Warriors: Quailsong's Path [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 10

⠀⠀As soon as Rabbitstar's voice had echoed around the clearing, she leaped on top of Sagestar. Despite her small size and old age, she was able to pin the sleek black tom to the ground and they began wrestling violently in the grass, snarling and hissing at one another as their claws slashed angrily at each other's pelts.
⠀⠀The WindClan and RiverClan warriors began charging at each other, the RiverClan cats stronger but the WindClan ones swifter.
⠀⠀Yowling filled Quailpaw's ears as she stood there, stupefied by what was going on. All the battle training Troutpelt had given her in her short time as an apprentice came rushing to her mind as the familiar form of Willowcreek came pounding towards her.
⠀⠀Unsheathing her claws, Quailpaw prepared herself to face the WindClan she-cat. Willowcreek was bigger than her, but not by much. WindClan cats were just naturally smaller than RiverClan cats who were sleek and muscular.
⠀⠀But Quailpaw was not fully grown quite yet, so she really had to be careful. Willowcreek barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Seeing that Willowcreek hadn't thought about protecting her underbelly, the Siamese apprentice kicked out with her hind claws, feeling the warm stickiness of blood ooze from the flesh.
⠀⠀Willowcreek yowled and instinctively leapt off her. But she wasn't done. She turned back to Quailpaw, her lips drawn back into a vicious snarl. "Taking on a warrior, huh, foolish apprentice?" Willowcreek taunted.
⠀⠀Quailpaw crouched down, preparing to leap. She tried not to let Willowcreek's words bother her. Instead she rushed forward and slashed her claws across the she-cat's muzzle, causing her to yowl in pain.
⠀⠀Willowcreek shook the blood from her vision and chased after Quailpaw, causing the apprentice to make a run for it. She didn't know every battle move yet, but Willowcreek did. She was at a real disadvantage here, even if she had managed to get the warrior on the nose.
⠀⠀Quailpaw realized running from her opponent was a real act of cowardice. She skidded to a halt, whirling around to face the gray tabby, her claws outstretched and ready.
⠀⠀But before either she-cat could do anything, a flash of ginger cut across Quailpaw's vision. She realized Redpaw had leapt in front of her and was swatting at Willowcreek angrily. He scored his claws across the gray feline's ear, and she yowled before turning tail and fleeing away.
⠀⠀"Are you okay?" Redpaw asked Quailpaw, his voice rising over the sounds of battle.
⠀⠀Sharp pain sliced through Quailpaw's shoulder. She looked down and noticed a cut there, surprise rippling through her. Then she realized that Willowcreek must've gotten her when she first pinned her down.
⠀⠀She looked at Redpaw and nodded fiercely. "I'll be fine," she reassured him. Her shoulder still stung though and she had difficulty walking as she attempted to move back to the fray.
⠀⠀Redpaw rushed up to her side and she looked up, seeing Turtlepaw come hurtling towards them. Hesitation flashed in the black she-cat's green eyes as she approached the two RiverClan apprentices. Quailpaw expected her to stop, but instead she leapt at Quailpaw and slashed her claws down her flank.
⠀⠀Shock and pain washed over her as Turtlepaw dashed off and back into the mass of flailing paws and tails. The heat of the new injury scored through Quailpaw's body.
⠀⠀"Quailpaw!" Redpaw gasped, rushing over to her and nudging her to her paws as her legs gave way underneath her. Blackness was crowding around her vision. She couldn't understand. Why had Turtlepaw done that? Sure, she might've been trying to look loyal to her Clan in that moment, but why had she aimed for such a brutal injury?
⠀⠀But the thoughts running through Quailpaw's head began to weaken as dizziness filled her. She realized she was walking but her vision was blurred and her legs were numb. How much blood was she losing?
⠀⠀Redpaw appeared to be guiding her towards the medicine cat den and she detected anxiety radiating from his pelt.
⠀⠀Am I dying? Quailpaw wondered. She felt herself slump down into what appeared to be moss, before she was taken away into unconsciousness.

⠀⠀When Quailpaw finally awoke, she was quite confused. She lifted her head sharply and noticed that Thistleleaf was standing a few tail-lengths away. That was when everything came rushing back to her. A stab of pain in her side made her turn her head. A coating of cobweb and some type of herb had been applied to the wound, but it still hurt immensely.
⠀⠀"Th-Thistleleaf?" Quailpaw stammered weakly.
⠀⠀The one-eyed medicine cat stopped from sorting through her herb store and turned to Quailpaw, her gaze narrowed in surprise.
⠀⠀"You're awake," she murmured.
⠀⠀Quailpaw nodded. "Did we win?"
⠀⠀Thistleleaf didn't reply immediately. She scraped her paw against the den floor as if she were trying to get something off it. "Well, I think so," the medicine cat replied. "Shortly after Redpaw brought you in here, Rabbitstar ordered WindClan to retreat. But a lot of them said they weren't going because they didn't want to be staying in a destroyed camp. So many WindClan warriors are still here, but Rabbitstar has gone with Darkwhisker, Heatherpelt, Leafpaw, and a few others."
⠀⠀Quailpaw realized this was the first time she had heard much from Thistleleaf. She was usually so quiet and closed off that she thought there was no way she'd ever held a conversation with another cat. But clearly she was wrong.
⠀⠀"Sagestar let them stay?" Quailpaw asked in surprise, suddenly remembering that it was Turtlepaw who'd given her this flank injury. Betrayal tore into her heart like a thorn. I thought we were friends...
⠀⠀Thistleleaf nodded. "He's an understanding leader. I think he realized that many of them didn't want to attack—"
⠀⠀Before the gray she-cat could finish her sentence, another cat barged into the den. It was Turtlepaw. The jet-black apprentice's flanks were heaving and her eyes were full of stress. She glanced over at Quailpaw and some relief managed to pass over her gaze, but the fear overcame it by a lot.
⠀⠀"Oh, you're okay!" the apprentice exclaimed, crossing the den to where Quailpaw was lying down in her temporary nest. "Great StarClan, Quailpaw, I'm so sorry! I didn't want Rabbitstar to think it was a traitor and I acted as fast as I could!" She sat back on her haunches.
⠀⠀"Last time I checked it was polite to ask permission to visit patients," Thistleleaf said rather bitterly.
⠀⠀Turtlepaw jumped and whirled around, as if she had just noticed that the RiverClan medicine cat was there. "Sorry!" she meowed. "I was just worried about Quailpaw..."
⠀⠀Thistleleaf shook her head. "Fine," she murmured. "Keep an eye on her. I need to go fetch some more marigold."
⠀⠀When the medicine cat had gone, Quailpaw looked up at Turtlepaw. She had to admit, she felt very relieved.
⠀⠀"I forgive you, Turtlepaw," she mewed. "This injury is gonna hurt like a whole pack of foxes is nipping at me for a quarter moon, but I'll be okay." Her whiskers quivered in amusement at her own words.
⠀⠀Turtlepaw let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping a bit. "After you were taken here, everything got crazy!"
⠀⠀"Yeah, Thistleleaf told me what happened," Quailpaw sighed. "No offense, but Rabbitstar is a pain in the tail."
⠀⠀Turtlepaw's tail curled in amusement. "She can be," she admitted. "But she really cares about her Clan and...well, she's stressed over Icepaw. She just wants to give him some justice by finding his murderer." Her eyes turned sorrowful as she spoke of her dead brother. "I want to know, too."
⠀⠀Quailpaw stretched her neck forward until she could brush her muzzle against Turtlepaw's shoulder. "You'll find out one day," she promised. "If it was RiverClan, then I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore."
⠀⠀Turtlepaw shook her head. "I really don't think it was RiverClan," she said. "I think it was a rogue. Like that Lucius cat. Although...he did seem pretty innocent to me."
⠀⠀Quailpaw stared at her friend seriously. "What was Icepaw like?" she asked.
⠀⠀Turtlepaw lowered her head a bit. "He was...a mess to tell you the truth. He was very headstrong but he was so courageous and funny. All he wanted was to be a warrior. In fact, when we were kits, he told me he wanted to be leader one day. I can't stop thinking about how he was killed only a quarter moon into his training." Tears welled in her emerald eyes and Quailpaw sat up as much as her injury would allow her to.
⠀⠀"I'm sure Icepaw is watching you from StarClan. I don't think he'd want you to mourn," she murmured. "He probably wants you to be happy. In fact, I bet he wants you to be the best warrior of WindClan, just for him."
⠀⠀Turtlepaw glanced at Quailpaw, her expression lighting up. "Thanks, Quailpaw," she purred.
⠀⠀The Siamese she-cat dipped her head. "Don't mention it."
⠀⠀Thistleleaf returned and said something about Quailpaw needing rest. Turtlepaw was forced to leave and so Quailpaw laid back down. She honestly was starting to feel tired again, and slipped into a warm sleep.