Young Writers Society

Graypaw's eyes swelled with grief as Quickflash dragged Pinkeyes's limp body into camp. Strikeclaw followed, Havenpaw leaning heavily on the larger cat. The apprentice's muzzle was dripping with sweat and blood, and he was missing several patches of fur. Ripplepaw and Mothear followed, neither of them looking happy.

"ThunderClan has taken the Sunningrocks!" Strikeclaw called, his grim mew echoing throughout the camp. "Pinkeyes is dead!"

"No!" hissed Graypaw angrily, her mew tinged with grief. She watched Minnowfeather and Tinypaw stop sharing tongues and race over to the patrol.

Shorestar padded out of her den and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear our words!" She turned and glanced at Tawnybird. "Are the hunting patrols back yet?"

"No," he answered darkly, golden pelt bristling. "StarClan willing, they'll all make it back okay."

Meanwhile, Pinestep and Berryfur had taken Havenpaw from Strikeclaw, nosing the apprentice into the medicine den. "I'll be alright," he coughed hoarsely. "I want to watch the meeting."

Mousebrain! Graypaw thought. You look like you'd fall over the moment they let you go. Let them take care of you.

"You'll hear it just fine while we treat your wounds," Pinestep mewed sternly, narrowing her green eyes. "If I have to make Berryfur sit on your head so I can make sure you don't die, I will."

Berryfur purred. "She isn't kidding." Graypaw watched as the old cat looked over Havenpaw's body nose to tail tip. "Goldenrod, poppyseeds, and horsetail will do, I think."

"Cobwebs wouldn't hurt, either," Pinestep added.

Their conversation faded, and Graypaw turned her attention onto Shorestar. Graypaw's mother was listening to Strikeclaw, eyes shadowed with fear and worry. "...after Peltstone fell to the ground, I saw Havenpaw and Pinkeyes fighting Leafpaw, Morningstep's apprentice. Pinkeyes saved Havenpaw's life at the cost of her own; she's a hero."

Several of their Clanmates mewed in agreement. From the opening of the elders den, Lightningsong called, "We should take revenge on them and show the full strength of our Clan!"

"Yes!" Sunsetfur agreed. "ThunderClan has stolen our land! We must take revenge."

Shorestar held up her tail for silence and shook her head. "No... Tonight, we will sit vigil for Pinkeyes. In three days, we will bring our grievance up at the Gathering. Antstar and Shrewstar will not stand for ThunderClan stealing another Clan's land."

"What about Flintstar and the medicine cats?" a black tom with blind eyes asked. "Strikeclaw says Pearnose took it as a sign."

"Pearnose is wrong, Rookfeather," Pinestep mewed as she left the medicine den. "StarClan would have spoken to us; they did not want this to happen. The Sunningrocks are ours. Flamingstar had no interest in the Sunningrocks before the flood; he should have no interest in them now."

"Nonetheless, Shorestar is right," Tawnybird replied. "The other Clans will not stand for this. Our ancestors will disapprove of what Flamingstar has done."

Graypaw turned to her mentor, Dewwhisker. The older cat was cleaning one of her paws as she listened to their Clanmates. "It sounds to me," she said after a moment, "like StarClan has spoken. Each Clan has lost one cat, and Havenpaw is badly injured. There was no prey on the Sunningrocks; our elders and queens merely basked in the rays of daylight because we could. The flood would've had to have been caused by StarClan. They chose to take Barkfur, didn't they?"

"The young cat has a point!" Halfface coughed. "Are we positive that Pinestep is not mistaken?"

"Do you doubt your medicine cat?" Speckleheart's tail tip twitched with annoyance as her ears flicked towards the elder. "Pinestep and Berryfur have never led us wrong."

"Our ancestors would never do this to us!" another cat called.

"Pinestep speaks the truth!"

"But what if Dewwhisker and Halfface are right?"

"Then they'll send a new sign!"

All at once, the Clan descended into chaos as the cats began to bicker. Shorestar yowled for silence, but was unsuccessful. Graypaw looked at her mentor and mewed, "This won't end well, will it?"

"I doubt it, little one," Dewwhisker replied grimly, her voice tinged with fear. "May StarClan help us all."