Warriors: Clockwise

<------ Chapter Twenty-Five --->

Estelle exhaled. "Okay, okay. Snowfeather, listen to me very carefully. This won't work unless you do. You're going to need to-"

Without any warning, fractures like lightning bolts shot up the side of the wall, and the stone beneath Snowfeather crumbled away. He leapt backwards, claws digging in to find a foothold as the stone scratched his paw pads raw.

Maybe only a second had passed, but as Hero watched the ledge give way beneath Swiftstorm's leg, time could not have moved more slowly. He couldn't call out, and if he started running he didn't get there fast enough. As the tremors continued to wrack the earth, the sound of shredding flesh and muscle reached his ears, and Swiftstorm slipped so abruptly that her neck snapped backwards against the stone.

Snowfeather moved before he could think, lunging towards her and taking hold of her scruff. He lost his hold on the wall immediately, but held tight to the smaller she-cat, winding himself tightly around her as they tumbled towards the ground.

The two sent up a plume of dust as they landed, and all three cats rushed towards them. Snowfeather was winded, and Swiftstorm was drenched in her own blood, but Estelle had her ear pressed to the she-cat's chest in an instant.

"She's breathing," she muttered, her tone not indicative of relief. "We can thank Snowfeather for that."

Snowfeather struggled to his paws, ignoring Estelle's grimace as she spoke, and leaned over Swiftstorm, gently nudging the she-cat's bloodied cheek.

"Are you there?" He whispered, eyes widening when he received no response. "Swiftstorm, you've got to get up."

Fear had crept into his tone, and Estelle's gaze softened. "Snowfeather, she can't hear you."

"I need you to wake up," he continued, shoving the she-cat to the side when she tried to step between the two, and Snowfeather gave the tortoiseshell a shake. Hero could see he was shaking himself. "Swiftstorm, please. I need you to wake up. Please w-wake up-p."

His voice cracked on the last two words, and Estelle lifted her paw as if to try to separate the two again, when a spluttering cough interrupted the action.

"Swiftstorm!" Hero gasped, and Estelle pushed past Snowfeather, quickly turning Swiftstorm onto her side. 

The coughing continued as Swiftstorm came to, blood dribbling out of the corner of her mouth. Snowfeather was at her side in an instant, murmuring relieved encouragement to her, though he didn't force her to move. He only remained by her side, waiting as she began to regain her strength.

"Are w-w-e s-afe h-here?" she stuttered, and Snowfeather looked to Estelle, who in turn directed her attention to Smokewhisker.

Smokewhisker shook his head, and the faintest trembling in the stones emphasized his point, "Staying here would be a risk. If the tremors don't get to us first, the enemy will be doing a sweep of this area, and who knows what kind of toxins-"

"We can't move," Estelle cut in matter-of-factly, and now Hero's features were creased with a frown.

"We can't stay," he reasoned, but even as he said it, he realized there was no way to move Swiftstorm without injuring her further. He could barely comprehend how she'd managed to stay awake this long at all. 

"We have to," Snowfeather murmured, and who Swiftstorm seemed to stare straight through him. Snowfeather smiled at her faintly, though his next statement was directed towards Smokewhisker and Hero. "I'm staying here with her. You should continue towards the bridge, they'll be needing reinforcements."

Snowfeather smiled at him then, and Hero could tell how hard the smaller tom was trying to mask his uneasiness with fake confidence. Hero observed Swiftstorm, and though his eyes were only on her for a moment, he could see everything. The pike had torn through her, the blood draining from the gash in the side of her head massing her fur into ugly clumps. Her stare was hollow, her face expressionless, and she was leaning against Snowfeather so heavily that Hero suspected if the tom were to move she'd cave in on herself like a stack of cards.