Turtleheart's Path

Chapter 7

Turtlepaw pushed outside of the den, her tail bushed. She didnt know many battle moves but she would protect her camp. She heard screeches outside the camp but then saw as Windclan warriors poured down the sides and joined the long line of warriors inside camp. Riverclan cats poured into camp, their eyes wide in surprise but they burned with the fire of battle. Briarpaw was trembling when Lionpaw pressed himself onto her side. Turtlepaw looked around, she found herself searching for Brackenpaw. She saw two apprentice's rushing to the elder's den. Turtlepaw saw Lionpaw meet one with a blow to the nose. Her heart skipped a beat, Brackenpaw! Turtlepaw froze. She saw the tom look at her before disappearing under Lionpaw's pelt. She felt another pelt crash into her. Turtlepaw fell under brown fur, at first she thought it was Brackenpaw before realizing it was a she-cat. "Branchpaw wait!" Brackenpaw scrambled from under Lionpaw's claws. Briarpaw slammed him down with a blow to the head. Branchpaw raked claws along Turtlepaw's pelt before she moved. Turtlepaw exploded upwards with a yowl of anger. She reared upwards and delivered several blows with unsheathed claws to Branchpaw's head. "Riverclan retreat!" Suntail's yowl rose above the crowd. Turtlepaw saw Branchpaw run off while Brackenpaw paused, his jaw open as he looked at a cat laying in the clearing. "Carpstar no!" Suntail shrieked. Turtlepaw bounded to his side. "Go home, Lionpaw is going to help you if you dont." She whispered. Brackenpaw took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you, Turtlepaw. Goodbye." The brown tom followed the Riverclan warriors out of camp, looking over his shoulder for a brief moment before leaving for good.
She turned to see Lionpaw staggering with a long gash on his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she heard Briarpaw shriek for Sparrowfeather who came running over with herbs. "Turtlepaw, get poppy seeds. We need two and a half. Remember how to cut one?" He looked over. Turtlepaw darted across the clearing and into the medicine den. She shook three poppy seeds from a flower and paused, trying to get her paws to stop shaking. She took a few breaths before slicing the seed perfectly. She grabbed a damp leaf and wrapped it around the seeds and darted back to Sparrowfeather and her brother. Sparrowfeather made the tom eat the seeds. "Do you remember the herbs I used for Ivykit when she was in the medicine den?" He turned again. Turtlepaw shook her head. "One was dock leaves, find them! Dark green with round edges. Should be on the top rock in the den." Turtlepaw nodded and darted off again, she found the leaves quickly and grabbed them. She also grabbed cobwebs and bounded back. By now the clearing was quiet, cats were cleaning their wounds. Bramblestar and Hawkgrowl were laying near Lionpaw, their eyes wide with concern. She dropped the herbs and backed up. "Unravel the cobwebs from the stick and put them on the wound as I dress it with poultice." Sparrowfeather said, "You can do that, right?" He must have remembered she wasnt his apprentice. "Yes." She replied. She'd seen him do it plenty of times with Ivykit. "I'll flay the cat who did this!" Hawkgrowl snarled. Bramblestar nodded, ears pinned. Turtlepaw gave the cobwebs to Sparrowfeather, her head spinning. Brackenpaw had done this.