Sand's Survival(open)

Sandpaw had been padding well more limping dragging along her sister,Lionpaw ' s body,blood oozing from a large gash in her side and flank. She was trying to get back to camp dispite bleeding almost fatally bad. She was barely able to see her vision swimming before the apprentice eyes.  She had much difficulty making it back to camp all the way from Carrionplace and it was taking a huge toll on the bleeding apprentice as she soon just gave out and toppled over on her side blacking out only breifly,just outside the camp entrance.

What was that smell? That couldn't have been right. Jumping to her feet and darting out of the warrior's den, Fennelcloud stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the two bodies of her children lying in the camp. The sudden pang of fear, shock, and pain in her heart was something she had never really experienced before. "Sandpaw! Lionpaw!" she cried, dashing over to them, her ears flat on her head and her tail in the dirt. Looking down at her two babies, she sniffed over each one. There was no doubt that Lionpaw was already dead, but upon careful inspection, the queen could barely see that Sandpaw was still alive... barely. "Ebonyleaf! I need you, now!" she wailed, running towards the medicine cat's den.

Sandpaw heard her mother's voice as she wailed and the bleeding apprentice ' s eyes opened only a little bit. She was able to catch a blurred glimpse of her mother as she disappeared to the medicine cats den. She tried not to move her flank and side burning with pain she never thought she'd feel and it hurt a lot to the apprentice.

Her sister's scream was one of the most terrifying things that Ebonyleaf had ever heard in her life.

She was out in an instant. "What happened?!" The calico demanded before the sharp earthly scent of blood had hit the roof of her mouth in an near instant. In the middle of the camp there lay her kin. One had already seemed to go to StarClan and the other wasn't far behind. "No... Oh no..." Ebonyleaf had whispered for the merest heartbeat before rushing back to her den and yelling at the first cat she saw to help. "Thrushstar, bring her into my den, now!" She yelled at her father as she ran past him and into the small cavern to prepare.

As soon as Thrushstar had heard the first cries from Fennelcloud, he was up and out of his own den, rushing to the scene. When he first saw the two apprentices lying on the ground, he gritted his teeth and looked for the easiest and fastest way to fix the situation. It was fairly obvious that one of his own had already joined Starclan, but he wasn't going to give up on Sandpaw. He wasn't going to lose someone else. Quickly, the leader rushed to Sandpaw's side, picking her up as carefully as he could without messing with the wound too much. He had to be quick. She barely had time left. The look in her eyes for the moment they were open was the same look he'd seen in Mapleface before she was killed. Pushing himself underneath Sandpaw and lifting her onto his back, the tom quickly rushed into the medicine den, placing her on the ground slowly as not to open the wound anymore. "What can I do, Ebonyleaf?" he asked urgently.

Fennelcloud could barely feel the legs she was standing on. The pain from the heartbreak of losing her own daughter was too much to bear. Numbly, she watched Thrushstar carry Sandpaw into the den before looking down at just how bad the gash on her flank was. It looked horrendous, but she couldn't look away. This was her baby. But she couldn't do anything. She was just in the way, standing in the den as Ebonyleaf and Thrushstar rushed around her. "Please save her. I can't lose her!" she sobbed.

Sandpaw didn't  move at all if she could help it. She looked at Thrushstar  with barely opened eyes. She soon felt a sharp pain worse then it was already for a split second as she was picked up carefully and once again laid back down. The apprentice close her eyes in a bit of pain before  opening them again as much as she could which was only a little bit as before her vision not even very clear in front of her.

The startled screaming was what had awoke him, it sounded exactly like his mate Fennelcloud. What could be wrong? Was she hurt? Did something horrible happen? Jayclaw reacted quickly, leaping straight to his paws and hurrying out of the warriors den. Blinking as he saw the look of his kits, he could hardly believe it. Lionpaw and Sandpaw? There was no way. There were only apprentices, starclan can't possibly take them.. Not at such a young age. Rushing forward, Jayclaw quickly pressed against Fennelclouds side when Sandpaw was carried off, blinking gently the broad tom gave soothing licks to his mate. "Don't worry darling.. everything's gonna be alright." The tom promised, glancing over towards the medicine cats den. So many of their kits have already joined starclan.. this couldn't be happening, not to Fennelcloud, pressing himself closer to the she-cat as she sobbed, the tom's ears flattened, hoping the best for his kits.

Ebonyleaf was scurrying around the den, scrambling piles off moss together close to where Sandpaw now lay in her nest. Her heart was pounding, she was frightened to the moon and back for the young one's safe, but her mind was clear - and she knew what to do; she had to have. She was quick to her make-shift assistant what to do. "Take that fresh moss and press it as hard to the wound as you can!" She yowled quickly, still moving around her den. "We have to stop the bleeding!" The medicine cat had grabbed thin strips of rush and laid them down nearby, and was in the process of grabbing every piece of cobweb that she could manage to find when it quickly became apparent it was doing no good at all with Fennelcloud and her mate crowding the middle of her den.

She had to stop a moment to talk to her sister. "I will do everything I can to save her, but right now I need room to work, okay?" Ebonyleaf had tried to put it sweetly, but it ended only came out curtly. Oh well. "Jayclaw, take her outside please." She went straight back to work, getting the last of the bandages ready and moving to help Thrushstar.

"Hang in there, Sandpaw. You're gonna be alright." She muttered to the apprentice as she worked.

Sandpaw looked at Ebonyleaf with hazy eyes. If course the only thing she saw was a blurred figure of the medicine cat before looked to her parents for a moment. The apprentice was practically scared. She looked back to Ebonyleaf and her ear gave a small flick as she heard her before she closed her eyes quietly.

Quickly doing as he was told, he picked up the moss and placed it down over top the gash, carefully pressing down with his paw to try to stop the bleeding. There was still so much blood all over the place, it worried him greatly. "Just stay awake, Sandpaw. Stay awake as much as you can..." he muttered to himself and to the apprentice underneath him. Everything will be okay. It will work out through Starclan... He thought, pressing harder on the wound.

"Yes... You're-You're right..." she breathed, still in shock from the sight of her two babies, one of them still barely holding on to life. Slowly walking out of the den, she looked back at Jayclaw for just a moment with a dazed but blank expression. How could Starclan do such a thing? How could they just rip her daughters out from under her like that? Looking over at Lionpaw still lying in the clearing, the queen padded over to the small body before lying down next to the apprentice, curling herself around the she-cat like any mother would for a kit. "Everything's going to be okay... Don't worry, Lionpaw. S-Starclan will take care of you..."

Sanpaw felt the pressure on the gash on her side and she opened her eyes a little hearing just barely what Thrushstar said. With some effort the apprentice managed to say"i....I'll t....try" she mewed though it came out in almost a whisper. She tried to keep her eyes open as best she could.

Ebonyleaf brought the rest of the supplies back to where Sandpaw lay and moved quickly, poking her nose around the moss against the she-cat's body and trying to determine how deep the wound was exactly, and how far stretched. Luckily for her, she thought, that it wasn't too large; just messy. Although it was deep, they still had a real chance at saving her here. "Hold her still." The she-cat said, giving him fresh moss to put onto the wound for the time being. After she was ready, the she-cat started to strap on the cobweb bandages unto her wounds, making them stronger and tighter with the thin strips of rush. "You're doing good, Sandpaw. You're very brave." she said as she worked, trying to keep the apprentice's attention, and keep her awake. "Thrushstar, can you get her some water?"

Sandpaw heard Ebonyleaf ' s words and blinked for a moment. She didnt expect to be told she was brave she didnt really feel brave justbscared and in pain.She kept her attention on her as she tried to stay awake. She could feel as she put the cobwebs and rush on her wound. She continued to try and keep her eyes open as best she could.

"Of course," he responded before snatching up some more fresh moss in his mouth. Thankfully being in the marsh, there were plenty of places to get some water, and there was one puddle in particular that was fairly close and rather clean. Soaking the moss, he rushed back in with his delivery and placed it close by for Sandpaw to reach. "Anything else I can do?" He really wanted to make sure that Sandpaw lived-- not because she was his blood, but Shadowclan couldn't stand to lose anymore lives. It was already painstakingly small.

Sandpaw watched Thrushstar leave the den with moss before coming back. She watched with half opened eyes as he placed the water soaked moss in her reach. The Shadowclan apprentice then quietly started to reach for the moss soaked in water quietly."t..thank y..you " She mewed quietly.