Shade

Chapter Thirty Two

Shadepool carried her prey in her jaws, feeling satisfied with the good catch. It had been a while since she'd been able to go out and hunt, but Featherbreeze had grudgingly allowed her to join the evening hunting patrol with Redpelt, Lilypetal and Raventail. It was really getting warm now, and she could feel the sun on her back.

Heatherwing had joined StarClan the previous night. The whole Clan was grieving, but no cat was really surprised. Her wounds were bad and she had stopped responding to herbs many days before she had finally moved on. Featherbreeze had also admitted that it didn't help that Heatherwing had been getting on in age anyway and probably ought to have joined the elders. Singingsoul had done exactly that, being Heatherwing's sister. Shadepool was noticing that there seemed to be a new generation of warriors growing and preparing to take over leadership of the Clan - she didn't know how many lives Silverstar had left, but the old silver she-cat had been leader for many, many seasons now. There were certainly lots of young warriors and much fewer senior warriors, so much so that Lightningstrike, Reedfur and Larkfeather had been deemed 'senior'. Shadepool wasn't sure if it was good or bad, but she hoped that the new generation that she was a part of would be able to keep the Clan as strong as it had been through the seasons.

"Let's head back to camp," Raventail decided. "This was a good catch. The Clan will eat well tonight."

Shadepool began to follow when she heard a sudden screech split the air, making her freeze in her tracks.

"That sounds like Runningbreeze!" Lilypetal  exclaimed, dropping her prey and racing in the direction the screech had come from. Without hesitating, Shadepool left her prey and raced after the tortoiseshell she-cat. Runningbreeze wasn't supposed to be out of camp, but the young queen had often complained of being trapped in camp. Perhaps she'd taken a walk at the wrong time.

Shadepool and Lilypetal found Runningbreeze lying alone on the marshes. She was curled up tightly, every now and then tensing up with spasms of sharp pain. Lilypetal crouched beside her friend and began to smooth her brown fur, murmuring words of reassurance.

"I'll go get Featherbreeze," Shadepool said, and sprinted back to camp, sending a fervent and desperate prayer to StarClan that Runningbreeze would be okay.

Skidding into camp, paws wet from running through the stream, Shadepool yowled, "Featherbreeze!"

Larkfeather, who was sharing a pike with Reedfur, stood sharply. "Featherbreeze is out of camp. What's happened?"

"Runningbreeze's kits are coming," Shadepool explained breathlessly. "She left camp but now she can't move to get back."

"Icepaw, go and find Featherbreeze and tell her," Larkfeather told the young white she-cat. "I'll come and help."

Shadepool didn't have time to argue. Larkfeather was, after all, an experienced queen who would know how to help. She turned tail and raced from the camp, leaping over the stepping-stones and running at full pelt through the forest.

Runningbreeze was still lying on the ground in pain, Lilypetal trying to calm her down. They had been joined by Raventail and Redpelt, and the latter's fur was bristling and he was pacing.

"Where's Featherbreeze?" Redpelt demanded.

"Not in camp. Icepaw's gone to fetch her, and a brought Larkfeather to help," Shadepool explained.

"Hear that, Runningbreeze?" Lilypetal murmured.

"I'm in pain, not deaf," Runningbreeze growled.

Lilypetal purred. "I think she'll be fine."

"I'd like to be fine right now, please and thanks," Runningbreeze snarled. "Some cat tell Featherbreeze to get her tail over here before I claw a pelt, and I'm not fussy which!"