Chapter Text
Thunder rumbled in the distance as Firestar led his patrol back into the hollow. The sun’s light was muted with thick, rolling clouds and the air was heavy with the scent of rain.
Firestar glanced back at his patrol. All of them were carrying prey. Even Leafpool, head high like an apprentice who’d made her first catch, had a mouse in her jaws.
A purr rumbled in Firestar’s throat as he pushed through the thorn tunnel. His Clan would be well-fed today!
“Firestar!”
Firestar stopped short as Berrynose skidded to a halt in front of him. Firestar automatically dropped the squirrel he was carrying to sniff, but couldn’t pick up any dangerous scents.
“Did you see Poppyfrost?” Berrynose asked, his tail twitching anxiously.
“Poppyfrost is missing?” Sandstorm asked, pushing past Mousewhisker and Leafpool.
“She just went for a walk,” Ferncloud said calmly, padding up. “I think Jayfeather already went to fetch her, anyway.”
“But she’s been gone since dawn!” Berrynose wailed.
“She was probably just trying to get a break from your hovering,” Thornclaw said from where he was lying nearby.
Berrynose bristled. Firestar stepped between the toms.
“Poppyfrost’s kits aren’t due for another moon,” Leafpool said. “She’ll be fine going for a walk.”
Berrynose glared at her. “You’re not a medicine cat anymore, Leafpool!”
Leafpool flinched as though Berrynose had clawed her. Firestar’s ears went back.
“Leafpool may not be a medicine cat anymore, but she knows what she’s talking about,” Firestar said with a warning growl.
Berrynose turned away with a huff. Head low, Leafpool picked her mouse back up and padded to the fresh-kill pile, tail dragging in the dust.
Firestar forced his fur to lay flat. What Berrynose said was true; he just wished Berrynose hadn’t brought it up.
The hunting patrol refilled the fresh-kill pile in awkward silence. Briarpaw grabbed some prey for the elders. Firestar glanced at the sky, wondering if rain was really coming.
Rustling came from the bramble tunnel. Firestar turned as Poppyfrost and Jayfeather entered the camp.
“Finally!” Berrynose yowled, darting across the clearing. “Poppyfrost, where have you been?”
Firestar’s attention was pulled to Jayfeather when he stumbled. He frowned, seeing that Jayfeather was leaning on Poppyfrost as if he needed help guiding his paws.
“Don’t worry about me!” Poppyfrost snapped, her eyes wide. “Jayfeather’s hurt!”
Firestar rushed over to his kin. Near the fresh-kill pile, Leafpool’s head shot up. She started forward, then stopped, one paw raised and with anguish on her face.
“Don’t fuss,” Jayfeather mumbled, even as he slumped to the ground. “Jus’ a scratch.”
Firestar’s eyes widened at the blood spilling from a gash on Jayfeather’s side. His fur was soaked in blood!
Firestar promptly started licking the wound. Cats clustered around him as he worked, staring at the wound. Sandstorm took over licking, and Firestar paused to look the wound over.
For a heartbeat, Firestar hoped that the wound had looked worse than it actually was. But it didn’t take long for him to realize the opposite was true.
“Jayfeather!” Firestar said. “Jayfeather, what herbs do we need to use?”
“M-marigold.” Jayfeather clawed weakly at the ground in an attempt to stand.
Firestar firmly put his tail over his shoulder to block him, not that Jayfeather seemed strong enough to stand, anyway.
“I’ll get some cobwebs!” Briarpaw yelped, then darted away.
Firestar glanced after her in time to see Squirrelflight leave the warrior den with Brackenfur and Cloudtail. The warriors looked toward the cluster of cats in confusion, then Thornclaw shifted enough for Squirrelflight to see Jayfeather sprawled on the ground. Yowling in horror, Squirrelflight shot across the clearing to skid to a halt at Jayfeather’s side.
“Jayfeather?” Squirrelflight washed Jayfeather’s ears with frantic licks. “Jayfeather, what happened?”
When Jayfeather only looked at his adoptive mother with no trace of a scowl or snarl, Firestar knew something was really wrong. He met Leafpool’s gaze.
Leafpool took a bracing breath, then pushed her way through the cats to crouch at Jayfeather’s side. Her eyes ran over the wound, then she looked over at where Brightheart was staring at their injured medicine cat.
“Brightheart,” Leafpool said, a calm in her meow that didn’t match her wide-stretched eyes, “Check to see if we have any marigold, horsetail, or chervil.”
“I’ve got the cobwebs!” Briarpaw said, running on three paws, her fourth paw swathed in cobwebs.
Leafpool took the cobwebs and bent over Jayfeather. Brightheart soon returned with herbs, and Leafpool had her chew them.
“What’s going- Jayfeather?!”
The meow was the only warning any cat had before Brambleclaw forced his way through the group. He stared at Jayfeather, only looking away when Jayfeather took a ragged breath, then he turned to Firestar with fire in his eyes.
“What happened?” Brambleclaw snarled.
“It was Breezepelt,” Poppyfrost said, tail lashing.
Leafpool jumped when Poppyfrost’s tail brushed her side. She looked up, eyes narrowed.
“Back up!” Leafpool ordered. “We need room to work!”
Most of the cats promptly backed up, used to obeying Leafpool’s orders. Only Squirrelflight and Brightheart remained.
“Was it a WindClan patrol?” Firestar asked Poppyfrost.
Poppyfrost shook her head. She was trembling but spoke clearly. “I went up to the Moonpool. I… I wanted to talk to Honeyfern. Jayfeather found me there, and Breezepelt must’ve followed us.”
“Why would he attack a medicine cat?” Foxleap asked.
“He didn’t just attack Jayfeather. He went after me first,” Poppyfrost said, trembling harder.
“I’ll rip out that fox-heart’s throat!” Berrynose yowled.
Ferncloud gave him a hard look. “Calm down, Berrynose, don’t you see you’re only upsetting Poppyfrost even more?”
That silenced Berrynose. He tried to turn his mate toward the nursery, but she planted her paws.
“Breezepelt said he was- he was going to kill me, and frame Jayfeather for it,” Poppyfrost said, shaking her head in disbelief. “He wanted to turn ThunderClan against Jayfeather. To make him suffer. When Jayfeather defended me, Breezepelt attacked him instead.” Poppyfrost shuddered. “He was toying with Jayfeather at first, beating and mocking him. Then he cut Jayfeather and pinned him down and-and Breezepelt would’ve killed him, except Honeyfern helped Jayfeather.”
A ripple of surprise ran through the cats. Firestar’s ears pricked forward.
“Honeyfern?” Cinderheart said. Firestar hadn’t seen her join the listeners. “But how…”
“Maybe because we were at the Moonpool?” Poppyfrost shrugged wearily. “Breezepelt ran off after that.”
Brambleclaw’s tail lashed. “I’ll rip that mangy-”
Brambleclaw fell silent when Firestar laid his tail on his shoulder. Inside, Firestar was shaking with rage himself. It was bad enough that Breezepelt had attacked cats without provocation; but to attack a queen with kits and a medicine cat?
“Let me take a patrol to the WindClan camp,” Brambleclaw urged.
“I’ll go with you,” Thornclaw promptly said.
Many voices rose around them, every cat wanting to take revenge on WindClan. Even Firestar found the buzz of battle filling his mind. With effort, he forced it back.
“You said it was just Breezepelt?” Firestar clarified.
Poppyfrost nodded. “It sounded like he was working on his own.”
“Because he blames Jayfeather for Crowfeather being his father?” Cinderheart snorted. She padded forward and nudged Poppyfrost. “Come on, let’s get you to the nursery, and I’ll get you a poppy seed so you can rest.”
“But, Jayfeather-” Poppyfrost started to protest.
“He’s in good paws,” Cinderheart soothed. “Leafpool and Brightheart are taking care of him.”
Cinderheart, Ferncloud, Poppyfrost, and Berrynose returned to the nursery. The rest of the cats were milling around with bristling pelts and unsheathed claws.
“When do we attack?” Cloudtail asked, eyes gleaming.
“We don’t,” Firestar said.
Yowls of protest came from the Clan. Brambleclaw didn’t say anything, but Firestar could see the shock in his eyes.
Keeping silent, Firestar padded through the cats. Everyone gradually fell silent when Firestar sat where he could see Jayfeather without getting in Leafpool’s way.
Jayfeather was laying in the exact same position as before. Leafpool had packed the wound with herbs and covered it with cobwebs. Jayfeather’s breathing rasped and his sides rose and fell with each quick, shallow breath.
Firestar took a deep breath, then meowed, “Apprentices, gather some moss and feathers for a nest. Thornclaw and Mousewhisker, go with them. Cloudtail, take some cats on a hunting patrol. Spiderleg, take out a water patrol; even if it rains, the Clan needs to drink. Birchfall, take a border patrol along the ShadowClan border.”
“What do you want me to do?” Brambleclaw asked, claws scraping the ground.
Firestar met his grief-filled gaze. “Stay here with Jayfeather. I’ll be leading a patrol to speak with Onestar.”
Cats quickly started to volunteer to join him, but Firestar silenced them with a flick of his tail. He rose to his paws, then nodded to cats as he named them.
“Sandstorm, Brackenfur, Sorreltail-”
“Can I come?” Cinderheart asked, rushing back to join them.
Firestar nodded. The four cats were all strong warriors, but level-headed enough to not start a fight in the middle of WindClan’s camp.
Firestar gave one last look at Jayfeather, then nodded to his chosen cats. “Let’s go.”