"I smell it from over here." Berrytuft kept her head low as the black she-cat moved through the starting snowfall. "I can smell it now, too." Cloudsong frowned as she inhaled the scent in the air. "What's the deal with all the blood loss?" She took a cautious look around. "A fox... Badger..." she mused as she walked into Berrytuft's tail. "It's a kittypet." Berrytuft exclaimed in surprise as she gazed at the calico she-cat panting and hissing in pain on the cold ground. "Her collar's shiny bit is broken, and... her tail is gone." Berrytuft crouched down and carefully sniffed the she-cat's tail. "Don't...!" The bleeding cat cried softly, barely audible. "Reed...whisker..." "Reedwhisker?" Cloudsong inquired, hopping past Berrytuft and toward the she-cat. "Are you familiar with Reedwhisker?" Cloudsong inquired, lowering herself to the afflicted cat. "He's... my friend..." The cat whimpered. Berrytuft and Cloudsong looked at each other, nodding. "Can you stand?" Berrytuft asked, nudging herself under the kittypet. "I can... just barely." Berrytuft hauled the kittypet up, Cloudsong pressing to her other side to keep her standing. "We'll get you to safety, don't worry." Cloudsong promised. Slowly but steadily, the two she-cats aided the bleeding kittypet through the approaching snowstorm.
"Tawnyfern! Squirrelpaw! We need help over here!" Cloudsong called out to the medicine cats as she, Berrytuft, and the cat she'd come to know as Bright arrived at Leafclan's leafbare camp beneath thick holly bushes. "Bright!" Reedwhisker dashed over to the trio, Cloudsong staring at the tom. "You've got some explaining to do once we make sure she's safe." Cloudsong huffed, Icestar padding over, while Tawnyfern and Squirrelpaw examined Bright's tail. "So, this is the source of the blood Berrytuft caught a trail of?" Icestar sat down and observed the medicine cats at work. Cloudsong lowered herself calmly to the ground next to Icestar, then reporting the situation. "It would seem so. She knows Reedwhisker, somehow." "Reedwhisker, mind telling me what this is?" Icestar turned to face her son, who appeared perplexed to see Bright in such a state. "She..." Reedwhisker shook his head and turned to face his leader. "She's a kittypet who lives near the forest. Her twoleg didn't feed her, so she had to catch mice herself." "Did she steal prey?" Icestar inquired, clearly suspicious of the she-cat. "No. Well... once. But I took the prey back. I offered to her that she could join Leafclan." Reedwhisker lowered his head slightly. "I never expected something like this to happen..." Reedwhisker gave a light shake of his head. "Tawnyfern, was it a fox attack?"Icestar inquired, approaching the medicine cats and Bright. Tawnyfern examined the missing tail, which was now covered in spider webbing. "No. I'm not sure what animal could have made such a clean cut." She admitted as she watched Squirrelpaw patch up Bright's tail. "It was my twoleg..." Bright hissed a little as she shifted to a more comfortable position. "He grabbed me and used a big silver thing to cut it. It hurt so much." Bright trembled and pressed her head against her paws. "He tried to throw it down on me, but I got out of the way and it broke my collar's tag." The cats around her listened as she explained what had happened. "Well." Icestar cocked her head. "If you can demonstrate your worth, I suppose Reedwhisker's offer would still be available. You are welcome to join Leafclan as long as you are willing to repay us for taking care of you." "R-really?" Bright looked at the graceful blue she-cat. "You'll have to abandon your twoleg name and prove yourself, but yes." Icestar nodded, but was quickly nudged aside. "She needs to get some rest." Tawnyfern turned to look at Icestar, then at Bright. "Brightpaw, welcome to Leafclan." She chuckled as she helped the she-cat to her small den with Squirrelpaw's assistance.
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