(New!) - Wings of Power - Warrior Cats

Chapter 3:

WaspPaw was struggling to make sense of what was happening. Then he realized that KiwiPaw was starting to shake. "KiwiPaw!" he yowled, diving to catch the falling apprentice. He looked her up and down, she was breathing fast, too fast. He had to get help! Fortunately, GooseWings had already spotted her and was leaping to join WaspPaw.

"Leave her with me," he mewed, I can cure her, she has just fainted from shock, she'll be fine. Go help FleetingRabbit!" WaspPaw suddenly turned around, FleetingRabbit was squaring off against PollenPaw. The apprentice's bright yellow eyes gleamed, locking on to him. The crowd was silent. No one wanted to do anything in case of making the situation worse. He guessed that the leader was on a patrol because she wasn't there.

"You, you probably like me the least of all my clanmates, and for that you will pay!" PollenPaw's mew of anger rang across the clearing. The warriors and apprentices were swapping looks. "I knew you all hated me, but your time is later." She suddenly started advancing on FleetingRabbit. The tom looked like he was torn. He couldn't attack his own apprentice, PollenPaw was only a young cat, but at the same time, that 'only a young cat' looked ready to take on a whole clan of foxes.

Suddenly PollenPaw lunged at him, FleetingRabbit tried to block her attack... Too late. His clanmates watch in shocked silence at how vicious the 'paw's attack was. No cat had time to react. No cat had time to help. No cat could do anything. Only listen as FleetingRabbit's head collided with the stone bolder. Everyone was silent, watching FleetingRabbit's eyes grow still and far away. This was it! WaspPaw lunged at the apprentice and colliding with her as she watched with glee at the sight of her former-mentors body.

As he rolled her onto the grass, he felt something sharp spike his belly. He let her go and yelped in pain at the puncture mark. "Someone loved you WaspPaw! I wanted that!" Her eyes suddenly looked frail as she spoke.

"You had KiwiPaw," he mewed, watching her sadly.

"But you can't anymore!" everyone wiped around as OmenStar appeared. She took in the scene, KiwiPaw was laying limp on the dusty ground, FleetingRabbit's blood was pouring over the meeting rock and a scent of death hung over him, WaspPaw's belly was dripping where a hole had been made, and PollenPaw was at the centre of it. OmenStar's eyes were cold as she stared at the apprentice. "Why did you do this?" her voice dripped with menace.

"I think you know, just as well as I do," she mewed the words slowly, never letting her eye leave the clan leader.

"You are banished from the Clans Pollen," her gaze swept over the crowd, waiting to see if there were any objections, but none came. "Go," her every word dripped with venom and clouds began to cover the sky, turning the sunny clearing into a pool of darkness. The wind roared as it started to pick up. Was Starclan doing this?

It had taken days for the clan to recover from the attack even slightly. Everyone was jumpy as if they expected Vulture to leap out of a shadow and kill them all. At least the was one good thing: KiwiPaw had woken up. She had been distraught, but WaspPaw was determined to help her – he brought her the freshest and most juicy prey on the pile, he had stayed with her, demanding they were on the same patrols for the first quarter moon, he also didn't want anything to happen to her. With Vulture lurking in the woods, he didn't like the idea of any of his clanmates alone outside the camp. OmenStar had though this too: doubling the number of warriors in a patrol, making sure no one left camp without a warrior, the medicine cat GooseWings always had two guards when going to the moonpool. Although things had changed a lot, everyone was still determined to be the best warriors they could. He jumped suddenly as he heard a cat entering the apprentice den, then realized that it was only KiwiPaw.

"Are you okay?" KiwiPaw asked, seeing him jump.

"Yes, yes, all good," he gave her a weak smile and she settled down with her rabbit next to him.

"You don't always have to be the bravest warrior in all the clans," she held his gaze, her eye sparking in amusement. "Now," she mewed smoothy, "would you like to share this rabbit with me or not?" she nudged it forward.

"Yes please," he mewed happily, hunger tugged at his belly, he hadn't eaten today. As he took a bite, he suddenly noticed KiwiPaw looking at him. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh, um, yes!" she looked away her pelt hot. "I heard that in ShadowClan, they eat frogs!" she mewed, trying to change the subject.

"Really?! Eek, gross, how do they do it!" WaspPaw mewed enthusiastically, smiling warmly as he pushed the rabbit back to KiwiPaw. "I think I'll stick to my rabbits, thanks!"

She gave a chuckle. "I would rather fall in the gorge than eat a frog!" she was pleased they had the peace of the afternoon to talk in the den privately. "What do you think about fish?"

"Eww, first of all, I don't like the taste, and second of all, I don't like how they catch them!" He watched her beautiful face as the pale moonlight dappled her tan fur.

"I agree," she mewed royally. "We should make it a new law in the warrior code," she joked, "no eating fish or frogs!" her eyes glittered.

"That would be-" he was cut off as a yowl of pain sounded at the entrance of the camp. "What was that?" he asked, but KiwiPaw was already dashing out of the apprentice den. They lengthened their strides as they saw what was happening: a EbonySwirl was limping into camp, yowling in pain. Seeing her mother in distress, KiwiPaw pushed harder. They halted to a stop, joining the crowd that were now trying to help EbonySwirl.

"Help!" her pained hiss echoed around the camp. A metal set of teeth were clamped around her back leg and blood was pooling everywhere. GooseWings was inspecting her.

"This was made by a twoleg," he mewed stiffly. "They are for catching foxes..." he trailed off.

"But you can fix it, can't you?" KiwiPaw's distressed mew echoed WaspPaw's thoughts. The medicine cat was looking troubled. EbonySwirl gave another yowl of pain before collapsing in the dust.

"Bring her into my den," the medicine cat mewed, then raced there himself. MockingValley, MushroomSpot, KiwiPaw, and WaspPaw, started to carry the fallen warrior to the medicine cat den. Once inside, they laid her carefully into a nest of bracken and ferns, settling back to watch GooseWings do his work with anxious eyes. The medicine cat was grabbing all sorts of herbs. He applied marigold onto the wound, then applied some cobwebs, plastering the wound shut as best her could, but the metal jagged teeth still were imbedded in the warrior's hind-leg.

KiwiPaw looked distraughtly at her mother as she lay in the nest, her white and yellow fur was darkened with blood and her dazzling green eyes were closed, but she was alive. He huddled close to KiwiPaw and wrapped his long black tail around her, hoping to give the she-cat some comfort. "I have never seen one of these before," she mewed solemnly.

"That's because the twolegs don't put them here, or at least they haven't before," the medicine cat murmured.

"Then why was it here?" KiwiPaw asked. "Is it StarClan's doing?" Her tail twitched and she reached a paw up to the scratch left on her cheek. It was from when her sister had clawed her face. "Are they angry at PollenPaw?" she added in a shaky voice." KiwiPaw had insisted GooseWings didn't try to heal the scar that her sister had made in her beautiful face, she had said she wanted it as a reminder of her sister.

The rest of the night was silent, KiwiPaw and WaspPaw sat next to EbonySwirl as they waited. MockingValley had left them in peace and MushroomSpot couldn't bare the sight of his mate in such pain. WaspPaw knew that there were only two things he and PollenPaw were now waiting for: EbonySwirl waking up, or... but he knew he had to be here with KiwiPaw to help her if needed.