Brambleberry's Path

Chapter 27:

Wetstar stood on the HighBranch, and the clan slowly and sadly padded over to sit beneath him to hear what their leader had to say.

"We have lost many cats this night. The brave Pebblefoot, the caring Petalfur, Reedfeather, and lastly, our trusted deputy. Mistcloud is in Starclan with the rest of our ancestors now. We are sad to say goodbye to our beloved clanmates, but they are in a better place now." He mewed.

Brightface stood and all cats looked over at her.

"Pebblekit is gone." She announced. Shrieks of disbelief and horror rippled through the clan, and Hawkwing stood, her emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"It's true. Sandfang stole him away from us!" She said, her eyes flashing with hatred and her claws unsheathing. Brambleberry stared at her and something in his brain clicked. Sandfang was the one cat Hawkwing hated most. She took everything away from Hawkwing when she stole Pebblekit from her friend. He could tell how much the brown she-cat wished to claw the Sandclan cat's pelt to shreds.

The clan rippled again and yowled out anger and hatred. Wetstar stared down at Brightface with sad honey eyes and dipped his head.

"You've lost so much in one night." He mewed sadly.

"Not only have you lost your brother, but you've lost a kit as well. We shall sit vigil for both cats tonight. But first, I must announce the new deputy." He mewed, his eyes lighting up. He stared down at Brightface with determined honey eyes.

"Brightface, you've lost so much. Snowkit, Pebblefoot, and then Pebblekit. Your previous mentor as well. Mistcloud taught you well. And I speak these words so that she may hear them as she reunites with our lost clanmates. Brightface shall be the new deputy!" Yowls of agreement rose all around and Brightface dipped her head, her sapphire eyes devoid of any emotion. Icewing nudged her shoulder with his muzzle and the silver tabby queen padded back towards the nursery.

Frogleap padded up to Hawkwing and started to talk to her. The brown she-cat nodded her head solemnly at something the young warrior said and padded towards the medicine den. Birdpaw was curled around her mother's body as the brown warrior padded into the den.

She was sobbing with her muzzle buried in her mother's neck. She looked up at Hawkwing with devastated amber orbs and the brown she-cat stared back with sad emerald eyes. She curled her body around Birdpaw as the ginger and white she-cat continued to sob into her dead mother's fur. Fernpaw and Gingerpaw ducked their heads in before Gingerpaw padded over to Hawkwing's side.

"Why is Birdpaw crying?" She asked innocently. Fernpaw stared down at Birdpaw and Petalfur before shrugging and padding off to go to sleep. Hawkwing sighed and shook her head.

The brown apprentice didn't understand she had just lost her mother.

"Petalfur is gone!" Birdpaw wailed with grief. Hawkwing shushed her softly and brushed her tail against her friend's pelt to calm her down. She turned to Gingerpaw as the ginger tabby apprentice stared at her sister with wide, confused eyes.

"What do you mean, she's gone? She's right there." She mewed quizzically.

"No, Gingerpaw. Her body may be here, but her spirit is with Starclan now, where all our ancestors welcome her with open paws." Hawkwing mewed, trying to make the small ginger tabby understand, and also to make Birdpaw feel better. But the ginger and white she-cat's sobs did not cease. Gingerpaw stared down at her mother with sad eyes.

"So she left us? Doesn't she love us anymore?" She asked. Hawkwing blinked and stared at the small she-cat with shock.

"Of course she does! But sometimes we can't stop the things that happen. We can't turn back time and bring back those whom have joined Starpelt. No matter how much we want to. We can't stop them from joining the ranks of our ancestors." She mewed, swallowing and staring at her paws. Birdpaw had stopped and was quietly listening to her words. She buried her nose into her mother's fur and closed her eyes, her tears stopping. Gingerpaw frowned.

"I don't get it." She mewed. Hawkwing smiled a bit and her shoulder drooped she looked at Gingerpaw with sad emerald eyes.

"You will one day. But now you're too young to understand." She mewed softly. Gingerpaw shrugged and padded after Fernpaw to go to sleep. Brambleberry padded into the medicine den and stared down at the two she-cats curled up together next to Petalfur. Hawkwing had fallen asleep along with Birdpaw. He sighed and stared down at his paws.

"I'm sorry." He mewed softly. He padded away and into the Warriors' den. He curled up into his nest and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come.