by Erin Hunter
“Good.” Fern Leaf leaped to her paws.
“You can’t fight again!” Moth Flight blocked her way. “You must rest or it’ll start bleeding again.”
Fern Leaf met her gaze. “If one of my Clanmates dies while I’m resting, I will never forgive myself.”
Moth Flight stared at her wordlessly.
Fern Leaf snatched her gaze away and fell in beside Dust Muzzle. The two cats reared together, sending well-aimed blows at Birch’s nose until the SkyClan tom backed deep into the ferns.
Moth Flight scanned the battle for more injuries. Nettle staggered beside Red Claw, who was wrestling with Gorse Fur. Swift Minnow struggled beneath Sparrow Fur, her whiskers dripping with blood.
“Let her go!” Moth Flight shrieked at Sparrow Fur as the tortoiseshell pressed Swift Minnow’s muzzle into the earth. “She’s hurt!”
Claws hooked Moth Flight’s scruff and jerked her backward. Gasping, she struggled. A deep-throated snarl sounded in her ear. Red Claw. “If you don’t want to fight, get out of the battle.”
“Get off!” She thrashed helplessly. “I need to help!”
Red Claw let go and she turned on him.
“You have to stop them from fighting!” she wailed. “This won’t solve anything!”
“Really?” Sneering, Red Claw pushed past her and grabbed Holly. Dragging her from Quick Water’s back he hurled the black she-cat to the ground. Then he reared and slammed his paws into her chest.
Rage surged through Moth Flight. This is rabbit-brained!
Suddenly Wind Runner’s tabby pelt flashed at the edge of her vision. The WindClan leader was racing toward Clear Sky.
“Stop!” Moth Flight chased after her, skidding to a halt as Wind Runner leaped at the SkyClan leader. Clear Sky turned as quick as a fox. Lashing out with a forepaw, he slashed Wind Runner’s neck. Blood sprayed the clearing. Wind Runner staggered, her eyes rounding with shock.
Moth Flight raced toward her, her heart in her throat.
Wind Runner batted her away, her gaze fixed on Clear Sky. Blood welled at her throat and dripped from her fur. “You went too far this time.” Her mew was husky with pain. “You took my kit hostage.”
“And you let my kit die.” Clear Sky glared back at her.
“Moth Flight came, didn’t she?” she snarled at the SkyClan leader.
“Not soon enough!” Clear Sky flew at her, his blue eyes cold with fury. He threw another blow at her, cracking her cheek with such force that she staggered and fell. Leaping on top of her, he pinned her to the ground and raked her belly with powerful hind claws.
Horror surged beneath Moth Flight’s pelt. She unsheathed her claws, rage burning in them. Her thoughts whirled. She was meant to heal—but she couldn’t watch Clear Sky hurt her mother.
Wind Runner twisted, knocking Clear Sky’s hind paws clear. She leaped up and raked his muzzle with a powerful blow.
Blood glistened on his nose as he raised his gaze to meet hers. “How dare you attack my camp? My kits are here!” He glanced toward the yew where frightened eyes peered out behind Star Flower. “Are you determined to kill them all?”
Rage lit up Wind Runner’s eyes. “You started this!” Snaking beneath his belly, she pushed hard against his chest and heaved him onto his side. He hit the ground with a thump and she lunged for his throat.
Her jaws snapped thin air as he rolled out of the way just in time. Leaping onto his paws, Clear Sky reared. Wind Runner lifted her forepaws to meet his, but he was quicker and threw a blow at her cheek. She lurched backward, unbalanced. Her hind paw slid over a root. It snagged her and she fell, her leg twisting beneath her.
Moth Flight heard a crack and froze with horror. She’d eaten enough prey to recognize the snap of breaking bone. Her mother’s leg bone had broken.
“Wind Runner!” She raced to her mother’s side. Wind Runner groaned, her eyes rolling with agony.
At the sound of her groan, Dust Muzzle and Gorse Fur glanced over from the far side of the clearing. They were driving Nettle backward toward a birch trunk. As their attention slipped, the SkyClan tom lashed out. He lunged low and clamped his jaws around Gorse Fur’s paw. Dust Muzzle’s gaze darted away from Wind Runner and he sliced his claws across Nettle’s ears.
Moth Flight jerked her muzzle fearfully toward Clear Sky. Was he going to attack again?
He stood as still as stone, and watched the WindClan leader coldly. Then his blue gaze flitted across the writhing pelts and rested on Willow Tail.
Wind Runner gasped, trying to move, and fell back. Moth Flight dragged her gaze from Clear Sky and looked into her mother’s eyes. Was that fear she glimpsed? Fresh blood was still welling at Wind Runner’s neck, and her hind leg stuck out at an ugly angle. Moth Flight’s chest tightened. She’d never seen her mother afraid before. “You’re going to be okay.” Forcing herself to think, she remembered the cobwebs on her paw. Quickly, she unwrapped a long strip and wadded it into the deep scratch at her mother’s throat. Then she ran a paw along Wind Runner’s leg. The WindClan leader flinched.
“I’ll be gentle,” Moth Flight promised. She could feel the break. Her breath quickened as she felt a jagged edge pressing inside the flesh. The bone was bent like a broken twig. Alarm shrilled through her. Could a bone heal like gashed flesh? She remembered Cloud Spots showing her comfrey, all those moons ago: I’ve heard it even helps broken limbs to heal, though I’ve not yet had to try it, thank StarClan. She closed her eyes and prayed he was right.
A screech sounded behind her.
Moth Flight spun, her breath stopping in her throat as she saw Clear Sky back away from Willow Tail, his eyes bright with shock.
Willow Tail staggered, a wail rolling deep from her belly. As she swung her head around, Moth Flight gagged.
Long gashes streaked the she-cat’s face. Blood streamed from her slashed eyes and dripped from her whiskers. Willow Tail moaned as her paws buckled beneath her. She collapsed onto the ground and stared blankly ahead.
Moth Flight’s paws trembled. He’s blinded her. She gaped at Clear Sky. Around him, the battling cats slowed, letting their paws drop as they turned to look at Willow Tail.
Clear Sky moved away, his pelt rippling along his spine. He lifted his muzzle toward Red Claw at the edge of the clearing. “She’s yours now,” he growled softly. “Do what you like with her.”
Willow Tail dragged herself feebly across the earth while the Clan cats backed away from her, their shocked gazes darting away. Red Claw unhooked his claws from Swift Minnow’s pelt and padded slowly toward the blinded cat.
Her nose twitched. Whimpering, she tried to crawl away, her head jerking one way, then the other, as though she was chasing glimpses of light.
Red Claw stopped beside her. “Why did you have to lie?”
Willow Tail froze. “Don’t you know?” Her mew cracked desperately.
“But why did you have to drag the Clans into it?” Red Claw’s eyes brimmed with grief. “It was never their argument.”
“It was the only way I could punish you!” Willow Tail’s pelt rippled along her spine. “You killed my friend!”
Red Claw bristled. “I didn’t kill her! The dogs killed her!”
“And who led the dogs into our camp?” Willow Tail rasped.
“Do you think I did it on purpose?”
“Of course you did! You lured them there.”
“They were chasing me.” Red Claw crouched close beside Willow Tail. He was shaking, his mew cracking as he spoke. “I was young and dumb. I ran into a pack of dogs and, when they started chasing me, I ran back to the one place I’d always felt safe. I thought if I got there, nothing could hurt me. It wasn’t until the dogs attacked that I realized what I’d done!”
“You ran away!” Willow Tail accused. “You left us to die.”
“There was nothing else I could do.” Red Claw’s shoulders drooped. “I am so ashamed. I’ve been trying to pretend it never happened.”
“But it did happen!”
> Red Claw hung his head. “I’m sorry, Willow Tail.” His mew was thick. “If there was anything I could have done to change it, I would have.”
Wind Runner lifted her head and gazed at him. “Was Willow Tail lying about the stolen prey?”
“Yes.” Willow Tail rested her chin on the ground, her eyes red with blood. “I killed rabbits and dragged them across the border, then told you that I’d seen SkyClan hunting on the moor.”
Clear Sky’s gaze flicked sharply toward the WindClan leader. “You believed a rogue over me!”
Wind Runner growled from where she lay, pain tightening her words. “She’s my Clanmate.”
Clear Sky didn’t move. “And you are always loyal to your Clan,” he sneered.
Wind Runner didn’t flinch. “Aren’t you?”
Clear Sky looked away.
Moth Flight felt a surge of pride. Despite Wind Runner’s terrible pain, she’d silenced Clear Sky. Of course he’d be loyal to his Clanmate. If Willow Tail had been a SkyClan cat instead of a WindClan cat, he’d have stood by her. Moth Flight looked back at Willow Tail, her heart twisting with pity. The pale tabby’s flanks were quivering. Her ears were flat. A low moan crackled in her throat.
She’s in shock! Moth Flight scanned the edges of the hollow, hoping to see thyme sprouting between the roots and brambles, but there was none. She scrambled toward Willow Tail and swept her tail along the tabby’s spine. “It’s okay,” she murmured. “We’ll get you back to camp and take care of you.”
Willow Tail began to shiver, her matted fur spiking. She turned her gashed eyes toward Moth Flight. “Will I see again?”
“I don’t know,” Moth Flight whispered. Helplessness gripped her. She glanced around the watching cats. All she could see were wounds: scratched muzzles, torn pelts, ripped ears. Blood and fur specked the clearing. Fury rose in her chest. “You fought for nothing.” She glared at Clear Sky. “Why didn’t you let me go home? I could have spoken to Wind Runner. I could have told her what you’d said about Willow Tail and Red Claw. You could have settled this with words.”
Clear Sky narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t ask Wind Runner to attack my camp.”
Moth Flight hesitated. If only Wind Runner had sent a patrol to search for her, not to start a war. “You need to make peace.” She got to her paws and stood between her mother and Clear Sky. Looking from one to the other she growled. “This must end here.”
Clear Sky’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. Then he dipped his head. “It was a dumb fight,” he conceded.
Wind Runner took a shuddering breath. “It was never our battle,” she rasped.
Paw steps thrummed the forest floor beyond the camp barrier. The brambles shivered as Acorn Fur hurtled in. She skidded to a halt, her eyes widening as she saw the battle-scarred cats. Pebble Heart raced behind her, Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt on his tail.
They stared.
Dappled Pelt’s gaze shot toward Willow Tail. Pebble Heart hurried over to Wind Runner. He sniffed her pelt, peering at the gash in her neck before running a paw along her flank.
“Her leg is broken,” Moth Flight told him anxiously. She looked toward Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt. “We have to help the injured.” She blinked at Acorn Fur. “I’m going to need herbs from your herb store.”
“Let’s go.” Dappled Pelt was already climbing the steep bank.
Acorn Fur ran after her.
Cloud Spots whisked his tail. “I’ll gather fresh dock and marigold.” He ducked out of camp.
Gorse Fur hurried across the clearing, his anxious gaze fixed on Wind Runner. “Is she okay?”
“She’s broken her leg,” Moth Flight told him.
“Broken it?” Gorse Fur’s gaze darkened. “Will it heal?”
Pebble Heart answered for her. “Yes. If we wrap it with comfrey.” He leaped over Wind Runner and began tugging tough shoots that spouted from the base of the oak. “But first we need to make a support for it.”
Gorse Fur hurried to help.
“The bone’s twisted out of line.” Moth Flight felt sick as she remembered the jagged shape beneath her mother’s flesh.
“We can straighten it.” Pebble Heart snapped a stiff shoot from the trunk. He showed it to Gorse Fur. “We need more like these,” he ordered.
Gorse Fur nodded and hopped over the roots, his eyes scanning the bark.
Moth Flight glanced at Willow Tail. “What can we do to help her?” she mewed desperately.
Pebble Heart’s gaze darkened as he saw the she-cat. She looked like fresh prey, crumpled on the ground, blood soaking into the earth around her. “I think it’s too late,” he whispered.
Red Claw dropped beside Willow Tail, his eyes wide with horror.
Pebble Heart padded to the tabby’s side. He pressed his ear to her flank. Lifting his head slowly, he shook it, his gaze grim. “She’s dead.”
Swift Minnow limped closer, her eyes glistening with grief. Jagged Peak glared at Clear Sky.
Wind Runner caught the lame tom’s eye. “What’s done is done,” she croaked. “All we can do now is bury her.”
Dappled Pelt appeared at the top of the slope, a wad of leaves in her jaws. Acorn Fur leaped past her, carrying cobwebs. The brambles rattled as Cloud Spots returned with marigold, dock, and thyme. The ThunderClan medicine cat glanced quickly around the hollow. As he narrowed his eyes, Moth Flight realized he was assessing the injuries.
“Fern Leaf’s got a nasty gash in her flank,” she told him.
Cloud Spots headed toward the black she-cat. Acorn Fur weaved between Blossom and Swift Minnow, checking for wounds. Dappled Pelt padded to where Nettle swayed beside the birch tree. Within moments, the three medicine cats were treating the injured—crouching to chew poultices, wrapping bloody paws in cobweb, lapping sap into scratches.
Fur brushed Moth Flight’s flank. Gorse Fur was standing beside her, a bundle of oak shoots between his jaws. He dropped them and crouched beside Wind Runner. “Moth Flight will have you well in no time,” he promised softly.
Pebble Heart jumped down the slope and laid a wad of lush leaves at Moth Flight’s paws. “I found comfrey.” He glanced at Wind Runner. “You’re going to need something to bite on.” He picked the thickest shoot from the pile Gorse Fur had dropped and slid it between her jaws.
Unable to speak, she blinked at him questioningly.
“We have to straighten the bone before we can wrap it.” He reached toward a clump of straggly grass and tugged out a few tough strands, then he nodded to Moth Flight. “Put your paws at the top of her leg and, when I give the signal, press down.”
Moth Flight obeyed, resting her pads on Wind Runner’s fur. Heat pulsed from her injured leg.
Pebble Heart gripped Wind Runner’s hind paw between his jaws. Flicking his gaze toward Moth Flight, he gave a tiny nod. Then he tugged.
As Moth Flight pressed down, she felt the bone move and heard the stick crunch between her mother’s jaws. An agonized groan sounded deep in Wind Runner’s throat.
Stiffening, Moth Flight jerked around and lapped her mother’s cheek fiercely. “It’s over now,” she soothed, suddenly feeling more like a mother than a kit.
Gorse Fur was staring at her, his eyes round with horror. “You hurt her!”
“We had to.” Pebble Heart let go of Wind Runner’s leg and ran his paw over the break. He blinked at Moth Flight. “What do you think?”
Moth Flight was trembling. She reached out a paw and ran it nervously over her mother’s fur. The jagged lump had gone. “You’ve straightened it!” Relief rushed over her. She purred at Gorse Fur. “Hopefully, it can mend properly now.”
“We have to wrap it so it can heal.” Pebble Flight hooked up two of the shoots and laid them either side of Wind Runner’s leg. He laid several more above and below. Then he wrapped comfrey thickly around them. Moth Flight realized what he was doing and grabbed one of the tough stems of grass. Threading it under her mother’s leg, she wound it around the comfrey and the shoots, like
bundling soaked nettles. Before long, Wind Runner’s leg was tightly encased in comfrey, held straight by the shoots.
Moth Flight blinked at Wind Runner. “How does it feel?”
Wind Runner stared back at her, pain showing in her eyes. “Not bad,” she lied.
“I’ve got poppy seeds in my den,” Moth Flight told her. “They’ll help with the pain.” She suddenly remembered her kits. Who was looking after them? Were they okay? They’d be frightened—wondering where she was. Her heart lurched. She’d been so caught up with the battle and the wounded, she hadn’t even thought about them.
Guilt washed over her.
“Moth Flight?” Pebble Heart was staring at her, frowning. Had he seen her gaze darken? “What’s the matter?”
“My kits!” she whispered urgently. “I don’t know who’s looking after them.”
Pebble Heart blinked sympathetically. “We can manage here.” He nodded toward Dappled Pelt, Cloud Spots, and Acorn Fur, who were still tending to injured cats. “Go home to your kits. I won’t leave Wind Runner’s side until she’s safely back in camp.”
Moth Flight stared at him, her emotions whirling. Could she really abandon her mother and her Clanmates?
“Go!” Pebble Heart urged. “While your thoughts are with your kits, you’ll be of little use here.”
She backed away, a chill sweeping her. Was that true?
She shook out her fur. Who cares? Right now, Honey Pelt, Spider Paw, Bubbling Stream, and Blue Whisker might be wailing for her.
Turning away, she hared out of the SkyClan camp and headed for the moor.
CHAPTER 32
Moth Flight stirred in her sleep, dreaming. She blinked open her eyes into a vision of the moorside. A flame-pelted tom stood below a starless sky. Moth Flight recognized him at once. She’d dreamed of his meeting with StarClan while she’d been with ShadowClan. A brown-and-white tabby she-cat lay on the wind-rippled grass beside him, so still that Moth Flight wondered if she was dead. A third cat twitched her ears, scanning the mists that swirled around them.