Warriors: A New Beginning #2: Midnight Rising

Chapter 31

Midnightsky dug through the rubble, desperate to find a cat trapped underneath.

"Help!" she screamed.

In an instant Leafdawn was helping her, forgetting what she had said earlier. She knew that Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk were the ones who had saved her life, she needed to do the same for them.

Then, just when it seemed like they would lose hope, Midnightsky found a cat's body.

"Leafdawn! I found somebody!" she exclaimed.

Together they dragged the body out from under the mess— it was Heatherstalk.

"You keep looking!" Midnightsky told Leafdawn. "I know what to do!" Mintleaf had taught her this.

As more cats began to search for Moorwhisker, she took her paws and started compressing on the unconscious Heatherstalk's chest. Please, Heatherstalk, you need to breathe!

The she-cat was practically burned all over her skin— Midnightsky got an idea as she was still doing compressions.

"I need a cat to help me carry Heatherstalk to the river— fast!" she exclaimed.

A tabby she had no idea who their name was came.

"We need to do this quickly." Midnightsky stopped compressions, picked up one half of Heatherstalk with the other WindClan cat managing the other half, and they started to go as fast as they could toward the nearest water source— the river. Midnightsky felt the urgency of the situation— and she knew the WindClan warrior did too. If they got to the river too late, Heatherstalk could die.

When they reached the river, Midnightsky quickly told the other cat the instructions.

"When I say go, we're going to dunk Heatherstalk in the water— only briefly so we don't drown her. This is to treat her burns. When we finish, put her back on the ground and I'll do the rest. Go!"

They dunked Heatherstalk in the raging river, making sure not to drop or drown her, and set her back on the ground. Midnightsky immediately resumed the chest compressions.

"Please, Heatherstalk," she whispered. "Please!"

Heatherstalk still wasn't moving.

Midnightsky closed her eyes. Is it too late?

Then Heatherstalk took a gasping breath and started vomiting.

Midnightsky let out a huge sigh of relief. "She's alive."

She felt like jumping int he air but she knew Heatherstalk wasn't safe and sound yet.

The WindClan medicine cat was now lying on the ground, breathing hard.

"Heatherstalk?" Midnightsky called. "Can you hear me?"

There was no reply for a few heartbeats. Then Heatherstalk's eyelids fluttered and her eyes slowly opened.

"...Midnightsky?" she managed weakly. "How did you get here?"

"You're alive!" Midnightsky exclaimed. She turned back to the WindClan warrior. "Can you help her get back to camp on your own? I need to go help with Moorwhisker." Without waiting for an answer, she ran off, knowing that at least one life had been saved.

I hope we can do the same for Moorwhisker.

Her paws felt like they were on fire (maybe that was because they had actually been on fire) as she ran. Her pads hurt. Her body hurt. Her throat hurt.

And she couldn't stop coughing.

But she had to help Moorwhisker.

As she got to camp she saw a crowd of cats gather over an unmoving corpse— Morowhisker.