“Could 你 go out to the lake and get some 更多 horsetail, Dewpaw?” asks Silverblossom, my medicine cat mentor.
“Of course,” I reply. I’m a medicine cat apprentice, it’s my job.
Right before I leave she adds, “Bring a friend!”
“I know!” I yell back, but she probably doesn’t hear me because I’m already across the clearing. Accidently, I ram into grumpy Snakefang and run over Inkkit and Rabbitkit, earning glares from Nightheart and Blizzardcloud. I ignore them. I’m too focused on the task at hand. I know just the cat to bring. I find him, my best friend, Birchpaw, talking to his sisters, Squirrelpaw and Brightpaw outside the apprentice den. He sees my medicine cat mode face, says he’ll be right back to his sisters and then joins me as we walk out of the camp. That’s one of the things I like about Birchpaw, he never quits, even after coming with me to collect herbs 或者 go to other camps 更多 than ten times.
Another thing I like about Birchpaw is that he doesn’t have to talk all the time. We walk in silence all the way to the marshy area around the lake. The border between our clan and Flameclan is very close to us, so we have to be careful we don’t accidently stray over it.
“We’re looking for horsetail, right?” asks Birchpaw. I can tell he’s joking because he’s collected horsetail with me before.
“Nope,” I joke back.
“It’s tall and bristly, right?”
“Really? I thought it was a huge 橙子, 橙色 flower. Are 你 sure?”
“I don’t know. 你 tell me! You’re the medicine cat apprentice!”
“Oh right!” I exclaim, and bump a paw to my head. We burst out laughing.
Then we hear yelling. Immediately, we stop laughing and freeze. There’s another scream. It’s coming from over the border, in Flameclan territory. I look to Birchpaw for what to do. Should we 交叉, 十字架 the border and risk getting in trouble if it turns out to be nothing serious 或者 交叉, 十字架 because 猫 could really be in danger? Without 秒 thought, we do the latter, dropping the horsetail and running towards where the screaming is coming from. We enter the dense trees. We’re not even that far in when a strong, repulsive smell fills our nostrils. I have no idea what it is but I’m glad we came to investigate because this is definitely bad.
Slower, we continue, going towards the smell. When it’s so nasty I think my head’s going to explode, I see a flash of ginger and white. It’s a cat. And it looks like she has something in her mouth. Our eyes lock for a moment. Her wide pale green eyes burn into mine, warning me, like she’s telling me and Birchpaw to run, to follow her. I push Birchpaw to the right, the way she’s running, and we start following her. Birchpaw doesn’t ask me why we’re following her and I don’t know why either. I just have a feeling.
Our 问题 is answered when there’s a rumbling sound behind us, almost like thunder. I dare to look behind me. At first, I don’t see anything through clouds of dust and dirt but my eyes start to focus and I make out huge black shapes. Oh my Starclan! It’s a stampede of badgers! And they’re getting closer! Terrified, I put on a sudden burst of speed. Before I know it, I’m running beside the she-cat. I see what the thing in her mouth is now. It’s a limp kitten. It’s not moving.
I look at the she-cat again. I’ve seen her before. I think her name’s Rosepaw. Looking at her ginger tabby 毛皮 I’m positive her name’s Rosepaw. She’s Flameclan’s medicine cat apprentice. I remember meeting her when all the clan medicine 猫 and apprentices went to the Moonpool a few moons ago. I also remember I couldn’t stop staring at her, captivated 由 the dark ginger markings in her otherwise 橙子, 橙色 pelt and bright yellow-green eyes…I shake my head, throwing out those thoughts. We all have to get to safety and get the kitten to a real medicine cat because it looks too far gone for us apprentices to be able to do anything.
I think we just crossed the border between Flameclan and Breezeclan. Oh no. The stampede is headed straight for Breezeclan’s camp! I turn to tell Birchpaw but there’s nobody there. Alarmed, I look behind me but I don’t see a cat, all I see is the black cloud. Unexpectedly, I lose my footing and trip. Rosepaw starts to stop to help me.
“No! Keep going!” I tell her. Her safety is 更多 important than mine. I need to find Birchpaw, anyways. I feel a hollow pit in my stomach and I fear the worse. Then it hits me. I run back to Rosepaw, ignoring the burning in my chest, “Climb a tree!” I yell, breathless. She understands me, though, and takes a flying leap at the 树 to her left. I follow her, ready to catch her if she falls but she’s sure footed and makes it up fine. We sit, panting in a crook about twenty feet off the ground, while we wait for the stampede to past. We don’t 移动 或者 say anything for a few seconds. Suddenly, she bursts out crying, her sobs muffled 由 the bundle of 毛皮 in her mouth. I carefully take the kitten out of her mouth and 摇篮 it carefully in my paws. It’s ice cold and not breathing.
Once Rosepaw’s calmed down I ask, “What was her name?”
“Skykit,” she replies. Her face is crumpled with guilt and sadness.
I’m about to comfort her when she bursts with anger, “Why did I have to bring her out here!?” she yells, to nobody in particular. Quieter she says, “Ashflower is going to hate me.”
I jump in, “It wasn’t your fault. It was a terrible accident.”
“I don’t believe you,” she says, “You should go find your friend.”
Birchpaw. I’m sorry to say but I’d forgotten about him. “Don’t go anywhere, please,” I say.
“Well, I’m stuck twenty feet in the air and I’m afraid of heights so 你 have nothing to worry about,” she replies, sarcastically. I can tell she’s trying to be 《勇敢传说》 and strong but inside, she’s really hurting. I trust her, though, so I leave. Since I’m not scared of heights 或者 jumping from high heights, I climb down the 树 about halfway then jump, landing on my paws.
“He makes it look easy,” I hear her mumble.
I start back the way we came, yelling Birchpaw’s name. Right when I’m ready to give up, I hear moaning and a frail voice calling out, “Dewpaw! Dewpaw! I’m over here! To your left.”
I follow the voice until I find the 树 Birchpaw’s laying against. He looks bad. I can easily see two broken legs, a mangled paw, and a torn ear.
“Oh Birchpaw,” I whisper with remorse.
“I know. Dewpaw, please don’t leave me.”
“I won’t but for a few 分钟 I have to get Rosepaw and get help. I promise I won’t be long. Is that alright?”
“Ya, now go! I’m starting to feel numb.”
Without another word, I sprint back to Rosepaw and Skykit. High on adrenaline I yell, “I found him! He’s badly hurt, we need to get help!”
“Alright but I can’t get down.”
I sigh in frustration. I shouldn’t have to do this but I do. I climb back up the tree.
“Let me have Skykit.” She hands over the kitten, which I firmly hold 由 the scruff between my teeth. Trying to talk behind the 毛皮 I say, “I’ll help 你 down now. Get a hold onto the bark and make sure your stomach is against the tree.” She does so. “I’m right under 你 so 你 don’t need to worry if 你 fall. Now, slowly inch down the tree.” She does what I say and even though it takes five minutes, she’s back on the forest floor.
Giving her the kitten I instruct, “Now go to a camp and get help!”
“Which camp?” she asks.
“Oh I don’t know, Breezeclan maybe, since it’s like right there,” I say sarcastically.
She harrumphs and starts running in the direction of the camp while I run the opposite way back to Birchpaw. I find him easily this time since the smell of blood is stronger.
He’s unconscious when I get to him. Immediately, I pound his chest to try and wake him up. Thankfully, it works. “Ouch! Wha was dat fo?” he slurs, incapable of normal speech.
“It was me trying to save your life!” I yell, suddenly angry. I’m angry at all that’s happened. Skykit already died and now I can’t have my best friend die, too! Where’s Rosepaw!?
That’s when I remember. The badgers were heading toward Breezeclan’s camp. So, they’re probably all hurt now. And if they’re all hurt, how and why would they help us?