Chapter 18:

Skystar's P.O.V:

"Skystar! Are you ok?" Nutpaw yowled and ran to his mother. Skystar nodded weakly and lay down on the blood stained ground in camp.

"Go treat everyone else's wounds. I'm fine." she whispered and lay her head on her paws. Blood still pulsed from her belly and hind leg.

Nutpaw reluctantly moved away from Skystar and went to treat Mousepaw's wounds. Then Sparklingfish's. Then he moved onto the other warriors.

Silversplash padded up to Skystar and sat down beside her. "Why did Darkstar attack?"

"He wanted territory. He-" Skystar stopped talking as she coughed weakly. She started feeling cold as if it were the middle of leaf-bare. She shivered uncontrollably and moaned in pain.

Silversplash's eyes widened and she called to Nutpaw. "Nutpaw!!"

Nutpaw ran over and checked Skystar. "She's going into shock. I need thyme!"

Silversplash raced into the medicine den and Skystar took one last breath before blackness took over.

_______

Silversplash's P.O.V:

Silversplash ran back carrying the thyme. She knew what it looked like from when she was a loner. She placed it at Nutpaw's side but he didn't move. "She's already loosing a life."

Silversplash lowered her head and watched Skystar. She looked dead. She didn't breath or move.

After a few more moments, Skystar woke up. Nutpaw quickly gave her some thyme just in case and Silversplash watched a he got some marigold and cobwebs for her wounds.

Clearlight padded to Silversplash's side. He had a deep claw wound on his shoulder but other than that he was fine. Silversplash watched how Nutpaw treated Skystar's wounds and got some marigold for Clearlight. She chewed the marigold and put it on Clearlight's bleeding shoulder. He grunted in pain but stayed still. Silversplash put some cobwebs on top and sat back, watching her clan.

Since she was deputy, she should probably have been checking every cat and helping them but instead she was sitting down doing nothing helpful. She sighed heavily before padding to each cat and checking them over, muttering soothing words.

______

Clearlight's P.O.V:

It was the following day and Skystar was sleeping in her den. Nutpaw had said that Skystar needed to rest for at least a few days because of her severe injuries.

Clearlight was sitting by the fresh-kill pile, nibbling at a shrew. He wasn't paying much attention to what was around him as he was lost in thought. His mind flitted from one thing to another. 

Was Waterfly going to wake up soon?

How could a clan show up to the gathering tonight without a medicine cat?

Will Skystar be ok?

Will Darkstar take more territory?

When is this "tiger" going to attack?

His mind was swirling like a storm and he started to grow dizzy. Clearlight shook his head to try and clear his thoughts but the nagging questions still kept entering his head the moment he wasn't concentrating.

Silversplash emerged from the entrance and entered camp with her patrol. Fernpaw, Bigstep and Bluestorm followed Silversplash. Between them, they carried a squirrel and a couple of mice. Clearlight sighed, "I'll take out another hunting patrol along the Magiclan border, maybe we can find a rabbit."

Silversplash dropped her prey on the pile and nodded. "I'll come. Let's take Stormwhisker and Slowsky as well."

Clearlight nodded and called for the chosen cats. He lead them to the Magiclan border and they split up to hunt.

_____

Waterfly's P.O.V:

"Waterfly." Jumpingstar meowed. "You are free to return to your clan now."

"Really?!" Waterfly grinned and jumped up from where she sat. Mist started to swirl around her and she closed her eyes. When she opened them she was in her nest in the medicine den. Nutpaw was sorting herbs.

"Nutpaw!" Waterfly got up and felt power surge through her veins and she felt stronger. She felt renewed and young again.

Her apprentice turned around and gasped. "Waterfly!!" he lightly touched noses with her and smiled but that quickly turned into a frown as he meowed. "Darkstar attacked camp yesterday... Skystar lost a life. I feel that I didn't do a good enough job.."

Waterfly lay her tail on his shoulder and whispered. "Your only an apprentice, you haven't been fully trained yet."

Nutpaw smiled and looked up at Waterfly. "Thank you, I couldn't have done anything to help my clan without your training." then he glanced outside and looked back at Waterfly. "The gathering is tonight, but someone needs to stay with Skystar as she is too weak to travel to the gathering place."

"You go to the gathering, I'll stay." Waterfly meowed. "You've earned it."

Nutpaw's eyes widened. "But- but I'm not a fully trained medicine cat yet!! The other clans would be curious and ask questions!"

Waterlfy purred in amusement. "Just say that I need to stay behind with some sick cats. Only the medicine cats will ask so don't worry, they are friends."

Nutpaw nodded hesitantly but Waterfly could see determination in his eyes. "I'll be good."

Silversplash's yowl signalled that it was time for the gathering. Nutpaw raced out of the medicine den and Waterfly watched her apprentice go with Stormwhisker, Bluestorm, Sparklingfish, Clearlight, Mousepaw, Bumblepaw and Fernpaw.

_______