Warriors: Frecklesky's Heart

[ 29 ]

Late into the following day, Frecklesky was roused from her nap by sudden caterwauls. She scrambled to her paws, bleary with exhaustion as she quickly burst out of the den, blinking in befuddled confusion as a sudden wall of warriors flooded through the camp entrance.

It took only a moment for her to recognize the slim ginger form of Weaselfang leading the charge as ThunderClan streamed into their camp. She blinked as Chiveclaw leaped into battle. Larkstar was absent, likely attending to a patrol like most of the Clan was doing.

Frecklesky jolted at the realization. Most of the Clan is out patrolling.

She glanced quickly around. Egretfur was hidden in the nursery, having recently announced to be bearing kits. The den was hardly being spared a glance. Thank StarClan. ThunderClan isn't entirely made of scum.

At the medicine den, Fallowstep was barricading the entrance with her entire figure, her pelt bristling and her teeth drawn back in the most ferocious snarl Frecklesky had ever seen on her face. Scratches adorned her muzzle, driving Frecklesky into a frenzy of rage.

Slashing her claws across pelts and ears, Frecklesky thrust into the writhing mass of warriors, her eyes glued to her sister as she struggled to keep cats out of her den. Claws grazed fiercely into her thick pelt, reopening healing wounds and raking through her skin. Their claws drew painful beads of blood that the tortoiseshell hardly noticed. Frecklesky's voice raised to a peeved caterwaul as her fury overwhelmed her.

The warriors had broken through Fallowstep's defenses, bleeding into the medicine den and leaving the pale ginger she-cat crumpled on the ground.

Fury flooded through Frecklesky's veins like a wildfire as she thrust past her sister's body and into the medicine den, latching her claws into the white tom's scruff. She flung him to the side, ignoring the fright in his eyes as his head cracked against the wooden walls.

His companion, a dark she-cat turned to face her with terror in her eyes, and she lunged forward, sinking her teeth fiercely into the side of her neck and tearing away as she writhed.

She tackled the she-cat—Ravenmask—to the ground and viciously raked her claws song her belly. The she-cat's shrieks were ear-splitting, but Frecklesky heard nothing of it.

"—le—p!"

"—Fre—le—op!"

"Frecklesky! Stop!"

Claws dug into the large warrior's shoulders and she whipped her head around, ears flat and green eyes burning. The flames of her fury doused under a wave of surprise as her sister swiped her claws across her muzzle. Shock bloomed in her chest—Fallowstep just struck me?

She stumbled a little as Ravenmask scrambled to her paws and sprinted away, hardly keeping on her feet as blood dripped from her belly. Frecklesky glanced down at the blood-covered earth. "Oh." She looked back up at Fallowstep, who looked at her in horrified shock. "Did I do this?"

Fallowstep nodded wordlessly, but before she could add any comment, Weaselfang's cry erupted, "ThunderClan, it's time to go!"

Dozens of paws thundered against the ground as the enemy Clan fled, and Frecklesky burst back into the clearing, her eyes sharp as blades as she watched the cats race out of camp, trampling their dens and the barrier.

"Good riddance!" She shouted, her tail lashing roughly against the ground.

A nose gingerly touched her flank, and she whipped around, teeth bared lividly.

"Calm yourself, for StarClan's sake!" Fallowstep hissed. "Let me see your injuries."

Disgruntledly, Frecklesky allowed her fur to fall flat. Fallowstep, though she was limping, swiftly checked Frecklesky's injuries. The large tortoiseshell winced at every sting of pain.

"Clean your injuries, nothing's serious. I'll get back to you in a few minutes to tend to them." Fallowstep flicked her tail and hobbled off into the center of camp, where the scarce number of warriors were already waiting for her.

Obediently, Frecklesky began to lap the blood out of her thick fur, twisting her neck around. There were a surprising number of wounds she hadn't noticed, staining her tortoiseshell pelt in many places. The injuries at the base of her tail were the hardest to reach. She'd ask Fallowstep to help her when she got the chance to.

Her ears flicked as the medicine den rustled. She jerked her head around, her eyes narrowing to fierce slits as the white ThunderClan tom blindly stumbled out. A snarl ripped from her chest as she whipped around, ready to claw his ears off.

Before she could react, however, the tom collapsed. She blinked in befuddlement, her claws lingering slightly out of their sheathes as he groaned, pawing weakly at the ground as he struggled to find his feet. Then, he stopped, simply resting his head hopelessly on the earth.

Frecklesky stared at him, not quite sure what to do. She glanced back to the clearing. Chiveclaw was severely wounded, being rapidly tended to by Fallowstep, and Larkstar was still gone. Her eyes flashed back to the tom.

I guess I'll just sit here for now, she conceded, her green eyes sharpening to slits. He better not be dead. I'd like to strip some of his hide off once he wakes.