In a flash, lightning struck a sapling in camp. It CRACKED loudly and fell, crushing the warrior's den. There were yowls of alarm as cats dodged the sapling. One cat's tail was nearly set aflame. The heavy rain soon put out the fire. Even so, the damage was already done.
The rainfall abruptly got worse, and water began to flood into camp at an alarming speed. The cats of WindClan blathered with bewilderment and terror, simply watching as the water pooled. Burnetpaw glanced at Sedgestar for guidance, only to see that he, too, was frozen in shock.
"The herbs!" Brindlepaw cried out as a rapid stream began to form, leading up to the medicine cat den.
Sycamorelight stepped out of the den, his head tilted oddly to the left side and his left eye squinting. He stayed silent as he pushed past the chaos aimlessly, his gait irregular. He looked as if the wind would blow him away any second. Burnetpaw came to the conclusion that the branch must have damaged his brain in some way. She worried that he would not survive without a cat to help him out of camp, but she was too overwhelmed by the events to think clearly.
Seeing Dovekit and Shadekit, Burnetpaw picked up Dovekit by the scruff and set him down on the fallen tree. She turned and realized with alarm that Shadekit had disappeared, and that his parents were nowhere to be found.
Her tense muscles somewhat relaxed as Sedgestar sped past her, Shadekit being held by his scruff. "Sedgestar, do you know where Nightfern and Goosepounce are?" She asked him anxiously.
The pale tabby shook his head, hurrying up the hill that led out of camp until he was out of the russet cat's view. She struggled through the rising water and jumped onto the fallen log, seeing that Foxpaw was seeking shelter there. The water was already up to her belly, and the log was rocking at the weight of Foxpaw, Dovekit and Burnetpaw.
"How do we get away from here without drowning?" Dovekit asked quietly, his unfixed stare wavering.
"I... Don't know." Burnetpaw tried not to let the sinking feeling in her stomach cloud her thinking. "Have you got any ideas, Foxpaw?" Every few seconds the water level was escalating, and she was jolted out of her thoughts of a plan as she heard a chilling cry for help. Brindlepaw! "I'll be right back, stay here." She told them as she jumped off of the log, swimming through the current and reaching the medicine cat den.
Brindlepaw's head was barely above the water, holding a bundle of herbs. "I can't swim. I can't do it. This is all my fault!" She whispered, frozen in fear.
"Let go of the herbs and try to tread water." Burnetpaw instructed, struggling to keep her head above the water as it rushed towards the roof of the den. Brindlepaw went underwater for a terrifying moment. She resurfaced with the herb bundle out of her mouth. She let out a panicked wail, and Burnetpaw tried to pull her close through her effort to stay afloat.
"This isn't your fault. I'll carry you if you need me to." While Brindlepaw had a lot of fur, she was remarkably petite, and Burnetpaw could hold the tortoiseshell's weight if she needed to.
"I'll... I'll just stay with you. You don't have to carry me like a defenseless kit. Where's Cypressdust and Olivetuft?" The medicine cat apprentice's eyes searched the camp for her kin.
Burnetpaw didn't answer. She watched as Foxpaw swam past them with Volepaw next to her, and growled under her breath. Why would she leave Dovekit alone? She's so negligent! Burnetpaw needed to return to Dovekit soon. She feared that he would get hurt.
Burnetpaw swam through the raging water with Brindlepaw by her side, grabbing the cat's scruff up a few times when she thought that the she-cat would go underwater. Within a few awful seconds, though it felt like an eternity, they reached the log.
Dovekit was missing.
"Dovekit!" Burnetpaw yowled loudly, scanning the water frantically. The cats that remained in camp were now searching for him as well, pushing through the strong current.
Thunder boomed up above, and the russet she-cat winced at the ear-splitting sound. As the water rose steadily, Burnetpaw found swimming to be harder; her muscles ached and her senses sharpened to a hyper degree, making her head hurt.
Something brushed up against her. She was appalled to see a limp light brown body the size of a warrior floating next to her, his blue eyes glossed over.
"Sycamorelight needs help!" Brindlepaw tried to reach the tom, but Burnetpaw hauled her back. With a single glance at his body, the Clanmates that remained in camp looked away quickly, not bothering to come over. They resumed their search for Dovekit.
Nightfern was calling for his son, while Greyfeather, Sycamorelight's mate, screamed in anguish, pushing past the debris to the tom's floating body. Burnetpaw turned away from the grieving lover, and began to yell louder for Dovekit.
She didn't enjoy this danger. It was much different from the rush she felt when she fought.
Another string of lightning momentarily blinded Burnetpaw. When her eyes focused she saw Sedgestar racing up the hill out of camp. She hadn't even realized he had been in camp. His long brown fur was pressed against his muscular frame. He had a new scratch along his muzzle.
"We must get uphill. It's too dangerous to continue our search." The leader called out, his sides heaving heavily. "We need to count who is missing, and to do that we all need to be together." He beckoned Sunstreak, who was idling, with his tail. The she-cat briskly trotted to her father, head bowed.
Burnetpaw sighed sadly, though she didn't dare to challenge Sedgestar. She treaded through the water while Whitefoot helped Brindlepaw reach safety. She almost collapsed as her paws hit dry land, stumbling up the hill in a daze. Burnetpaw clambered up the ravine. The water was rushing down, and she slipped. Her claws scrabbled on the rock and her heart shot to her stomach in panic.
Myrtleleap lurched forward and grasped onto Burnetpaw's scruff before she tumbled down. The apprentice tried to get a footing on the stone, and with their joint effort, the lilac tabby successfully brought Burnetpaw out of WindClan camp.
"Thank you." Burnetpaw meowed, her voice wavering.
"No problem." The warrior chirped. She disappeared into the crowd of WindClan cats.
Cypressdust and Olivetuft, Brindlepaw's family, scampered over to her. The tortoiseshell she-cat nuzzled into her mother's fur while her brother licked her pelt.
"We didn't know where you had gone..." The tabby tom said, his voice cracking.
"Burnetpaw took care of me. She saved me." Brindlepaw's response was muffled by Olivetuft's coat.
Goosepounce was hunched over wheezing with a pool of water and bile below them, water leaking out of their nose and mouth. Nightfern, though a distraught cat himself, offered them comfort. Nuthatchface, Goosepounce's aunt, stood beside the pale grey tabby, her tail resting on their flank in a calming manner. While Volepaw and his mother, Batwing, were speaking quietly in the outskirts.
Burnetpaw was not surprised to notice that Sunstreak shook with fear. Sedgestar comforted her, his tail draped on her back. He whispered hushed words of reassurance in her ear. The russet cat narrowed her eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Tempest || A WC Novel
Fanfiction[COMPLETE & REVISED] Burnetpaw is simply a bad hunter. After spending all of her apprenticeship attempting to improve her abilities, she is still not any better, and she is frustrated by how focused her Clanmates are on her minimal hunting skills. ...
