“No Mapleshine,” Blizzardstar said sternly, raising his tail to silence the deputy, “you know the state the clan is in, we have to move on.”
Leafbare had been cruel to the forest. The rivers froze, prey died in their dens, trees snapped from the frost. EclipseClan had resorted to eating whatever they could get their paws on, even taking cues from the northern Clans to eat crowfood, as disgusting as that was. Even though the moons of newleaf had arrived, it seemed the cold didn’t want to leave. It stubbornly dug its claws into the forest as if wanting to kill everything inside.
But the brutal leafbare wasn’t what was on Blizzardstar’s mind. The forest was quiet… too quiet. Even the songbirds and insects, newly freed from their leafbare slumbers, had ceased their melodies. Deafening silence lorded over the land like a malevolent entity.
And that stench. That musky, unbearable stench that flooded their nostrils with each breath, familiar yet foreign at the same time. It grew stronger every pawstep they took, making Blizzardstar’s fur prickle. He wanted to vomit.
As they continued on, dread began to build in Blizzardstar’s stomach, and he could see his Clanmates were similarly affected. What is it? The leader wondered, bewildered. The forest had never been so cruel and hateful, almost like it was waiting for misfortune to strike.
A stick broke. Blizzardstar’s head shot up and he growled involuntarily, pushing in front of his Clanmates. Terror turned his blood cold as three emaciated figures pushed through the thick undergrowth. No… coyotes!
With gleaming fangs bared, the coyotes stepped into the clearing. Their eyes gleamed with a maddened rage only brought on by the depravity of starvation. If not for the sheer evil he could sense lurking inside, Blizzardstar would have felt pity for the creatures – he could see every bone in under their matted pelts, the skin pulled so tight over the skeleton that it was a wonder it didn’t rip.
Blood speckled their faces and feathers were caught in their teeth. They must have caught something already. Blizzardstar thought hopefully as he stared down the creatures. Maybe they’ll just go-
While Mapleshine was quick enough to escape the clutches of the dogs Blizzardstar and Barkstripe were not.
Without so much as a warning bark, the leader of the starved pack lunged forward. With horror, Blizzardstar saw Barkstripe was trapped against a tree. Moving purely on instinct, the leader raced over – feeling the rank, hot breath of a coyote on his neck – and shoved his warrior out of the way.
White-hot pain shot across Blizzardstar’s body as the coyote bit into his back. He could only let out a strangled cry as the beast began shaking him like he was nothing but a piece of prey.
Through the excruciating pain and the spinning world, the leader could only watch helplessly as Barkstripe was grabbed by yet another coyote. Thankfully, the tom was faster than the brute. Taking a bite to the hip, he leaped away, kicking at the coyote’s face as he did so.
“Blizzardstar!” Through the haze of pain, the leader would hear his deputy’s cry. It was mixed with terror and fury. Pride filled Blizzardstar and he closed his eyes. StarClan, if this is my last battle, please keep them safe.
There was a sudden shock of pain and Blizzardstar dazedly realized he was on the ground now, leaves whirling around his body. He squinted, trying to see through the blood that dripped into his eyes. It was Mapleshine! The deputy was furiously shrieking, clawing into the eyes of the lead coyote.
The mangy beast made a high-pitched ki-ki sound before throwing the deputy off. Its face was bleeding profusely, especially from the now-damaged eye, and somehow Mapleshine had managed to cut into the great vein on the coyote’s throat. Blood gushed out like a grisly fountain, painting the ground into a sanguine nightmare.
Blizzardstar managed to stagger to his paws, intent on making it to his deputy. They could do this… they could escape. I just need to make it over… I can handle this…
A howl of rage split the air. It was so full of fury and misery that it made Blizzardstar’s blood run cold. The other two coyotes, who had been intent on chasing Barkstripe, saw their leader’s twitching body. They abandoned their hunt for the warrior and instead barreled towards Blizzardstar and Mapleshine, who had arrived to help his leader. Blizzardstar, too injured to move, could only brace for it…
The impact sent jolts of pain through Blizzardstar’s body, but the sharp fangs of the coyote biting into his body was what wrenched a gurgling cry from his chest. He heard a terrible crack and realized, with growing horror, that it was his own body.
StarClan! It’s going to eat me! Blizzardstar wanted to yowl, to scream, to tell his Clanmates to flee, but blood filled his mouth. In the bloody haze, he could only watch as Mapleshine and Barkstripe rallied together, fighting bitterly to get to him. No! Get away from here! Run!
The world spun and then darkened around Blizzardstar… then the pain faded away and so did he.
When he opened his eyes, Blizzardstar found himself in a clearing ringed by soft grass. The smell of prey filled the warm air and the leader felt as if it was a lazy greenleaf day.
No… it’s barely newleaf. Blizzardstar thought dimly. This isn’t right. After a moment, he realized he was staring at two cats. No, not cats! Ghosts! I’m in StarClan!
Blizzardstar stared in horror at Galestar, his predecessor, and himself. A barely-there specter, like his shadow had been given color, was standing beside the former leader of EclipseClan. After a long moment of silent shock, he blurted out, “How?”
“You have lost a life.” Galestar’s voice was soft and melodic, at odds with his hulking grey body hatched with scars. “StarClan is healing you.”
Blizzardstar felt choked up. He was never good at expressing his emotions, even in front of his former leader. But he still felt those emotions and now they threatened to overwhelm him. “I failed,” he whispered, “I doomed them. If I had faster, if I had been better, they would be okay.”
Galestar’s calm golden eyes bore into him. “Is that what you think, Blizzardstar?” At the leader’s tentative nod, he stood up. “Come here and look.” He led the way over to a pool of water. “Here. Your Clanmates are waiting for you.”
Feeling apprehensive, Blizzardstar peered into the pool. He half expected to see the bodies of both Barkstripe and Mapleshine. His breath caught – they were okay! Through the rippling water, he could make out both warriors standing guard over his body. Even more surprising were the crumpled and bloody bodies of the coyotes. They killed them!
Galestar turned to Blizzardstar again. “Do you see now? You gave up your life for them, as all leaders should. Barkstripe would be dead if not for you.”
Suddenly the world spun underneath Blizzardstar’s paws and Galestar faded away.
When he awoke next, Blizzardstar was in his Clan’s medicine den. Willowpool was sitting over him, sorting herbs.
“… Willowpool?” Blizzardstar asked. He had a lot of words to say. I saw Galestar, we fought coyotes, I’m so glad to see you’re alright! He settled instead on, “Can I have some water?”
Before the medicine cat could respond, Mapleshine’s sandy head poked into the den. “Blizzardstar, is that you?” His voice was so bright and hopeful that it almost pained the leader.
Barkstripe shoved his way in next. “Blizzardstar! You missed it! We slaughtered those stupid mutts! Ripped them apart!”
“One of them threw itself into a branch that pierced its throat,” Mapleshine explained gently.
“But I ripped off one of their tails!” Barkstripe said proudly. “You should have seen it. I was amazing!”
As the two warriors began to fill in the final moments of the fight – the last coyote snarling as it choked on its own blood from where Barkstripe ripped its tongue and mouth – Blizzardstar felt himself relax. His Clan was safe. He hadn’t failed them.
And newleaf has come. The tom closed his eyes, listening to the birdsong that filtered in behind the chattering voices of his warriors.