Moonflower was on her own.
Bluepaw gasped as her mother wrenched herself from Hawkheart and landed a searing blow on his muzzle. But the medicine cat didn’t even stumble. Instead he lunged again and, grabbing Moonflower by the throat, sent her skidding across the blood-slicked clearing.
“Noooooooo!” Bluepaw wailed. She sprang forward, about to plunge down the slope, but Swiftbreeze’s teeth sunk into her tail and dragged her back.
“Don’t go down there!” Swiftbreeze warned through clenched jaws.
“But Moonflower’s hurt!” Bluepaw stared at her mother, not moving, on the wet ground, rain washing her pelt.
“She’s just dazed,” Swiftbreeze meowed. “She’ll get up in a moment.”
“She doesn’t have a moment!”
Below them, Hawkheart was padding toward Moonflower with his lips curled in a snarl.
“We must help her!” Bluepaw was breathless with panic as she tried to struggle out of Swiftbreeze’s grip.
Suddenly Pinestar’s call rose above the screeching of battle.
“ThunderClan! Retreat!”
Thank StarClan!
Relief flooded Bluepaw as Hawkheart stopped in his tracks and the other warriors stopped fighting and sat back on their haunches, staring at the ThunderClan leader. Silence fell like night over the camp, except for the pounding of the rain and wind whistling across the moor.
Heatherstar shook the rain from her whiskers and padded slowly toward Pinestar. The ThunderClan leader’s ear was torn, and blood streaked his fox-colored pelt. He met Heatherstar’s blue glare with a hollow gaze and seemed to flinch as she spoke.
“This attack was unjust,” she spat. “StarClan would never have let you win.”
Pinestar didn’t reply.
“Take your wounded and leave.” Heatherstar’s growl was edged with sneering contempt.
Pinestar blinked, then dipped his head.
The ThunderClan warriors began to head for the camp entrance, tails down, heads bowed. Robinwing was limping badly and Sunfall, bleeding from his cheek, pressed against her to help her walk. Smallear struggled to his paws, flanks heaving, and weaved uncertainly across the clearing until Sparrowpelt hurried to guide him. Stonepelt licked at a gash in his shoulder before limping toward the entrance. Adderfang’s eyes gleamed with rage and he ignored the hisses of the WindClan warriors as he stalked past them. Dappletail leaned against Stormtail’s broad shoulders, with trickles of blood washing down around her eyes.
Bluepaw stared at her mother, waiting for her to get to her paws.
“I have to help Moonflower.” She ripped herself away from Swiftbreeze. Terror was rising in her chest. She wasn’t going to let Hawkheart touch her again! She tore down the slope, pushing past dazed WindClan cats. She tried not to wince as her paws splashed through the blood-soaked puddles.
“Bluepaw! Wait!” Swiftbreeze was chasing after, her mew pleading as Bluepaw skidded to a halt beside her mother.
Moonflower’s eyes were half-open.
Thank StarClan!
“Moonflower! Moonflower!” Bluepaw nudged her mother with her nose, waiting for her limp body to push back. But Moonflower only flopped backward.
Bluepaw stared desperately into her mother’s eyes. “It’s me, Bluepaw!” She hoped to see them flash with recognition, but they were dull, filled with the clouds that scudded across the sky.
“Bluepaw.” Pinestar’s soft mew sounded over her shoulder. She spun around and looked up at him.
“Why won’t she get up?” Bluepaw wailed.
Pinestar shook his head. “She’s dead, Bluepaw.”
“She can’t be!” Bluepaw twisted back to her mother, pressing her paws to her flanks and shaking her. “She can’t be dead. We were fighting warriors, not rogues or loners. Warriors don’t kill without reason!”
Hawkheart growled and Bluepaw looked up to see the WindClan medicine cat crouching a tail-length away.
“She tried to destroy our medicine supply,” he snarled. “That was reason enough.”
“But StarClan told us to do it!” Bluepaw stared at Pinestar in desperation. “We had no choice.” She searched Pinestar’s gaze. “They told us to, didn’t they? Goosefeather said so.”
Hawkheart snorted and got to his paws. “You risked so much on the word of Goosefeather?” With a flick of his tail, he turned and stalked away.
“What does he mean?” Bluepaw whispered. Had all this been for nothing? Moonflower couldn’t be dead. The young apprentice began nudging her again with her muzzle. “Wake up!” she begged. “It was all a mistake. You don’t have to be dead.”
She felt Swiftbreeze’s gentle paw pull her back as Pinestar padded forward and grasped Moonflower by the scruff. In silence, the ThunderClan leader dragged his dead Clanmate across the muddy clearing. Bluepaw broke away from Swiftbreeze and ran along beside, pressing her muzzle into her mother’s sodden fur. She still smelled like Moonflower, of softness and the nursery. Come back! You were going to take us into the wood to get moss for our nests! You promised!
“Moonflower?” Snowpaw’s frightened mew sounded from the top of the slope as they emerged from the brambles. The white apprentice half ran, half slid down the slope and began to lap at Moonflower’s pelt.
“Is she badly hurt?” she asked between licks. “Featherwhisker’s tending to Smallear. Should I call him?”
Bluepaw stared blankly at her sister. “She’s dead,” she whispered.
“No!” Snowpaw’s wail ended in a whimper as her paws crumpled beneath her. As Pinestar trudged up the slope, still carrying Moonflower, Bluepaw dropped to her belly and buried her nose in her sister’s white fur.
“She promised she wouldn’t leave us,” Snowpaw wailed.
“It’s okay,” Bluepaw lied, summoning up every shred of strength she could find. “I’ll take care of you now.”
Snowpaw flashed her an angry glance. “I don’t need taking care of. I need Moonflower!” She leaped to her paws and dived up the slope after Pinestar.
Bluepaw watched her go. I’ll take care of you anyway, she vowed.
She glimpsed Stormtail’s pelt disappearing over the top of the slope. Did he realize Moonflower was dead? She waited for her heart to twist with more pain, but she felt nothing. Determination surged through her. She would take care of Snowpaw, and she would take care of her Clan. She would never lose another cat that she cared for, not like this. She got to her paws and followed her Clanmates up the slope, her heart thumping dully in her chest.
The rain eased as they crossed the moor to the border with Fourtrees. As the shattered Clan passed beneath the four giant oaks, the wind dropped and their branches fell still. Was the silence sent by StarClan? Was it disapproval, a condemnation of the attack? Are they mourning Moonflower? Bluepaw stared up through the heavy branches, their bark soaked black. Suddenly she felt loneliness like a thorn in her heart. She hunched her shoulders and padded after her Clanmates toward home.
Leopardpaw was limping, but the cobwebs had staunched her bleeding. Dappletail still leaned on Stormtail, and his gaze never left her. Adderfang and Swiftbreeze were helping Pinestar take the weight of Moonflower’s body. Featherwhisker walked beside Smallear, keeping an eye on the unsteady warrior. Snowpaw trailed after, her tail dragging along the ground, caked with mud.
Bluepaw wondered whether to catch up to her, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that might make either of them feel better. Stonepelt halted and looked back; his eyes met hers, brimming with sympathy. He said nothing but waited for her to catch up, then fell in beside her, padding close enough to share his warmth, but not touching. The gash in his shoulder was still streaming blood. It must be deep.