Warriors AU: Sandstar's Quest

Chapter 28

Sharppaw crouched at the edge of the training area, her tail lashing from side to side and her eyes gleaming. Her dark ginger tabby fur bristled as she sprang forward, her claws lashing at her mentor's shoulders. Cherrytail dodged to one side, trying to hook the young she-cat's paws from under her; she barreled into him, and both cats wrestled together in the sand.

"Well done!" Sandstar meowed. "Sharppaw, you've learned that move really well."

Both cats sat up, panting and shaking sand out of their pelts. Sharppaw cast a triumphant glance at her mentor. "I'll beat you one day," she told him.

"I hope you will," Cherrytail replied calmly. "My job will be done then."

"I think that's enough battle training for today," Sandstar rose to his paws. "Cherrytail, when Tinypaw gets back from hunting patrol, I thought you and Poppystorm could give the two apprentices an assessment."

"What's that?" Sharppaw asked curiously.

"Your mentor gives you a task," Sandstar explained. "Usually to go and hunt in a particular place. Then they follow you and see how you get on, but you won't see them. In Thunderclan every apprentice—"

He broke off at the sound of pawsteps dashing along the gorge, and a cat yowling his name. Spinning around, he caught sight of Tinypaw, his white fur bristling and his blue eyes wide with fear.

"We've been attacked!" He gasped. "Clovertail's hurt."

"Show me," Sandstar snapped.

Tinypaw turned and raced back down the gorge. Sandstar followed, with Cherrytail and Sharppaw hard on his paws.

When he rounded the curve and passed the Rockpile, Sandstar saw Shortwhisker and Fireheart dragging Clovertail down the lowest part of the trail to lay him in the shade of the cliff. His head hung limply and his tail dragged in the sand; blood dripped from a wound in his shoulder. Sandstar's belly lurched.

When he padded up to Clovertail's side he saw that his chest was heaving with rapid, shallow breaths. His eyes were open, filled with pain and fear.

"What happened?" Sandstar asked, turning to Fireheart.

Fireheart rested her tail reassuringly on Clovertail's uninjured shoulder. "Don't worry," she mewed. "We'll fix you up as good as new." Giving her attention to Sandstar, she went on, "We were attacked by rats outside the abandoned Twoleg barn."

"More rats than you've ever seen in your life!" Shortwhisker gasped. Her fur was still fluffed out with shock.

Icy claws pricked Sandstar's spine. "I knew there was something wrong with that place," he meowed.

"We fought them off," Fireheart continued, "but two of them jumped on Clovertail."

"You're wounded yourself," Sandstar pointed out, noticing a patch of fur matted with blood on her side.

Fireheart twitched her ears. "That's nothing. I'll see to it when I've done what I can for Clovertail."

By this time, more of the cats had appeared: Poppystorm came down from the warriors' den, while Rain and Petalnose, who had been playing with their kits a little way downriver, padded up and gazed anxiously at the wounded warrior.

"Will he die?" Rain's voice quavered.

"Not if I can help it," Fireheart replied. "Sharppaw, go to the Whispering Cave and get me some moss. Tinypaw, you go into some of the unused caves and bring me as many cobwebs as you can find."

Tinypaw's whiskers quivered with surprise. "Cobwebs?"

"To stop the bleeding." Fireheart flicked her tail at him. "Hurry!"