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| - The rest of SpringClan was a flurry of activity. Cats shouted to each other from across the camp. Quailfeather barked orders, her eyes bright with energy. Oakstar stood, grim-faced, and ordered cats to form a phalanx formation. Cloverflower struggled to keep all five kits under control while Eveningfall shared a teary good-bye with her mate, Cranelegs. I saw the Vale Squad clustered together near the back of the battle group with Ryan and his sisters. Even Lionpatch was up and about; he would be traveling with the fighters so that he could do some quick field medical work in case anyone was badly injured. Blossompaw and I sat side-by-side at the edge of the medicine cat's den, watching the bustle. Blossompaw looked worried. On the other hand, I was mostly angry. Sinking my claws into the ground, I muttered, "I wish I could fight with them." "Not everyone is going," pointed out Blossompaw. "Almost everyone. Only the queens and elders are staying back." "And Thistleblossom, Yellowsun, and Moonowl. They're guarding the camp. Besides, you've already been brave enough. It's time to let others take up the cause," said Blossompaw soothingly. Still feeling antsy, I muttered, "I'm going to wish my friends good luck." I padded up to the Vale Squad, Ryan, Cammy, and Lily. Daisypaw was instantly at my side. "How are you feeling?" Grimacing, I said, "They've patched me up okay." "Really? You look terrible," Minkpaw said skeptically. "I still think that, if I made sure to be careful, I could fight-" "No," my friends said in unison. Scowling, I sat down and put on a sulky expression. "This is so annoying." "I still can't believe I let you take the beating so that I could escape," Daisypaw said sorrowfully. "Hey, it wouldn't have done either of us any good if you stuck around and got captured too," I reminded her gently. "At least you were able to get back in time and warn Oakstar about High-Rock being captured." "And now we're about to go into battle to reclaim it," Minkpaw sighed. "We have no choice," said Specklepaw. Up ahead, Quailfeather called, "Everyone, we're moving out in a minute. Get ready!" "We'd better go," Lily said. Cammy nodded. "Bye, Breezepaw." I waved my tail at them, then turned to the Vale Squad. Daisypaw put her paw on mine. "Stay safe." "You too." I felt my throat close as I looked into my best friend's hazel eyes. Then I glanced at Minkpaw, dipping my head at her. "Beat up some rogues from me." "Obviously," she scoffed, but her eyes glittered with fondness. I licked Specklepaw's cheek. "Good luck." "Thanks," he said softly, returning the gesture. Finally, I turned to Ryan. I had no idea what to say. "Um, thank you. You know, for the fact that you and your sisters are helping us." He merely nodded. "Of course." "And may StarClan be with you out there." Immediately, I realized I shouldn't have said that. He didn't even believe in StarClan, after all. But he didn't get angry. His golden eyes flared briefly as they passed over me. "Good bye, Breezepaw." I fought the ridiculous urge to step forward and give him a reassuring touch. "I'll see you after the battle," I said. Oakstar led the Clan out of the camp. It felt like a piece of my heart went with them. All I could do was sit here and hope they brought it back unbroken. I'd never felt more useless. I padded back to the medicine cat's den, where Blossompaw was waiting for me with a compassionate look in her soft eyes. "Want to help me organize our herbs?" "Sure." At least then I would be doing something. The two of us spread the leaves across the bottom of the den. Blossompaw taught me how to identify each plant and where to put them. We worked in silence. Blossompaw was fast-pawed, identifying each leaf as easily as I would be able to identify a mouse track. Meanwhile, I was clumsy and distracted, knocking over piles of herbs and failing to recognize the most obvious of plants, like dandelion root or mint. Seeing that I was doing more harm than good, Blossompaw told me I had better to rest. Gratefully, I took her up on her offer and curled up in the back of the medicine cat's den. The quietude of the cave, along with the soothing smells of herbs and dried flowers, lulled me right to sleep. Immediately, my spirit was caught up in a vivid dream. I was standing in the middle of the camp. Across from me was a pale cat with shimmering eyes. Her fur looked like it had been dipped in stardust, and the air around her was filled with a sharp, cold scent. "Cloudberry," I breathed. My mother padded forward. Her expression was urgent. "Wake up, Breezepaw. They're coming." Confused, I blinked and said, "Who? What's going on?" Her form started to shake, as if someone was pulling StarClan up by her roots. Her blue eyes fractured with pain. "I wish I could tell you everything, daughter. The warrior code... everything the Clan stands for... it's in danger. You and your Clanmates are our only hope-" She broke off. "We're out of time. Wake up!" She disappeared with a wail and a puff of mist, as if the spirits of our ancestors had been abruptly swallowed. A sick sense of fear curdled in my stomach. My eyes flew open. "Blossompaw, we're in danger!" "What do you mean?" The medicine cat apprentice paused, looking at me in bewilderment. I flew out of the den so fast that a poultice slipped off my shoulder. I nearly slammed into Moonowl. The small black she-cat held out her paw to calm me down. "Are you okay, Breezepaw?" "They're coming," I panted. "What do you-" "They're coming!" My cry was echoed louder and more urgently. Yellowsun leaped into camp, her eyes wild. "Thistleblossom and I scented them on the wind. They're headed straight for the camp. We don't have much time." "How can that be?" demanded Moonowl. "Did they get past Oakstar and the rest of our Clan?" "It's more likely that they divided into two groups. One to fight at High-Rock and one to take their true goal: our camp. They have us surrounded. If they seize the camp and High-Rock... they've got the pine forest. That's the majority of our territory in rogue paws." All my life, I'd viewed Yellowsun as strong and composed. She was, after all, Specklepaw's mentor. I looked up to her as well. Now, though, she looked like a wreck. Terror made her yellow eyes bright. Her fur stood on its end. I knew I probably looked twice as frightened, but the truth was, we didn't have time for this. We had to hurry. The rogues would be here any minute, and we still had vulnerable cats among us. At once, the solution came to me. "Get the queens and the kits," I said immediately. "I'll get the elders and escape with them." "How?" asked Thistleblossom. "The rogues will find you." "There's a tunnel that leads around our territory, alongside the stream," I explained hastily. "It opens up outside our territory, past High-Rock. They'll be safe out there." "We're just going to evacuate?" demanded Yellowsun. "What choice do we have?" I half-screamed. I regretted losing my cool, but it was what everyone needed. We split up. I darted into the elders' den and barked out orders. Within no time, the elders and queens were lined up behind me, each of them with a kit in their jaws. "Blossompaw, you can come with-" "No. I'm staying and fighting. We'll hold them off," she said grimly. Not wanting to waste precious minutes arguing, I turned to Moonowl and the other two warriors and said, "I'll lead them as far as the tunnel, then come back and help you guys fight. We'll hold them off as long as we can." Moonowl's large eyes were filled with a mix of fear and determination. I knew she realized the truth: they stood little chance of surviving this battle. All we could do was try to buy the elders and queens enough time to get to the tunnel. "We've got this. Now run, Breezepaw!" Moonowl said. For once, I didn't push myself to run as fast as I knew I could. The elders tried to be quick, but it was hard on them, especially with the kits in their jaws. Behind me, I heard the squalls of the rogues as they entered the camp. I felt sick, imagining Thistleblossom, Moonowl, and Yellowsun trying in vain to put up a fight. With my Clanmates hopelessly outnumbered, there was a good chance that they'd be dead before I got a chance to return and help them. Reaching the tunnel, I ushered everyone inside. "Just follow it, no matter which way it twists. Trust me. You'll emerge on the far plains. If you see Blackheart or Lilyshade-" here Eveningfall let out a noise of surprise, which I ignored, since there was no time to explain "-explain what happened and tell them that I showed you the tunnel. They'll understand. Eveningfall, you bring up the rear with Poolkit and Petalkit. Cloverflower, take the lead. Elders, stay in the middle with the older kits and keep your eyes on them. Now go!" "Thank you, Breezepaw." Eveningfall sounded like she was about to cry. I caught one last glimpse of Poolkit's vivid blue eyes, of Petalkit's smoky pelt. Then all of my Clanmates disappeared into the murky darkness of the tunnel. Turning so fast that my paws nearly went out from underneath me, I raced back to camp, pelting along the ground. Bursting inside, I took in the scene. Good news? There weren't as many rogues as I'd expected. Only half of Claron's group was present, which meant that Oakstar and his battle patrol had a good chance of winning the battle at High-Rock. The bad news? Even with only half the rogue group present, the four SpringClan she-cats were still hopelessly out of their league. Yellowsun was writhing underneath three rogues, bleeding from a dozen scratches. Blossompaw launched herself of the camp high-rock, screaming like a banshee, and landed on a rogue with a crunch that must've broken his bones, but she looked exhausted; after all, she wasn't used to fighting. Thistleblossom was holding her own, but she was backed against a bush and I didn't know how she'd fight her way out. Worst of all, Moonowl was nowhere to be seen. I could only assume she was somewhere hidden behind the group of rogues sprawled over the camp. I had no more brilliant ideas. All I could do was let out a guttural battle cry and charge into the fray like a feral hog who'd been poked with a stick. Though I wasn't exactly a big cat, I had adrenaline and momentum on my side. I plowed into a rogue. She collapsed beneath me and I just ran over her, leaping onto the next one. I was a fighting machine, clawing, kicking, and biting. Just when I was trying to come to terms with the idea that this was how I was going to die, fighting a futile fight, I heard a shout. Oakstar burst into the camp, followed by the rest of SpringClan. Some of them were injured, but nothing looked too bad. "Did you win High-Rock?" I yelled. Oakstar met my eyes. Something in his gaze made me halt in my tracks, a feeling of horror seeping into my bones. "We lost High-Rock," he said. His words slammed into me like a boulder. I felt like collapsing on the ground then and there. "We came back for you guys. SpringClan, retreat!" Too late, I realized what was happening. The SpringClan warriors weren't fighting to kill the rogues. They were fighting to let us out. Goldenburst and Ivyrose helped Thistleblossom fight through the circle of rogues surrounding her and rejoin the Clan's ranks. Blossompaw raced over to Lionpatch, with Hawkeye fiercely guarding them both. Dewfrost and Cherrynose collected Yellowsun, and Nighthawk pulled a stumbling, badly-wounded Moonowl from the battle. "We only have a few minutes before the rest of Claron's rogues arrive. They're inevitably chasing us." Oakstar looked harried. I knew what he was thinking: there was no escape. SpringClan had made an incredibly selfless decision, coming back to the camp to get the five of us. Of course, they would've thought that they were picking up the queens and elders too, since they didn't know about the tunnel- I ducked over to Oakstar and Quailfeather and explained what I'd done to evacuate the more vulnerable members of the camp. Oakstar looked impressed for the briefest second, but his expression quickly turned frantic again. "Can the entire Clan fit through?" "It's our only choice. We have to be reunited with the queens and elders. Trying to go back through the territory using the pine forest would be suicide. We'd be caught directly in between the two halves of the rogue group." "Lead us to the tunnels," ordered Oakstar. "Everyone, follow us! No one is allowed to stay behind!" As I jogged through the forest, the rest of SpringClan following single-file, it suddenly occurred to me that the fate of my Clanmates was literally in my paws. Pushing those thoughts away, I focused on the mission at hand. I reached the tunnel entrance. "That's Eveningfall's scent," Cranelegs said, his tone wild. "She was here!" "Quiet," snapped Quailfeather. "Stay in line. We can't afford panic." "Lead the way," I told the deputy. She hesitated, then nodded, ducking into the darkness. One by one, my Clanmates followed. Part of me was tempted to go stand by Oakstar, who was nobly waiting for everyone to go inside before following. But, as much as I hated to admit it, I had no heroism left in me. I was suddenly reduced to a scared apprentice. I joined Daisypaw and Minkpaw in line, trying to concentrate on their familiar scents instead of the searing pain of my wounds. Claron's yowl of anger sounded behind us. "Trying to run? Is that what warriors do? Your code is a code of cowards! Get them!" The halves of the rogue group had reunited, and the ground shook with the sound of their pawsteps. "Hurry!" Oakstar yelled urgently. "Goldenburst, Hawkeye, Bluebird, stay with me. We'll defend the entrance." "You'll be killed!" I protested. Oakstar cast me a glare. "It isn't your choice to make, Breezepaw." "I've got a better idea. We'll collapse the entrance of the tunnel." "And what if the entire tunnel collapses on top of our Clan?" demanded Hawkeye. HIs eyes glittered; he'd clearly prefer a fight. Like usual. But fighting would be useless. "It's our only chance." After a second of hesitation, Oakstar nodded. We entered the tunnel. The rogues were almost upon us. Within a few heartbeats, they'd be inside the tunnel. "One... two... three!" Oakstar shouted. Collectively, we slammed our weight against the walls of the tunnel. As rocks and dust rained down, Goldenburst and Hawkeye used their muscle to push a giant boulder in front of the tunnel. It was suddenly completely dark. "They can't get past." Oakstar's disembodied voice sounded hollow as it echoed through the pitch-black. "Now let's go!" I raced down the tunnel as fast as my paws could carry me, only to run into Daisypaw's rear end. "Oof!" "Watch it," she muttered. "What happened back there?" "We collapsed the tunnel end so the rogues couldn't get through there. Hurry, everyone! This entire thing could collapse on us any second!" I said. Those next few minutes were inexplicably horrible. I was used to my speed getting me out of situations in the blink of an eye. But trapped underground, with the rest of my Clan in front of me, I felt like I was stuck in molasses. I had no choice but to go as fast as the cat in front of me. I could hear the tunnel rumbling around me, stones rattling and shaking. Dirt rained down on me. Claustrophobia made bile rise in my throat. After what felt like an eternity, I saw sunlight up ahead. Daisypaw and I tumbled out into a grassy field. I collapsed immediately. So did the tunnel. With a resounding crash, it caved in on itself. The remaining SpringClan cats sprang out to escape the flying debris. A cat nudged me. "Hello, Breezepaw," Blackheart said. He looked incredibly sad. "Hey," I said weakly. "So they did find you?" "The queens and the elders? Yes, they're all here." Lilyshade flicked her tail towards where Cranelegs was having an emotional reunion with his mate and kits. Brightkit, Sleepykit, and Flowerkit were mewling into Cloverflower's fur, scared by the noise of the tunnel cave-in, and confused as to why they weren't home. Cloverflower looked pained as she tried to avoid telling her kits what had actually happened to the camp. Slowly, I took in the sight of what SpringClan had been reduced to. Oakstar was limp on the floor. Mintwhisker stood over him, tears in her eyes. I knew our leader was losing another life. The elders were lying on the ground, curled together for support as they heard what had happened to the camp. "Rogues?" Redbelly said weakly. "Rogues have taken the camp we grew up in... We've lived in that camp all our lives..." He shook his head in agony and buried his face in Grayfinch's fur. Blossompaw was running around, trying to tend to cats' wounds with the herbs she'd managed to strap around her neck in a leaf sling. Meanwhile, Lionpatch and Nighthawk were standing over a black shape on the floor. Horror filled me as I realized it was Moonowl. Nighthawk raised his head. His eyes were tormented. "She's dead," he breathed. "My sister... She's dead." "I'm so sorry," Lionpatch said. "There's no way I could've saved her." "She fought so courageously, holding off the rogues so I could help the elders and the queens. I should've done something to protect her." "What could you have done?" asked Specklepaw gently. I shook my head. "Anything," I said sadly. "Anything at all." I couldn't believe it. Not so long ago, my idea of SpringClan being shaken to its roots was Shinecloud's murder. Now everything had changed. SpringClan's roots had been ripped out of the ground. We'd been cast out of our territory by Claron's rogues. Moonowl was dead. Many were badly injured. We had limited medicinal supplies and no permanent camp. Blackheart and Lilyshade were doing their best to come up with ideas for provisions, but there was a reason the Clan border had been drawn at High-Rock. The plains weren't great hunting grounds. The stream was very small around this portion too. Enough to support a couple of cats, which is how Blackheart and Lilyshade survived, but not an entire Clan. Very hard times were ahead for SpringClan. How could things have gone so wrong? "Hey. Everything's not over yet, Breezepaw." Dewfrost was standing in front of me. A jagged scratch ran from his brow to his nose, still red with blood. "SpringClan is named for the season of rebirth. We have hope and strength." I looked at my mentor for a long moment. "Do you really believe that?" He sighed. "What choice do we have?" He was right, of course. That was the thing about being a warrior. It wasn't a code of cowards, as Claron had said. It was a code that demanded you give your all. Even when you felt like laying down and giving up, like dying. You kept living, because there were others depending on you. You fought and fought and fought to make things better. Somehow, some way, against impossible odds. And that was exactly what SpringClan would do.
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