Bloodflower

Chapter 53

Rosethorn's stomach tightened all over again as she approached the SunClan camp with her FireClan reinforcements in tow. There were still sounds of fighting cats, but the snarls and screeches were less energized. At least that means my Clanmates are still alive, she thought bleakly. I hope it isn't too late to save us.

She wondered if any cats were dead, and if so, how many. The thought of stumbling upon the dead bodies of Dawnfire, her parents, Nightshade, Acornpaw and her siblings—any of her Clanmates, really—made her feel sick. Just Pineclaw alone was almost impossible to bear. Anyone else...

How many more cats that I care about will be killed by rogues before they're gone?

"Hey. Don't think about that." Shadetail was trotting at her side, watching her with concern.

"You don't know what I was thinking about," Rosethorn stuttered dubiously.

"The look on your face tells me enough," Shadetail mewed darkly. "Just try to keep your head clear. If you focus on all the negative things, it'll be harder for you to fight."

"Right. Yeah." Rosethorn turned her face away from him. Get it together, she told herself briskly. They don't need to know how much these cats get to you.

The patrol stopped just outside the camp; the fern tunnel was in sight. In front of them, Hazelfrost growled to Amberstar, "There's no point in trying to be quiet or stealthy. It'll only waste time."

"Then we charge in, so the rogues don't have a moment to prepare." Amberstar sounded confident. Rosethorn wondered if it was only a facade. "And make sure your Clanmates know we're here to help, because I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to fight us, too."

"I wouldn't be surprised, either," Hazelfrost scoffed. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Is everyone ready?" Rosethorn called over her shoulder. She was relieved her voice sounded strong and steady. She was feeling the total opposite.

Eager yowls rippled through the FireClan warriors, giving her their answer. Amberstar and Hazelfrost looked back at her.

"Let's do this," she growled.

"Let's," Amberstar echoed. She raised her voice to a chilling caterwaul. "FireClan, with me!"

The warriors surged through the fern tunnel like floodwater. Rosethorn wished it was wider, so more cats could come through at once, but it couldn't be helped.

At last she squeezed through the tunnel, and was in the SunClan camp. It was barely recognizable. Partly because it was spattered with blood, and partly because she'd never seen this many cats in it in her entire life. All of SunClan, most likely all of the rogues, and a portion of FireClan were crammed into the space. Rosethorn almost felt like she was at a Gathering. One where the truce had been broken as if it had never even existed.

It sort of helped—in a depraved way—that many of the cats weren't actually moving around, but instead laying motionless on the bare ground. A surprising amount of them were rogues, but several of them were also her Clanmates.

Her eyes landed on a cat she recognized with a jolt—the same huge tabby tom that had almost killed her twice. The first time Minnowtail had helped her, and the second time Pineclaw had saved her. Now he was grappling with Quickstorm. Her father's golden eyes glinted with rage, but his body language told her he was weakening.

With a fierce battle cry Rosethorn lunged at the tabby rogue at full speed, crashing straight into him. He hadn't seen her until it was too late, and thus wasn't at all prepared for the blow; they skidded across the ground in a writhing mass of fur and claws. When they finally stopped rolling, Rosethorn was on top, pinning him down.