Redblaze's Regret {COMPLETE}

Chapter 3

 Redblaze woke up a few sunrises later to find himself assigned to the morning hunting patrol, along with Sorrelstream and her apprentice, Reedpaw. Redblaze liked Sorrelstream; the pale ginger warrior was smart and kind, and cared about her Clanmates very much. He knew she'd been very fond and defensive of Minnowpaw, unlike her brother Mudpelt, who was one of the first to turn against her. At times, Redblaze wondered why the rest of the Clan hadn't followed suit faster than they did.

"Good morning," Sorrelstream greeted Redblaze as Birchclaw finished assigning the patrols. "Ready to hunt?"

Redblaze nodded. Reedpaw padded over from the apprentice's den with a yawn. Her black and white fur, nearly identical to her father Cloudsplash's, was untidy from sleep. Sorrelstream gave her a stern look. "No apprentice of mine is leaving this camp looking like that," she said, sitting down. "Hurry up and groom your pelt; we'll wait." Laughter lit up her eyes as she watched Reedpaw give her fur a few quick licks.

As they waited, Redblaze's mind wandered and he began to wonder when he would get an apprentice of his own. He wondered what it would be like to pass on all of his knowledge to a younger cat, the way Flamepelt had to him. It would be great, he thought, to teach an apprentice how to be a RiverClan warrior.

He looked over to the nursery and saw Ashflower watching her kits play just outside their den. Ripplekit, Sootkit, and Amberkit were nearing their fourth moon, and were growing bigger and stronger with every passing day. Would he one day mentor one of them? Then he remembered; Ashflower and Bristlepelt were Minnowpaw's mother and father, which made these kits her siblings. For some reason, the prospect of mentoring any of them suddenly became incredibly unappealing. He couldn't stomach the thought of being so near to Minnowpaw's kin, and her memory.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Reedpaw said excitedly. "Can we go now?"

Sorrelstream narrowed her eyes, whiskers twitching. "I suppose," she purred. Turning, she led the way out of camp, followed by Reedpaw, and Redblaze picked up the rear.

The forest was quiet as Sorrelstream led the way to the river, pausing every few pawsteps to scent the air for other prey. Redblaze opened his mouth to drink in the smells of the forest; dew, lush ferns, and the crisp scent of leaf-fall wind bathed his tongue. And though the fox had been gone for a moon, he could swear its scent still lingered. He shivered as the image of its bloodthirsty yellow eyes and dripping fangs entered his mind. For a moment, he was seeing Flamepelt's body drop from its jaws again, his throat gushing blood and his eyes staring sightlessly at the blue sky.

Redblaze closed his eyes for a moment as the painful memory washed over him. He half-hoped that when he opened them, Flamepelt would be standing next to him, beckoning him to carry on with the patrol. But there was only a bed of ferns swaying gently in the wind.

"Are you coming, Redblaze?" Sorrelstream called back to him. She and Reedpaw had gone several tail-lengths ahead, and were now looking back at him expectantly.

"Coming," he muttered, and bounded forward to close the gap between them.

The river was running gently as the patrol arrived at the bank. The three cats spaced themselves out to watch for fish, with Sorrelstream staying near enough to Reedpaw to give advice and watch her progress. Redblaze wandered farther away, though, and sat on the edge of the river with his tail tucked neatly around his paws, making sure his shadow fell away from the water.

But instead of watching the water, he found himself watching his companions instead. Sorrelstream was gently correcting Reedpaw's form, and praising the young apprentice when she adapted quickly. Already, she had caught a fish. Sorrelstream's mentoring reminded him so much of Flamepelt, and once again he was thinking about his former mentor.

Why did you have to die? He thought sadly, as if Flamepelt could hear him. Why did you have to leave me? Bitterly, Redblaze's mind came to Minnowpaw. It was all her fault. Nightwhisper had been right all along when he tried to tell RiverClan that she was cursed; but because no one believed him, three cats had died.

A flash in the water caught Redblaze's attention. He'd been too distracted to focus on hunting. Awkwardly, he slapped his paw into the water, but he scared the fish away. He grunted in frustration, then looked up, hoping Sorrelstream and Reedpaw hadn't seen his clumsy move. Luckily, they weren't paying attention to him. A few moments later, another fish came into view and Redblaze snatched it up, slapping it onto the rocks. It wasn't a very large fish, but anything would be better than nothing.

As the sun rose higher and the air began to warm, the patrol wrapped up their hunting. Redblaze only managed to catch one other fish; he just couldn't focus, and he had grown extremely frustrated by the time he was done. He growled and slapped the water as Sorrelstream and Reedpaw came over to him, mouths laden with fish. A kit could have done better than him!

Sorrelstream set her catch down and purred in amusement. "Either my apprentice is the best hunter in the Clan, or your luck was out today!" she joked.

But Redblaze didn't find it funny. Her comment infuriated him, and he turned on her. "I guess we can't all be perfect, can we?" he snapped.

A hurt look spread across Sorrelstream's face, and Redblaze instantly regretted what he'd said. He suddenly realized that, watching her and her apprentice, this was the happiest Sorrelstream had looked in a moon. He may be angry at Minnowpaw, but her best friend still missed her, and had been sad ever since she left. Embarrassment surged through him and he jumped and ran off into the forest.

His paws pounded on the forest floor as he ran, his anger increasing with each pawstep. She didn't have to point out how badly he'd done! Any cat could have seen it! He was a poor excuse for a hunter, if a newly-named apprentice had outdone him by so much.

Redblaze didn't notice a rock in his path until he tripped over it, snagging a claw as he did. Pain pulsated through his paw and a drop of blood welled up from between his claws. He cursed, becoming even angrier. Great, he thought, gritting his teeth.

He carried on back to camp, and his paw felt like it was on fire by the time he returned. A few cats cast strange looks his way when he stomped through the entrance. Birchclaw approached him, his expression concerned. "Where are Sorrelstream and Reedpaw?" he asked. "Did something happen?" He eyed Redblaze's puffy paw.

Redblaze pushed past the deputy. "You sent me out to hunt, not watch over them," he snapped, not turning around. His paw hurt horribly, so reluctantly he limped towards the medicine den, not bothering to wait for Birchclaw's response.