EOTW: Faded Boundaries: Chapter Fourteen

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 1: Faded Boundaries
Chapter Fourteen

     “ThunderClan, wake up! The camp is flooding!”

     The words snapped Blazepaw into total awakeness. He sprang to his paws, his denmates scrambling to theirs around him. He heard yowls and cries of confusion around him from his half-awake denmates, but he knew there was no time to answer questions. “We have to go now!” he yowled at them. Luckily, that seemed to get their attention. They started to scramble out of the den, hurrying out into the camp. Blazepaw followed, butting Amberpaw's flank with his head when she struggled to keep up.

     Outside, the camp was in chaos. Terrified, half-awake cats were spilling out of their dens, clamoring and yowling over the rain. Blazepaw realized with horror that the floor of the camp was already lined with a thin sheet of water, and was filling fast.

     Over the screeches of the panicking cats, Blazepaw heard a thunderous yowl. The rest of the Clan fell silent in shock, turning to the source of the yowl. Bramblestar stood atop the High Ledge with eyes blazing with strength. “ThunderClan, now is not the time to panic. We must keep our heads to get out of this.” He waited until every cat's wailing had died down, then continued, “We need to get out of camp. Toadstep, what about the bramble entrance?”

     Toadstep, who was still standing by the entrance, shook his head. “The grass is thick with water out there,” he warned the leader. “The lake's flooding; if we go that way, we'll be swept away.”

     Bramblestar nodded absently, his gaze clouded with thought. Blazepaw's heart froze when he saw how the leader's pelt bristled, even under the heavy weight of rain. If their leader was as terrified as they all were, how in StarClan were they going to get out of this?

     “Bramblestar!” That was Leafpool. The former medicine cat pushed her way through the mass of cats, throwing her words up to the leader. “There's the path we used to get Daisy and Ferncloud out of camp during the badger fight. Towards the back of camp, up the rocks. It's easier to climb there.”

     The leader's eyes lit up. “Good. Elders and kits will be evacuated first, then warriors. Everyone, move!” The Clan scrambled to do as Bramblestar had ordered. Cats were moving everywhere, finding kin and friends, hurrying to help elders or carry kits. He saw Dewpaw pluck up a squealing Petalkit in his jaws as Hazeltail watched anxiously, and bounded over to help.

     “I can carry Finchkit,” he offered.

     Hazeltail's eyes flashed with fear, but she nodded. “Alright. Be careful.” She left her kits with the apprentices, hurrying to help Spiderleg.

     For their part, Petalkit and Finchkit didn't seem to realize the danger they were in. “Why is the ground all wet?” Petalkit squeaked curiously. “And why is everyone running around?”

     Blazepaw ignored the question and scooped up Finchkit in his jaws. He and Dewpaw followed the throng of cats, who were all heading to a far corner of the stone wall that circled the camp. When they pushed past the brambles blocking the wall, they saw that part of the stone had crumbled away, leaving a less steep path up the rocks that a cat could climb. It was still fairly tall, and a fall from up high would have nasty consequences, but it was a climbable path to high ground.

     Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were there, yowling instructions and organizing cats into groups. "Let the queens and elders up first!" Blazepaw could see Bumblestripe slowly leading the heavily-pregnant Dovewing up the slope, with Birchfall and Cloutail just above them, and Foxleap, Spiderleg, and Hazeltail were already at the top, watching the cats below. Snowpaw was herding Sparkkit towards the rocks. He tried to pick up the kit by the scruff, but Sparkkit whirled on him with a furious, "I can climb by myself!" Snowpaw relented, letting the cream-and-white kit start climbing ahead of him.

     Dewpaw and Blazepaw pushed their way to the front of the crowd, Hazeltail's kits mewling protests in their jaws. Bramblestar took one look at them and nodded. "Start climbing once Sorreltail and Millie are up," he ordered.

     They nodded obediently. Once Dovewing and Bumblestripe finally reached the top, Toadstep and Ivypool began leading Sorreltail and Millie up the path. The elders were all moving at an agonizingly slow rate, and the water was rising quickly. It was already lapping at Blazepaw's legs, reaching up towards his belly fur. He held Finchkit high, keeping him free of the murky water.

     Over the pounding rain, Blazepaw heard Bramblestar murmuring to his mate, "After the kits, you should go with Poppyfrost."

     Her ears flattened against her head. She mewed in outrage, "I'm not leaving this camp until all of our Clanmates are safe." Bramblestar opened his jaws to argue, but she cut him off. "I'm not just a queen, I'm the deputy. I have a duty to my Clanmates. And no mouse-brained, overbearing leader is going to talk me out of it!"

     The leader and deputy locked gazes for several moments, glaring each other down, before Bramblestar looked away. "Fine. But don't stay too long."

     The elders and their escorts were still climbing above them. Sorreltail's hind legs slipped off the rocks. She startled to fumble, but Millie reached out, quickly grabbing the tortoiseshell's scruff in her jaws. With the strength of a warrior half her age, Millie dragged Sorreltail higher up until she was able to find stable footing again. Once the tortoiseshell got her breath back, she gave Millie a grateful nod. They completed their climb, joining their Clanmates above the stone hollow.

     Bramblestar turned to the apprentices. "Your turn," he rumbled. "Be careful."

     Blazepaw have a small nod of assent, causing Finchkit to squeak when his tail dipped in the water. It was as high as Blazepaw's belly now.

     The two apprentices began climbing the rocks. They had to go slow to find all the crevices and nooks where their paws could find purchase. The rocks were sleek with rain under Blazepaw's claws, making it hard to keep a good grip on the surface without slipping. He tried to keep his terrified trembling under control as his claws clung desperately to the rock. No wonder Sorreltail slipped.

     Blazepaw crept up the rocks slowly and carefully, Dewpaw just behind him. The rain was still pounding down on both of them, making it nearly impossible to look up at the slope ahead of them. The apprentice had to squint and duck his head to avoid rain filling up his nose and eyes. He had no way of knowing how close to the top he was; he just had to pray he didn't have much farther to climb.

     “I'm all wet!” Petalkit declared from below, her voice rising into a plaintive yowl. “Why can't we go back to the den?” Blazepaw heard Dewpaw give a low purr to assure her, but neither apprentice could speak around the kits in their jaws.

     Blazepaw's legs were starting to ache, and his paws trembled with the effort of his climb. He heard a yowl above him, close over his head. “You're almost there!” Strong teeth grasped his scruff, hauling him up onto the edge overlooking the hollow. Blazepaw collapsed onto the grass, dropping Finchkit and panting heavily. The kit squeaked, bounding away from Blazepaw to rejoin his mother.

     Once he got his breath back, Blazepaw peered over the edge. Dewpaw was just below him, still clinging to the rock. “Come on, you're nearly there!” he called out to his denmate. Ivypool stood beside him, ready to help pull the apprentice and kit onto the safety of the ground above. Cloudtail was there too, and Hazeltail, who peered over the edge while Finchkit waited behind her paws.

     Dewpaw reached out with one paw, trying to find purchase. As he did, his hind claws slipped loose of the crevice, his soft pads slipping uselessly on the rain-sleek rock. His forepaws fell loose of the rock, and he began to fall back.

     “No!” Ivypool and Blazepaw reached for Dewpaw at the same time. But it was too late. Petalkit screamed in terror as she and Dewpaw fell, writhing and twisting uselessly in the air. Dewpaw's body slammed against the stone wall as he fell with a sickening thud, and was completely limp as he fell down to the floor of the camp. Blazepaw stared at the camp below in total shock. It couldn't be. Dewpaw couldn't be dead.

     The cats below wailed and screeched in terror. The murky water below had swallowed up Dewpaw's body. Brightheart raced over to his side, sticking her muzzle in the water to sniff her son. Her body shook as she let out a desperate wail. “He's dead! They're both dead!” she cried, her voice shaking with grief. “My son, oh, my son.” She crouched beside him, wailing as she laid her chin over his body in the water.

     Up on the ledge, Foxleap stiffened, jaws parting in an agonized yowl. “Petalkit!” He moved to go back down the slope, but Hazeltail got in his way, using her greater bulk to block him. Foxleap tried to shove past her, but she grabbed him roughly by the scruff, yanking him away from the edge. Her mate struggled desperately to break loose. “Let go of me! I need to help her! She could still be alive!”

     “Dewpaw fell on her, Foxleap.” Ivypool's voice was choked with grief and shock, but she stood steadily in front of Foxleap, blocking his path. “She's dead. You can't help her.”

     Foxleap tried to pull free again, but his struggling eventually broke down into crouching pathetically and wailing. Hazeltail released her mate's scruff, and crouched beside him, letting him burrow against her as he shook and wailed. Unlike her mate, she was perfectly still, eyes closed and expression like stone. Finchkit hung back behind them, trembling like a leaf and his eyes wide as moons. With a jolt of horror, Blazepaw realized he had seen his sister's death.

     The ground seemed to sway under Blazepaw's paws. His head felt terribly light, all the sounds around him muffled. He just couldn't understand what had happened. Dewpaw had been fine just yesterday. They had played and hunted together, Dewpaw had joked like he always did. He was clinging to the rock just moments ago. And now he was gone. It all felt like a dream.

     He could see Cloudtail staring blankly ahead in shock, Snowpaw pressing against his side to hide his own trembling. Amberpaw was still down in the hollow, staring at Dewpaw's body with huge eyes, watching her mother wail with grief. Hazeltail and Foxleap were still huddled together. The tabby's wailing had died down to a low moan of grief. The rest of the Clan seemed almost frozen in shock, like Blazepaw.

     It was Bramblestar who brought them back to their senses. “We have to keep going,” the dark tabby called out to the cats. Blazepaw could hear the tremble in his tone, but the leader stood strong before his Clan. “Seedlight, Blossomfall, lead Brightheart to safety. Lilyfrost, go with Amberpaw and Lightkit.”

     Brightheart barely moved as Seedlight and Blossomfall nudged at her flanks. It took Blossomfall physically hauling Brightheart up by her scruff for the elder to snap out of her funk. She shook herself free, then allowed herself to be led where the warriors pushed her. Amberpaw was trembling, but she followed Lilyfrost without protest.

     Blazepaw watched in blind shock as the rest of the cats made their way up the path, one by one. Finally, only Bramblestar and Squirrelflight remained. Before they began their climb, the leader and deputy turned to their Clanmates' bodies. Bramblestar lowered himself to the ground and slid Dewpaw's body over his shoulders, while Squirrelflight gently scooped up Petalkit's body in her jaws. Once their fallen Clanmates were secure, they began their climb.

     The ginger queen's belly was heavy with kits, with made her a slow, clumsy climber. But Bramblestar stayed patiently beside her, aiding her when she needed, just staying beside her when she didn't. The water had risen above a cat's head by now, and was still climbing by the time they reached the ledge. ThunderClan could do nothing but watch as their camp was swallowed by dark, forbidding water.

     For several moments, no one moved. They all just stared down at their camp in horror. Finally, Birchfall broke the silence. “Where will we go?” He spoke in a hushed mew, but even with the rain pounding, every cat heard him.

     Bramblestar hesitated. The leader had stayed strong to this point, but now Blazepaw could see that he was starting to falter. Even as the leader failed to answer, though, an idea started to come to Blazepaw. “What about the abandoned twoleg nest?” he suggested quietly.

     His Clanmates, one by one, turned to look at him. He nearly faltered under the gaze of so many cats, but forced himself to explain. “It's farther from the lake and on higher ground than the camp, and it should offer shelter from the rain.”

     Bramblestar's eyes lit up. “You're right. That's our best option.” He rose his voice to a yowl and announced, “We must head for the twoleg nest! Everyone stay together.” Squirrelflight began weaving among her Clanmates, assigning cats to help the elders and to carry the kits.

     “Blazepaw!” The apprentice only had a few moments' warning before he was attacked on both sides. Lionblaze and Cinderheart were nuzzling and licking him fiercely, trembling hard enough for Blazepaw to feel it down to his bones. “Thank StarClan you're safe,” Lionblaze breathed.

     Blazepaw didn't realize how hard he was shaking until he felt Cinderheart put a paw on his back to steady him. He leaned into his parents' embrace, the truth and horror of what he had seen finally hitting him. His denmate and friend was dead, and so was a kit, a young, innocent kit. Oh Silentpaw, Blazepaw thought mournfully, why did you leave? Your Clan needs you, now more than ever.

     Once Squirrelflight finished giving her orders, ThunderClan began its long, miserable march through their territory. Every cat trudged on in silence. Dewpaw's body was still slung over Bramblestar's shoulders; Dewpaw's parents and littermates surrounded the dark tabby, walking beside Dewpaw in silent grief. Hazeltail had taken Petalkit from Squirrelflight, and was now carrying her with an expression of stone, while Foxleap carried their wide-eyed son.

     The moon was starting to fall by the time they reached the twoleg nest. Every cat was completely exhausted. The elders were slumping against the warriors, and even after the trauma of what he had seen, Finchkit managed to fall asleep in his father's jaws.

     When they reached the nest, Bramblestar led his cats inside. There was only just enough room for every cat inside. Bits of the wall and roof had crumbled away, but there was just enough of the roof left to lend shelter from the rain. Once every cat was inside, Bramblestar leaped atop part of the collapsed wall and stood before his Clan. Dewpaw and Petalkit's bodies had been laid out in the center of the den, every cat gathered around them.

     “Tonight, we sit vigil for our fallen Clanmates, taken from us far too soon,” he rumbled. “But we must also look to our survival for the next few days. Our fresh-kill pile is lost to us. We need more prey as soon as possible. Mousewhisker, Berrynose, Birchfall, Blossomfall, I need you out hunting by dawn, so get some sleep. Anyone else who needs rest, find somewhere to sleep. The rest of us will keep vigil.

     “But before we begin our vigil, there is another duty I must perform.” The leader's voice was heavy with grief as he spoke, but he still managed a hint of warmth as he mewed, “Even through this tragedy, we must celebrate life, and our future. We have lost one apprentice tonight, and he shall be honored by StarClan forever. But two more apprentices shall join our ranks. Lightkit, Sparkkit, step forward.”

     Blazepaw's tail lashed in shock. Bramblestar was going to make new apprentices now? Lightkit and Sparkkit looked just ask shocked, but obediently approached their leader. They barely looked excited; their expression were dull with grief and horror. Blazepaw didn't envy them, having their special moment in the middle of such loss. But he supposed he could understand Bramblestar's choice. The Clan was scared and grief-stricken. Knowing there were more warriors in training, and that Clan life was going on even with their camp and two of their members lost, was bound to reassure them.

     Bramblestar looked down on the apprentices and announced, “From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this cat will be known as Lightpaw.” The tom's eyes lit up for a moment, blazing with pride at the sound of his new name. “Birchfall, ever since the Dark Battle, you have proven to be nothing but a loyal and dedicated member of our Clan. Your experience and your courage will make you a fine mentor for this young cat.” Birchfall blinked in surprise, then left Cloudtail's side, coming to touch noses with his new apprentice.

     The leader then turned to his littermate. “From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this cat will be known as Sparkpaw.” The newly named Sparkpaw's expression was solemn, and his pelt bristled uncomfortably. Bramblestar's gaze searched the crowd. “Cinderheart.” Blazepaw's mother looked up in surprise. “You were an excellent mentor to Ivypool, and you have more experience than most cats. The memories you carry, and the courage and loyalty you have shown in this life, will make you an excellent mentor for Sparkpaw.” The gray she-cat approached her new apprentice. Sparkpaw was measuring Cinderheart with a cautious expression. Probably wondering if she's more medicine cat than warrior, Blazepaw thought bitterly. He and Sparkpaw had never really gotten on well. After a few moments, however, Sparkpaw touched noses with his new mentor without a fuss.

Bramblestar lifted his head proudly. “ThunderClan will endure, just as it always has. Rest tonight, and tomorrow, we will find new ways to survive.” With that, he leaped down again, coming to sit by the bodies of his Clanmates.

     Blazepaw crept towards the center of the den, where the bodies were laid out. Petalkit looked eerily small in death, more like a scrap of fur than a cat. Beside her, Dewpaw law stretched out. His eyes, usually full of goofy cheer, were closed. He looked so peaceful. It seemed wrong.

     Cloudtail and Brightheart were at his side, Amberpaw and Snowpaw crowded with them. Blazepaw hesitated, then crept in beside them, lowering himself before Dewpaw and touching his nose to his friend's pelt. Sleep well, Dewpaw, he thought silently. May you run with warriors of old and find more fat, juicy mice than you could ever eat.