Hidden Mysteries (A Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter 27

Maplepaw stuffed cobwebs into Foxdust's shoulder. The tom grunted in pain, digging his claws into the dirt. The wound was bad, stretching from his shoulder to his neck. It was deep, too. If it had been any deeper into his neck he would've been killed.

But what made it worse was that the wound was from Crowfur.

Foxdust had said so.

Maplepaw felt sick. How had the medicine cat had enough strength to nearly kill her brother? The deputy? Maplepaw hadn't seen her mentor fight in the battle, but maybe it was better that way. She wouldn't have been able to watch the cat she had loved and looked up to attack her Clanmates.

Giving Foxdust some poppy seeds, she picked up her cobwebs and moved on to Dapplestream. The battle had shaken EarthClan. They were confused, probably mostly because of Crowfur. Maplepaw didn't feel as bewildered. She had already seen her mentor's true colors.

What confused her was what happened between Coldstar and the kits. Now she was sure Thunderkit and Breezekit were the two from the prophecy. They had killed Coldstar—the mighty AshClan leader. How did that even happen?

Whatever they did broke the ground and created a lot of wind.

And there wasn't a scratch on them.

The toms were the first cats Maplepaw had checked when they got back to camp. After she managed to get them away from Fernpool's fretting and scolding, that was. But they returned to camp the same shape they left it. Not even Coldstar had landed a blow on them.

That was another thing the Clan was puzzled about. What was up with Fernpool's kits? they were all wondering. Breezekit and Thunderkit didn't seem to know what was so strange about what they did. They were still kits. Innocent kits. Oblivious to the whispers and uneasy looks of their Clanmates. Some cat has to tell them how powerful they are, Maplepaw thought. And, naturally, she felt it had to be her.

Finally, she finished treating her Clanmates' wounds. Exhaustion flooded over her. She watched the rest of the cats leave the medicine den before cleaning up her leftover herbs. She was the only medicine cat EarthClan had left now. Crowfur was never coming back.

The thought sent a jab of pain and grief to her heart. Why did I have to lose Crowfur, too...?

Heaving a sigh, she pushed the thought away. She had to accept her mentor for who she was now. Her enemy.

Maplepaw dragged her paws over the ground as she left the den. She found Squirrelpaw seated near the fresh-kill pile and she plopped beside her friend. The dark brown she-cat was staring forward at nothing, her eyes deep but distant. After a moment of silence, she murmured, "You knew, didn't you? About Crowfur?"

Maplepaw shuffled her paws, hesitating to reply.

"That's what you weren't telling us," Squirrelpaw realized. "It wasn't a fox who attacked you. It was Crowfur. I guess we were just so hooked on the fox problems we automatically assumed the same thing happened to you."

Maplepaw nodded in confirmation. Squirrelpaw always figured everything out. She knew the medicine cat apprentice too well.

Squirrelpaw heaved a sigh. "Wow," she breathed. "Out of all our Clanmates... I never expected Crowfur."

"S-she... She led t-the fox t-to... to m-my father," Maplepaw rasped out, feeling tears swell in her eyes.

Squirrelpaw's eyes rounded in alarm. "Dustclaw?" she whispered. There was pain in her voice, and Maplepaw remembered how close the other kits had been to her father. "Oh, Maplepaw, I'm so sorry..." Moving closer to her friend, Squirrelpaw rested her tail over the medicine cat apprentice's shoulders. Maplepaw pressed against her, leaning her head on her shoulder. She desperately held back tears. This wasn't the time to fall apart. They were in the middle of war. Crowfur would be back in three sunrises, and Maplepaw had to stay strong if she was going to help her Clanmates.