Redblaze's Regret {COMPLETE}

Chapter 14

Over the next few days the air grew chilly, and one morning RiverClan awoke to a layer of frost on the ground in the camp. Redblaze stepped out of the warriors den and stretched, a shiver running from his ears to tail-tip.

    "Brrr," Mudpelt exclaimed, coming out behind Redblaze. A quick gust of wind shot through the camp, and the thickset brown warrior fluffed up his short fur against it. "I guess leaf-bare really is on the way." He shivered again.

    The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting a pale yellow glow over the waking forest. Birchclaw assigned the patrols and Redblaze soon found himself on the dawn patrol with Sweetstripe, Sorrelstream, and Reedpaw. The three she-cats engaged in a conversation as they strode along the edge of RiverClan territory, marking the border, but Redblaze remained silent. It seemed that every time he opened his mouth he made Sorrelstream angry. He watched as Reedpaw bounced along next to her mentor, glancing up at her admiringly. Her black and white fur reminded him so much of Cloudsplash, her father; a strong warrior of few words. Yet Redblaze was suddenly reminded of the tom's anguish as he saw one of his kits dead before him, poisoned by a piece of prey. He'd wanted to kill Minnowpaw, Redblaze knew, overtaken by a fury that Redblaze had never imagined a cat could possess. That was, until Flamepelt lay before him in a pile of ginger fur and crimson blood.

    "Are you okay?" Sorrelstream's voice broke Redblaze away from his thoughts, and he saw the sandy-furred warrior watching him with a hint of worry in her eyes. Sweetstripe looked over at him, too, but her gaze was far more judgemental, and much less empathetic.

    "I, er," Redblaze stuttered, feeling awkward. "I'm just thinking, is all," he finished, looking away.

    Sorrelstream returned her gaze to the path ahead of them. "You look like you're ready to fight ShadowClan or something," she remarked quietly.

    Redblaze peeked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that Sorrelstream still looked worried, almost haunted. And, he suddenly realized, she looked a little sad. He gulped, wondering if he should pry, but decided against it. With his luck, he'd say the wrong thing and she'd claw his ears off. No cat spoke another word for the rest of the patrol, until they had finally returned to camp.

    "Hey, Sorrelstream, I–" Redblaze began, only to be cut off by a frantic yowl from inside the camp. Suddenly alert, all four cats burst into camp, tails fluffed out and ready to fight. Every cat in the Clan was in the middle of the camp, staring at the medicine den. Pushing their way to the front of the crowd, the patrol saw Silverheart, Ashstar, and Birchclaw huddled over Nightwhisper. The black tom was crumpled to the ground, breathing raggedly, his yellow eyes wide and lit up with fright. Had something happened to him?

    "Nightwhisper, breathe," Silverheart urged her mentor. "You're okay. You're in the camp." Her words were soft and comforting, like a mother speaking to her kits.

    "What's wrong?" Ashstar murmured. "Was it a vision?"

    Slowly Nightwhisper turned his head to his leader, like he was trying to comprehend what Ashstar had said. After a moment, his eyes grew clearer and he nodded slowly, gulping. "Yes," he muttered. "An omen. A bad omen." He stood on shaky legs, staring at the ground as if he would find some answer there. Redblaze's heart twisted in his chest.

    A bad omen? Please, StarClan, no, he pleaded silently.

    "Nightwhisper, what was it?" Silverheart asked. The whole Clan was leaning forward, nearly desperate to hear their medicine cat's vision.

    Nightwhisper's breathing evened and after what felt like an eternity, he addressed the Clan. "Beware the wind," he said eerily.

    "The wind?" Birchclaw echoed, sounding confused.

    "Is that it?" Silverheart cocked her head.

    Nightwhisper nodded and replied, "That is all StarClan has chosen to share with me. Beware the wind," he repeated. He looked towards Ashstar. "If I could speak with you," he prompted.

    Ashstar nodded quickly. "Yes, let's go to my den," he said, leading Nightwhisper, Silverheart, and Birchclaw along with him. "Everyone else, go about your duties," he instructed the gathered cats. Once the four had disappeared into Ashstar's den, the Clan remained rooted to the ground, shaken by what had just happened. Was something terrible lying in wait for RiverClan?

    After another moment of silence, Tawnyclaw spoke up. "It won't do us any good to stand around. We'll all know more in time. Let's get back to work."

    As the Clan dispersed, Redblaze padded sneakily over to Ashstar's den, his spine tingling with a sense of foreboding. It felt urgent to him and he wanted to hear what the four cats were saying. He'd already forgotten about speaking to Sorrelstream. He pricked his ears and strained to listen to his leader's conversation.

"I was standing outside the camp," Nightwhisper was saying, his voice hushed. "In my vision. I felt a breeze, but it quickly got stronger and stronger, a huge gust of wind that blew me off my paws. I could hear the trees groaning and the branches snapping. Beware the wind."

    "What could it mean?" Silverheart whispered. "Why would StarClan be so vague? What are they trying to warn us about?"

    "Maybe WindClan," Birchclaw spoke up. "Remember the Gathering? Berryfoot was very tense towards Featherstar, and made it a point to warn them about challenging the borders. If WindClan sees an opportunity to seize ShadowClan territory since their leader is weak, they may feel as if they can press our boundaries, too."

    There was a moment of silence, as if the four cats were weighing the possibility of what Birchclaw had said. Redblaze too remembered the tension between WindClan and ShadowClan, and reckoned that Birchclaw's theory made sense.

    "I think you may be right," Ashstar said at last, echoing Redblaze's thoughts. "I'm not sure how ambitious Featherstar would be to challenge the borders like that, but I'd rather not take the chance. Birchclaw, from now on I want you to double the patrols along the WindClan border, and have the Clan set the scent marks strong. Make sure WindClan knows not to try anything."

    "Yes, Ashstar," Birchclaw replied.

    "Are you sure we should act so hastily?" Silverheart asked quickly, sounding a bit shocked. "We aren't sure that the prophecy means WindClan. If we are quick to get defensive, they might think we're up to something. We could be asking for an attack."

    Redblaze heard Ashstar sigh heavily, and he imagined his leader's broad shoulders drooping with uncertainty. "I know," he meowed, sounding resigned. "In my younger days I would have waited for more clarity before making a decision." He paused, then spoke again, his voice strong and sure. "But I will not sit by and do nothing if I believe my Clan to be in danger. I will do whatever I can to protect RiverClan; I don't want to see any more unnecessary deaths." He sighed again and whispered, barely audible to Redblaze's ears, "What kind of a leader would I be then?"

    "Hey, Redblaze!" Redblaze nearly jumped out of his fur as a cat called his name. Turning, he met Mudpelt's inquisitive gaze. The brown tom cocked his head and said, "Pebblenose and I are going hunting. Do you want to join us?"

    Redblaze's breathing returned to normal, and he hoped no cat had caught him snooping. But Ashstar's words still lingered uncomfortably in his mind. Was there more to the omen than any cat thought? Was Ashstar afraid of losing more cats? Deep down, Redblaze had to admit that he was, too. Countless times he had to face the vision of his Clanmates' bodies dead before him, and even now he could see Shadebelly, Breezekit, and Flamepelt in his mind. It seemed that Ashstar was more scared of losing cats than he'd ever thought.

    Redblaze snapped his attention back to Mudpelt, who was still waiting for his answer, looking a little confused and concerned. "Uh, sure," Redblaze replied, looking past Mudpelt to where Pebblenose was waiting at the camp entrance, her thick white fur gleaming in the midday sun. "Let's go."