The clearing was almost silent. It was sunhigh, and the patrols would be coming back soon. She could hear loud footsteps. Suddenly the strong scent of blood wafted through the entrance. Poppyflame, Waspflight, Nutwhisker, Dapplefeather, and Lightpaw were rushing in, Sparrowwing, Fishclaw, and Loudstep behind them.
"Mistpaw! We were attacked by the rogues," Nutwhisker panted, her pale fur stiff with drying blood.
Loudstep pulled in Hollowshadow's limp body. Mistpaw froze for a moment, before sighing in relief at his moving flank. Lightpaw's body was covered in blood, some dried, and some new from a gash on her face.
"I'll go get Icepool," she meowed hurriedly and rushed off. "Icepool!" she shouted into the medicine den.
She almost didn't see her mentor, but a caught a glimpse of her silver fur in the back of the den sorting herbs.
"Mistpaw? What is it?" Icepool came over, abandoning her herbs.
"Two patrols were attacked by the rogues," she explained.
She gave Icepool a moment to collect the needed herbs, and led her out to the wounded patrols.
"I'll take care of the worst wounded here first, then move to the least injured," Icepool informed the cats.
Mistpaw grabbed a mouthful of marigold, chewing that into a poultice to put on Nutwhisker's cuts. She grabbed a cobweb to secure it in place. She felt Nutwhisker wince under the sting of the herbs.
"If it stings, we know it's working," she reassured the she-cat.
Nutwhisker nodded, and as Mistpaw finished up with her, Waspflight called over.
"My paw is crooked, I think I sprained it," he flinched as Mistpaw touched her nose to it.
"It doesn't look broken or dislocated, so yes you're probably right. Just a sprain," she mewed, hoping she was right. She would have to ask Icepool about it later.
Lightpaw came up next to him, her eyes filled with pain. She nodded to her sister, before going off to get herbs for Waspflight.
"Have some poppy seeds, and I'm going to chew some comfrey into a poultice for you," she started to chew the comfrey into a poultice.
"You're lucky it isn't fractured or broken," she smiled at him.
Waspflight hesitated, "It still hurts," he meowed at last.
Lightpaw licked his ear, "I'll wash the blood off your tail when we're done."
It was the first time her sister talked since arriving back in camp.
She finished up Waspflight's scratches, and moved onto Fishclaw. Icepool had already finished with Poppyflame, Dapplefeather, and Loudstep.
"Have some poppy seeds, I'll get some marigold and cobwebs to put on your sratches," Mistpaw paused, before continuing, "You should be getting plenty of rest after this."
Fishclaw nodded. By now half the cats who were done were limping back to the warriors's den. Only Lightpaw and Waspflight stayed. Lightpaw was the only untreated cat.
"Lightpaw, I am asking as your sister, are you okay?" Mistpaw looked into her sister's eyes. The dark blue shone fear, as if she was still watching what happened.
"I'm fine," Lightpaw meowed curtly.
Mistpaw knew she was lying, she could see the pain in her eyes. She started to chew the marigold into a poultice, and get a cobweb bundle to keep the marigold on. She put some dock into the mixture to sooth Lightpaw's wounds. She could feel her sister go weak with relief.
"There, go rest now, I'll tell Dappledfeather to rest as well, no training for you until you're better," Mistpaw looked at Icepool, who nodded in agreement."Mistpaw, could you sort these herbs, it's only chervil and catmint," Icepool meowed. "I'm going to check on Hallowshadow's wounds, I think they might be infected."
She started sorting herbs, putting them into piles then putting them into the hole they belonged in.
"Do you need anything? Chervil? Horsetail?" Mistpaw looked over her shoulder at her mentor. She was sniffing at Hallowshadow's wounds.
"Yes, please. And get me some cobwebs too," Icepool meowed.
Mistpaw grabbed the herbs out of the bundles, and set them in front of Icepool.
"Do you think I can start training again?" Mistpaw looked behind her to see Lightpaw, Dappledfeather standing next to her.
"Mistpaw, could you look at their wounds for me?" Icepool meowed, her nose sniffing at Hallowshadow's cuts.
Mistpaw nodded. She went over to the two cats, and started unwrapping Lightpaw's wounds.
"They look like they're about halfway healed, I think you should take another quarter moon or so to rest, and then you can go back to battle training. As for hunting, that's okay," Mistpaw replied.
"What about me?" Dappledfeather asked.
Mistpaw narrowed her eyes, taking off the cobweb-herb wrap on his cuts. "You look good, just hunting though."
He stared at Lightpaw, "Let's go hunting for now then, we can hunt in the training hollow."
Mistpaw remembered how weird her sister acted when she came back from fighting the rogue cats. She was giving curt nods, and not talking as much. She walked outside the medicine den, Lightpaw and Dappledfeather walking out of camp. The sun was sliding up the sky, and the hot green-leaf sun was burning onto her back. As she stepped out, a border patrol was returning, anxious looks on their faces.
Minnowpelt, Birchfoot, Raincloud, and Woodclaw were running in. Cedarstar sat underneath the High Branch, his ears pricking when Minnowpelt ran up to him. She edged her way for a closer look, and to hear what Minnowpelt was saying.
"The streams and the part of river in our territory are dried up!" Raincloud exclaimed before Minnowpelt could say a word.
"What?" Cedarstar hopped onto his paws.
Minnowpelt scraped the ground with her paw. "There's only a couple trickles left in the stream, barely enough for a cat to get a decent drink."
Cedarstar's face wrinkled with worry, "I want you to go back out and see if there's any stream with water, one you might have missed. I want you to take someone else with you, perhaps Hawkstripe, I know I didn't see her walk out yet."
Minnowpelt nodded, walking off to the warriors' den. She could hear the black she-cat call for Hawkstripe, and a moment later Hawkstripe walked out behind Minnowpelt. Minnowpelt, Birchfoot, Raincloud, Woodclaw and Hawkstripe walked out.
Mistpaw ran back to the medicine den, she would have to tell Icepool.
"Icepool!" she meowed loudly.
"What is it, Mistpaw?" Icepool's gaze met hers.
"I just heard Minnowpelt tell Cedarstar that the streams are dried up." Mistpaw replied.
Icepool came into the light, the sun making her silver pelt turn to a shiny white. "Oh no! What will this mean for the Clan? Starclan never said anything!" Icepool rambled on until someone came up behind them.
Cedarstar's scent flowed into her nose. "Starclan said nothing?"
Both she and Icepool shook their heads. "They only warned us of something worse to happen, but I don't believe this is what it is. The Clans have gone through droughts before, and this is like the others," Icepool explained. "But as for the sick and injured, they all need plenty of water."
"And we still have to look out for the rogues," Mistpaw muttered.
She could hear ruffling at the back of the den, and looked behind her to see Hallowshadow's head poking out of his nest. Icepool immediately went over, her head bent over, sniffing his wounds.
"Not infected, you're lucky, you were unconscious when the patrol brought you back," Icepool sighed in relief.
"Please, go talk to Starclan," Cedarstar demanded in a pleading tone.
"We will." Icepool concluded.
YOU ARE READING
Storm: The Storm That Poured
Fanfic"You must prepare yourselves for the storm, not even Starclan can save us. . ." -Cottonleaf. "This is only the beginning." StarClan can sense the danger, but will the Clans sense it?