Warriors: Burnttail's Regret (Complete)

Chapter 26

 A few moons passed since Acaciaspark, Lavenderpurr, Sweetpetal and Grassfoot became warriors. Leaf-bare was finally here and it was also about to end, and the rivers in RiverClan's territory started to freeze, so the cats had to start hunting land prey more.

 Burnttail quietly got out of the river and shook his fur, padding away from camp as the moon floated above the silent forest, almost at its highest spot in the dark sky. The stars were shining brightly, brightening Burnttail's path. The RiverClan deputy was headed towards a certain direction, and he knew exactly where he was going and why.

 Burnttail let out a sigh as he approached Sunningrocks. Then, when he saw the rocks, he turned around and saw a certain bush. He padded towards it and sat down near it, looking at three parts that looked like someone buried something there, and the grass was starting to grow.

 Burnttail let out a sigh and looked at the farthest one to the right. ''Snake..'' He whispered. ''I'm.. I know that it's too late now, and that you died moons ago, but I still miss you. I'm so sorry about our argument.. I regret it.'' Burnttail sighed, his voice cracking. ''I might not have showed it, but.. I still cared about you, a lot. And I hope that you're hearing this. I miss you..''

 After a while, Burnttail looked at the next one, tears forming at his eyes. ''Dogspot.. I miss you too. You were so kind and.. and so funny.. Thank you that you investigated Snake's death, but that led to your death.. Oh, Spottedfur was such a fox-heart, I'm so sorry that she tricked us into being her friends, and..''

 Burnttail let out a wail as he looked at the farthest one to the left. ''Oh, Spiderfrost.. I'm so sorry. You were the last cat to be killed by Spottedfur, and you didn't deserve it.. None of you did. That stupid and evil she-cat..'' He growled, then let out a sigh. ''Atleast she's dead now. Frecklestar said that she buried her farther from the camp, near the gorge, and..''

 ''Burnttail? Are you speaking to yourself?''

 Burnttail flinched and spun around, but he relaxed when he saw Frecklestar look at him. The RiverClan leader approached him and sat down next to him and looked at the bush, then sighed. ''Your friends were buried here, weren't they?''

 Burnttail closed his eyes and lowered his voice. ''Yes, they are. I miss them so much..''

 Frecklestar sighed. ''I know how you feel, Burnttail. But-''

 ''But I can't move on.'' Burnttail whispered and opened his eyes, then looked at Frecklestar. ''But.. I keep wondering if their deaths were my fault.''

 Frecklestar flinched. ''What do you mean?''

 ''It's just.. so obvious.'' Burnttail whispered and turned his head. ''Me and Snake had an argument when we were apprentices. She left ShadowClan a while after, and that's why I left. And that was because I kept going in ThunderClan's territory because one of their warriors gave me this eye scar because I crossed the border accidentally.'' Burnttail explained everything, not caring about Frecklestar's reaction. ''And then Snake left ShadowClan, and it was all my fault.. and then after a while I came and joined RiverClan. Oh, I regret everything so much.. if I wouldn't have went in ThunderClan's territory, then the argument between me and Snake wouldn't have happened. And that means that I would've never joined RiverClan, and..'' He stopped and took in a deep breath. ''And Dogspot and Spiderfrost wouldn't have died.''

 Frecklestar flinched again, shocked by Burnttail's sudden explanation, but then she sighed and rested her tail on Burnttail's back. ''Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault. And don't regret it! You kept going in ThunderClan's territory because you were mad. That ThunderClan warrior shouldn't have attacked you. And Snake had no reason to start that argument, but I can see why. And she left ShadowClan herself, it was her choice all along. And then..'' She sighed and looked at Burnttail. ''If you would have never joined us, then Spottedfur would have killed even more cats. Sure, maybe not Dogspot and Spiderfrost, but who knows? Spottedfur was an evil cat. I'm sure at some point she would have tried to kill me, if she lived. And again, if you would have never joined us, then we would have never figured out why the rogues attacked us and why they did it. And I'm sure that Troutpatch wouldn't have been the only cat who would have died in that rogue battle..'' She meowed, then looked at Burnttail. ''Don't regret anything, Burnttail. Everything happened for a reason, see? You're basically a hero here in RiverClan, and if you would have never joined us, then Spottedfur would have won with her evil plans.''

 Burnttail flinched, then looked at his paws. ''I didn't think about that this way..'' He whispered.

 ''Exactly.'' Frecklestar meowed, her eyes full of sympathy. ''Everything happened with a reason. StarClan knew exactly what life had planned for you, and this is just life in general. You lose something or someone, but you win better things, and maybe become a hero. And you're not a grumpy cat either, because you've realized that you did bad things in the past, but you've made up for that. You're a strong and brave cat. I'm proud to have you as my deputy, Burnttail.'' She smiled. ''And I'm sure that one day you will be a great leader.''

 Burnttail blinked, surprised, then purred. ''Thank you, Frecklestar. I guess that you're right, but..'' He sighed. ''I'll always miss Snake, Dogspot and Spiderfrost. And I'll forever remember them.''

 Frecklestar nodded. ''Yes, and that's exactly what a real friend would do. I'm sure that they're all very proud of you, Burnttail. You found out that Spottedfur was the cat who killed them and Troutpatch, and you put an end to her tirany. Now, are you feeling better?''

 ''I am, actually.'' Burnttail whispered, then looked towards the moon, smiling. ''Thank you for everything, Frecklestar. You're a great leader.''

 The brown-and-cream she-cat dipped her head and got up. ''Anyway, I think I'll go back to sleep, and you should come too.''

 Burnttail nodded and got up. ''Yes, I will. And thank you again.''

 Frecklestar dipped her head. ''You're welcome.'' She meowed, then padded back to camp. Burnttail followed her, listening to the sounds in the forest. He could hear the gorge in the very far distance and a few prey walking around, looking for food. He dived in the river and swam back in the camp. He then got out of the river and shook his fur, then he silently padded towards the warriors' den. Before he went in, however, he turned and dipped his head towards Frecklestar. The she-cat nodded and dissapeared in her den.

 Burnttail turned and sneaked in the warriors' den, then carefully layed down in his nest, trying not to wake anyone up. He yawned and closed his eyes, falling asleep, feeling at peace for the first time in moons.