Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 9:

Hawkpaw lashed her tail as she crept behind Rockpaw. The young tom was chatting with Pebblepaw and was unaware of the cat the lurked behind him, waiting to pounce. Blazepaw and Brightpaw snickered as they watched her raise her haunches before she shot through the air and crashed into Rockpaw, bringing her brother down to the ground with her.

"HAWKPAW!" He squealed when they both landed in the dust. Hawkpaw purred with laughter along with Pebblepaw, Brightpaw, and Blazepaw. It had been two moons since the ginger and white splotched tom had joined the clan, and he was already comfortable within the clan. The only problem he had was Bramblepaw.

The dark tabby apprentice wouldn't stop calling him a kittypet. Hawkpaw rolled around with her brother in the dirt as the dark grey tom tried to pin his sister, but the brown she-cat flipped them over and she pinned her brother to the ground instead.

"I win." She mewed proudly. There was a cry of warning from outside the camp and suddenly Sandclan cats swarmed from every which way. Hawkpaw hastily got off her brother and launched herself after Brightpaw into battle against a group of Sandclan apprentices. She was clawing at one of the cats when she was suddenly ripped off and flung away.

She shook her head and looked up to see a sand colored pelt and instantly was on her paws again, crouching low to the ground.

"SANDPAW!" She snarled. The Sandclan apprentice sneered down at her and launched herself at the brown Waterclan apprentice with a yowl. Hawkpaw ducked and leapt up to rake her claws across the smaller she-cat's belly, flipping the she-cat over and sending her tumbling to the ground. Hissing with her fur fluffed up, Hawkpaw took a pawstep towards the winded Sandclan apprentice but stopped when there was a yowl of terror from the nursery.

Eyes wide, she spun around and dashed for the den, not noticing that Bramblepaw was on his way there as well. They both burst into the den to see Ivywhisker dead in her moss nest and her kits screeching as they were thrown into the air or thrown against the ground. In seconds they were silent and still, laying in twisted positions. Hawkpaw screeched with anger and launched herself at the large white tom that had murdered her kin but was flung away when he whipped around and smacked her with his large paw.

Bramblepaw watched Hawkpaw hit the wall with wide eyes before he turned to the Sandclan warrior with raging amber orbs and bristling dark tabby fur. He let out an angered battle cry and leapt at the warrior, slashing at him with sharp claws. The warrior tried to dodge most of the blows, but he was unsuccessful and backed up against the wall. Bramblepaw hissed angrily when he felt the rough fur slip through his claws as the warrior escaped and fled the camp.

Rushing to Hawkpaw's side to help her up, he glanced around the nursery to see if any other cats were in there. There wasn't anyone else in the nursery.

"W-where's Petalfur?" Hawkpaw rasped, trying to stand up. There was a large claw mark on her cheek and blood leaked out of a wound on her shoulder. Bramblepaw felt something within him bubble and he flexed his claws.

"She must be in the tree with Gingerkit and Fernkit." He mewed. Hawkpaw nodded in agreement and staggered out of the den. Bramblepaw hastily darted next to her to lead her out and she leaned on him lightly. When they got out, half the camp was destroyed and there were many battles around. Blazepaw and Rockpaw were teamed up against two Sandclan apprentices and Brightpaw and Pebblepaw fought off a Sandclan warrior.

There was a screech of pain and both Bramblepaw's and Hawkpaw's heads snapped towards the direction. Leafpaw was dragging himself away from a large warrior, his hind legs bent in awkward angles. Bramblepaw watched with wide eyes, frozen to the spot as he watched the warrior place his large paw on his brother's head and the blood that leaked from the claws that dug into his skull. Leafpaw let out a weak mewl of pain before he went limp and the warrior moved on.

The world seemed to shatter from under Bramblepaw, and he felt bile rise in his throat. Hawkpaw buried her nose in his fur with sympathy and started muttering soft reassurances to him. He looked away from his brother and glared at one of the Sandclan apprentices that was fighting against Rockpaw and growled.

"You know that fighting move we learned a couple moons ago?" He asked, eyes boring into the apprentice he was targeting. It was Cloudpaw, a white Sandclan tom with blue eyes. Hawkpaw looked at Bramblapaw and opened her mouth to say something but shut it when she realized what he meant.

She nodded silently and both Waterclan cats launched themselves at the apprentices, bowling them over. Hawkpaw battered at Cloudpaw from the front, while Bramblepaw sliced at him from the back. Pretty soon, the young white tom was sprinting out of the camp and away from Waterclan territory.

"SANDCLAN! RETREAT!" A screech sounded through the camp, and all the Sandclan cats fled from the clearing. Waterclan cats cheered for about a couple of seconds before they went to go check on their wounds. There was a mournful wail from the other side of the clearing, and Bramblepaw knew with a sinking heart that it was Heatherfoot. She stood before her dead son's body and stared down at his back legs with horror.

They were broken and bent backward, and Heatherfoot screeched with sorrow as she saw the large gouges where the Sandclan warrior's claws dug into Leafpaw's eyes and skull. Blacktalon appeared beside Bramblepaw and he looked down at his son.

"You fought well." He mewed. Bramblepaw would've jumped for joy, but he didn't care anymore. He could care less if his father finally paid attention to him. His brother was dead, and one of his friends almost got killed.

"Does it matter?" He muttered, before padding away and towards his mother.

He could feel his Blacktalon's ice blue eyes on him as he sat beside his mother and silently mourned the loss of his brother.