“Did the loss of feeling spread to his chest?” Jayfeather wondered.
“No. I think it was because he never moved from his nest.” Littlecloud spoke slowly, thoughtfully. “It seemed as if he never had a chance to shake the sickness from his chest. As though it filled with disease, like a pool filling with water until there was no air left.”
Jayfeather shivered, picturing Briarpaw curled in her nest. Had she coughed this morning? Was she coughing now, while he was here, away from his patient? His paws suddenly itched for home.
Squirrelflight’s tail-tip brushed the roof of the den. “Then we must keep Briarpaw moving.”
Jayfeather blinked. “Do you think that would work?” he asked Littlecloud.
“If you can manage it, then it’s worth a try,” Littlecloud murmured. “And you could try making her a nest that lets her sleep sitting up. It might help keep her chest filled with air.” There was doubt in the medicine cat’s mew. “But it will be uncomfortable. And keeping her moving will be hard for her and for the rest of the Clan.” He paused. “I wish you luck.”
Jayfeather bristled. “Luck will have nothing to do with it.”
Littlecloud brushed his tail over the ground. “Let me fetch you some herbs to help with her chest and belly. That’s where you must focus your healing. Her legs are beyond your powers.”
The ShadowClan medicine cat padded from the den, and Jayfeather and Squirrelflight waited in awkward silence with Blackstar until the tang of strong herbs touched Jayfeather’s nose. He padded out to meet Littlecloud.
“The coltsfoot will ease her breathing.” The ShadowClan medicine cat pushed a bundle of leaves toward him. “The juniper berries will keep her belly soothed.”
“We have these herbs already,” Jayfeather told him.
“You’ll need all you can get.” Littlecloud sat down. “Come back if you need more. Or if you want to share any more ideas. We can all learn from this.”
Jayfeather picked up the bundle. As Squirrelflight squeezed out of Blackstar’s den, he headed for the camp entrance.
“May StarClan watch over you and Briarpaw,” Littlecloud called.
They may watch, Jayfeather thought. But I won’t let them take her yet.
As Jayfeather followed Squirrelflight back to the hollow, he kept trying to work out ways to keep Briarpaw healthy and moving.
Squirrelflight paused outside the hollow. “I’m proud of you,” she meowed. “If any cat can help Briarpaw, it’s you.”
Jayfeather turned to her, searching for words. He wanted to believe it. That she was proud. That he could help Briarpaw. “Thanks,” he mumbled through his mouthful of herbs, and ducked into camp.
Cloudtail and Brackenfur were still hauling branches against the tattered barrier, slower now as weariness dragged at their paws.
Firestar stood in the empty patch of clearing, talking with Brambleclaw and Dustpelt. “How much of the tree do you think you’ll be able to clear?” the ThunderClan leader asked his senior warriors.
Jayfeather sensed the weight of worry in Dustpelt’s chest. “We may need to wait for wind and weather to destroy the larger branches and trunks.”
“We could make use of them to construct new dens,” Brambleclaw suggested. “And looking at how much of the debris we’ve cleared already, I think we can rebuild most of our camp in less than a moon.”
“But we can’t neglect hunting and border patrols,” Dustpelt warned.
Firestar’s attention swung toward Jayfeather. “What did Littlecloud say?” he called across the clearing.
Jayfeather padded to the leader’s side and dropped his bundle of herbs. “He had some good advice,” he reported. “I want to share it with Graystripe and Millie first.”
“I sent Graystripe on patrol,” Brambleclaw confessed. “I wanted to keep him busy.”
Jayfeather picked up his herbs and left the warriors. He could hear Brightheart and Millie in the medicine den. Anxiety was sparking from them, and he sensed Briarpaw’s agitation growing as the two she-cats fussed over her.
“Just eat a little!” Millie begged. Jayfeather could smell the shrew dangling from her claws.
“I’m not hungry!” Briarpaw complained.
Jayfeather pushed through the trailing brambles and put down the herbs. “Leave her alone,” he ordered.
Millie rounded on him. “She’s my kit!”
“I’m her medicine cat!”
Briarpaw churned her nest with her forepaws. “I just want to help my Clanmates rebuild the camp!” she wailed.
Brightheart crossed the den and whispered in Jayfeather’s ear, “We told her about Longtail. She’s still distressed, but I didn’t want to give her poppy seed, after what you said.”
Jayfeather nodded. “Good. She’s going to have to learn to deal with distress.” He felt Brightheart stiffen at the darkness in his mew. “We have to face the truth,” he explained. “Briarpaw has a difficult path ahead, but I will do everything I can to save her.”
“Save her?” Millie nudged between them, her pelt prickling. “What did Littlecloud tell you?”
Jayfeather wasn’t ready to share what he’d learned. “Wait.” He needed to check Littlecloud’s theory first. There was still a chance Briarpaw’s legs were only bruised. That her backbone wasn’t damaged. He padded to her nest.
“What are you going to do?” Anxiety tightened Millie’s mew as Jayfeather leaned into Briarpaw’s nest.
“I need to be sure.” He ran his paws down Briarpaw’s back. He felt her twist to see what he was doing.
“Sure of what?” Millie fretted.
When Jayfeather didn’t answer, Brightheart padded closer and nudged Millie gently away. “He knows what he’s doing,” she whispered.
The backbone felt smooth: nothing out of place. Hope sparked in Jayfeather’s chest. He sniffed her legs. Definitely swollen. Perhaps when the swelling went down…? He lifted a leg in his teeth as he had done yesterday. It dropped, still lifeless. More comfrey might quicken the healing.
One last test.
Leaning farther into the nest, he nipped Briarpaw’s backbone in his teeth, just below her shoulders.
“Ow!” Briarpaw stiffened in alarm.
“I’m testing something,” Jayfeather reassured her. “It’ll prick, but I won’t damage you.” He put his muzzle close to hers until their whiskers brushed. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“I need you to be brave while I do this.”
“Okay.”
Millie tried to move nearer the nest.
Brightheart blocked her. “Give him room to work.”
Jayfeather nipped Briarpaw’s backbone again, a little farther down.
“Ow.”
He nipped again, working his way gradually toward her tail.
With each nip she stiffened, but stifled her mew.
He nipped her lower.
“Aren’t you going to do it again?” she asked.
The question turned Jayfeather’s blood cold. He reached into the nest with one paw and poked a claw into the same spot. “Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” Briarpaw twisted around to see.
“No, don’t look,” said Jayfeather. He dug his claw in harder. “Now?”
Briarpaw started to shake. “I can’t feel anything.” Panic edged her mew.
“What are you doing?” Millie barged past as Jayfeather stuck his claws in hard. “You’re making her bleed!”
“Is he?” Briarpaw struggled to see.
Jayfeather hardly heard them. “You couldn’t feel my claws, could you?” he murmured numbly.
“No,” Briarpaw whispered.
“Your backbone is broken,” Jayfeather told her. “There’s no pain because there’s no feeling past the break.” He pressed his paw gently against her flank. “I’m sorry.”