Brook was driving Owlwhisker steadily down the slope, balancing on her hind legs while she aimed slash after slash at his retreating muzzle. Poppypaw clung to Whitetail’s back while Brightheart raked the ears of the WindClan warrior.
Harepaw was already fleeing across the stream, with Hazelpaw yowling after him. “Run back to the nursery, Harekit!”
“Retreat!” Ashfoot ordered.
Tornear looked up from pummeling Thornclaw’s back with churning hind paws. At once Thornclaw slithered from his grasp and scrambled to his paws, aiming a vicious blow at the tabby’s head. Tornear reeled, hissing, then turned back, eyes narrowed with rage. But the other WindClan cats had already fled.
“This isn’t finished!” Tornear leaped the gully and halted beside his Clanmates. They huddled together, scratched and bleeding, flanks heaving, and stared furiously at the ThunderClan cats.
“Stay on the moor from now on!” Dustpelt hissed.
Ashfoot glared at the dark brown tabby warrior. “Firestar gave us these woods! If you have a quarrel about us hunting on them, take it up with him!”
Dustpelt flexed his claws. “I’ll take it up with any WindClan cat—warrior or apprentice—that I catch hunting ThunderClan’s prey!”
Lionpaw fluffed out his fur and hissed at Breezepaw. “No more squirrels for you!”
Breezepaw lashed his tail. “Don’t be so sure!”
Thornclaw leaned toward the border. “Go home!” he snarled.
Dustpelt bristled, blood staining his muzzle. “This isn’t the end.” He turned and, muttering angrily, led his Clanmates limping into the trees. “Is anyone badly hurt?” He swung his head around to look at them.
“My tail hurts,” Brightheart meowed. “But it’ll mend.”
Lionpaw licked his paw and ran it over his scratched ear.
He could feel the nick that split the top. He would carry this battle scar forever, he thought proudly.
“Brook?” Dustpelt narrowed his eyes at the mountain cat.
“That looks like a nasty scratch on your flank.”
“It’s not deep,” Brook reassured him, though fresh blood was still welling at one end.
“I’ll take her back to camp,” Stormfur offered.
Dustpelt nodded. “Thornclaw, Spiderleg, and I will re-mark the border. The rest of you go back with Stormfur.”
“Can I stay and help?” Lionpaw asked.
“You look like you’ve had enough for one day,” Ashfur told him.
Lionpaw dropped his gaze. Did his lack of sleep show that much? Reluctantly, he followed Stormfur and Brook as they headed into the trees.
Hazelpaw caught him up. “Wasn’t that great?”
“I feel like a real warrior now.” Poppypaw fell in beside them.
“Me too!” Lionpaw felt a sudden surge of happiness.
Hawkfrost was wrong if he thought Lionpaw would never make a great warrior!
As the patrol headed down into the hollow, Brambleclaw shot out of the thorn tunnel to meet them. “Did you drive them off?”
“It was easy,” Stormfur meowed.
“No serious injuries?” Brambleclaw asked.
“Just some scratches.” Brightheart flicked her tail and winced.
Brambleclaw touched Lionpaw’s head with his muzzle.
“That ear looks sore.”
“It’s okay,” Lionpaw assured him.
“Lionpaw fought like a warrior,” Stormfur meowed.
Lionpaw lifted his chin as Brambleclaw ran his tail along his spine. “I’m sure he did,” the ThunderClan deputy purred.
“Is he hurt?” Squirrelflight was plucking the ground impatiently as the patrol padded into the clearing. She hurried to Lionpaw’s side at once, and Lionpaw shied away. Don’t make a fuss, he thought.
“He fought like a warrior,” Brambleclaw told her.
Squirrelflight blinked at Lionpaw. “Good.”
“Brook’s got a scratch and Brightheart got her tail bitten,” Lionpaw reported. “But WindClan won’t be coming onto our territory for a while.” He hoped it was true. He was lucky that Heatherpaw hadn’t been in the WindClan patrol, but what about next time?
“Your ear looks pretty bad,” Squirrelflight fretted.
Lionpaw shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
“Better get it seen to anyway.” Squirrelflight nudged him toward the medicine den where Stormfur was guiding Brightheart and Brook through the bramble entrance.
Reluctantly, Lionpaw followed them. He didn’t want Leafpool to heal his battle wound too well in case it didn’t leave a scar that would show how well he had fought.
Fortunately, Leafpool and Jaypaw were already busy with Brook and Brightheart by the time he pushed his way through the brambles.
“I need more cobwebs!” Leafpool called to Jaypaw. Jaypaw spat out the poultice he had been licking into Brightheart’s tail and dashed to the back of the den. He returned with a mouthful of cobweb, which Leafpool pressed against Brook’s wound. A sodden red wad already lay on the cave floor.
“It will stop bleeding, won’t it?” Stormfur watched her anxiously.
“Yes,” Leafpool assured him. She pressed both paws on the wound. “Can you hold it like this?”
Stormfur nodded and placed his paws over Leafpool’s. She drew hers away and turned to inspect Brightheart’s tail.
“Oak leaf. Good choice,” she mewed to Jaypaw. “That’ll stop any infection. It’ll be healed in a few days.” She glanced back at Stormfur, who was staring at his paws as he held the cobweb to Brook’s side. “Any news of Hollypaw?”
“We didn’t get a chance to ask,” Brook admitted.
Leafpool sighed. “I suppose not,” she meowed. “I was just hoping they might have given something away.”
“WindClan hasn’t got her,” Lionpaw announced.
Leafpool pricked her ears. “How do you know?”
Lionpaw stared at the ground. “Well, surely, they would have told us if they had?” He glanced up at Leafpool. “Why else would they have her?”
“Then where is she?” Leafpool’s mew sounded desperate.
Lionpaw touched Jaypaw’s shoulder with his tail. “Can’t you ask StarClan?”
Jaypaw’s fur pricked, almost as if he were annoyed. “No.”
Leafpool snorted and padded to the back of the cave.
Lionpaw frowned. What was going on? “Why haven’t you asked them?” he pressed. “She’s our sister.”
“I haven’t had a chance yet.” Jaypaw lapped up another tongueful of oak leaf and began licking it onto Brightheart’s tail.
Lionpaw stared at his brother, his pelt itching with frustration. “Have you had a chance?” he mewed, turning to Leafpool.
Leafpool, cobweb dangling from her jaw, padded to Brook’s side. She dropped the pale web at Stormfur’s paws.
“It’s not always possible to speak with StarClan,” she explained. “If our warrior ancestors have something they want to share, then they’ll find a way.”
Was that the best they could do? Sit and wait? Lionpaw flexed his claws.
“Let me get something for your ear.” Leafpool padded back to her store of herbs.
“I could try and ask StarClan tonight,” Jaypaw whispered to him. Lionpaw felt even more puzzled. What was going on with these two? Didn’t Jaypaw want Leafpool to hear?
“This should help.” Leafpool brought back a poultice wrapped in a leaf. “Can you manage to rub this on yourself?
Jaypaw and I need to check the rest of the patrol.” She padded out of the den, followed by Jaypaw.
“Do you want some help?” Brightheart was already pawing open the leaf and rubbing her pad in the poultice. “I’m sure Hollypaw will turn up,” she comforted, wiping the ointment onto Lionpaw’s ear.
Lionpaw winced as it stung. “Jaypaw will find out where she is,” he mewed hopefully. Weariness swept over him again.
His night in the tunnels and then the battle had sapped his last pawful of energy. He ducked away from Brightheart’s paw. “I think that’ll be enough.”