Chapter 13

     Hollypaw stifled a yawn and padded out of her den, her muscles aching and her mind worried for her sister. While she and Firepaw had survived the battle unscathed. They had hidden with their sister in the apprentice's den. But after the battle Snowpaw had disappeared, and when she had come back, she bore deep scratches along her flank. 

     RiverClan must have been really mad.

     Even Smokepaw was horribly injured. Some cat there had bitten deep into his throat, even now, Leafpool was struggling to stop the bleeding. Although she managed to press enough cobwebs to it, once he moved even a little in his sleep, the wound would open up.

   Leafpool was the medicine cat now. Jayfeather...wasn't in that great of a state. He was covered in scratches, each becoming infected one by one, and he still couldn't breathe properly. Lionblaze and Leafpool were grim, and they wouldn't talk to anyone much except to each other and Jayfeather when he was awake. And when he was, no other cat was allowed to talk to him.

     Hollypaw didn't have to be a medicine cat to know that gray tom was fighting for his life, and the odds weren't that good.

     A pelt brushed hers from behind, and she turned around to find Spiderleg looking at her sympathetically. "I know things are tense in the clan right now," he began gently, "but that doesn't mean we have to stop doing our duties. We're going to do some battle training now." His tail rested on her back. "You are up for it, aren't you?"

     Hollypaw nodded her head vigorously. She followed him out of camp. Her mind raced with the screeches of the battle, and finally she spoke up, saying, "It's unfair.  How can cats stand to do that to one another?"

    Her mentor skidded to a halt and turned around to face her. "It's just the way clan life works. That's why you must not have friends in other clans."

     "But Jayfeather, Smokepaw, and Snowpaw? None of those were right. Jayfeather is a medicine cat; he should not have been attacked. And Snowpaw only just became an apprentice. Why did Petalfur have to go and attack her? And as for Smokepaw, isn't it dishonorable to bite in a fight?"

     Spiderleg stared at her a moment longer before turning away. "It's wrong, I know. Our medicine cat is dying from an unfair battle. But you'd better get used to it," he growled, his voice shaking slightly. 

     Hollypaw blinked. "Oh, of course," she stammered. 

     A snap of a twig came from nearby. She whipped her head around, and saw a brown tabby tom with amber eyes trying to sneak through the forest. "Tigerheart!" Spiderleg said.

     The brown tabby tom froze as he realized he was caught. 

     "What are you doing here?" Spiderleg snarled.

     Tigerheart's defiant gaze faltered for a moment, but came back just as quickly. "I suppose you think I'm trying to invade?" he accused.

     Hollypaw retorted, "We don't think. We know." She listened quietly as Spiderleg leaned over and whispered in her ear. She nodded.

     "Leave now," Spiderleg hissed.

     Hollypaw slipped into the undergrowth and found a tree while Spiderleg kept Tigerheart busy. "Why should I?" she heard Tigerheart's response. As stealthily as she could, she leaped from one branch to another, until she was directly above the ShadowClan warrior.

     Spiderleg said something else, that she couldn't hear. Then, before Tigerheart could respond, she dropped down, and landed squarely on his shoulders, knocking him to the ground with a huff.

     The tom quickly shook her off and heaved himself to his paws. He dodged to one side, before fleeing back to his clan, Hollypaw and Spiderleg hard on his heels. Hollypaw skidded to a halt at her side of the border. She glared at Tigerheart as he turned around and glanced back, panting. After a few moments, he spoke, and the words that escaped is mouth astounded Hollypaw.

     "Please don't tell anyone about this? Not even my clanmates?"

     Hollypaw glanced at Spiderleg, who narrowed his eyes. "Why? Were you betraying your own clan?" he snarled.

     Tigerheart looked uncertain, almost as if he were begging now. "Please. I promise I'll clear it up soon. Just give me some time."

     Although her instinct was to say no, she watched Spiderleg's face, waiting for his expression to betray what he was thinking. But his gaze remained cold. After a long moment, he finally said, "Fine. You need your excuse by the Gathering, or we will tell." 

      

Hollypaw was still thinking about the confrontation with Tigerheart when they got back to camp. They ended up not having the training session, since the time went into driving the intruder away. What could he be up to? was the question that would not escape her mind.