Zodiac (warrior cats)

Chapter 24

"Ow that hurts!" Pondripple hissed, as Rushpaw treated her injury. The gray warrior had torn open her pad in the process of fighting, and now wouldn't even let Rushpaw treat it.
"If you stay still than it wouldn't hurt!" he growled, seeing the light red aura reflecting from her.
Rushpaw had learned the word Aura when he visited StarClan in a dream, they said it was a light coming from cats and the color determined their emotions.
And right now without even looking, Rushpaw knew that every cat entering the Medicine Cats den was red.
"Why do we have to treat WindClan?" Rushpaw snorted as Petalfur helped the WindClan apprentice Moorpaw into the Medicine den.
"Because it would be wrong to not help" Whiteleopard replied as she applied cobwebs to a cats wound.
Shaking his head, Rushpaw preceded to apply tansy to the bleeding pad of Pondripple. His mind wandering back to Otterpaw, Rushpaw wondered where his friend was.
She hadn't been here getting treated for any injuries so that was a good thing, but then where was she?
"Whiteleopard!" an urgent yowl came from outside the den.
Finishing up the gray she-cats injury, Rushpaw followed his mentor. The senior warrior Robinclaw was standing with a worried look on his face, his tortoiseshell and white fur stood up on all ends.
"It's Copperpool" he meowed urgently as Whiteleopard joined her apprentice, "Her bellies been sliced open."
"Oh no" Whiteleopard gasped, Robinclaw's sister was expecting kits!
Not Copperpool, she was Rushpaw's aunt!
Rushing over to the ginger she-cat, Rushpaw almost fainted from the sight before him. Her belly large from the kits she was carrying, Copperpool was sprawled out on the ground, blood rushing from her stomach wound.
"Will the kits be okay?" Rushpaw asked worriedly, they were his kin.
The black and white she-cat bent down to examined Copperpool.
"The kits aren't our main priority" she told him swiftly, "If we have to make a choice then we save Copperpool, its a life or death situation."
Rushpaw's belly tightened as he stared at the gurgling queen, she was choking on her own blood. But how did you repair an injury like this? Even all the cobwebs in the world couldn't help Copperpool.
"Wh...Whiteleopard" the dieing queen meowed the Medicine Cats name.
"What is it?" she asked soothingly, pressing her tail against Copperpool's head to calm her.
Copperpool looked down at her belly wound, her golden eyes blinking slowly, "Save my kits" her voice was nothing but a whisper, "Please...Save my kits."
Rushpaw felt like he was going to throw up, if they saved her kits then Copperpool would die! Hearing loud paw steps on the ground, Rushpaw looked up to see Copperpool's mate Grassfoot bounding towards her.
"No..Oh please StarClan no" he stopped frozen by the sight of his mate, "Copperpool...".
Dieing from blood loss, Copperpool was barely able to look up at her mate.
"Grassfoot" she sighed happily, "Grassfoot take good care of our kits, I'll...always be watching over you all." The last part of her sentence was cut off as more blood came from her mouth, and then Copperpool's golden eyes became clouded.
"Save the kits!" the gray father demanded Whiteleopard, as she pressed into Copperpool's stomach.
And that was when Rushpaw closed his eyes in horror as his mentor pulled the kits from their mothers dead body.
This isn't happening! He shut his eyes harder than a vice, as tiny squeals filled the air. It was a few moments before everything became silent, and carefully Rushpaw opened one eye lid.
There next to him lay three tiny kits, all surrounded by a wondrous bright blue light.
"They're alive" he gasped in shock as Whiteleopard cleaned them up, their fur fluffy and warm now.
All of this pain had been suffered by Copperpool, but look what she gave up in the long run. Three beautiful, healthy kits were born, and they would carry on their mothers legacy.
I won't have anyone to carry on my legacy, Rushpaw meowed silently.
He had always wanted kits, but now that he was a Medicine Cat apprentice, that was impossible. Maybe someday he could become a warrior if Whiteleopard let him, but the Full-Moon of Leaf-Bare was slowly approaching.
Would Rushpaw even have a chance to disobey the Warrior Code? What if he was dead by then?
Charredpaw looked on in horror as the burning fire raged across WindClan territory.
Oh no, had he just destroyed a clans home? What was Charredpaw going to do now, the clans would think he did it on purpose! There was only one cat who could help him in this type of situation, Dovestar.
Praying to StarClan that no one was injured in the fire, Charredpaw turned completely around and raced back to ThunderClan camp. Everything had happened so fast, Charredpaw almost thought he was dreaming it seemed so surreal.
"Why do I have a power if I can't control it?" Charredpaw cursed that stupid power, he shouldn't have been given it if he couldn't control it!
But maybe I can, he thought suddenly, Maybe I just need to keep working at it. But how many more clan camps were going to burn down before Charredpaw mastered it? Rowan and Ash trees streamed by as Charredpaw bolted through his territory, the Thorn-Tunnel finally coming into sight.
"What's wrong Charredpaw?" the guard on duty, Kestreltail, asked as the apprentice bounded towards him.
"Fire, WindClan camp" he gasped, pushing past the golden tom and rushing into the camp.
Inside the safety of his own home, Charredpaw suddenly felt safe, everything would work out in the end. But what if Dovestar didn't believe him? No, he snapped at himself, She has to she's my clan leader!
"Dovestar" he meowed urgently, entering the leaders den without permission.
The fluffy gray she-cat lay at the back of the cavern, her head hidden in the shadows. "Charredpaw?" she asked while seeming to sense his emotions, "What's wrong are you okay?".
Trying to catch his breath while trying to explain what happened at, at the same time wasn't an easy thing. Finally getting a grasp on himself, Charredpaw looked his leader in the eye.
"I was trying to learn how to use my power like StarClan said" he began urgently, "There was still some fire by the Moon Pool and I began to move it. Everything was going great until a breeze blew the fire and it got out of control. I lit WindClan camp on fire Dovestar, I destroyed their home!".
The gray she-cats pale golden eyes widened in shock, as she tried to calm Charredpaw.
"Shh" she meowed while nudging him, "Everything's going to be okay, we'll sort this out somehow."
"How?" he asked swiftly.
After all he had lit another clans camp on fire, they weren't just going to let that happen then do nothing about it! What if WindClan started a war against ThunderClan?
"Dovestar" a meow came from Charredpaw's father Burntpelt as he entered the den. "Its Thistlestar, he and a patrol are asking to speak to you. They said its urgent" Burntpelt explained, giving his son an odd look.
Oh no, Charredpaw gasped silently. They were here to make him pay for what he did to their camp! What if they tried to kidnap him?
"Don't worry" Dovestar flicked her tail as she exited her den, "I'll sort this matter out."
And with that, the leader of ThunderClan padded out into the intense sunlight to meet the leader of WindClan. Thistlestar stood next to the Thorn-Tunnel, his long furred white pelt hanging over his large muscles.
Behind him was a patrol consisting of Waspfur, Sunstrike, Ravenpelt and Beetlewhisker.
"Thistlestar" Dovestar bowed her head as she joined the leader, "We need to talk."
The long-furred tom snarled, "You're certainly right we need to talk, to you know what that apprentice of yours did to my clans home? Its burnt to a crisp now! Cats could have died Dovestar!".
Calmly the leader rose her tail for silence, as she opened her golden eyes.
"It was an accident Thistlestar. Charredpaw was trying to practice his power near the Moon Pool, it got out of control and spread into your clan territory" her eyes held sincerity.
"I can assure you we meant no harm to WindClan, it was all a big mistake."
The cats growled and snarled at Dovestar's comment, Sunstrike bunching her muscles as if she were about to attack. But Dovestar had muscle as well, Burntpelt, Redlion and Leopardfang crowded around her protectively.
"There will be no fighting in my camp" the gray she-cat glared at her warriors, as Thistlestar made Sunstrike back down.
Charredpaw looked from the rocky ledge he was standing on, as Thistlestar glared in his direction.
"Today enough cats have suffered" Thistlestar meowed firmly, "But I promise your Dovestar, I will get revenge for whats been done." And as he turned away, a spark lit in his bright green eyes.
"I have Zodiacs of my own, and they hold more power than you can even imagine." And with that, the leader summoned his patrol to leave ThunderClan camp, disappearing through the Thorn-Tunnel.
"How dare he threaten us!" a riled up Redlion yowled, as Crimsonrise and Morningwillow agreed.
But a few angry gazes turned to Charredpaw, and he knew exactly what they were thinking. Charredpaw could have just very well started a war between two clans.
And not only a war between the clans, but between the Zodiac's as well.