Hollypaw chased after her, skidding to a halt as Leafpool crouched and rolled Squirrelflight over with one paw. With her other she carefully parted the dark orange belly fur. A deep claw gash ran from Squirrelflight’s chest to the top of her hind leg. Blood was flooding from it, pooling on the sand beneath her flanks.

Hollypaw pressed her muzzle against Squirrelflight’s cheek. “She’s hardly breathing.” Her mother’s eyes were beginning to close. “Stay awake!” Hollypaw begged. She spotted Lionpaw and Foxpaw returning with wads of cobweb hanging from their jaws. Thank StarClan! “Over here!”

Lionpaw darted to his mother’s side.

“Give me those.” Leafpool dragged the cobwebs from his mouth and began padding Squirrelflight’s wound. She beckoned Foxpaw over, taking his cobwebs too. “Go to the pool in my den,” she told him, not looking up. “Fetch soaked moss. Quick as you can.”

Lionpaw was staring at his mother in horror.

“You too!” Leafpool growled. “Quickly!”

Lionpaw and Foxpaw darted away.

Jaypaw must have heard the commotion. He left Brambleclaw, his paws still wet with ointment, and began weaving his way through the wounded warriors.

Brambleclaw watched him go, surprise lighting his eyes, then looked past him and saw Squirrelflight. He charged around the clearing, Jaypaw’s poultice crumbling from his flank as he ran. He stopped beside Hollypaw. “What’s wrong?”

“Belly wound,” Hollypaw whispered.

“How’d it happen?”

Sandstorm shook her head. “She was fighting beside me on the shore, but I thought she was okay. She was never down for more than a moment.”

Brambleclaw crouched beside his mate. “Don’t leave me,” he begged.

Squirrelflight’s eyes flickered open at the sound of his voice, then closed again.

He nudged her with his muzzle. “You’ll be okay. Leafpool won’t let you die.”

Hollypaw stared hopefully at Leafpool, but the medicine cat was too busy working on Squirrelflight’s wound to look up. Jaypaw slid in beside her and began holding cobwebs in place as Leafpool applied fresh padding.

Lionpaw returned and dropped a wad of dripping moss beside her. She snatched it up and began washing away the blood. “Fetch more!”

Squirrelflight didn’t flinch at the cold water. She was too deeply unconscious.

Hollypaw leaned in closer. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she?”

Brambleclaw started to lick Squirrelflight’s cheek. “Sleep well, my lovely. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“What’s happened?” Firestar was staring down at Squirrelflight, his eyes round with shock.

“Get back, all of you!” Leafpool suddenly snapped.

Blood roared in Hollypaw’s ears. She’s going to die! She stepped back, numbly, and brushed against Brambleclaw. Her father was trembling.

“Hollypaw!” Leafpool was staring directly at her. “Go to my den and fetch oak leaves.”

Oak leaves. Oak leaves. She tried to focus, terrified she’d forget, her mind in a whirl of panic.