Snake!
He bunched his muscles to spring, but Honeyfern was quicker. Leaping down from the rock, she bundled Briarkit out of the way. The snake arched its neck; before Honeyfern could move it struck down and buried its hooked fangs in her shoulder.
Honeyfern sprang backward with a screech of pain. “Help!”
CHAPTER 17
Hollyleaf pushed her way through the thorn tunnel with a vole and two mice dangling from her jaws. Her hunting patrol had done well, but her nose and paws were numb with cold as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile. The leaf-bare sun didn’t penetrate the shadows under the trees, and the ground there was still frozen.
She was dropping her prey on the pile when she heard a shriek from the base of the cliff, on the far side of the medicine cats’ den. Whirling around, she saw Lionblaze bolt into the middle of the clearing, his pelt bristling as if a whole Clan of enemies were on his tail.
“Help! Come quick!” he screeched. “Honeyfern’s been bitten by a snake!”
Icy terror coursed through Hollyleaf’s blood as she rushed across the clearing. They’d never had a snake in the hollow before! When she reached the cliff, she saw Briarkit cowering at the base of the rocks; the little kit was trembling, her eyes wide with shock. Millie bounded up and drew her away with her tail wrapped protectively around the kit.
Berrynose crouched beside Honeyfern, who was lying on her side with her paws splayed out; her breath came fast and shallow, and her eyes were full of terror. A thin line of blood on her shoulder showed where the snake had struck.
Sorreltail and Brackenfur raced across from the warriors’ den with the same look of horror in their eyes when they saw their wounded daughter. Cinderheart, Honeyfern’s littermate, was hard on their paws.
As they skidded to a halt, Sorreltail pressed her muzzle into Brackenfur’s shoulder. “No…oh, no…” she whispered. “I can’t lose another kit! Not after Molekit! Please, StarClan…”
“Where’s Poppyfrost?” Hollyleaf muttered to Lionblaze as her brother came running back. Sorreltail needed all her kits right now.
“Out on patrol,” Lionblaze replied. “She—”
He broke off as Leafpool pushed her way through the knot of cats. “Stand back and give me some room,” she ordered.
Berrynose glared at her. “I’m not leaving,” he snarled.
Ignoring him, Leafpool crouched beside Honeyfern and rested one paw on her shoulder. “Try not to move,” she meowed.
Hollyleaf waited expectantly for Leafpool to start helping Honeyfern. Surely she would know what to do? But she hadn’t brought any herbs with her, and she wasn’t doing anything more than sitting beside the trembling tabby warrior.
Leafpool looked up, her gaze sweeping over the crowd of cats and coming to rest on Cinderheart. There was a pleading look in her eyes, so desperate and hopeful that it made Hollyleaf wince. I don’t understand, she thought. What does she want from Cinderheart?
“Help me!” Honeyfern had begun to twitch and writhe in pain. “My blood is on fire! Help me, please! It hurts so much!”
Berrynose stared at Leafpool. “Do something!” he begged. His gaze swept over the cluster of cats. “One of you, do something!”
Leafpool didn’t seem to hear him; she just dragged her gaze away from Cinderheart and looked down at Honeyfern as she struggled for breath.
Sorreltail slid out her claws, her disbelieving gaze fixed on the medicine cat. “Why aren’t you doing anything?”
Leafpool bowed her head. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “There’s nothing I can do. The poison has taken hold of her.”
Sorreltail raised her head and let out a yowl of anguish, while Brackenfur wrapped his tail around her shoulders and drew her close.
Honeyfern’s legs folded into her belly, and her back arched in agony. When the spasm passed she lay limply, her chest hardly moving to show that she was still breathing. Her legs continued to twitch; her eyes had begun to glaze over.
In silence, Hollyleaf and the rest of the cats shuffled backward to give Berrynose space to help Honeyfern on her journey to StarClan. The cream-colored tom crouched over her, stroking her fur with one paw. “We would have had wonderful kits together,” he murmured. “Just as strong and beautiful as you. And one day I’ll see you in StarClan.”
Honeyfern’s jaw moved and a rasping sound came from her throat, as if she was trying to reply.
“You saved Briarkit’s life,” Berrynose went on, bending his head to lick the dying she-cat’s head. “Every cat in StarClan will honor you.”
A long sigh came from Honeyfern. Hollyleaf watched helplessly as her friend’s limbs grew still and the rise and fall of her chest faded away. Finally, her blue eyes stared sightlessly into the sky.
Pain as sharp as the snake’s bite pierced Hollyleaf. She gazed at Cinderheart’s horrified expression, trying to imagine how she would feel if she lost one of her littermates.
No! Hollyleaf dug her claws into the earth. That must never happen!
Leafpool moved toward Honeyfern’s body, but Brackenfur stopped her. Instead he padded up to Berrynose and rested his tail on the young warrior’s shoulder. “She’s gone,” he told him. “She hunts with StarClan now.”
As gently as if he were Berrynose’s father, Brackenfur nudged him to his paws and led him away, then nodded to Leafpool. The medicine cat crouched beside Honeyfern with a paw on her chest to check for any signs of breathing. Shaking her head slightly, she mewed to Lionblaze, “Find some warriors to help carry her body into the clearing. We need to get her away from the cliff in case the snake is still around.”
“I’ll help,” Hollyleaf offered instantly.
Lionblaze beckoned with his tail to Spiderleg and Thornclaw, and together the four cats lifted Honeyfern’s limp body and carried it to a shaded spot not far from the warriors’ den.
As they were crossing the clearing, Graystripe appeared through the thorn tunnel, his jaws full of prey. Poppyfrost and Mousewhisker followed him into the camp. As soon as she saw her sister’s body, Poppyfrost dropped her fresh-kill and raced over.
“What happened?” she wailed. “Honeyfern, wake up!”
Sorreltail padded up to her and guided her along after Honeyfern’s body, their pelts brushing, until the warriors set the dead she-cat down and her kin could huddle together around her, comforting one another as they kept vigil.
The sun still shone, but Hollyleaf felt as if ice were creeping through the hairs on her pelt, and she couldn’t stop shivering. “Are you okay?” she asked Lionblaze. “You saw it all happen.”
Lionblaze gave her a bleak nod but didn’t speak.
“Honeyfern will be a great loss to her Clan.”
Hollyleaf started as she heard Sol’s voice, and turned to see that the loner had left his nest. Thornclaw must have left him unguarded when he came to see what was happening. Sol’s amber eyes shone with sadness and his head was bowed as if he genuinely grieved for the young she-cat.
“It’s hard when a life is cut off so early,” he added.
Hollyleaf knew she should send him back to his nest, but she couldn’t summon the energy. All the other cats seemed too distracted by their grief to worry about what Sol was up to.
He might as well stay, she thought. What harm is he doing?
Purdy and the elders had appeared, too, padding up and mingling with their Clanmates.
“There’s nothin’ worse than losin’ a young cat,” Purdy meowed. “She’d all her life stretchin’ in front of her.”
“She was a fine cat,” Mousefur agreed. “The last thing she ever did was fetch me some fresh-kill.”