Moonpaw

"Hawkstar lost another life!" My fur bristled, and I whipped around to stare in shock at Mousepaw, who nodded in response. "What?! But how many does he...." Mousepaw understood my question. "5. 5 left. That's all." My eyes widened, and I sprinted. Sprinted to accompany my father in his agony. Blood leaked from my open wounds, and as I entered the bushes, thorns ripped more fur off my body. Growling in pain, I ignored my discomfort and imagined my father's. Losing another life! Who did it?! I was going to kill them! I ran as far as my paws could carry me until I collapsed from exhaustion. Dropping to the ground like a rock, I tumbled down the cliff, unable to stop. My head cracked into a stone on the ground, and dust clouded the air, breaking my ability to breathe. Shaking, I stood up, and snarled with dizziness, my thoughts clouding my mind. No! I had to keep going! I used my senses to direct myself towards my father's den. I leaped up the small cliff that papa used as a den, and for the clan meetings. My claws scraped on the rock, as my grip carried me up to the big crevice that was papa's den.

"Appletree! Appletree!" I cried as I scrabbled up the stone.

"I must see Papa! Tell me he's alright! Oh Starclan, please! Make him be alright!" A dappled head popped out of the opening of the den, and its ears twitched in welcome. 

"It's not as bad as it seems. But he is getting weaker. He needs support. And I need to move him to my den. We need to make the bleeding stop first, though. Will you help me?" I shivered. It was going to be a difficult task. The cliff was steep and unstable at places, and an adult cat could easily lose their footing and fall. It wasn't a tall cliff, but it was high enough for a cat to injure themself badly.

"Alright. I'll help you. But we must be very careful." Appletree nodded in relief, her tail tip twitching in agitation. I followed her into the den, and instantly was taken aback. Hawkstar's frail body lay on a bed of moss, stained with blood. Long gashes ran along his sides, and he had large bite marks on his neck, and back leg. I quickly noticed Mousepaw applying cobwebs to the wounds

"Usually Starclan would have healed his wounds, but it seems like they are getting infected. We need to clean them out. Especially that nasty bite on his neck. It's all swollen, and I didn't know what would make the swelling stop, so I cleaned up the smaller scratches and bites, and waited for you." Mousepaw quickly explained what was going on.

"You did well. Get some Beech leaves to carry all these herbs, and Moonpaw and I will help Hawkstar." Appletree replied.

"Oh, and I also thought some Dried Oak leaves, Broom and Marigold in a poultice would be good for the infections, and some more cobwebs for the bleeding. We could give him a few dandelion leaves for the pain. But I don't know what to do for the bleeding. It's coming in waves! He's loosing much too much blood." They spoke in hushed whispers, and at moments, Mousepaw would look over her shoulder to check on papa.

"Horsetail! Horsetail for the bleeding, and . . . and . . . . . . .  and some Stinging Nettle. All chewed into a poultice. Here are some Beech leaves for the herbs. You'll lead the way down the cliff, alright?" Mousepaw nodded quickly, picked up the packet of herbs in her small jaws, and padded out the entrance of the den.

"Alright. Hawkstar, we're going to have to move you to my den, okay? You're going to have to help us though, and stand." Papa groaned in response, and rose slowly to his paws. His legs trembled, and I quickly offered a shoulder for him to lean on. Practically dragging him out, Appletree and I led him slowly down a narrow path that crackled with rocks tumbling at our paws. At moments he would moan in pain, and my heart would clench for him. I looked around at the clearing and gasped. Blood spread across the camp in puddles. Cats sat in different positions, licking their wounds, while others lay, immobile, their legs stretched out, and only their heaving chest would show that they were alive. Brambles and thorns from our destroyed camp scattered the sandy and bloody ground and a few branches lay in between dens. Tufts of fur  sat in different places, and most of the dens were destroyed. Hawkstar's weight on my shoulder quickly brought me back to the present moment.

"We're almost there, Hawkstar. We're almost there." I reassured my father. He nodded faintly in response, and teetered towards the entry of Appletree's den. 

"Right. Mousepaw! Get the nest ready. This way Moonpaw." I nudged my father towards the bedding of moss, and when he was still on the nest, I sighed.

"Will he be okay?" I looked at Appletree. She nodded in response, and licked my cheek.

"I'll do my best for him. Now go help Mousepaw take care of our injured clanmates." 

Nodding, I took the bundle of herbs she pushed towards me, and slowly padded away from her. I saw Mousepaw applying cobwebs to Treebranch's wounds. Looking around to find any severe wounded, I saw Blackfur. He seemed dead. His lifeless body lay stretched across the sandy ground, and puddles of scarlet blood surrounded his midnight coated figure. I quickly padded towards him and sniffed his black pelt. Finding the large bite on his shoulder and neck was hard to bear. His chest would heave softly, and his breaths would come in soft gasps. As deputy, he should have made it to leader, but it seemed as if he wouldn't survive the night. 

"Mousepaw!" I called.  She looked up from Treebranch and quickly padded over to me.

"What do we give him?" Mousepaw stared gravely at Blackfur and sighed.

"Nothing. The wounds are too deep, and now, his fate is in Starclan's paws." Grief clawed at my heart, and I couldn't find any words to answer to her reply.

"Can we give him poppy seeds to make the death easier?" Mousepaw nodded, and opened her bundle of herbs. Rummaging through it, she pulled out 3 black seeds that shimmered in the sun.

"Here. Make him chew them, and it should be enough."

Nodding, I licked Blackfur's ear slowly.

"Moonpaw?" His voice was hoarse, and raspy, and blood dripped out of his mouth as he coughed.

"Am I dying? Is this death?" The effort of these words made him pant, and his face was cringed with pain. His eyes were glazed, and milky, and he could barely lift up his head to look at me. Gently pushing his head down, I whispered,

"Here, Blackfur. Eat these. It'll hurt less." I softly parted his jaws, and placed a seed onto his tongue. As he chewed, I tried to see in what state camp was. Thorns and brambles scattered the ground, and many dens were demolished. Only the nursery and the elder's den were still intact. Blackfur panted slowly, and I looked down at him. His eyes were closed, and his chest heaved with effort to catch his breath. His breathing gradually began to grow shallow, but before his eyes glazed over, he whispered,

"I'm ready." His body went limp. My heart clenched with grief, but before I could do anything, I heard yowling.

"Let me go! What did I do!? Ugh! Filthy fox-hearts!" I licked Blackfur's pelt quickly, and walked over to the chaos. 

What I saw was quite surprising . . .