Warriors: Sharptalon's Mist

Chapter 29

The scent of heather was sharp on the strong breeze, overwhelming Sharptalon. The sun's heat was bearing down on them now since there were no trees to shade the land. 

Sharptalon trudged alongside Echostrike, who was still trembling. Reedwhisker was helping Needlepaw. They were crossing the moor, heading towards WindClan's camp. They didn't have time to wait for a patrol.

Echostrike's fur was stained with blood from her wound, and she seemed to be dizzy, stumbling everytime she walked. 

"I think I see a patrol," Reedwhisker meowed. On the hill, the black figures of four cats was running towards their patrol.

"They're coming our way," Sharptalon murmured. He was tired. As the WindClan patrol got closer, Sharptalon could make them out.

 The dark ginger-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and white splotches was Flashfire, a young warrior. Beside him was Sunstrike, a tortoiseshell she-cat with a white mark on her forward. On Flashfire's other side was the large golden tom, Eaglefeather, along with his apprentice, Cloudpaw, a light brown tabby tom. 

"Now I know I ain't tripping," Flashfire sighed. "RiverClan and ThunderClan together? What's giving on?" He glanced at Sharptalon. 

"We need help," Reedwhisker meowed, flicking his tail to Echostrike and then Needlepaw. 

Flashfire glanced at Echostrike, seeing that her head was bleeding. "Great StarClan! What happened to her?" He asked.

"There's no time to explain, let us go to your camp to see Kestrelflight and Rabbittail. Echostrike and Needlepaw need help," Reedwhisker meowed.

Flashfire exchanged a sad look with Eaglefeather and the rest of his patrol. 

"Kestrelflight passed away two days ago," Flashfire murmured. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "But Rabbittail can treat your Clanmates."

"I'm sorry," Sharptalon murmured. "We lost a warrior and an elder too last moon," he meowed, remembering how Ambertuft's throat was torn. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Flashfire meowed, sympathy showing in his eyes. "We'll take you."

"Thyme cures shock," Rabbittail explained. "It will help you." 

Echostrike glanced down. 

Rabbittail moved two purple-blue berries toward Needlepaw. "Here's some juniper berries to help with your breathing, Needlepaw."

Needlepaw licked up the two berries and chewed them up. She slouched over in her nest, curling up.

Rabbittail grabbed a yellow flower from his herb store and began to chew the petals. He spat them out on his paw and glanced and Echostrike. "Did you eat the thyme yet?"

Echostrike was trembling. "I don't know if I should."

"It's good. It will help you calm down," Rabbittail explained, his whiskers twitching.

"You could be lying, whatever your name is. I don't trust cats I don't know," Echostrike growled.

Sharptalon padded closer to his Clanmate, glancing at her. "Please, Echostrike, eat the thyme. It'll calm you down," he meowed.

Echostrike looked and at him, then back at Rabbittail. "I guess I'll eat it," she mewed. She scooped the small, sticky leaves to her mouth and began to chew on them.

Rabbittail then began to spread the marigold poultice on Echostrike's head wound.

Echostrike flinched back.

"Calm down, Echostrike, he's trying to help you," Sharptalon soothed.

"Help me with what?" Echostrike asked.

"With your pain," Sharptalon answered. "Let him put that on your wound. It might sting, but he's not trying to hurt you."

"What's his name?" Echostrike asked, her eyes flashing.

"His name is Rabbittail. He's a medicine cat, which means he heals cats," Sharptalon explained. It felt like he was training an apprentice.

"Rabbittail?" She echoed. 

Rabbittail nodded and spread the marigold juices onto Echostrike's head wound. After that, he turned around, grabbing a pawful of cobwebs. He placed them onto the wound.

Sharptalon blinked at Rabbittail. I have to ask his something. "Rabbittail, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked. 

Rabbittail blinked at him. "Yeah, sure. What do you need?" He asked. 

Sharptalon blinked at him, flicking his tail. "Let's talk outside," he whispered.

Sharptalon padded from the den, which was two boulders together, along with heather weaved with bracken around it. Rabbittail padded at his side.

The sky was darkening as the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains. The clouds were orange and the moon was beginning to rise in the opposite direction of the sun. 

Sharptalon stopped, sitting down. 

Rabbittail sat down beside them. "What?" He asked.

"You haven't received any visions or messages from StarClan about something... sharp... have you?" Sharptalon asked.

Rabbittail's eyes flashed with surprise. "Uh, no," he murmured.

"No?" Sharptalon narrowed his eyes with suspicion. Rabbittail looked as if he knew something Sharptalon didn't. "You saw something, didn't you?"

Rabbittail avoided his gaze. "Ok, I do. But I don't know I if should share it." He wrapped his tail around his paws.

"You can tell me. I just want to know. Flamedawn received a prophecy about this," Sharptalon added, his whiskers twitching. 

Rabbittail got to his paws suddenly, bristling. "You're a murderer!" He hissed. "StarClan sent me a vision of you killing Kestrelflight!" He growled.

Sharptalon's fur spiked. He wanted to sink his claws into the grass, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What do you mean?" 

"You know. You were going to kill my mentor. That's because some cat wanted you to," Rabbittail hissed. "And you would've if I hadn't of killed him myself."