Warriors 03 - Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter Page A

huge beast rounded on him with a roar, jaws snapping. It was fast; it might even have caught Fireheart if Brackenpaw hadn’t leaped from the side, clawing for its eyes.
    The badger whipped its head around to where Sandstorm had sunk her teeth into one of its back legs. Kicking out strongly, it threw her off, and she rolled into the snow.
    Fireheart dashed in again to claw the badger’s flank. Drops of scarlet blood fell onto the snow. The badger growled, but it was backing away now, and as Sandstorm got to her paws and advanced, spitting, it turned and lumbered off up the ravine.
    Fireheart spun around to Cloudkit. “Are you hurt?”
    Cloudkit crept out from the cleft in the rock, tremblinguncontrollably. “N-No.”
    Fireheart felt shaky with relief. “What happened? Where’s Brindleface?”
    â€œI don’t know. We were all playing, and then I turned around and I couldn’t see any of the others. I thought I’d come and find you, and then there was the badger….” He let out a terrified mew, and crouched down with his head on his paws.
    Fireheart was stretching his neck to give him a comforting lick when he heard Sandstorm say, “Fireheart, look.”
    Fireheart turned. Brackenpaw was lying on his side, blood seeping from his hind leg into the snow.
    â€œIt’s nothing,” he grunted, bravely trying to get to his paws.
    â€œStay still while we look,” Sandstorm ordered.
    Fireheart rushed over and examined the wound. To his relief, the slash on Brackenpaw’s leg was long but not deep, and the bleeding had nearly stopped. “You were lucky, thank StarClan,” he meowed. “And you saved me from a nasty bite. It was a brave thing to do, Brackenpaw.”
    The apprentice’s eyes shone at Fireheart’s praise. “It wasn’t really brave,” he mewed shakily. “I didn’t have time to think.”
    â€œA warrior couldn’t have done better,” meowed Sandstorm. “But what’s a badger doing out in daylight? They always hunt by night.”
    â€œIt must be hungry, like us,” Fireheart guessed. “Otherwise it wouldn’t attack something as big as Cloudkit.” He turned back to the kit and nudged him gently to his paws. “Come on;let’s get you back to camp.”
    Sandstorm helped Brackenpaw to get up and padded beside him as he limped to the top of the hollow and toward the ravine. Fireheart followed with Cloudkit, who kept very close to him.
    As they reached the ravine, Brindleface burst out of it, frantically calling Cloudkit’s name. Other cats came hurrying behind her, drawn out of the camp by her panic-stricken wailing. Fireheart spotted Runningwind and Dustpelt; then his heart sank as Tigerclaw followed them out of the tunnel.
    Brindleface sprang at Cloudkit and covered him with anxious licks. “Where have you been?” she scolded. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! You shouldn’t run away like that.”
    â€œI didn’t!” Cloudkit protested.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Tigerclaw shouldered his way to the front of the group of cats.
    Fireheart explained, while Brindleface continued to smooth down Cloudkit’s ruffled fur. “We drove the badger off,” he told the deputy. “Brackenpaw was very brave.”
    All the while he was speaking, Tigerclaw stared at him with fierce amber eyes, but Fireheart held his head high; this time he had no reason to feel guilty.
    â€œYou’d better go to Yellowfang and have that leg seen to,” the deputy grunted to Brackenpaw. “As for you…” He swung around and loomed threateningly over Cloudkit. “What were you doing, putting yourself in danger like that? Do you think that warriors have nothing better to do than rescue you?”
    Cloudkit flattened his ears. “I’m sorry, Tigerclaw. I didn’tmean to get into danger.”
    â€œDidn’t mean to!