Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 10:

Bramblepaw stared at Hawkpaw silently as she bowed her head in grief for Ivywhisker. The grey and white she-cat was like a second mother to her, and she loved to play with her kits when she didn't have any apprentice duties to take care of. It was her favorite thing to do. Rockpaw sat beside his sister and curled his tail around hers. She rested her nose in his fur and closed her eyes, swallowing thickly.

"You know, if you need to cry, you can." He mewed softly to her. Hawkpaw shook her head and rested it on her brother's shoulder.

"I'm not going to cry. I won't show weakness." She mewed softly. Rockpaw looked at his sister and opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't have anything to say. He closed his mouth and stared down at Ivywhisker's body and the three small kits with her. Blazefang sighed sadly and looked at Mistcloud.

"Should we bury her now?" He asked. The deputy nodded her head and a couple of elders carried the lifeless bodies away and out of the camp. Hawkpaw turned around and headed for the camp entrance. Rockpaw watched her go and turned the other way to join the other apprentices in the apprentices' den. Bramblepaw took a deep breath and followed Hawkpaw out of the camp.

He made sure to keep hidden, darting behind bushes and trees. The brown she-cat sat at the edge of the river and stared down into the water, curling her tail over her paws.

"Why did they have to kill the kits?" She mewed to herself, slashing the water with her paw. Bramblepaw sighed and took a step out of the bushes, but quickly ducked back when there was a quiet hiss in the bushes on Sandclan's border. Hawkpaw stood up and tilted her head at where the noise was coming from.

A small grey head popped out of the leaves and wide amber eyes stared at the she-cat.

"Hawkpaw!" The tom hissed, glancing around as he clambered out of the bushes. Hawkpaw blinked in surprise and her ears perked up.

"Darkpaw! What're you doing here?! Don't you know it's dangerous?!" She hissed to the Sandclan apprentice. He nodded his head and stood at the edge of the river.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about Ivywhisker. I know how much she meant to you. And I'm also sorry about the kits. They shouldn't have been sent to Starclan this early in life." He mewed sadly, looking at his friend with sympathetic amber orbs. Hawkpaw hung her head and nodded.

"Well, at least not all Sandclan warriors are cold-blooded and have no hearts." She mewed with a small hint of humor and sadness. Darkpaw smiled sadly and nodded his head.

"Listen, Hawkpaw. When I become a warrior, I promise you that I'm never, ever going to kill another cat. It's dishonorable and it causes so much heartache for others." He mewed, standing taller. Hawkpaw purred and shook her head at her friend.

"You would be a great leader. I hope that one day you become the new leader of Sandclan. Then you might set a good example for them." She mewed softly. Darkpaw's eyes lit up and he purred at the Waterclan apprentice.

"You think so? Well, I'll try. I must go, before anyone knows I've gone. I'll see you at the next gathering, ok?" He asked her. Hawkpaw nodded her head and both cats turned and started padding away from the border. Bramblepaw dove deeper into the bushes and watched Hawkpaw pass him by. He clambered out when she disappeared from view and looked back at the Sandclan border with narrowed amber eyes.

He started stalking back towards the camp with a gloomy aura around him.

He didn't want to believe Hawkpaw was friends with a Sandclan cat.

He wouldn't believe it.

With a new air of confidence, he started padding faster to get to camp. There was much to do, and he would surely be needed.