Leopardstar's Honor/Chapter 3

==Chapter description==
:Shaking out her pelt, Leopardfur notices that Sunfish is sporting a starry-eyed look as she waits for Beetlenose to bring her a trout. Leopardfur asks if Beetlenose would share with her too, but then suddenly changes her mind and says she doesn't want any trout, and that she'll eat with Reedtail and Frogleap, since she doesn't want to butt in on her friend's romance. Leopardfur then takes notice on how she hasn't seen a vole or bird all morning, and remarks that even river prey is smart to hide in their burrows.
:In response, Sunfish remarks that Beetlenose says that fish head upstream to look for warmer water, making Leopardfur feel annoyed and grumpy. However, she keeps the thought to herself, and suggests that they hunt in the thin strip of woodland that belongs to RiverClan. Sunfish agrees, saying that they'll be out of the wind. Wanting to prove Beetlenose wrong, Leopardfur tries to catch a mouse but fails, and Sunfish says that Beetlenose claims that mice are the hardest to catch, as they are faster than fish. She and Sunfish catch a squirrel together, even though they show distaste. 
:The next day, Sedgecreek asks Leopardfur to help her and Petaldust fix the nursery, which is leaking due to the rain. Leopardfur asks why they don't use moss, and Petaldust says that Brambleberry wants to save moss for nests as moss is easier to dry out, and Sedgecreek snorts that no cat in RiverClan had slept in a dry nest for a moon. Leopardfur notices that Hailstar and Crookedjaw are looking worried as the water rises through the reed bed.
:As Leopardfur presses a pawful of leaves into a gap, Softwing appears with Dawnkit and Mallowkit. Leopardfur asks how Graypool is, as the queen is expecting Rippleclaw's kits but is feeling too nauseous to eat. Softwing replies that the dark gray queen is still quite nauseous, and Leopardfur asks if Crookedjaw has sent out any hunting patrols. Softwing says yes, but none are back yet. As they talk, Mudfur heads toward the elders' den with some herbs for Birdsong, and Leopardfur notes on how after moons of training with Brambleberry, Mudfur is almost as skilled as her, and how she is proud of her father. Just then, Crookedjaw, who had followed Mudfur into the den, comes running out and tells Hailstar something. Hailstar then calls for her, Petaldust, and Sedgecreek, and announces that they're going to collect dry bedding from a barn, and Crookedjaw points out they can also catch some mice while they're there.
:The patrol goes through a river, and Crookedjaw, Hailstar, and Petaldust all manage to surface, while Sedgecreek appears a few moments from the waves, and explains that she swam under the water. Leopardfur knows that even though she doesn't mind water now, she still doesn't know the river as well as some of her Clanmates do. They reach the beech copse, and head for the dog fence, though Hailstar says there is no dog-scent. When they reach the barn, Leopardfur asks what it is, and Hailstar says it's a barn, while Crookedjaw explained that Twolegs built it to store grass and raise mice. The patrol goes across a stone clearing after Crookedjaw confirms it's clear. Leopardfur thinks about Hailstar having adventures as a warrior, and how she'd forgotten that he was a young warrior once too. 
:As the patrol go into the barn, Leopardfur worries about it being safe. However, the inside is airy and dry, and the warriors begin collecting dry grass, described as being golden. Leopardfur starts helping, then decides to hunt with Crookedjaw and Sedgecreek in the shadows. Crookedjaw catches one mouse, and as she unsheathes her claws, Leopardfur thinks that they may have to make two trips to carry both the bedding and their prey, and happily thinks of how Softwing will react when she realizes her kits will have dry nests that night. Just at that moment, the patrol is attacked by rats.
:One of them bites Sedgecreek on her paw, and Crookedjaw kills the rat, though blood is already welling on his former apprentice's wound. More rats stream in, and Hailstar orders Petaldust to get help. Though at first she protests, she then quickly runs through a gap in the wall. Sedgecreek fights on just three legs, while a rat bites Leopardfur on her tail. While she kills the first rodent, another grabs onto her back, its claws digging into her flesh. Crookedjaw helps get the rat off her back while Sedgecreek calls to Hailstar, who has one rat on his spine and another one attacking his hind legs. Crookedjaw tries to help, but Hailstar gets lost in the sea of rats. Leopardfur manages to swipe one rat off, though another takes its place. Sedgecreek seems to be the most injured, and Leopardfur asks if they can get to the entrance.
:Crookedjaw says no, as they'll be overwhelmed if they stop fighting for a moment, to which Leopardfur wails that they can't keep it up. Crookedjaw then says they need to work together, and orders them to join tail-to-tail, forming a circle of slashing claws. Leopardfur is angry at the rats, as she sees them as prey attacking warriors and begins to swipe at them repeatedly. Next to her, Sedgecreek trembles as her legs can't hold her upright for much longer, even though Leopardfur does her best to prop her up. However, they are all getting tired, and try to reach the entrance hole. Petaldust then appears with Rippleclaw, Timberfur, Blackclaw, Sunfish, and Owlfur, who help fight off the rats, who all either die or retreat. Leopardfur exclaims that they did it to Crookedjaw, and Brambleberry then appears to inspect Sedgecreek, and then Hailstar, who is lying, bleeding, on the stone.
:Brambleberry does her best to help and Leopardfur begs her to help him, but Crookedjaw reveals Hailstar is on his last life. Leopardfur is shocked, as she hadn't realized this, and tries to ask Brambleberry to help him, but she says she can't, grief shining in her blue eyes. Hailstar says it's all right and that Sedgecreek needs her, and Crookedjaw apologizes for letting him down. Leopardfur disagrees with this, but Hailstar just tells him to lead the patrol home safely, before dying. Sunfish continues to put cobwebs on Sunfish so that Brambleberry can check Hailstar, and the medicine cat confirms that the wound was too deep and Hailstar could not have been saved.
:Crookedjaw then asks if Leopardfur was okay, and she says she's fine before touching her nose to Hailstar's pelt. Crookedjaw then asks if Sedgecreek can make it home, and the tabby nods, though Timberfur and Sunfish help her. In shock, Leopardfur watches as Rippleclaw and Owlfur haul the body of Hailstar onto the deputy's back, and she thinks about how she is meant to save her Clan, if she can't save her leader.
:Later, Mudfur is trying to give Leopardfur some poppy seeds. She's in the medicine den with Sedgecreek, and says that it's only a few nicks and scrapes, although she is in pain. She then thinks of how she is lucky, when Hailstar was not. In the nest next to her, Sedgecreek is unconscious, and while Crookedjaw was also badly hurt, Brambleberry gave him good enough poultices to ease his wounds to go to the Moonstone with her. She then thinks about Hailstar and how his body was laid in the clearing and the Clan gathered around him to sit vigil. Leopardfur wishes to join them, but Mudfur makes her get back into her nest, saying that she needs to rest. The two then talk about Hailstar and Leopardfur's destiny, and Mudfur explains that the reason StarClan kept her alive was not to save Hailstar. Eventually, Leopardfur feels even more determined to never let her Clan suffer again. 
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
===Deaths===
*Hailstar: Killed by rat wound
==Errors==
*While leading the patrol to the barn to gather dry bedding, Hailstar signals the patrol to wait while he checks for dog scent. However, in Crookedstar's Promise, it is Crookedjaw who does this.
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with chapter thirty-five of Crookedstar's Promise.
==Notes and references==
Category:Super Edition arc
Category:Leopardstar's Honor
Category:Chapter subpages