#WOOOO YEAHHHH CHAPTER 4 BBY

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10% Left AU// Chapter Four

Willowshine stared down at Podpaw with round eyes, she pleaded with the tom.

"C'mon young one... just keep breathing for me, okay?" She leaned down to nuzzle into the wounded apprentice's fur, her voice cracked as she spoke again, "Can you do that for me?"

Podpaw didn't respond, not even trying to look the medicine cat in the eyes. His wounds still poured blood through the spiderwebs that Willowshine had carefully placed. Podpaw's breathing became shallower and shallower until it stopped completely with a shuddering cough.

Willowshine didn't raise her head for a few more heartbeats, grief coming over her in waves. Podpaw had been the last patient alive in the medicine den, all the others had already succumbed to their injuries.

Willowshine felt many emotions swirling in her gut, shame, regret, guilt, hate, you name it. Her one job was to keep these cats alive and she had failed.

Willowshine took a gaze around the rest of the overfilled medicine den, many cats from the other clans and her own lay still and dead. She stood and carefully checked over each body, ensuring that they really had gone to Starclan. She made it to the mouth of the den, turning back and gazing over the sea of dead cats. She muttered a quick prayer for all the warriors to make it to Silverpelt safe, before fleeing from the cave, there was nothing left for her there.

Willowshine emerged from the den to see that night had fallen over the camp. Many other dead bodies lay on the ground but she forced her gaze away from them, she had to find Mothwing.

Her mentor had fled awhile ago to check on the other medicine cats, leaving Willowshine alone to tend to the injured cats. But that had been when the sun was still in the sky, where was the medicine cat now?

She scanned over the bodies briefly, ensuring none of them had Mothwing's golden pelt, she muttered another prayer for the cats in the clearing. As she blinked, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned as a long brown tail snuck into the nursery.

Unease filled Willowshine's belly immediately, swearing she saw a faint red hue glimmering after the cat. She had no time to hope for the best, she unsheathed her claws and sprinted towards the nursery. She may not be a warrior but she would rather die than stand by as another cat was slain.

Willowshine skidded to a halt as she entered the mouth of the den, frantically looking around the small space, she noticed many things at once.

Duskfur was lying on the ground, dead, with her throat slashed. It seems the wound was recently inflicted.

Her suspicions about the brown-tailed cat were correct, he turned to Willowshine and grinned, a red hue glowing around him.

Willowshine faintly heard a crunch sound. Startled, she looked at the tom's paws and saw a now dead Lizardkit under them.

Realizing she just watched him murder a kit, she let out a earsplitting screech and flung herself at him.

Willowshine flew across the ground with her forearms stretched out in front of her, claws unsheathed. The blood pounding in her ears roared as she made contact with ghostly flesh. She easily pinned the tom, she now recognized as Shredtail, to the ground. However this was shortlived as he was a fully-trained warrior and she was merely a medicine cat with basic battle training.

He maneuvered his legs to kick out at her belly, sending her flying with a hiss. She landed ungracefully, accidently bending one paw, she grit her teeth. Shredtail snarled at her, almost like a taunt, before racing out to strike her.

Willowshine wasn't stupid, she knew the odds were heavily stacked against her. She was a healer! Not a fighter. She would probably die alongside her clanmates in this battle.

But she refused to go down without a fight.

Willowshine willed herself to remember her battle training and ducked out of the way of the approaching claws. They seemed to aim for her neck, it made sense considering that most cats had died from a throat slash.

Shredtail flew past her, not expecting her to dodge. She took the opportunity to attack his side, knocking him to the ground once more. She tore her claws through his shoulder, ripping her teeth where she could. Shredtail howled and lashed out a free paw at her face, cutting up her nose.

Willowshine let out a yowl in surprise, stepping back and giving him the slightest leeway for escape. He slammed his injured side against her front, knocking her back. She landed against something soft, she realized with horror that it was Duskfur's body.

Shredtail stood once again and Willowshine made to scramble to her paws, but then she heard something. She looked down by Duskfur's belly, there lay her dead kits, Lizardkit, Perchkit and Havenkit, except... Havenkit was mewling.

Willowshine felt relief flood her senses as she realized that the newborn tom-kit was still alive. There was no time to dwell on it however, if they were both to survive, she would have to single-handedly take down this Dark Forest warrior.

Feeling a new purpose, Willowshine launched herself at her eager opponent, slashing up his chest while he sunk his teeth into her shoulder. Shredtail ripped and teared at her flesh, making Willowshine wince as the pain almost became overpowering.

She knocked him back with more claws at his chest, she simply needed a moment to collect herself without him breathing in her ear, she faintly saw the blood spurt from his chest. As he fell away, he took a chunk of her fur with him.

Willowshine hissed at the pain throbbing in her shoulder, closing her eyes for merely a heartbeat as she was knocked to the ground. She stared up at Shredtail, panting above her, he grinned at Willowshine, yellow teeth shining in the soft moonlight.

"End of the line, sweetheart." He purred gravelly in her ears, he raised his mutilated paw with his claws unnaturally extended, "Say hi to Starclan for me, wontcha?"

Willowshine held her breath, seemingly paralyzed with fear, not that she could knock the heavy warrior off herself anyway. He swung his paw back ready to strike when there was a loud yowl.

Both of them swung their heads to look at the entrance of the den, Willowshine could recognize that golden pelt from anywhere.

Mothwing slung herself at the Dark Forest tom, ripping at his eyes viciously. Willowshine crawled out from under them, ready to turn and help her mentor when she heard the quiet mewling again.

She turned to Duskfur's belly, checking over each kit's body, ensuring that only Havenkit still lived, before she plucked him up in her mouth by his scruff, backing up in a corner of the den. Willowshine turned them away from the fight happening in the den but still turned at an angle to see what was going on. She collected Havenkit in her paws, marvelling at his small brown pelt. His eyes and ears were still closed, he couldn't speak more than crying, and his little belly was still plump. She leaned down and licked the tom-kit's face, smiling when he cried out.

"You're okay now," she whispered to him, despite him not understanding her, "I've got you."

Willowshine turned her attention on the fight just in time to see Mothwing tear out Shredtail's throat with her deadly jaws. Willowshine had no doubt her mentor could take down the tom, she had trained as a warrior first after all, plus Willowshine had already weakened him somewhat.

Mothwing spat out the black bile that had collected in her mouth, wiping her maw with a paw, she turned her amber gaze onto her apprentice and the kit bundled up in her paws.

"Is he-" Mothwing interrupted herself with a cough, padding towards Willowshine, "Is he the last one?"

Willowshine frowned as she looked down at the squirming kit, "As far as I know."

Mothwing simply nodded, seeming too tired for words. She flopped down by her apprentice and buried her face in her dark gray fur.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Mothwing whimpered, the sound muffled through Willowshine's pelt.

Willowshine felt emotion choke her up, "I'm so glad you're okay too." She whispered back.

They laid there silently for a few moments, the only sounds being Havenkit's cries, just glad to be in each other's company.

Mothwing pulled her head back and opened her mouth to speak when a screech sounded from inside the camp. The mollies whipped their heads to the maw of the den.

"Foxdung!" The golden cat cursed, rising to her paws and racing outside.

Willowshine debated for a moment, unsure if she should follow with Havenkit. Mothwing's own screeching sounded through the air and Willowshine made her decision quickly, picking Havenkit up by the scruff and running into the night once more.

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End of Chapter Four

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