☁ 𝒜𝓈 𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓊𝒹𝓈 𝒞𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓀𝓎 ☁

Chapter 11

𝒫𝑒𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽

~ ✵ ☁ ✵ ~

The wolf's narrowed, yellow eyes locked on her own green ones, wide in fear. She let out a yelp as the large creature lunged toward her, its jaws dripping with drool and it moved wildly as if it were about to trip over its own large paws.

She was able to dodge the dog-like creature with ease, but it didn't take long for the wolf to recover, shaking its large head and swinging it toward her before charging again. Petalwish wasn't so lucky this time. The monster caught her with long, sharp claws, tearing a large gaping wound on her shoulder that oozed with fresh blood. She let out a hiss of pain as the stinging of the scratch hit her.

She stumbled, spraying crimson over the nearby vegetation and plants. The wolf was going to kill her! But just as the gray monster looked toward her again, something sprang out of the bushes behind it, letting out a fearless yowl. It was another cat, a female with blue-gray fur. She looked about the age of an apprentice within bright yellow-orange eyes, though Petalwish could see a hint of fear in her determined gaze.

The small she-cat leaped at the wolf with unsheathed claws, but just as she grasped its long gray fur, the predator shook her off, sending her crashing into a nearby tree. The young newcomer collapsed, growing limp. Petalwish's only hope was lost.

Instinctively, she rushed towards the younger blue-gray she-cat. She could tell by the rise and fall of her pelt that she was alive, and although the healer couldn't see any surface wounds, she didn't know whether the she-cat was hurt internally. She grasped the cat's scruff in her jaws, setting her near an overgrown bush, hoping it would hide her for the time being. The wolf was following, desperate to get to both cats.

Petalwish took off, crashing into the undergrowth and taking cover in some nearby vegetation. From where she was, she could just barely get a glimpse of the wolf between the plants that covered her. It was sniffing the air carefully and Petalwish feared it would find the both of them if its sense of smell was strong enough.

And maybe it did have a strong sense of smell, but Petalwish didn't find out. Loud howls erupted from far off in the distance, and from where the odd sound came from, Petalwish assumed it came from somewhere just outside CliffClan territory. The enemy bounded off as soon as the calls hit its ears, racing away as if it was never interested in the two, she-cats at all.

She waited for a few heartbeats before crawling out of the overgrown plants and retrieving the strange unconscious cat. She ran a paw over her pelt, making sure the young cat wasn't hurt. As far as she could tell, nothing was broken, but she was sure this cat would be sore for a few days.

She could take her all the way back to her clan's camp, but she wasn't sure how her clanmates would react and it would be such a hassle. Perhaps instead I can bring her to the Clanless Clowder. The cats of the group were all experienced healers, or at least that's what she was always told. Hopefully, they would care for this strange cat, or at least help her in doing so.

And so, she was off, making slow progress towards the den where the group of cats was located. The weight of the young she-cat was a lot, but fortunately bearable for Petalwish as long as she took small breaks every once in a while.

By the time she made it, the sun was beginning to set, casting colors across the sky with its dying light. She was approached by a brown tabby tom, his white-tipped tail twitching in worry as he spotted the she-cat hanging limply in her jaws.

"Petalwish," he greeted, "What are you doing so far from your clan, and with one of our apprentices for SpiritClan's sake?"

The healer shifted on her paws, embarrassed to find that she didn't really know the members' names. The only one she knew off the top of her head was Mumble's since it was a bit odd, and his coat color was unique, making him stand out among the others.

"I came to restock my herb supply," she explained, "but I ran into a wolf and your apprentice was trying to fight it off."

"Where's Lynx?" Mumble came out of his den and sent himself bounding toward her. "He should have stopped her." He looked at the brown tom with a questioning gaze, but the tom just shrugged.

"I haven't seen him since he took Tiny out to train." The brown tabby informed. "You don't think he's..." the older cat trailed off as he paused to think, "wandering again, do you?" Petalwish wasn't sure what the tabby meant by that, and his yellow-green eyes seemed to hide a deeper meaning to his words as he looked to Mumble.

The pinkish tom cleared his throat, leaving the question unanswered as he turned to Petalwish. "Thank you for saving Tiny and bringing her here. How can we repay you?"

"Oh, there's no need. If anything, she distracted the wolf and allowed me to escape with her." She told them both, assuring them they weren't in her debt. "If you want, I can stay and help you care for her." She offered, but Mumble shook his head.

"Thank you, but I'm sure your clan needs you much more. All of us know to heal, so she's in good paws." Petalwish nodded, but she could spot the hints of worry and doubt in his orange eyes.

SpiritClan won't dare take such an important cat's life, she thought to herself, right? She didn't know. Some young kits and apprentices had died in the past, but surely, they would keep a future Clowder member alive.

"Well, I'll be off then," she dipped her head to the two cats. "May SpiritClan guide your paws as you take care of Tiny."

The two toms thanked her as she left the flower-covered hills. The sky was almost completely dark by the time she made it back to her own clan. She was shocked to find that many of her clanmates had fresh wounds showing on their pelts, but they didn't seem to mind. Their heads were held high as they strutted around camp and their eyes glinted in pride. What had happened while she was gone?

The first cat to approach her was Stoneshade, his amber gaze rounded in worry. "Petalwish, you must come quick!" He told her urgently. "It's Leafpounce! I'm afraid he isn't doing very well..."