Warrior Cats: Into the Unknown.(1/3)

Chapter 24

Cloverpaw's heart pounded in her chest as she stared in horror at her sister as she writhed in pain on the ground. Coalpaw was standing besides her, staring down at her as if he knew what was going on. Firepaw was backing away, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath. Sootpaw was breathing heavily as Smokepaw leaned into him, his eyes wide with fear. Badgerpaw was gazing with interest more than fear at Fernpaw. Timberpaw whipped around to face her. "Go get Jayfeather!" He yowled at her. Cloverpaw stumbled back in confusion. "Go!" Timberpaw screeched, nudging her harshly. Shaking her head, she whipped around and scrambled frantically up the hollow. She bolted through the forest, paws pounding on the ground. She quickly leapt over the tree she and her siblings had struggled to scramble over on their first territory expedition. She crashed through the bracken and launched herself through a thorn thicket, ignoring the branches that slapped at her face, ripping open wounds. She let out a hiss of frustration when her paw got tangled in ivy. She tugged her paw away, but it was still stuck. Thinking quickly, she ducked her head and nipped it in two. She pelted down the steep slope towards the camp. She tried to halt in front of the entrance, but slithered and fell onto her side with a grunt. Scrambling back to her paws as quickly as she could, she sprinted to the entrance. She emerged, panting with her own blood dripping from her face. The cats in the clearing sprang to their paws and bolted over to her. "What happened?" Willowfern yowled. Cloverpaw was panting too hard to speak. Bramblestar shouldered his way through the throng. "What's going on?" He asked, his deep voice rumbling. "It's-It's Fernpaw." She took in a gasp before continuing. "Something happened." She breathed, her shoulders jutting into the air as she ducked her head in exhaustion. "They're in the training hollow." Poppyfrost mewed, her eyes wide. "Jayfeather!" Bramblestar yowled, but the blind, grey tabby tom was already there, his jaws full of leaves. "Icefeather, come." Bramblestar mewed before pelting out of the entrance. Ivypool, Stormcloud and Redpaw bolted after him, and Cloverpaw let out a sigh before following them. They raced up the steep slope, paws pounding on the earth. Her mother's fear scent seemed to suffocate her as they hared through the undergrowth. They crashed through a thorn thicket. They passed Nightpaw, Goldenpaw, Snowbush, Whitewing, Birchfall and Honeyleaf, who all whipped around in surprise, but thankfully, none of them followed. Cloverpaw felt her belly flip over when she heard a screech from Fernpaw. "Hurry!" Bramblestar yowled, skidding to swerve a large oak. Ivypool shot past her leader, her eyes wide and her fur bushed out so she looked twice her size. The half slithered, half scrambled down the hollow. Heavy fear scent crashed into her nose. Badgerpaw was crouched behind Sootpaw while Timberpaw was pacing anxiously, muttering something under his breath. Juniperpaw was trying to calm Smokepaw down, but he had crouched and was covering his ears and letting out wails of fear. Coalpaw was still standing beside Fernpaw, his eyes wide. Oakpaw was staring at his sister, blood still welling out of his cheek. Jayfeather leaped towards Fernpaw, but before he laid a paw on her flank he dragged it back as if he had just stepped on a thorn. His eyes widened, and they went blank. "Jayfeather, there isn't time for this!" Stormcloud yowled while he blocked Ivypool from getting to her kit. "My kit!" She yowled as she tried to break through. Fernpaw jerked once, before going still. The clearing was ominously still. "Is she dead?" Firepaw croaked, padding slowly to Coalpaw. Jayfeather shook his head. "No, but something's wrong." He murmured as he touched her flank with his fur. He turned to Bramblestar. "I have to go to the Moonpool tonight." He mewed, his tail flicking. "You have to take Fernpaw with you, then." Bramblestar mewed. Jayfeather shook his head. "She isn't strong enough." He looked from Fernpaw and back to Bramblestar. "Something terrible is happening, Bramblestar. And I'm afraid Fernpaw is in the middle of it."

Cloverpaw placed each paw carefully in front of the other, eyes on a fat mouse that was nibbling on a seed just a fox-length away. Then, she sprang off the ground. Her front paws crushed the mouse to the ground, breaking its spine. "Good catch!" Sorrelstripe called from where she was standing on a fallen tree trunk. Cloverpaw felt warmed by her mentor's praise. It was the day after the incident at the hollow. Cloverpaw bent her head and grabbed the mouse by its tail. She had missed a blackbird and a shrew already. Cloverpaw scrambled up the trunk and dropped the mouse at Sorrelstripe's paws. She sat down, licked a paw and drew it over her ear. She looked down at her white paws. "Do you think she'll be okay?" She mumbled. Her heart ached for her sister, and anxiety had made her clumsy when hunting. Sorrelstripe touched her shoulder with the tip of her tail. "Dear Cloverpaw. Fernpaw is young and strong. Whatever she's fighting, I know she'll win it." Sorrelstripe mewed. Cloverpaw flicked an ear. This was the first time she had heard Sorrelstripe being serious. "But I'm just so scared! What if something bad happens to her? She attacked our brother! What kind of sickness makes her do that?" Her mew turned into a wail. "This isn't just any sickness." She snapped her head around and saw Jayfeather padding out of the undergrowth. He reared up and planted his front paws on the bark of the tree trunk. "What Fernpaw is fighting is something Starclan only knows about. And with our ancestors' help, I hope Fernpaw will win it, just like Sorrelstripe said." Cloverpaw didn't feel reassured. She sighed and hung her head. "Cloverpaw, I'm doing everything I can for you sister. But this she must fight herself." The medicine cat mewed before nodding to Sorrelstripe and dropping back to his paws. He thrust his nose into the air and opened his mouth. "I smell rain on the wind." He murmured before giving his chest a couple of licks. "A storm is coming." He mewed before flicking his tail in farwell and trotting away. He stopped in front of a holly bush and picked up a few horsetail stems he had been gathering before disappearing into the undergrowth. Sorrelstripe shuddered and fluffed out her pelt. "If a storm is coming we'd better be getting back to camp." She mewed before rising to her paws. She crouched on the edge before leaping off. She turned up to Cloverpaw. "Are you coming?" She asked and the slender apprentice nodded before springing off it.