Omen of the Sun Book Three: Dusk

Chapter Forty-Seven

Sunpool

Storm helped Sunpool into the camp. As they walked, her paws started to drag, and her eyes began to slip closed. Everything hurt, so much, and it seemed so much easier just to let go...

"Open your eyes!" Storm hissed into her ear. They were at the camp now, and everything was suddenly quieter. Sunpool opened her eyes with difficulty and saw spots around the rims of her vision. "Bone!" Storm called out. "Bone, she's hurt."

Sunpool's vision was going wavy, but she was able to see Bone loping out of his den. Or... was it... two Bones? She blinked hard, and Bone settled into one cat. Storm let her slump to the ground, and she moaned in pain as her stomach twinged.

"Back up," Bone said sharply to Storm. "I need space." He sniffed at her stomach, patted the side of the would gently with his paws. Sunpool bit her tongue hard to stop herself from shouting, which just made her tongue bleed and her mouth more painful. Bone nodded. "It's not as bad as it seems," he said, over her head, to some cat she couldn't see. "It seems deep, but it's not; it's just wide. That's why she's lost so much blood. I don't know if she'll be able to fight, though."

"Of course I'll be able to fight!" Sunpool broke in. It was just a wide cut? That wasn't going to stop her. She had to kill Applestar. "Bone, I'm fine."

She tried to wiggle to her feet, but stopped with a yelp when Bone gently placed his paws on her shoulders.

"No, stay here. I want to bind up the wound." He glanced across the camp. "Do you know what poppy seeds are?"

A cat who Sunpool guessed had to be from FlowerClan called back. "Yes, why?"

"Go get me three," Bone said. "I don't want her to be in pain." He turned back to Sunpool. "I'm going to give you the poppy seeds, then I'm going to make a poultice and bind the wound, and you're going to stay still. Got it?"

"Yes, yes, alright," Sunpool grumbled. 

The FlowerClan cat came back and passed Bone the poppy seeds, who in turn passed them to Sunpool. She lapped them up, wincing at the slight pain in her tongue, but kept quiet as Bone set about creating the poultice. "Goldleaf!" He called. "Come here, I need you to clean the wound."

Goldleaf, who Sunpool had almost forgotten about, came over and smiled down at her. "What've you done now?" He asked, bending his head to start cleaning the wound. 

Sunpool shook her head. 

Bone nodded at Goldleaf. "Alright, we're good, you can go back, now," he said. Goldleaf smiled at Sunpool again, and padded off. Meanwhile, the affects of the poppy seeds were starting to take hold on Sunpool, and the pain in her stomach was starting to lessen. 

"This may hurt a bit," Bone warned her, "but we need to make sure the wound doesn't get infected." He licked up some of the poultice, wincing at what must have been its bitter taste, and started applying it to Sunpool's wound. It stung, but Sunpool didn't make a sound.

A few moments later, Bone said, "Alright. It's in place. Now, don't move, because I need to put cobwebs on it." He turned around and did something Sunpool couldn't see, but when he turned around again, his paws were coated with cobweb. He set to applying them smoothly across her wound, with the expertise of a medicine cat. "How did you get to be so good with herbs?" Sunpool asked curiously.

Bone shook his head. His eyes misted over for a moment. "I'm older than I seem. Stuff... stuff happens."

Sunpool nodded and let him get back to work.

-=-

"So, I can still fight, right?" Sunpool asked.

Bone bit his lip. "Save yourself. I don't want it to reopen, so be careful when you're moving around. It's probably best if you just do the whole messenger thing."

"Okay. Okay," Sunpool mewed, stopping him before he could go into another lecture. "Okay, I need to get back out there, so-"

She stopped as she heard a yowling from outside the camp. It was the chorus of many cats, and the thrumming of pawsteps met her ears next.

"What's that?" Bone asked, narrowing his eyes at the camp entrance.

Sunpool's stomach suddenly turned to ice as she realized what had happened. "They must've gotten passed," she muttered. Her assumption was proved correct when Fernpaw barreled into the camp. "We've been breached!" She gasped.

"Is anyone coming?" Sunpool asked.

"A lot of their cats. But a lot of ours... the cats are coming quickly, though!"

"Line up!" Sunpool shouted. "They're coming for us! Everyone, be ready!"

"Sunpool!" Bone muttered to her. "Your stomach. You need to be careful!"

Sunpool nodded, and said, "Yes, yes, okay, Bone, I will, but we need to fight!"

She shuffled everyone into makeshift lines, originally putting herself at the front, but moving back a line after Bone nudged her. She unsheathed her claws, ready.

When the wave of cats hit, they were ready. Cats leaked between the lines, and it was pandemonium. She couldn't see anything, but just slashed out at unfamiliar pelts and faces. For a little bit, it seemed like they were making real progress, until they had to back up. The opposing cats were pressing in on them, and Sunpool, peppered with claw and bite marks, yowled, "Back up!"

Everyone moved into the center of the camp, leaving cats more room to fight. Her instincts took over, and she clawed and slashed and fought for what seemed to be either an eternity or a mere heartbeat.

Suddenly everything stopped, and there was a yowl from somewhere she couldn't see. "Sunpool!" 

It was Applestar's voice, and a moment afterwards, the cat in question stalked out into the center of the group. The cats that could still stand and move quickly drew apart to let her past, and stood in the center of them.

"Sunpool," she said again. "Come out, please."

Sunpool felt her chin raise, her tail follow, and her claws slide in. Moving almost on instinct, she glided forward. If Applestar wanted to fight her now, then now was the time.

"I'm here, Applestar," Sunpool said calmly. Inside, she knew that Applestar had nine lives and she only had one, but she was ready to kill Applestar, somehow, or die trying. "I'm right here. Right here."

"Great!" Applestar said. Her face stretched into a smile. "Let's end this now, once and for all, shall we?"

Sunpool smiled back. "I think we shall."

hEY EVERYONE HEY HEY HEY

So apparently the next chapter is going to be the last, and then there'll be an epilogue!1!1!

Meaning I'll have more time for writing my other fics. YAY.

-Rainfeather