Swiftpaw's POV

"Pinepaw, no!" I leap forward to stop Streampaw from tumbling into the path of the monsters, but am stopped by a red flash.

There's a loud screech, and I squeeze my eyes shut, the wind of the monsters buffeting my pelt. When I open my eyes, I see a russet tabby lying in the middle of the Thunderpath, unmoving.

"Russetpaw!" Streampaw races back onto the path, dodging the monsters, and grabs the apprentice's scruff. She starts dragging Russetpaw back to the side. I shoot a glance at Pinepaw, and notice his lip curled in a disgusted sneer.

I make to help Streampaw, but Stonepaw gets there first. The gray tom lifts Russetpaw's flanks over his shoulders and carries him back to the edge, supporting most of the weight, and shoving past Pinepaw without a glance at the brown tabby.

A thin trickle of blood is dripping from Russetpaw's mouth, but I can see his flanks slightly rising and falling. His fur is so red I can hardly see the russet, and I push through the gathering crowd of cats to his side.

"Give him air!" I snap, baring my teeth. "Do you want him to die?" The cats move out of the way, though a silver tabby she-cat stays by me, pressing herself into Streampaw, shaking.

"Streampaw, Stonepaw, I need you to lick his fur clean," I meow, trying to stay calm. But my paws are shaking - something I can't control even if I wanted to - as the two apprentices start to clean Russetpaw's pelt, washing away red blood to reveal russet tabby fur.

Deep gashes are visible through his pelt, and blood is starting to well up again. "Some cat get me cobwebs!" I yell. "Lots of them! Marigold too!"

At least four cats, two from either Clan, dash off; Blackpaw is one of them. They return moments later, and Graywind arrives behind me to he apply the herbs. I frantically chew the marigold into a pulp and spread it on the wounds.

The blood soaks through the cobwebs, turning them red, and I remove them and press my paw down hard on the wound. My mind is whirling.

There's no way he can survive that, I think. He's barely seven moons old, and he's lost so much blood!

I glance over at Streampaw and the silver tabby. They're both staring down at Russetpaw, their eyes wide and fur bristling. Gritting my teeth, I return my gaze to the apprentice. I can't let him die!

"Blackpaw, Stonepaw, press your paws onto his other wounds like I'm doing!" I order, growling. "This'll stop the bleeding. He's lost too much blood."

Thank Starclan they listen to me. But Russetpaw still might not make it. After what seems like moons, I tell them to take their paws off so I can inspect the gashes. The bleeding seems to have mostly stopped, but there's still a bit of blood oozing from the wounds.

"Alright, put the cobwebs and the marigold-" I break off, my eyes wide as I stare at his flank. It's only moving slightly. He's lost too much blood. He's not going to make it.

My ears flat against my skull, I take a step back, watching Russetpaw. At first his tail twitches weakly, and then he lifts his head to look at Streampaw. His jaws open, as if he wants to say something, and then his head drops and he goes limp.

Every cat falls silent, staring at the dead tom. Then the cats divide to let a Windclan queen through, a reddish-black tabby with amber eyes.

The queen thrusts herself onto the ground next to Russetpaw and lets out a heartbreaking yowl.

Every cat bows their head. That is, every cat except for Pinepaw. He glares down at Russetpaw for a moment, and then turns his gaze to Streampaw and the other she-cat. "Have you resorted to killing your own Clanmates?" he snarls. "This cat could have lived a long and happy life, and you had to go and ruin it!"

"Pinepaw!" Boulderstar yowls, glaring at the apprentice. "You've done quite enough damage for one day. I will have two warriors escort you back to camp, to make sure you don't cause anymore trouble."

Pinepaw spits as Tigerfrost and and Foxtail take either side of him and take him back in the direction of camp.

Streampaw takes a step forward, tail bristling, but the silver she-cat stops her. "Not a good idea," she whispers, and Streampaw snaps back, "Shut up, Silverpaw!"

A fiery red tom steps forward, with the same eye color as Streampaw, and says, "Time to go, Streampaw."

The black she-cat turns her blazing eyes to him, and bares her teeth. "This is your fault!" she snarls, and the red tom glares back.

"My fault?" he says. "My fault? How is this my fault?"

"I think you know, Flaresoul," she hisses. "Remember training the other day?"

Flaresoul narrows his eyes and crouches low, walking over to her to whisper in her ear. I catch the words, "...power... water... could have saved yourself." Then I hear Streampaw growl, "...know... not strong."

I wrinkle my nose. What in Starclan are they talking about?

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SHORT CHAPTER. ONLY 860-SOMETHING WORDS. NOT SATISFIED. PLEASE DON'T BE MAD XD