CHAPTER 8
The sound of a yowl woke Wavepaw from his dream. It was a yowl filled with shock, and it rang through the camp with an eerie echo. He jumped up and ran out of the apprentice's den, with pieces of moss still clinging to his pelt. He looked frantically around the camp, and there was Stormfur, yowling in fear. "Brookheart! Where are you?"
Rockstar stood next to the distraught warrior with a look of calmness on his face. "Maybe she just went out hunting. She knows the territory by now."
"But she's so close to having her kits!" he hissed. "She knows better then to wander off so close to giving birth."
Rockstar looked around the camp and sighed. "Go back to your dens, everyone," he sighed. "I'm going to go with Stormfur to look for Brookheart." There was some disagreement, but no one spoke it louder then a whisper. Then they slipped back into their dens.
Rockstar turned to Stormfur and mewed, "Alright, lets go."
"Wait!" Wavepaw yowled, running over to his father. "Let me go with you," he begged.
Rockstar's eyes softened. "You have your first day of training tomorrow. You should be well-rested."
"But-"
"Let him come, Rockstar," Stormfur mewed. His eyes were surprisingly warm as he gazed at Wavepaw. "I have a good feeling that we'll find her if he comes with us."
Rockstar thought for a few heartbeats and then nodded. "Very well. But don't complain if you're tired tomorrow."
"I won't" he promised.
Rockstar nodded, and all three cats ran out of camp with Rockstar at the lead. They soon picked up her scent, leading toward ThunderClan territory. Wavepaw felt confusion cloud his mind. Where would the pregnant queen be going?
After a few heartbeats, the scent vanished abruptly. "Mouse dung," Rockstar muttered. "Okay, try to relocate the scent." Stormfur, nose to the ground, sniffed around some bushes and soon vanished inside them. Wavepaw concentrated hard, and pressed his nose close to the ground, took a few steps, and inhaled. Nothing. He took a couple more steps, and a rumble of thunder roared in the distance. Wavepaw looked up to see huge black drops fall to the ground. One landed straight on his forehead, and Wavepaw shook it off. Rockstar and Stormfur ignored the rain, which was now pouring, and concentrated on finding Brookheart's scent.
Wavepaw pressed his nose to the ground and inhaled again. Still nothing. He took a few more steps, and inhaled. A strong trace of a cat's scent led toward the tall-pine. "I found it!" Wavepaw yowled. Stormfur and Rockstar stopped and looked at him. "Well done," Rockstar mewed. "Lead the way." Wavepaw nodded, and ran in the direction of the tall-pine, making sure her scent remained.
The scent steadily grew stronger and stronger, until Wavepaw was sure that she was close. He lifted his head and almost yowled her name but stopped. Another scent had entered his nostrils. And it wasn't good.
Blood."Brookheart!" Stormfur yowled, his voice high pitched with fear. Clearly he had smelled blood too. A weak rasping mew told the patrol that she was sheltering under the tall pine. Stormfur took off, with Wavepaw and Rockstar at his heels.
A sobbing sound came from under the tree. Wavepaw looked under and halted, his limbs frozen in horror. Brookheart was bleeding to death! She gasped and yowled and wriggled around, blood pouring from her like a tidal wave.
"NO!" Stormfur screeched. "Don't do this StarClan! Please!" Wavepaw felt a strong wave of sadness and pain come off of the warrior. Had something like this happened before?
Wavepaw was jolted out of his thoughts by a loud gasp from the queen.
"Her kits are coming," Stormfur whispered.
Suddenly another scent caught Wavepaw's attention, and he heard a voice ring in his ears.
Listen carefully to me, Wavepaw. There is only one thing you can do to save the kits' lives. Wavepaw instinctively knew this was one of his warrior ancestors speaking to him. Why the cat came to him was beyond Wavepaw.
But what about Brookheart? Wavepaw asked. There was a long pause.
I'm sorry. Wavepaw felt grief way him down, but he shook it off.
Tell me what to do, he told the she-cat.
Okay, tell Brookheart to listen to what you say. She must put all of her strength into pushing the kits out. Push when I say 'now'.Wavepaw nodded, and padded next to Brookheart, who was dying quickly. "You must listen to me," he whispered. "You must put all of your strength into pushing the kits out. Push when I say 'now'. Can you do that?" Brookheart nodded stiffly.
Place your paws on her stomach. Wavepaw put his front paws gently on the queen's stomach.
"Wavepaw, what are you doing?" Rockstar asked. He ignored him.
When I tell you, massage her stomach with your paws. This will help push the kits out.Wavepaw waited for her signal tencely.
Now!"Now!" Wavepaw meowed, and started massaging her stomach. Brookheart strained and pushed as hard as she could, which just made blood pour out faster. Soon there was a tiny kit next to her. Stormfur already started licking it's wet fur.
Now!"Now!" Brookheart listened, and soon there was another kit who was being taken cared of by Rockstar.
One more. Now!"Now!" Wavepaw yowled. The queen strained and struggled. "I can't!" she cried.
"You have to!" Wavepaw yowled. "You can do it, Brookheart!"
The queen continued to struggle and push, and finally there was another wet bundle at her side.
Well, done, Wavepaw. The voice faded like a gust of wind had blown it away.
Wait! There was no responce.
Wavepaw licked the last kit, and quckly warmed it up. The rain had stopped. He heard a sigh, and Brookheart's eyes glazed over.
"NO!" Stormfur yowled, flinging himself at her. But there was no use. She was dead.
The three tiny kits started crying, and Rockstar jumped. "Stormfur, we must take these kits back to camp," he mewed urgently. Stormfur obeyed, still crying. He picked up a black kit with a white and ginger muzzle, and ran in the direction of the camp. Rain again started pouring from the black sky. Wavepaw and Rockstar picked up the other two kits, and ran after him, leaving the dead queen behind in the rain.