she blinked at Dewfur. Seeing him made her give a small sigh, and she blinked slowly at him to show him that she was pleased to see him. Leafpool stepped back from Brookshadow and trotted up to Dewfur.

Brookshadow's ears twitched as she heard the softspoken medicine cat speaking to Dewfur. "Be gentle. She's in shock right now, I'm sure, so she's probably not herself. But you can talk to her. And don't stand too close to her unless she says it's arlight. We don't want her having a panic attack."

Dewfur nodded, although he looked confused.

"I'm sure she'll tell you. It's not my place to, at least." Leafpool glanced back at Brookshadow before trotting out of the den.

Dewfur took a breath and got within a few rabbit-hops of Brookshadow. "Are you alright? I was worried sick."

"I don't know," Brookshadow mewed quietly.

Dewfur sighed a bit, reaching his paw out and placing it on the ground in front of her. "Whatever happened, I promise, you're safe now."

Brookshadow looked at his paw for a few seconds. Her jaw trembled. She pushed herself forward and nuzzled Dewfur under his chin, whimpering. "H-he raped me..."